I'm Still Here 10/04/21

Hello Readers! My apologies for the two month hiatus, but as the Williams Brothers sang, "I'm Still Here". I do believe God kept me here for a reason, maybe it was so I could share the ups and downs of the journey with you. Believe me it hasn't been easy! Having said that, let's begin with an UP moment which transpired at the beginning of August.

My son, Derrick, married a young woman from Thailand on June 29, 2020. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, government regulations, International travel shut downs, etc. my son's bride, Am, could not come to the U.S. until late July of 2021. They have had a long distance courtship since June of 2019. It can't have been easy, but nothing worth doing is easy. My first face-to-face meeting with Am was in August. She is a lovely soul and the love and affection that exudes from the two of them makes me excited to call her "daughter".

Our meeting took place in Tulsa, OK. I had rented a cute VRBO called Katie's Cottage which was newly renovated and in a great location to all the local event locations. Cute place and spotless! A great hub for our exploration, shopping and eating excursions.

Derrick, Am and I all enjoy cooking and exploring different restaurants. One of the things I enjoyed was seeing Am eating American foods, which she had never eaten prior to our meeting. Watching her face as she tentatively tried the food, was somewhat like watching a child try their first bites (Am wasn't messy though...lol). Am is definitely a foodie and takes lots of photos! Below are some of the photos she took during our trip

As you can probably tell, we ate very, very well. Some of the restaurants we visited are as follows: Tally's Cafe located on Route 66, Fleming's Steakhouse located in Utica Square, and Cony I-Lander a Tulsa tradition since 1926.

We ended our stay together with my parents. They treated us to a great lunch that included spicy shrimp ceviche and fried dill pickles...yummy! Once again, these foods were new to Am's diet. She willingly tried our food choices and brought a new perspective towards the food flavors.

As Derrick and Am move forward with their lives and marriage, my parents and I feel joy and excitement. Am has a strong sense of family and we all felt her genuine embrace. I truly admire her bravery, positivity, and strength. It takes a strong woman to leave her country and merge her own culture with ours. We are happy Derrick has found the person with whom he wants to share his life with and we can tell Am feels the same way. We are all proud to welcome Am to the family as our daughter, and we look forward to the many memories that will be made by two young people who fell in love and overcame the obstacles placed in front of them to be together as a family. We are truly blessed.