The Johnsons & The Holdcrafts visited Morocco for the first time and met Salsabila and her mama, Aouatif, on her birthday! Salsa and I had been dating for only a little over a month at this point.

We spent the first year of our relationship in long-distance mode. Eastman made trips to Salsa every week or two during his Fulbright. Salsa made it down to see him during one of his events hosted by his non-profit, Resilient Communities, which hosted American high schoolers and did several community activities in the town.

After Eastman ended his Fulbright in December 2019, he worked night shifts at a car seat factory to make it back to Salsa. Once back at the end of February 2020, a marriage paperwork marathon ensued. We were married in Morocco on March 9th, 2020...Six days before the COVID-19 Quarantine hit.

Immediately after the first quarantine lifted, we were able to celebrate a two-day honeymoon at a nearby hotel.

Life went on as Salsa continued to work at her telecommunications company and Eastman taught English and worked on his non-profit.

There came a crossroads where we wanted more stability and growth that Morocco couldn't provide us. We decided to make the sacrifice to apply for the US marriage visa, which would require us to be apart for 11 months as we setup our new life.

The anticipated 11-month process turned into 21 months. Eastman visited Salsa three times during that time with the nightmare finally ending before Salsa's 31st birthday.

Salsa and the fam made it up to Columbus to celebrate her birthday!

Eastman and Salsa got to work immediately to get married (for the second time) in the US. Needless to say, the process was much easier than Morocco. Accomplishing it all while on Eastman's lunch break.

Planning for the wedding commences! The original date slated for September 2024 was pushed back (as many of you know) because we were unable to schedule a tourist visa interview for Salsa's mama until December 2024. Which she got!

After celebrating Ramadan in March/April 2024, we celebrated our first Eid Kabir/Eid Al-Adha (The Big Holiday/The Feast of the Sacrifice) in the US. Indeed, it was a feast!

After hopping around looking for the ideal spot to watch fireworks, Salsa was blown away with the show. Aside from snow, it was a whole other level to what she's witnessed before.

We were able to escape the grind for a couple of weeks and took a trip down to Florida. We had a blast!

Which started off as a "look around and find out", turned into us purchasing our first home in Columbus!

After celebrating all of the holidays in America together, Salsa was able to decorate her first tree! The small plant in Morocco didn't really compare.

Here's to 2025! Can't wait to see everyone at the wedding!