Tina's arrival here has been all that I could ask for and more. From the mundane to the special occasions, I've been enjoying every moment with her. On Friday, we went to see the movie "The Passion of Christ" with friends Myra and Derrick. Later that evening, my family threw Tina a "Welcome Home" party. My immediate extended family (first cousins and uncles and aunts and lola and lolo) all came over. We had a nice full house of about 30 folks.

Today Tina and I went fishing in a local lake, looked for bedsheets and TV's and Costco and Best Buy, and ate dinner with some of the older cousins.

Despite all the festivities, I know it's still a little hard for Tina to adjust to life here. Those longing feelings for her family, friends, and sites back home will surface now and then. We've talked about that and I've encouraged her to let those feelings out, sharing them with me. It's all part of the process of adjusting to a new environment. Who knows, someday I might be going through the same withdrawal symptons but in Canada! I'm open to moving up to Canada someday; it's a beautiful place with great people too. Right now though, my job pays better here.

Now that Tina is down here, we can really begin to live the married life. My friend Rudy told me that while we were separated, we were still geographically single. I don't think I would go to that extreme, but we were missing out on the little things that come up when your routine together begins to settle. It's a little sappy I know, but I really like falling asleep together while holding hands...

We also now get to enjoy the development of our baby together. It's been a challenge for me and especially for Tina being apart. It's tough being there for each other over phone lines. Now I get to pamper her (not overly ;) ) like she deserves! I teared the other day when I felt the baby move for the first time. Amazing!!