One year ago, Jenny got an overly excited message from me on Facebook at around 10am Eastern Standard Time. Due to the time difference, her message arrived sometime around 10pm Tropic As Fuck Time. Despite the hot weather and dark skies, we shared in a celebration. We were now one step closer to finally being together.

After several months of waiting, I received a text message and email notification saying our fiancée petition had been approved. I greeted her with “fuck yeahs” and if I remember correctly, she danced for her family.

Last summer was all about waiting for the chance to be together. We filed our petition in March and three months later were approved. This was hardly the first step as it took another month for us to receive our case number, another for the interview, and yet another for approval of that interview. Once all of that was secured, Jenny prepared her journey to the US.

Our lives are far from perfect. But if I remember back to how they were last year and how awful it feels to be away from the person I love most, I’m grateful for what we have now.

In addition to celebrating are petition approval, we also rejoice over the births of actor Neil Patrick Harris, MLB Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, and Edward the Black Prince whomever he is.