Down the Home Stretch

[AugustD]

We are one week from a Medical Examination in Moscow, little more than a week from an interview at the Embassy and hopefully 3 weeks from arrival of my bride to be and new son.  This concludes 3 years of searching, several trips to Ukraine, trips to Kazan, and one trip to Prague.  This concludes 100's of letters on EM, hours of perusing profiles, and one failed relationship.  This concludes over a year and a half courtship, hundreds of hours on the phone, hundreds of hours on skype, and hundreds of emails.

All these conclusions and I am only stepping up to the plate.  I feel that I have run a great race and basically I have not been chasing the bunny at all but only being led to the starting line.  Truth is life starts real soon.  Or at least the chapters I have longed for.

I followed one relationship that failed, recovered, and then stepped back out into the electronic abyss of EM to find what I never thought I would find.  Frankly I didn't even understand that until the last year.

I have gone from trying to start a relationship with Russian women to finding the Perfect Woman in the world who happens to be Russian.  I truly feel like I won the lottery.  Pure luck.

Now we finish our preparations for the interview.  She has my final DHL in hand with the appropriate forms and evidence.  She has her plane ticket to Moscow.  She has nerves and she assures me daily that there is nowhere else she prefers to be in 3 weeks.

Here's to getting a consulate officer in a good mood.

I am one lucky guy.

[JR]

Luck? I think not. I think you put the miles in and deserve the reward at the end of a race well run. Best to you and here's to a wonderful future for you and your new family!

[ScottinCrimea]

I think newbies that think that this is a one women, one trip and you're out experience need to read.

[KenC]

Best of luck August!  Although, with the all the due diligence that you have done, you made your own luck. :hipdude:
KenC

[HiTech]

Truth is life starts real soon.

I can empathize, the visa process makes you feel like everything is on hold, until you get the interview date.

I truly feel like I won the lottery.  Pure luck.

After the struggle and effort put in to find the RIGHT one in the FSU, I believe many of us feel that way because you start to see that the odds of finding the wrong person, especial after some false starts like you had , is very large.

Good luck with the interview, and what do you have planed for their arrival?

Dale

[AugustD]

Thanks for the well wishes all but I will resubmit...LUCK.  I do not have to explain to others that come before me but when you find the right person for you, there is a moment that you think...HOLY crap..if it wasn't for her, I would be writing to women forever!  Probably not the case but it does come a time that you realize how lucky we are in life.

Nothing huge planned Dale.  We will make a trip to Dallas this summer as this is where we will settle once we leave Michigan.  We will make a long drive and see some place along the way.  Most of my plans have been specifically for preparation.  We have a meeting with the principal of the local school I chose.  He will open the school and give my son a tour.  This touch comes from suggestions given by Vaughn by the way.  Thank you Vaughn.  I have made contact with Tamara, a member on this site to be a tutor for my son.  And the only other preparation is cleaning the house.  Well...I will arrange the rooms and make it less mainlined and more  but I will PAY someone to clean.

A note on preparation...I have a tendency to go make decisions and plans as one though for three and that needs to stop.  We will make our plans once we are all together.  Flowers in the airport and an new Lego bionicle (google it.. I had to) is as far as I have gone this time.

You know, when I look back at my process, I can unequivocally say - it was all worth it.  I do not speak about my former relationship as she probably has her opinion of the failure and is not the same as mine.  I can tell you my failure was that the blinders were still on this old plow horse and I saw what I wanted to see.  Once they came off and I could objectively look at my process and write with the same reality and honesty that I expected, the arduous process become interesting.

If you think this is just a fun and games process then maybe you should go back to speed dating or something.  It is a lot of work.  A lot patience and building.  Not just by me either but also by my new wife and my new son.  All have had to persevere.

Look at the strength of character of some of the successful guys on here...Scott, KenC, Groovlstk, Turbo, Jet, I/O, Dan, ECocks, HiTech, Gator and many more with no intentions to leave any out....these are some strong dudes.  Is there a one of them that you would not like to sit down and have a beer with???  Hell I would CADDY for Gator for a day just for the pearls of wisdom alone...What I am saying is if you are not ready for the adventure, and you do not realize the price you must pay personally for this adventure, then try something else.  Take up line dancing.  Lots of women to meet there.

I am lucky...bottom line...

[HiTech]

I also migrated from Michigan (Grand Rapids) To Dallas. Where are you from in Michigan?

Dale

[AugustD]

Just north of GR Dale in Ludington.

[ECOCKS]

Best of luck to you and yours August!

[groovlstk]

Thanks for the well wishes all but I will resubmit...LUCK.  I do not have to explain to others that come before me but when you find the right person for you, there is a moment that you think...HOLY crap..if it wasn't for her, I would be writing to women forever!  Probably not the case but it does come a time that you realize how lucky we are in life.

Congratulations, August. I felt remarkably similar after I proposed to my wife. Hundreds of introductions and emails that never went anywhere, dozens of BS meetings, wasted vacation time and $, etc. - all of it evaporated instantly after our first meeting and suddenly everything seemed so smooth and easy. I remember when I wrote my last TR it almost felt like a victory lap. I'm not so arrogant to believe things can never change between us, especially after reading some of the sad partings here over the last six months, but marrying my wife was the best decision I've made in my 45 years. I'm sure you'll feel the same when she arrives and you no longer have to deal w/the long distance stuff. Best of luck to you and your woman.