Note this site isn't very advanced so please excuse how basic it looks.

 

It's that time again, the end of the year.  2022 definitely has had its challenges.  Covid wasn't the big deal this year but inflation definitely was.  My husband I moved locations, and I decided to go back to doing things I really love doing.  Its been a struggle for sure but my husband is not in a hurry to have me return to the work field.  I am grateful he has said so, because I am not sure what I would wish to do.  

A bit about my spouse:- this post is about him. Simon Kirsten Phillips was born in Cardiff, Wales in 1974.  He is proud to be Welsh and will tell you the history of Wales and convince you that the Welsh invented many things   ( which I am sure they have but I am not sure of some things he says) 

He was once in politics, he did several campaigns in Wales and was a candidate for the Welsh Green Party.  He and his friend Paul Davies used know such people as Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.  He didn't really talk with them but he can tell me what they were like and he also knows where and has been to the chess room is in Parliament. That's not on the usual tour which I have been on with my 5th yr. history class when I was there. 

My husband used to help his friend write official letters and papers for MP's.  His friend has dyslexia and that is where Simon's typing skills came in handy. When I was over there in 2003-2005 I met his friend Paul who as far as I know is in politics-  I am not sure he was in social work for a long time with the GMB I think its called, we have lost track of him.  

When I was in London I also met and got to know Hugo Charlton who used to be the Chair of he Green Party. He been a barrister also.  My husband met him though fixing his computer when Simon was doing his computer repair service,  Phillips PC Repair. Hugo was very helpful to us personally which sometime perhaps I may go into but not at this point. Simon and I actually went to the same British school.  Bishops Cleeve, which is in the Cotswolds, in Bishop Cleeve ( school emblem shown here)

He was in the 6th form and I was a 4th year so we did not interact then. He tells me he knew who I was then though and wanted to "go out" with me then. I have to honestly take his word for it because I don't remember him hardly at all, as he is a couple yrs older than me. I later returned to the US in 1994 and did not meet up with him again till 2001, over the internet. 

This is us in Washington DC in 2002 when he came to visit me and my family for a month. At the end of this visit, we had become engaged. We have been married 19 yrs and it will be 20 in 2023! Thats a milestone for us. Back to my into about Simon -In 2006 Simon  became a permanent resident. 

We were in Iowa which if you have read my last blog, you know I was there.  We had done lots of immigration paper work which yes each part did cost to do.  It's not cheap to do to it the legal way but worth it.  The time came and we and my folks went to Des Moines Iowa in the freezing cold winter for his interview.

It was really, really cold and we were both nervous, never having been to an  immigration interview before They have these buildings which interconnect which made it so we could get out of the cold easier. We had brought all our letters and pictures to show we had a real relationship ( we were already married but you know how some marry just for the green card).

 When it was our turn the immigration officer glanced at our correspondence but didn't really look at it.  He knew we were good to go and he granted Simon his permanent residency. Now several years down the line, he needs to make the next step in his journey in America- to become an American. 

Simon loves crafting, he has about every craft gadget you can think of from the Cricut machine to a laser engraver. His mam who is still in Wales sends him craft things constantly. Lots of envelopes from Britain which embossing folders and such. He also loves to cook and is pretty good at it.  He learned how to cook when he used to work in catering at Hy-vee  in Keokuk. 

So there's a bit about him- he's a smart, witty guy and I am glad he is my Welshman.