Fourth Anniversary

[Leslie]

Yesterday was our fourth wedding anniversary.  We have been together for over five years now.  Travelled a long way physically and emotionally.  We are not the same people who started this journey.  We have both changed.

Looking back the first year was the most difficult.  We just did not know each other well enough for life to go smoothly.  Natasha was a “stranger in a strange land” Culture shock is real. You just have to work through it. We had made binding commitments to a future together with little certainty that our relationship would work out.  All we had was hope, a willingness to be reasonable and compromise.  That approach saw us through many troubles.  It still does.

Children add a new dimension.  When Tamara arrived our priorities changed. We put the needs of the family first, those of our partner second and our own last.  Babies are not easy !  Be prepared for your personal space to vanish almost entirely.  By the time Toma was a year old we had polished the edges from each others personalities.  The cultural difficulties began to evaporate.  We were becoming a regular couple.

This last year has seen Natasha become a British citizen and her cultural assimilation is near complete.  She still has the same values (and accent) but is comfortable in British society. In my opinion you can never call success in a marriage.  It requires constant effort.  Last night we talked about some of the things which happened to us over the last 5 years.  It has been one hell of a ride!  But we would not change a thing…

[groovlstk]

Leslie,

Congratulations to you and your family! It's great to see a true success story.

[catzenmouse]

Natasha & Leslie,

 Congratulations on your anniversary and to many, many more in the future!

 

Ken

[Jumper]

Les! Big Congratulations to you both!



and also a great post...   
 
 

[jb]

Has it really been 4 years?... Seems like only yesterday.

Congrats Les.  Good job well done.

[Jazzyclassy]

Congratulations   all the best 

[Leslie]

Thank for all the congratulations.

Our very best wishes to you all !

Leslie Natasha and Tamara

[Son of Clyde]

Sorry I am a little late..
Best wishes to both of you for many happy years together.

[CaptB]

Congratulations Leslie & Natasha. Vika and I just passed the 4 year mark last month ourselves.


Marc & Vika

[KenC]

Leslie,
A late congrats to you and your wife.  I am blown away by the photo of your beautiful daughter too!
KenC

[Vaughn]

The most enjoyable post I've read in quite some time. Les, I congratulate both
of you - for working through it all, but mostly - for your success to date in the
challenge of responsible parenting. Best wishes!

Vaughn

[Bruce]

Congratulations Les!  I can not believe it has been that long already.  How time flies.  I wish you both the best.............

[Simoni]

Leslie...congrats!

You are one lucky man...blessed with Natasha and now Tamara.

You are a model for many of us that followed after you, so it's a great pleasure to see your continuing success via updates like this one.

~Si

[Leslie]

Sorry to have taken so long to reply.  I am working in Denmark and Natasha and Toma are at our summer house in Turkey.  Not a lot of time for surfin the net !

Thanks again for all your best wishes.

There is no secret to our success, beyond those that apply to any marriage. The problem period for International marriages is (in my humble opinion) the first year.  There are lots of unique issues which must be overcome in that period.  I am enjoying being a parent late in life.  I have much more patience now than when I was younger.




   

[timothe]

Grats Leslie.  I remember your first trip report when the car broke down and you found out the first lady wasn't the right one.  It was obvious then that you had a good head on your shoulders and it is obvious now that you have made a good decision.  Your post gives me hope that marriage to an FSU woman can work for me, too.

[bgreed]

Although late Congratulations !!!!!