Who Is Important To You?

I seriously cannot believe how my life has turned out at times. I grew up feeling that everyone else had it better than I did, that everyone else got what they wanted and I never did. I've been abused, lied about, gone through hells some of you cannot imagine and yet today I feel more fortunate than ever and appreciating everything around me.

At Titanic in Belfast

These paragraphs are to show my continuing appreciation for many aspects of my life today, including my adopted country, my family and adopted families and the many new friends I've made. But this particular piece I am writing concentrates on the one person who means the most to me, who saved me from a living hell without even knowing it, who has loved me unconditionally since we met and who I am delighted to say will be my wife as of next year; Jess.

At Sarah & Garth's Wedding

I don't really like clichés, but when it comes to describing our relationship they cannot be avoided. It has been a fairytale; it was pretty much "Love At First Sight"; it has been against all odds; and we've let nothing (and no-one who tries) come between us. We faced many challenges, we have done everything we could to make it work and we have succeeded. I've always been the type to wear my heart on my sleeve and I'm not afraid of saying what I think or feel, and with the advent of social media there were plenty of public outpourings of emotion.

Lands End 2011

Think about it hypothetically... You are 12,000 miles from home and you meet a girl. You're going home in a few months time, no guarantee if you'll ever see each other again. Miracle number 1 happens and fate sees that this girl can travel 12,000 miles to your home for 6 weeks... But then there's no guarantee when you may see each other again. 6 months later you finally do, and you ask for her hand in marriage under some of London's most iconic landmarks, she says yes! 5 months later she comes to live with you for 18 months followed by another 6 months apart to wait for the visa to come to live with her. You've been together for 3 years but spent more than 1 year cumulatively living on opposite sides of the world, in opposite time zones! This was our situation, and now we've spent another 15 months together in a stable environment the past really does look like a fairy tale.

White Hart Lane 2012

Frodsham 2012

Like every couple, we have our moments. We get frustrated with each other, sometimes over silly little things but by the same token we have many many good moments and it's for this reason I am excited to be on the verge of marrying someone who I knew was my soul mate a very short time after meeting her. Jess is a very private person so I won't embarrass her by going into too much detail about our relationship, but when we first met we were both scared of doing something that might scare the other away! I think we both made an effort to make sure everything we did was special and made that extra effort to impress each other. In her mum's own words, when Jess first met me she "had a very sudden interest in going to cricket matches!". Since it has become clear that we are going to be together forever, the interest has subsided to zero!

Our first visit to the
Australian Reptile Park

Just a little Alligator

Jess does a lot for me, I know she does. Washing, tidying, organising, ironing, cooking and a lot of domestic chores. I think sometimes she gets frustrated because she thinks I don't appreciate it, but I really do. We used to go out for meals fairly regularly but since we have been saving hard for this wedding we haven't gone out so much. I think it's time to recapture that a little and treat her to a night out every now and then.

Jess doesn't like snakes,
but for me held this Woma Python

A lot of the frustrations couples appear to have stem from one thinking the other doesn't care. I don't claim to be a relationship guidance counsellor or anything close to that, but occasionally taking the time to appreciate your loved ones costs you nothing. I make no apologies for telling my Fiancée that I love her and I make no apologies for doing it publicly like this. As far as I'm concerned, if you've decided to click this link you have done so out of curiosity for my thoughts, and should you not agree for any reason then just press Alt-F4 now, because to my way of thinking there is no better woman in my life than Jess, and I want to make sure she knows it.

Fraser Island 2013

Without being morbid, we never know what may happen. It really is important to appreciate who you have around you and who is important to you. It's always better to do something rather than wish you did it. From parents, siblings, nephews/nieces, Uncles/Aunties, grandparents, cousins and friends, I am so lucky to have so many people I feel are important to me.

Jess, we've come a long way together. It won't be long now until we are making our vows. I cannot wait for my family to come over from England and see what Australian life is like, even if only for a short time. I cannot wait to be the best husband to you, and the best father possible if and when we have children. You are largely responsible for all the positive aspects of my life today and I will do everything in my power to ensure your happiness with me.