Other Countries Lived In: Germany, Cyprus, Hong Kong
Type Of Woman:Professional
Biography:Nottingham UK, born and bred lass married to a former US marine living in the "secret" sunshine state of Colorado.
Trying to help other expats find the road to their dream and get the house of their dreams, be it here in Colorado or any of the other fantastic other states of America.
My story is a love story spread over 20 years and its our story and adversity sometimes we have to go through to acheive our dreams.
"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."
The American Dream
Back in 1988, I would never have guessed how my life would change so dramatically in a 6 month period but then I was 22 years old and a whole life in front of me.
I was on a 2 week holiday with my girl friends in Benidorm, Spain. Some “fancy pants” ship pulled in and the Marines had landed. Never thought anything of it and the girls carried on having a great time, sunbathing and a few beers here and there. We were in a bar when we heard the accents and naturally curious (at that age) we looked to see who these “loud mouthed” men were.
The old age expression, “our eyes met” and that was it. Lawrence introduced himself and we spent the next week together. We put it down to a holiday romance and promised to keep in touch. He returned to his ship and I went home to Nottingham, UK.
We both married other people but always kept in touch usually by email or letter. Talking our way through our marriages and failed relationships. Neither of us had kids with anyone, which in hindsight was a strange thing as we both loved kids.
In August 2003, we both found ourselves single and spending more and more time emailing each other, talking via yahoo messenger and generally talking about things that friends normally do. Then the phone calls began. Things became more personal and suddenly there we were wanting the same things but in different countries. So we planned a visit to see if the spark was still there….June 8th 2004. 16 years after first meeting.
The flight arrived at Heathrow and I was waiting. It was like the years disappeared and we were 22 again. No awkward moments or gaps in the conversation. A 10 day visit flew by, which included Lawrence meeting my family. Saying goodbye was the hardest thing I ever did and I don’t remember it hurting that bad, back in ’88.
Four weeks later I was on a flight over to Colorado to visit him. Going through security at Denver International airport was one of the most nerve racking things, I had never been to USA before and certainly was not used to being interrogated about why I was visiting. Seeing a smiling face the other side of security was a ray of sunshine.
I never expected anything spectacular of Colorado but within a week, I wasn’t sure where I belonged. We went hiking up to Hanging Lake, just outside Glenwood Springs and Lawrence asked me to marry him. If you have never been there, imagine Lourdes in France and double it. It’s like a little piece of paradise on the side of a mountain. Quite a hike but truly awe inspiring.
Now we had a problem. Here I was in the States, on a travel waiver and not sure what to do. Did I go or do I stay? We booked an appointment with an immigration attorney and told him our dilemma. I remember Bob the attorney, looking me up and down, shaking his head and telling us “you know you have done this all wrong” I am the first to admit that we thought I would be going back to UK.
We got married on September 12th 2004, at Chatfield Park at 7am. The foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the background, a hot air balloon behind us to whisk us away for a sunrise flight. We used the apache vows, which if you have never read are so deep and beautiful, that they bought it all together perfectly. Our families thought we were crazy. So we had 4 friends in attendance that morning and it was all we needed.
My mom sent me a wedding dress, my friend Teresa and I made the bouquet and head dress (courtesy of Michaels) and the shoes were found in a sale at $5.
After we got married, we filed our immigration paperwork with the attorney and started the waiting game. Not sure how many of you have tried looking at the Immigration website, it is a nightmare and extremely easy to tie yourself up in knots. The help line is not much better either. So we passed it all to Bob.
At the end of November 2004, an appointment was setup for my fingerprints and photographs which took nearly an hour. We still were not sure what was going to happen. It was in the hands of Homeland Security and Immigration.
Remember through all this, I couldn’t work so we relied on family and friends to help us financially when the going got really tough but we never gave up. We knew we were meant to be together. Those long days when Lawrence went to work, I taught myself how to use the internet and how to find things on the web. Prior to leaving England, I had worked at Halifax PLC as a mortgage advisor so started comparing the different products between the different cultures. A whole new world opened up to me and I learnt how difficult it was for Brits/Europeans to get finance in the States. A business plan began to formulate…..
In January 2005, the letter arrived advising that the “interview” was to be on March 21st at 10am. This was it. Which way would it go?
I don’t remember sleeping much the night before, just holding on tight to Lawrence, imagining them holding me there and putting me on a plane back to UK. All your worst fears appear at night and that night was the worse.
We arrived half an hour prior to the interview, meeting Bob in the car park and all walking in together to the waiting room. A huge white room, plastic seats, a security guard with one of those walk through bleepers before you sat and waited your turn. I held my head up high, trying not to cry. We held hands though mine were icy cold and nerves were shaking my bones. At exactly 10am, our names were called and we were ushered into the internal office.
For an hour we were questioned. We had photos to back us up, letters from friends and family supporting us and Bob, beside us, supporting our application. Our immigration officer was lovely. She could see we were genuinely in love and happy. These people are trained to spot the flaws and I would not want their job for all the tea in China. She issued my green card there and then on the spot, a unusual occurrence I am told. So March 21st, I could officially apply for my first American job.
I thought Immigration was tough!!!! Finding employment here, when you have nothing to show but a resume (CV to me and you if you are British) and maybe a couple of reference letters, is tough. No one wants to give the “Immigrant” a chance. Over 200 resumes were sent out and only 1 reply. Some companies never even bothered responding to even say sorry. Soul destroying when you know that you can wipe the board with most candidates applying for these jobs.
The one company who replied, asked me to visit them, which I did on April 13th 2005. The President said I caught his eye as his wife was British. He asked what I was hoping to achieve and I explained about sitting at home for 10 months and how I had formulated this business idea…… helping other “New Arrival Brits” get mortgages/finance for their homes. He saw my motivation and drive and gave me a chance……I have been here just over 2 years and this project grows on a daily basis. Its not just Brits affected by the “lack of credit in USA” it’s a world wide problem and one that I have overcome and helped many people get the house they want in the States, legally.
I can now process mortgages in all 50 states and cover all types of finance. Residential, Investment, 2nd homes, holiday homes and Commercial. I work with many expat websites and a whole community is building. My dream is becoming a reality and the satisfaction of helping others achieve their goals is soul lifting.
The one main thing out of this though is my darling husband Lawrence, who has supported me through the last 2 years. Loving, listening and occasionally arguing (what couple doesn’t?) and believing in me. They say you can’t see your future, well I can see that porch with the 2 rocking chairs and grandkids around us…..
I am proud to be a Brit living in America.
I love my new country and proud to be part of it.
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