Two weeks ago, I sent out the long awaited (I suppose someone was awaiting it) second update. Therein, I hinted about several revelations to be made in a final update.
You have here, the final update. I promise, when you’re done reading, you’ll know at least as much about what we’ve been up to as we do.
When I returned to Kingston at the end of August, I had no job, dwindling funds, and an uncertain relationship with Anna. Although we were living together in her tiny, cave-like apartment, we hadn’t yet decided what sort of relationship we wanted. Therefore, times were a little stressful for me.
Fortunately, the weather was beautiful. As a Long Islander, I’d never really had the chance to explore Up State New York. Yes, I know: technically the Catskills area is not really “Up State”. But for those of us who grew up on the Island, anything north of Westchester is considered “Up State”. During September and October, I must have put several thousand miles on the Miata just exploring the NY, CT, and MA area.
One trip that stands out was my hike up to Kaaterskill Falls. After hiking along the Catterskill (I’m told the kill suffix is Dutch for river or stream) and taking numerous pictures of the cascades, I arrived at the base of the falls. From the base, I climbed up the cliff so that I could reach the upper falls. From there I was able to walk behind the actual waterfall. Of course, I nearly fell a few times; but what else would you expect from me?
I joined my family in Cancun the last week of October through the first week of November. I still didn’t have a job; so why not take a little “vacation”? Just before leaving, I gave Anna an ultimatum: either she could make a commitment to me or I would leave. After a few tense days — yes, it’s possible to be tense while in Mexico — I received word that Anna was willing to give us another chance. I was ecstatic.
When I returned to New York, I began to hunt for a job in earnest, often sending out dozens of résumés a day. Although I had a few interviews, mostly I received complete silence in response to my résumé. I admit, this was a bit discouraging.
Anna and I flew down to Florida to celebrate Christmas with my family. This was the first time Anna had met the entire East-coast Watkins clan. I think she survived the experience pretty well. The most trying event had to be interrogation by each and every guest at Christmas dinner — around 25 people attended.
As some of you know, I finally received an offer of employment from the International Biometric Group where I’ve been working since 17 March, 2003. Because Kingston, NY is 3.25 hours away from lower Manhattan, we decided to move to Jersey City, NJ. We’ve been here since 1 April (no, really).
Finally, on Monday, 23 June, I produced a ring and proposed to Anna. After giggling a bit, she accepted my proposal. We’re tentatively planning to get hitched in Maine on 5 June 2003 or 06/05/04 at 3 pm.
You can track the status of our preparations, as well as any other interesting news, on our Web site.