Former Gila Valley residents Corey and Merideth Bills are living a life that many folks only dream about.

The couple and their children live in Brazil. Merideth is an administrative assistant to U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Clifford Sobel, and Corey is a foreign service officer for the U.S. State Department.

“She started out as an EMT at Mount Graham (Regional Medical Center),” Marilyn Russell, Merideth’s mother, said.

Merideth Bills, right, meets with First Lady Laura Bush while working with the White House Advance Team, preparing for a visit from President Bush last summer. Contributed photo

A 1997 graduate of Safford High School, Merideth is the daughter of Lee and Marilyn Russell of Safford. Lee has taught at the Eastern Arizona College for 28 years, and Marilyn is the art specialist for the Safford School District.

Corey is a graduate of EAC and the University of Arizona. According to Marilyn, Merideth and Corey always wanted to work overseas. He is the son of Mary Ann and Terry Ripplinger. Terry works for Freeport-McMoRan, and Mary Ann works at Ruth Powell School.

During Corey and Merideth’s stint in Brazil, they had the opportunity to meet President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about a year ago.

“Both Merideth and Corey were very impressed with how cordial and friendly Condoleezza Rice was. She went out of her way to shake hands with everyone,” Marilyn said.

Merideth’s job is to help with visits of dignitaries to Brazil. As part of her job she recently helped with the visit of U.S. Representative Jake Flake, who was part of a congressional delegation visiting Brazil.

Merideth’s and Corey’s jobs can sometimes be frightening. They were working at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbeskistan, when it was attacked.

After the attack, Merideth helped with emergency preparedness strategies in the event of another attack.

Corey and Merideth are the parents of two sons, Tyler, 8, and Trevor, 5. The boys are enrolled in schools in Brazil and are learning to speak Portuguese, which is the language in Brazil.

Though living in foreign lands has enriched their lives, the Billses still like visiting the Gila Valley and spending time with family and friends.

“They love coming to Safford,” Marilyn said. “The boys cry when they have to leave.”