In May, 2005 I joined The Stroke Network as Caregiver to my husband who had suffered two major strokes. The same month, the same year a Caregiver from Australia joined. And the journey began.

Sue Wilkinson and I traveled closely through our husband's illnesses. It seemed as though if Bill had a crisis, Ray (Sue's husband) would ... or if Ray got ill, sure enough Bill would. We often called ourselves "twins". We vowed through it all we would someday meet face to face!

Fast forward to 2015. My son Marc had met a lovely lady from the UK while living in Phoenix, AZ. Hayley was the General Manager for a Sea Life Aquarium her company had just opened. Marc was the Project Manager for the Mill Work company who was contracted to create the appropriate details for this new Sea Life. What began as a professional relationship eventually took a turn toward dating, and eventually more than that! Marc asked Hayley to marry him in July 2014. Hayley is an English citizen. The company she works for is actually headquartered in London. Of course any bride wants to be married at home with her family and friends in attendance.

Last summer Marc asked me to go with them. He has two sons, 16 and almost 12 who would need some supervision and he knew the wedding festivities may require someone other than himself to take those duties. I was thrilled and of course said YES!

Now, the Sue part. Sue will tell her own story about her adventures in her blog I know. She started her trip a couple of weeks before I got over. She took time out though to meet me at Hunters Hall, near Norwich, Norfolk UK in time to go out to dinner with the ladies of the wedding party and experience the wedding day with me. (She honestly was looking for a few English Gentlemen with whom she could dance the night away...alas there were none provided!!!)

It was truly a dream come true to spend a couple of days with Sue. I hope we will do it again! She said she has family in Canada she wants to visit. I can do that! Canada is not that far away! Since I'm from Michigan I even know some of the Canadian "lingo"!

Oh - Marc and Hayley have settled in Michigan. Hayley is now the General Manager of the new Sea Life Aquarium in Auborn Hills. Next fall there will be a new Lego Land and she will be the GM over both those attractions.