Travel costs to Crimea so I can ask Julia to marry me…

I met Julia online and have traveled twice to see her and we text or speak together every day. She lives in Sevastopol, and my first visit coincided with the referendum and the little green men from Russia. During my stay, the airport was taken over by armed men and my flight home on Turkish Airlines was canceled. The customs agent at LAX couldn't believe I had flown from Crimea on March 16th with all the turmoil in the area. Yes, there were armed checkpoints manned by militia and Russian troops, creating tension, but Julia was worth the effort and risk. Now I have a good story and a relationship that makes me happy. I love this woman.

We were together again in Kiev in November, coincidentally during the anniversary of the Maidan protests. For both of us, Kiev was an important step forward in our relationship, affirming that our romance was real and felt comfortable despite the time apart.

We planned to be together again in March, but bad luck began to strike...just days before we were to meet in Moscow, she broke her ankle and her doctor prevented her from traveling. This is why you should always get trip insurance, I learned. We re-scheduled to meet in May but this time, her elderly Grandmother required personal care, and the family decided that Julia was the right choice to provide this care. I was asked if we could postpone our trip and of course I agreed. We would meet in June or July when Julia's Mom could care for Grandma.

Why crowd fund now? I would not, but my work has been challenged with a temporary restraining order and while details of the operation are litigated in court, my ability to travel has been compromised. I am poorer than normal right now.

I want to marry Julia, and she knows this, but she quite properly has said she has not been given a proposal, and I cannot personally ask such a life-changing question via email, video, or letter. I want to take her hand, look into her eyes, and ask the question...and kiss her like she deserves to be kissed.

I intend to return to Sevastopol, flying through Moscow and landing in Simferopol. I will have to reapply for a Russian visa...the unused March visa is expired...and I want to spend up to 10 days there. I need to mingle with her parents, her family, and very importantly, her 86 year old Grandmother.

There is urgency to do this. I want to meet Grandma while she can remember me, which is not guaranteed even today. I know that when you find the woman who is the love of your life, you want the rest of your life together to start as soon as possible. Finally, I promised I would come to her in July, and I would very much like to keep my promise. I haven't broken any promises to her and I do not intend to.

We met in an unconventional way and we have grown into a serious couple despite the combined challenges of distance and political disputes including war. We have a story worthy of telling, and we have a love that deserves to be experienced together. We want this together, and with your help, my journey to her will lead to a wonderful life with a wife I adore. My parents met in a bowling alley, I met my woman in a cafe... it is a modern love story.

As a side note to this narrative, I am kind to animals. Children dig me, too.

Thank you for your consideration.