"I could never marry an American!" I declared to my sister after being in the States for two days as part of a two week vacation in the country's southwest. A glaring deficiency in gourmet coffee (particularly espresso), the preference for an inferior "imperial system of measure", as well as price tags being exclusive of tax had certainly clouded my judgement at the time. That's not to say the USA doesn't have its advantages, it certainly does, but psychology being what it is, I hadn't yet taken all of these into account...

Any bloke worth his salt will tell you that the fastest way to dissuade him from pursuing a woman is to "set him up with her". The simple reason is that there is no opportunity for the natural development of friendship, facilitating opportunity to observe, determine her quality and then undertake the skirmishes, like a chess game of sorts, to attempt to win the heart of a woman whom you admire so much you know you are not worthy of.

Thus it was that after much encouragement to meet this "Anne Marie" I was determined not to yield to the external pressures and ignore their suggestions.

The reason I've come to understand we use the term "never say never" is we always forget the Good Lord has a sense of humour!

― Stefan

I was never one to believe in love at first sight. Until one day, when on an ordinary October morning a friend of my brother's arrived on my doorstep.

Having heard several times that there was someone I needed to meet, my curiosity trumped my prejudice against being "set-up" when I noticed my family chatting with two friendly faces... with Australian accents. Venturing to introduce myself then, I never realized the full extent of where that first brief meeting could take us!

Autumn at our family's homestead supplies us with an ample amount of activities to accomplish before winter sets in, including homemade pumpkin pies. As Providence would have it, there I found myself boiling down pumpkin for dessert after a full day's work, hoping to entice our guests to stay for a bit of pumpkin pie, topped with homemade whipped cream. The evening turned into a very memorable occasion, filled with pleasant conversation and laughter.

― Anne

After that first meeting I was intrigued. Anne seemed to be a girl of the highest quality, beautiful, God-loving, intelligent and from my limited experience, an excellent cook!

Travelling to Switzerland for Nicholas' wedding (with whom I'd forged a lifelong friendship in the crucible of boarding school), here again I met Anne. Sitting next to each other at the table of honour, I had the opportunity to learn a little more about Anne. I was most impressed by her manner with her little brothers and sisters, whom she took delight in looking after through large parts of the day.

― Stefan

Providence had it that we would be there for each other through thick and thin from the very start. After swapping a series of thought-provoking messages culminating in the exchange of an essay, on the advice of a friend and as a bit of a test, I asked him if he'd finish the last nine days of a 54-day rosary novena with me.

Speaking on the phone for several hours for the first time, I was convinced this would be worth the wait! As my sister was counting down the days to begin her new journey in the convent, closing her door to the world, a new door had opened in mine. The same day she crossed the threshold of the Franciscan house, following her vocation, my dad had agreed to let us pursue this international relationship. I was entering a new realm.

It was then the realisation of the challenges this decision would pose began to sink in. Undaunted, we continued calling for 4 months, not letting a day go by without hearing the other's voice at the end of the line.

We both prayed that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel...

― Anne

After 3 rosary novenas I was granted an exemption to travel from Australia to the USA. I can honestly say that all that has happened has been nothing short of miraculous.

Expecting to be back in Australia at the end of three months I threw some clothes in a backpack and boarded a plane.

40 hours of travel later, I was pinching myself in disbelief that I was actually able to give Anne a hug that would signal the end of our long distance relationship!

If anything, the long wait helped me to cherish every moment spent with Anne even more. It was certainly not something that could be taken for granted! So it was that I got to know Anne better; the better I got to know her the more she exceeded all my imaginings (if that were even possible)! I was convinced, but she had a retreat coming up so after giving her the advice to be generous, God was generous in return and learning she was advised our relationship was to be "encouraged" I plucked up the courage and asked her if she'd marry me!

― Stefan