Well I guess it's about time I got round to updating you all with my position, not sure how much I have told you all about my story.
Sorry it's a bit disjointed.

I met Marilou at a good friends wedding last year in Manila, At the time I had plans to travel and had booked a 6 month trip around south America to learn Spanish and do some volunteer work.
Marilou had plans to go join some friends in Dubai to continue her dentistry.
But like so many things in life plans change.

Marilou was the sister of the bride, we spent a lot of time with others sorting out all them last minute issues that always come along and became closer (2 weeks).

Of course daily phone calls and YM followed ;-)
Anyway I returned to manila after a month, to ask permission to start courting her. I returned again at the end of november for 6 weeks to get to know her better and to spend christmas together.
On new years day in front of her family I asked her to marry me.... she was a little shocked. (Yes i had already asked permission from her family)
So we set a date, end of august. Not the best time of year and only just over 1 year after we met... but sometimes you just know.

Since then I've been back in march, may and June, June was mainly because I messed up "no impediment for marriage" back in may (didn't leave 21 clear days before my trip..Doh)

In June we sorted out the licence, I did find the family planning quite amusing, they told us that all the condoms sent from London are "oversized", obviously a way that the English try to intimidate the men there ;-).
One small problem was that my lady didn't have her CENOMAR which takes 5 days to get (and we had left it a bit late...like thursday), but of coarse no CENOMAR no licence, we went along to the town hall anyway. both of us are required to sign the application form. Of course they started with "sorry got to wait until you have the CENOMAR", then out come the bag of sweets and the polite chat while marilou is off talking to someone else. then suddenly "oh ok but you must bring in the CENOMAR when you pick up the licence"....1 bag of Tesco's value chocolate éclairs (40p) priceless :-)


Anyway I'm going back next Sunday, for 4 weeks. 2 before and 2 after the wedding, then the the real fun of visas begin. actually I must admit I'm writing this while carefully (avoiding) sorting all the phone bills, bank statements, boarding cards and other random rubbish they require.

Dave,
(oh in the UK they have closed the IQE waiting list so Marilou can't do the exams to continue dentistry here....(bizarrely if we move anywhere else in Europe or I wasn't English then she wouldn't need them!)