It was the fall of 1995 I was a junior and not very focused on my academic future. I really loved playing sports and participating in all the school activities, basically I did enough school so that I was allowed to participate. One evening my parents took me aside and we had a conversation in their bedroom. My dad asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I was only 16! Geez, so I thought a moment and said what popped into my head first. I wanted to go to Australia and I wanted to see the Olympics. I remember my parents looking at each other, they took a moment to respond. What was going on inside my head? Well, as a family we had watched a Disney series called "Five Mile Creek". It was based in Australia in the late 1800's when the first stage coach lines were opening up. It was fun, had adventure, they spoke English, what more could a sixteen year old girl want!? The other item on my list was set in motion with the anticipation of the 1996 Olympic summer games being held in Atlanta. Everyone was talking about it, it seems surreal and like another adventure. My dad turned and looked at me and said, "Well, lets do it. You need to focus on your studies, get good grades and graduate. Then you can start taking college classes and work part time to save up". Sounded like the most amazing advice ever...yeah I didn't know that most people did those things, graduate, start college and get a job. Boy was I naive!
But I didn't know any better. I graduated with a 3.3 GPA (thought that was pretty good, considering). My dad took a new job my senior year and so my family moved from the Bay Area to Nuevo, about an 8 hr drive south and almost a different planet. I started attending Riverside Community College and got a job part time as a nanny. With the move we needed to find a new church to attend. My parents started to attend The Reformed Baptist Church of Riverside. The pastor there was Robert Elliott, from Scotland, and had many contacts overseas. As I shared my goals, Pastor Elliott started to help me contact people in Australia and see if they might be willing to host me. Between 1997 and spring of 2000, I saved money and planned my trip. When I started planning I found out that the Olympics were going to be in Sydney Australia in fall of 2000, how wonderful! I was over the moon, the two things that I wanted to do are actually happening. So I took time off from school and left for Australia on July 19th 2000. (remember that date...its important)
I started my trip in Brisbane for 6 weeks, then I made my way down the coast to Sydney at the beginning of September as the Olympics were about to start. My first Sunday in Sydney I attended Stanmore Baptist Church, the church that Pastor Elliott had contact with. I was dropped off, and made my way to the main hall. No one was there. I was nervous and couldn't remember seeing anyone! I was sure I was at the right place and went out side to double check. There was a young man standing outside talking on the phone. I waited for him to finish to see if he knew where everyone was. He did and so I followed him. He entered a lower part of the church building and walked me straight over to ...his dad? His dad, Andrew Elliott, introduced himself to me and was very polite. The young man that left me with his dad at this point ...walked away? I thought it was strange and rude and left it at that. I was introduce to some young people and enjoyed my first day at the church. Four weeks later I was invited over for Sunday Lunch at the home of the Elliott’s. I went over to their house for lunch with another single gal from the church. Lunch was nice, and after I noticed people started to disappear! First James’ sister, Rebecca, then James’ dad, then James. So us two singles girls were left with James’ mom, Anne, visiting in the living room. Soon it was just his mom and me, I remember it like it was yesterday. She was relaxing in a wing-backed chair and looked as if into space. She then said out loud, still looking past me and I’m not sure at what, “I’ve always pictured someone like you for James”. WELL!!! In my head I had warning lights and red sirens going off and I was lookin’ for the exit. Me and James…what! The guy doesn’t even speak to me. I’m a guest in his home and he just left!
So I dismissed the comment (wrote him off) and made sure that I didn’t have much to do with him. After my 2 months in Sydney September-October, I left for an outback experience from November-December near Adelaide. When I returned I was invited to stay with a family which I was so thankful for. By this time I had been away from my family for 6 months and I was getting a little lonely. David and Bridget Roberts were so much fun, and I would have to say staying with them made my trip so special. They had two little ones at the time, Hannah and Joel, Hannah was the same age as my youngest sister so it was just great. One Sunday in January, just got back remember, James came up to me and asked me if I would like to see the Blue Mountains. I had already been once, so I wasn’t sure. I spoke with Bridget about it and she said James was a safe guy to go sight seeing with. Well the first date that was set didn’t work out. A few days before I had fainted and hit my head on the cement while at the pool with Bridget and the kids. Needless to say I was not in good shape for any sight seeing. So we rescheduled for a date in February. I confirmed with Bridget that this was not a date, right? I was picked up in morning and the weather was not cooperating, rain. James still drove to the Blue Mountains. We were able to speak in the car about how we were saved, being raised in Christian homes, and had what I consider a relaxed time around each other, with no expectations. In the early afternoon we made it back, said goodbye, and James was on his way. I was recounting the day to Bridget when the phone rang. Bridget answered and said it was James. I had this HUGE sinking feeling in my stomach. As I took the phone I looked at her and said “It WAS a date!”. He asked if he could come back and speak to me…boy, I had a feeling I knew what was coming.
Before I left Pastor Elliott said that “just incase” someone takes a fancy to me to remind myself, and them, that I am on holiday, traveling, and returning home. A long-distance relationship would be very difficult. So I was running all the ways in my head that I need to handle the situation. James arrived back and we spoke on the porch. I don’t really remember what he said to me because I was concentrating so much on my answer of “NO”. But what I remember saying is, “I need to speak with my dad and see what he thinks, I will let you know when I hear back” ….uhhh that’s not what I was going to say! I did speak to my dad and he reminded me to keep it at a friendship level since I was leaving in 3 months. Sunday came and I told him my answer, we can just be friends. I do remember a sad look on his face and I felt bad, but I didn’t really know the guy! Well Bridget was going to change that. They had James over for dinner a few times and then James and I decided we could go running together. In the mean time my brother Sterling was planning on meeting me in April and we would travel home together. I told him that some guy at the church was interested in me but I didn’t think it would work and I didn’t like him.
The runs that James and I went on started out at a quick pace, then more like a jog until it finally was just an evening walk that we took as we talked. By the time Sterling arrived James and I were pretty comfortable around each other. Sterling asked me who the guy was on Sunday and I said, “Oh its James” and his replay “James! What’s wrong with James?” Well, I really didn’t know now, what was wrong with him? Sterling seemed to like him and we did get along really well. The week (May 2001) soon came for me to leave and I remember feeling uneasy and confused. I asked James not to contact me for 6 months since I had been gone for so long. I haven’t seen my family, need to start college courses again, get a job, so much to do.
When we hugged at the airport I cried and I didn’t know why I was crying. My adventure was over, I was heading home. Now what? The two things that I wanted to do I’ve done! I didn’t have another goal lined up! Well, around November I remembered that James’ birthday was in September, so I got a card and had Sterling sign it too. I also thought, oh I will just spray a little of my Victoria Secret body spray onto the card, yeah, yeah…I did know what I was doing. If he contacts me great, if not, well that is how its going to be. James tells me that when he smelt the card so many emotions started to go through his head.
James emailed me late November 2001. I thought “YESSSSS!” So I waited the “proper” amount of time, one week before I responded. Then he waited 5 days, then I waited three days until we were emailing back and forth on a regular basis. He asked if he could call me and I said he needed to speak to my dad first. He did and so the phone calls began. We spoke every few days for a little while. Then he decided to come for a visit in June 2002. When we saw each other it had been 1 year. I lost a little bit of weight and I was nervous that I forgot what James looked like…was this even a good idea, what if I’m not attracted to the guy?
No problem there, he looked better than I remembered! Score! We had a great visit and decided that after James’ leaves if we are still interested in each other that it is serious because of the distance. It became very serious and I visited James in Sydney December 2002. It was a strange feeling knowing that I was going to be proposed to, I said “Yes!”. When I got back we started to make arrangements for my visa to be processed to live in Australia, in the middle of our engagement, after some prayer and counsel, James decided that we should live in America. We did not get to see each other for 6 months again until we were married. We got married on July 19th 2003, I love happy coincidences. After a 6 week honeymoon (YAY), I had to return to California alone while James waited for his visa and paperwork to be processed. We didn’t see each other until Feb 7th of 2004, never to be parted again!
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