Hey To The Person Reading This.....
My name is Lynn Westmoreland, previously Wilson. I am originally from a small town outside Glasgow in Scotland. I know life in a town on the outskirts of Raleigh in the state of North Carolina, in the USA. I have just turned thirty-four. I became a step-mum in October to three kids, I married Jake in October 2019. One little boy and two girls, aged from four to fourteen. I have one little sister who is two years younger than me. My mum and dad are still together, coming up thirty-seven years this coming November. I have my best friend Laura who I have known from high school, they are all back home in Scotland.
My life was like everybody else's, going to the clubs, lunch dates, theater days. Going to college, working part-time it was crazy normal. Girlie holidays, family holidays, weekends away, days here and there exploring. I had and still have the best relationship with my little cousin Ryan. I was seventeen when he was born and he's coming up for seventeen this year. He's my one in a million, my one to talk to when the drama starts. The one I could tell anything to know he would have my back. He is my "little man in a million". I used to have a big family until family drama occurred and I decided that the majority family on my dad's side just had to go. But that is a drama for another Blog.
I'll start from when my life went crazy downward fast. I did not turn to drink or drugs. I was something massive and could not sit back and watch it happen. My Gran who I absolutely adored was fighting Cancer. It was going on for years and years. I had started college working at getting my Higher National Diploma in Beauty Therapy. Everything was good. I passed the first year, it was towards the end of that course things started to go a little crazy. My mum and gran had gone to Spain to see the family. On the return flight, my gran took really sick. The plane landed and an ambulance was waiting for them on the runway. I and my dad were told by transport police to get Ayr General. Back and Forth to the hospital for a few days and our nightmare was confirmed. The cancer was back, it had killed one of her kidneys and operating on the tumor was too risky. Doctors decided to remove the kidney and then begin chemotherapy. My second year at college, was kidney operations and the start of chemotherapy. During this time I was completing my Higher National Certificate progressing into year three at college. My gran fought really hard, the hospice was involved, she would attend once a week and go into the hospice for pain control when it got too much. I struggled loads in my third year, my gran was getting worse, the cancer was winning. I passed, by the skin of my teeth, but I passed. Was a crazy roller coaster of emotions. It was the end of May and college had finished, my sister paid for us to go to the states for two weeks. She was going to visit her friend and didn't want to travel to herself. It was amazing, two weeks traveling the east coast of America. I met my husband on that trip, I just didn't know it until six years later. My gran deteriorated rapidly when I was in America I felt so guilty it was two weeks I should have been with her. I hardly left her side when she was sick. I would do it all again in a heartbeat, she meant the world to me. Arriving back in Scotland, I was so excited to see my gran. I was told by my dad that gran was coming home from the hospice, that a hospital bed would be in the living room. I thought I was prepared to see her, I wasn't. The smile on her face when she saw me, oh I can still see it today. That three weeks was mental. I went to work and came straight home to my gran every night. I didn't leave her side. She would send my mum and aunt home, we would lie in her hospital bed and I would fill her in with all the gossip and she would nip my arms. I didn't mind she was my Gran. The dreaded call came in the third week. I had to leave work and get to my gran. My dad and uncle came to pick me up, I arrived at the house. I ran in and everybody was around my gran. I felt so sick and ran out into the garden. I coped until now why was I giving up when she needed me most. Its all a blur and well yeah you have guessed it she passed peacefully on Wednesday the eleventh of July twenty twelve.
Months had passed I had a big fall out with my dads family, we still had the keys to my gran's house, it was on the market. With the help of my Aunt and Uncle, I bought the house. That was all a crazy blur too as I had less than one hundred pounds in my account. Remember this is January and Christmas had just passed. All I can say is someone was looking down on me. A wee while of plodding on and now working full time in a supermarket to pay for my house, I thought I was happy. Time just passed us by, we were all learning what it was like to live without gran in our lives. Everything seemed normal, had a boyfriend, had a job, had my own home. Everything was smashing. Then my close Auntie took sick with breast cancer, the night she told me I broke down, shattered into a million pieces on the floor. This is not the answer I told myself and pulled up my brave pants. Just as she was diagnosed so was her mother in law. This can't be happening, but it was. Between us, we all helped each other and got through it. In between times, my mum's other sister threw at a wedding to be planned. "Stop the bus" what even is happening. Sadly Granny Betty was told the worst and there was nothing the doctors could do. My Auntie fought so hard and she won her battle. The wedding happened, it was a good day. We all stuck together to make Granny Betty comfortable and now the hospice was involved and she was admitted. Now in November of twenty seventeen Granny, Betty went to heaven. I had a house for seven years. I was in a relationship, it wasn't going anywhere, I couldn't see a future. What I had and what I wanted was totally different. After three years I thought nope and we split up.
It was the end of yet another crazy year, sat in a hotel bringing in the bells at a New Year's Eve dance. It was coming up midnight when I got a message from Jake. I wished him a happy new year too and the next day we spent messaging the whole day. He told me about his divorce that was happening, about his kids moving states, about him moving to North Carolina to be closer to them. From that day I think we messaged constantly for a month. Until his marriage was over and his ex had left with his kids. After that, we video messaged and messaged constantly. We had planned he would meet up with me in Cancun. I was going on a girly holiday that summer. It turned out moving states and setting up the home he couldn't make Cancun. Never once did I think this isn't serious. The November of twenty eighteen my flight was booked to visit for thanksgiving. Landing in Raleigh, USA by myself hoping what I was thinking was right was actually right. I was so nervous. That fortnight was the best and I left with a broken heart. Getting on that plane was hard really hard. Although we had plans for him to come over in April and for us to start applying for a k1 visa, I was planning my move over. He came over, he met my family and we got engaged. He arranged to have my gran's engagement ring enlarged to fit my not so slim wee fingers. My friend from work done out engagement photos. Long story short I sold my house, expecting it to be on the market a good while, well it wasn't it was a day. Six weeks after selling I moved in with my parents, two visits to London for medicals and visa interviews. It was a success I got my visa. My visa arrived on Friday and I was on a flight on Tuesday. I arrived in Late August and we set a date for the wedding on the nineteenth of October twenty nineteen. MY mum, dad, and sister flew out with my aunt, uncle, and Ryan. Jake's brother and mum flew in from Texas. It was a stunning day, the best day ever. on a deck looking out to a beautiful lake.
If you got to the end of this first Blog well you deserve a medal. There are loads I can Blog about if interested. The dress, the hen night, there is tons. That is just a shortened tale for me to introduce myself. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to adding more as time goes on.
Much Love Lynn xx
