Our Story (part 4)

Obviously, our story doesn't end just because we've gotten married. The year 2000 was full of lots of changes. In August, Dawn and Kylan adopted their first "baby," a puppy they name Spirit. That fall, Kylan got the job that he still has, at the Akron Teacher's Credit Union. And in November, Dawn found out that she passed the bar and was sworn in as an attorney. Christmas 2000 was spent with family down in Tennessee.


In 2001, Dawn began the process of permanently changing her residence from Canada to the U.S. The paperwork was sent in April and we both had to go through the nerve-wracking interview process that September. Also in September, 2001, we started looking for a house. We found the perfect place and moved in on December 1st. We spent our first real Christmas at home that year.


At the beginning of 2002, we adopted our second "baby." Banzai became a constant companion (and frequent source of aggravation) for Spirit. And after an extended wait, in May 2002 Dawn finally received the official letter that she was now a resident of the U.S....she had gotten her greencard.(Unlike what most people assume, you do not become a citizen as soon as you marry one.) Kylan and Dawn have decided to travel to visit family every second year so this year Thanksgiving will be spent in Tennessee and Christmas will be in Canada.


Now for the note of explanation that I promised back in Part 2. Most family and some friends already know this, but we felt that we should put everything on the table. You may have noticed that there is no mention of Dawn's father in our story. That is because he has chosen to not be a part of it. Other than the few times he has unwittingly picked up the phone when Dawn calls home, he has not spoken to her since Christmas 1999, when he told here to have a nice life. For whatever reason, he does not approve of Dawn's choices and has decided to ignore the situation entirely. He has never even met Kylan. We try not to let it affect us and feel no ill will. We still buy him Christmas presents and send him birthday cards, whether he chooses to open them or not. The only thing that troubles us is Dawn's mother being caught in the middle. She is dealing with it in her own way, telling Dawn's father about what is going on in their daughter's life, whether he cares to listen or not. But she can't visit as often as she would like because she doesn't want to make the drive on her own. Dawn's father is extremely stubborn and not likely to accept the situation anytime soon. But we can always hope and pray that things will someday change for the better.