Celebrate with us!

As many of you know, Ryan proposed to Anna early November 2021. Knowing they both loved each other and wanting to be able to live together as a married couple, they began planning their long road ahead. The first thoughts fell on the visa process, and how best to bring Anna back to America so they could truly begin their lives as one. After careful consideration, including some legal advice, they decided to be married in Ukraine and then work towards a spouse visa- this presented the fastest option. After that decision, they knew the quicker they were married, the quicker the future they both dreamed of would come true. Ryan traveled to Anna's hometown of Dnipro in January of 2022, and on the 27th they were married. They had a beautiful morning getting ready together, a photoshoot with the family, the ceremony, followed by a wonderful dinner. Due to the short notice for the wedding, international travel, and the embers of an international pandemic, the decision was made to have an "immediate family only" wedding. The other side effect of our chosen wedding timeline, was that a honeymoon would have been difficult due to the recent expenses, time already spent out of county for Ryan, and short notice to plan it. Ryan left for home, and they began the arduous process of the visa application.

Shortly after the wedding (and even before to some extent), it was clear the beautiful country of Ukraine was going to be attacked. Ryan saw his dreams of bringing his beautiful wife back home in peril, and grew concerned for her safety. He returned to Ukraine on Feb 11 to begin in-person filing for the visa paperwork, which had received an expedited status due to the impending war. Anna met him in Kyiv on the day he arrived. On Feb 12, the United States embassy announced it was closing the Ukrainian offices, and there was nothing left to do in Kyiv, so they both left for Poland on Feb 13. Their timing was fortuitous, February 14th was the last day flights were leaving Ukraine. Days later the war in Ukraine started, meaning Anna would be unable to return home. After nearly a month into the visa journey, and just over 5 weeks after being married, Anna got her immigrant visa, and they both traveled back to Reston, VA on March 5th.

After arriving in America, Anna and Ryan settled into a regular routine, but it didn't take long to realize that Anna had packed lightly for the trip to Kyiv, which was ultimately the last time she was home- when packing she couldn't imagine that Russia would actually invade and war would breakout. They decided to make a registry after a number of family and friends reached out, and we have put together a small list of gifts and funds. Our registry is somewhat atypical, akin to our story. The many years Ryan has been living in his condo allowed him to accumulate a good foundation including most typical registry gifts. As a result, we have set up a few funds which we feel would benefit our lives more than upgrades to our amenities. If you feel so inclined, select a gift from the list or donate to one of the funds. The important thing is that we are home now and want to celebrate with our American friends and family.