Guess what? I’m getting married! Yaaaaaaaah!! If you live in Romania, open your window because you can probably hear me screaming with happiness all the way from here :PPP

Honestly, I never thought it would ever happen. I’ve had some wonderful adventures, and shared my life with many wonderful people, and fell in love many times, and had my heart broken a few times, and broke a few hearts, and had some awesome jobs, and traveled the world, and did all kinds of cool and amazing things, but somehow I just never found the right woman whom I was ready to share the rest of my entire life with… before now :)

Yay! I am so excited, I am fit to burst. It’s been more than 20 long years of wondering and waiting and seeing and exploring before I was completely and totally ready for this. And, really, we can’t forget that there’s got to be someone who is ready for me (LOL). That’s a pretty tall order for anyone, and I’m so crazy and special and unique that it takes an equally amazing and awesome person to be right for me. So… here she is!

Her name is Cristina Ursu, a Romanian-speaking native of Moldova who is also a dual citizen of Romania. While I’ve had my own legal troubles and ups and downs over the year, the good news is she never has, so I look forward to a long and much, much, much, quieter life with her.

My pen name is, and shall always remain, Sam Cel Roman, so that will never change. A lot of you know my “real” family name, and if you’re dying of curiosity about it, just Google it. But after we get married, I’m changing my last name to hers, so officially and “for realzies” my legal name will be Samuel Ursu. Cool, eh?

And it’s not because I’ve got anything against my family, or their name. Their name is cool, and there are lots of people in the United States running around with that name, doing it honor and justice. But for me, this is symbolic of a new start, and a return of my “blood” back to Europe. I love America, and will be American as long as I live, but this is where I belong. This is my choice, and I respect everyone’s choices. I know tons of Romanians who are more American than me. God bless ’em.

The wedding is scheduled for September 22, 2015 right here in Chisinau, the lovely city in a forest that we now call home. What the future will hold, I don’t know, but we both love speaking Romanian and reading Romanian and listening to Romanian music and every aspect of Romanian culture, so who knows where we will go in the future. Cluj again? Timisoara? Cernauti? Baia Mare? Orhei? No idea. But we are both Romanian, so that of course is awesome sauce times a million. She’s even a writer in Romanian language, which her first book is written but not published yet, so while one day she’ll be an awesome in the Romanian-language literary world, for now I get to brag that I published a book in Romanian first :D:D:D Ha!

The ceremony is invitation only, but if you’re reading this and will be in Chisinau on September 22, we’ll be having a party that night and everyone is welcome to attend. Just shoot me an email at samcelroman@gmail.com to coordinate that.

So… now is time for the big ASK as we say in English. I am now opening up the floodgates of generosity and love, so if you want to contribute to our future life together, here is how to do it:

Go Fund Me – this is a kind of Kickstarter campaign, but for individuals. It’s all legal and squared away, so that’s the first place to click if you want to donate. Even if you’re tapped for cash but want to help, please share this link with anyone you think might want to contribute!

If Go Fund Me isn’t right for you, I’ve also set up a similar deal with good old PayPal. Here are all the links:

Click on this link to contribute in American dollars/greenbacks/bucks/the “real” money, not that weird Monopoly money that foreigners use

Click on this link to contribute in European Euro Euros

Click on this link to contribute in Her Majesty’s British Pounds Sterling

Click on this link to contribute in Canadian dollars/les dollares canadienes

Click on this link to contribute in Hungarian forints/sziklcerkhazlazsizlokforint

If you want to send us a non-cash gift, here is our official wedding registry. It is 100% books because we both love to read and learn.

And, of course, of course, if you are one of my persistent critics, and want to be grumpy, and not donate a thing, of course I love you too. Really, that’s no lie. Sometimes I love my critics more than my biggest fans, just because you few persistent little bastards keep me from getting an over-inflated head and giant ego :)

Yay… I am so happy. I’ve been blessed in so many ways over the years, but I always wondered if this would be something that would be denied to me. At long, long, last I can see that I’ve found the right woman, and the right woman found me, and I’m glad I never made a mistake before. This is my one and only marriage, and we plan on staying together for 50 years. My parents somehow did it, and my grandparents too, which is so cool and amazing and unusual, and now this is our inspiration too.

Love is in the air my friends, supporters, and yes, even harshest critics. God bless you, one and all.

AND NOW YOU KNOW!!!!