6 years and counting.

Ironing out the wrinkles…

Iron might be the traditional gift for a six year anniversary but I don’t think ironing clothes counts.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost six years since I arrived in the US, with only two suitcases to my name, filled with clothes and optimism. It had been a long time coming though. After so many years of living on different continents, it was time for Thurston & I to settle down somewhere. Although, it could be argued that whilst we’ve settled on America as the country we’ll call home, we’re far from settled on a state to call home.

Twelve years ago, I don’t think I could have conceived where we are today. Wanting to be with someone is one thing. Actually finding a way to make it happen is another.  

I can’t untangle the reason I moved to the US from the man I love. Often when people ask me why I moved from England to Alabama of all places, the answer is simple; my husband. Without him, I wouldn’t have moved.

A friend from home asked me recently if I would ever consider moving back to England. She thinks that with the baby coming (oh yeah, we’re having a baby but more on that in another post) it would be best for us to be around family & friends. I suppose what she doesn’t see is that we’re surrounded by some truly wonderful friends here. And whilst we don’t live in the same state as any of Thurston’s family, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have support. In many ways I still consider England home but I don’t know if I could consider living there again. Sometimes I’ll suggest it to Thurston to gauge his response but as much as he misses our friends and family over there, it’s not ever going to happen. And I’m okay with that. Going into the move, I knew that as long as we were together I wouldn’t be going home.

I think I’ve adjusted pretty well to living in America. Unfortunately my waistline and accent have adjusted a little too well but I’m not gripped with the homesickness that I felt the first couple of years here. Of course, I still hate that I miss out on so much back in England; weddings & births most recently. And I’m fortunate that there haven’t been too many emergencies or deaths to make me regret being so far away. I wish that more people would visit and more often but I’m optimistic that the baby will bring more visitors to the yard than I ever could.

For now I’m focused on housing & growing this little bundle of love but in the New Year, I plan to apply for Naturalization. I still have a few years left before I need to renew my permanent resident card and whilst I’ve toyed with the idea of becoming an American, I’ve always felt secure in my status here and never felt a pressing need to take that final step. My feelings have changed since getting pregnant though and it’s important to me that I share citizenship with my child.

My sweet friend, who upon learning I was pregnant, created a Go Fund Me page to raise money for the expense that is US Citizenship. Perhaps because she’s well aware of the expense that is parenthood! So far, I think we have about $50.00 raised so if you start feeling bombarded by notifications about my Go Fund Me, don’t take it personal but do feel free to donate.

And for those of you who don’t follow me on any kind of social media and those of you who do but would like to hear our pregnancy story, I hope to be back with that post soon.