Our story begins towards the end of June
1998. Dave had been on the computer
for quite some time, while Di had only
had a computer for 4 months. Still trying to learn
what to do with a computer, Di
decided to check out Yahoo Chat. In those four
months, she met a few friends and guys she'd
rather forget and a whole new lingo.
In June 1998, she went into a chat room to meet her
friends online. Have a good laugh and was
told by a friend to come into the room
as they had met a guy she had a lot in common with.
Dave was usually in Single Parenting since his wife
had left him 6 months before with 2 daughters. Di had
married the same man twice and realised that
it wasn't working. That fateful night around the 23rd
of June, Di messaged Dave and said her
friend told her about him and wanted to chat to him.

Dave had quite a story to tell, as Di also
did. He didn't exactly know how he even
got into that Romance 30's Room. We are sure
it was fate that put us both there
at the same time. As the first month
went by, Dave was sending Di a lot of emails,
poetry (one of many things they have in common),
e-cards and talking online all hours of the
night. A five hour time difference didn't keep us apart.
Di was in Pennsylvania and Dave in England. By
mid July, we both were starting to have very
strong feelings. Feelings neither of us thought were possible.
After talking for 5 months online, Dave suggested she come to
England to meet his family. He sent the money
and the arrangements were made. On November 12, 1998, Di (who
had never flown anywhere before) boarded a plane
in Pittsburgh for JFK in New York City and on to
London Heathrow airport. Wearing a brand new red
plaid dress, heels and suitcases full of Christmas
gifts, she arrived in London one hour ahead
of schedule. Thank God Dave was already there waiting.


As Di entered the waiting area, Dave was waiting
wearing a black jacket, his eyes lit up as she came
around the corner. Di, leaving her baggage buggie in
the wrong place, went straight to Dave and
gave him a big hug. Kisses everywhere and quite nervous.
After an hour, we rode through the middle
of London to Dave's flat. She met 3 of the 4 of his children.
We were so tired we went straight to his room and got
ready for bed. The following day he asked Di to marry him, something
he already had done online in icq chat, but this
confirmed it. What we knew online was very much
the true feelings. Those 10 days in London were
great. So much love, so much passion and
romance that we both needed so much. Dave showed
Di around London. A wonderful romantic dinner with
candlelight in an Indian Restaurant. But on November 22nd
Di got on that plane at Heathrow to return
back to Pennsylvania. Those 7 hours on the plane
were the hardest. Crying all the way home.
Little did she know, Dave too cried as she left.


When Di returned home, her father encouraged her
to return back to London as he saw how happy
she was telling her she didn't really have anything to
stay for in the states. Discussing it with her
two children, Di brought her daughter and flew once
again out of Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to London Gatwick
airport. Her son chose to remain in
the states with his father. December 12th, a month later,
brought Dave and Di back together again. It has
been rough. Waiting until the last minute for divorce
papers to be final to be married, finally June 1, 1999
we were married in London. We actually had to pay the judge
extra to allow us to be married before Di's
6 month visa to the UK ran out.
We lived in London
for 9 months before before moving North.
We were told Dave could be transferred to
Boston. Little did we know that he would be
traveling to London Monday mornings and staying
with his mother until Thursday evening each
week before arriving back home. We
bought a house in Boston, England and
lived there for 2 years
Dave was traveling back and forth to London for work and I was working for a
3 month trial (which didn't work out) for a law firm as senior receptionist.
After that I found work for a housing company but that didn't last
long before I found a great job, part time doing a lot
of different publications until we moved to another part of England as Dave
got a transfer to Nottingham Crime Reduction Unit and then to East Midlands Airport
in immigration. We then found a nice rental property to move to in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire.
We made a trip to the USA in 2002 taking Kaleena back to live with
her father and brother. Jessica and Dave got to see America for the first time.
I was working for temping agencies. I worked for a council housing but that didn't last long
then Carillion Property Services until they moved their work to Manchester
and we all lost our jobs. My supervisor moved on (that one is coming up) and I then
got a call from my former supervisor - wanting me to apply for her job as she
was leaving. An American company - Enterprise Rent A Car in Stapleford, UK. I was
top claims handler putting people in cars and the other guys insurance paid for it while
their cars were being repaired. I was there until 2009 when this company did the same
thing as Carillion - moved to Aldershot. I was planning to move to the USA so I didn't
apply for my job there and move again. I was all prepared to move, it was time
we had lost a lot of money mostly because of Dave's ex-wife and I was having a lot of
issues with his children, not to mention missing my family.


The next chapter - USA here we come. We spent a few months making arrangements to move
by selling things we had, packing 171 boxes to be brought over by boat and transferred
to us there. We had to get the cat shots and arrange for him to go on
another flight as British Airways decided to not allow animals in the cargo hold
after we booked the flights. We made arrangements with our neighbors to take
what they wanted in the shed and remove the garbage to the curb on trash day.
We went to London the night before and spent the night in a motel next to Heathrow
Airport and we boarded the flight the 22nd of March 2010. I had met a nice guy I was
chatting to for 8 years. We flew into Baltimore Airport and since the cat was
5 hours behind us, my Dad, who came to drive us home, and Dave went to the hotel with
our luggage and they dropped me back off at the airport to await the cat but I
wasn't alone. I finally met the guy I met online 8 years before and we spent time
catching up. We don't chat anymore - lost track. When the cat finally arrived
what a mess I had, they told me not to water the cat but they had and he was soaked
in urine. Good thinking on my part, I packed dog wipes, litter box and stopped
and got litter so we were all set for the taxi to take us to the hotel to clean
him up. The next day, we ditched the broken cat box and he slept on my lap all the way
home. Well things didn't work out for my son and his girlfriend so he moved in with us
and Dad moved out to an apartment. My main purpose for moving home was my Mother,
she was suffering from MRSA full of sores so I spent a few years trying to get her
back. Just as she was about fully healed, she had a freak accident Jan. 14, 2012 she
blacked out and hit her head on the door jam and bled to death, I found her the following
day. It was really hard losing her and then 6 months to the day, our lovely cat
Storm passed away July 14, 2012. It was a horrible time for me then. Since then, my health
started going down due to the difference in area. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia
and high blood pressure before I moved to UK and when I was in the UK Type 2 Diabetes
and Hypertension then when we moved home, Stage 3 Kidney Disease, Hypothyroidism,
anemia, double cataract implants, problems with the club foot I was born with
heart murmur, breathing problems, arthritis and a few other things. I was made
disabled in September 2016 and put on Medicare at age 58. Dave found work at Walmart
part time to start and full time now - cashier - he's popular with the British accent
Kaleena was living in Wyoming when we returned home and she was unhappy so she
moved home for a brief time but had met another guy, Virgil (her boyfriend now) and
she went to Massachusetts to live with him and his family where she is now and they
have my only grandchild - son - Virgil III. Kaleena is 29 now. Brandon, my son, is 32
and still single, has his own trailer and a cat, Kida. He's security supervisor for SGL Carbon
and does security at Eastern Sintered and odd jobs too. My nephew, Brian is
married now and so is my Niece, Stephanie. Her and her husband, Andy have 2 little boys
ages 17 months and 6 months. Dave's children - Dawn and her Husband Chris are both
school teachers in London and have a boy and a girl. Howard, his only son, is married
- he has 3 children with other ladies and a son with his wife and expecting
another son, he's also a grandfather to a grandson making Dave a great-grandfather.
Coral, his middle daughter, is training to be a teacher. She and her husband Charles
have a son and Jessica, the youngest, is certified child minder and carer.
My Dad turns 85 this year and is still active in outdoor sports
especially fishing. We aren't sure what the future brings, but we are sure
we won't be living here. We are thinking closer to Kaleena. Time will tell.
The next adventure will probably be in a year or so to Disney Florida with Kaleena
Virgil and Little Virgil. Until next time.....