I agree with you Ally - kids can adjust pretty quickly. Natasha, Vika and I will have 2 weeks together in Moscow for the interview, and then 1 week here before I return to work. After I return to work, Vika will be in school and Natasha will come with me to my work (I have such a flexible job - it's quite a benefit). I have no intention of leaving her alone until she feels she is ready. Her English is actually pretty good, but it's still difficult for her to understand spoken English unless it is spoken very slowly. Exciting days are definitely just ahead.

Oh that is cool I know that when I was out for a couple months in 2006 I went into work with Jeremy some days just to get me out of the house. Ok so I was just sat freezing in A&W (70 feels reeeeaally cold when it's over 100 outside in the shade) with my reading book and puzzle book for company for eight hours but it made a change from time to time

What do you do that is so flexible?! Sounds like I need to get me a job like that Hmmm also need to make certificates for moxie and Marta

I'm a computer programmer. I've been working for the same company for 18 years now, which makes me the senior technical guy on the team, so they like to keep me happy (at least, that's what I think is going on!). That's also the reason they give me time off work to teach (I'm a volunteer high school math teacher during the school year, from 7:30-10:30 M-Th). Natasha thinks I should continue teaching, because I love it, but it will be very hard to work both jobs when I have her waiting for me at home. I have the summer to figure that out, I suppose.

Oooh - sounds cushtie!!!

Hmmm.... there is no way you could change to a paid teacher? Or would it just not be feasible financially?

I'm a wreck, I mean a total wreck. I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't sit still, I can't think straight. I've checked through my files 7 times today. I randomly breakdown in tears. I'm snapping at everyone. Nick isn't worried, at least he says he's not, he says deep inside he's knows it will be fine, I wish I shared his confidence.

In 48hrs I'll either be exhausted from skipping round London all afternoon or I'll be sat alone on a park bench breaking my heart.

I can definitely empathize, Debz! It sounds like Nick does better with this than I do. It's difficult for me to see Natasha suffer, being so far away and powerless. But he is correct - everything WILL be ok!

I'm not certified to teach, and it wouldn't even come close to replacing my paycheck. It's a private school, so teachers don't have to be certified. I started as an after school tutor, then all my students went to the principal and asked that I be allowed to teach the class. So I went to my employer and got approval to arrive to work late during the school year, and viola - instant teacher. Maybe when I retire I'll consider teaching full time, but Natasha and I have also talked about moving to Russia after I retire. It's many years off yet, anyway.

Is there anyone on VJ being interviewed on the same day? I really think you'll be fine but it might ease your fears if you know there will be someone around that you know. I don't want to think of you sitting alone in London.

not that I can see!

Aww debz - I'd like to say I know how you feel but I haven't been there yet... I must say I could use the not eating part myself at the moment though I know you'll be fine, I know you'll be approved. But I also know how sickening it is to have something be so close that you just want it over with but you can't make it get closer any quicker! I'm the same about immigration although not nearly so bad as you because deep down I know that I will be fine as long as I don't say anything stupid

Oh bum!

You're going to be fine you know. The nerves are normal too. This is a BIG deal but you know you have been thorough. The guy just spent six months or so with you, you have a good co-sponsor. You have put together everything they could possibly ask for. This relationship has no red flags Debz. *hugs*

Welcome Scott and Marta!

Debz - I wish I could sent you a chill pill. Everything will be ok - I just know it! Don't fret over the things that you have absolutely NO control over. Everything will be fine.

How is the Sunday treating everyone? Sorry I didn't get back online last night. I was pretty tired after swimming and shopping. I am trying so hard to keep myself busy and keep my mind off the NOA2. Oh, there I said it. I havn't checked online yet and am trying to resist for one day.

Aly - I couldn't get on to see the vows...

Is everyone getting ready for the Superbowl? I can't wait to see the commercials.

Ooooh Audrey - swimming and shopping sounds grand!!

Debz - babbles is right - what you are feeling is horrible but perfectly normal... I know I will prolly be just the same I'll prolly even cry at my interview as well because I am good like that I cry at the drop of a hat so I should be easy pickings

Oh and for anyone who wants to critique, here is where my vows stand right now:

that is so nice Aly. I'll start on mine eventually.

If this is what I am like now, I dread to think how I'll be once I'm walking up to the glass window in the embassy.

Prolly a lot calmer because you will actually be doing it

@ aly: you're such a sweetheart!!!!!

@ debz: please calm down! i was anxious at the interview as well, and it was A JOKE! they didn't even bother to look at the affidavit of support, they were concerned that we might have already known each other when i was applying for a J1 in 2005 (Eric has been working in Germany for quite some time). they thought that i wanted the J1 not for studying, but for being with him. turns out, he was still married at that point and we didn't know each other

IT WILL BE FINE! don't stress yourself to death, the more you take care of yourself now, the earlier you can get your stuff packed and hop on a plane!!!

i wish so much i could go with you to the embassy and then party through the pubs afterwards

oh, aly, i really really like the vow, but isn't it a bit long?
i guess it's because for me english is a foreign language, so i wanted mine to be short, so i wouldn't have a nightmare memorizing it.

ours were pretty long, too, and the night before our ceremony we cut them down to about 1/4, and it was the best choice ever. be both had cheat-sheets in our pockets, and everybody could hear them when we were in the church, because the paper was so loud LOL

Haha - that sounds awesome!! Hoping I get my interview the same day as someone else so we can have a little party

Umm - I don't think it is too bad - I've seen others and they seem to be between 100-150 words so I think the length is ok - I am reading mine anyway - there is no way I am going to memorise - I will just stress and forget the words!! Jeremy is memorising his though!!! I just couldn't do it - like I haven't got enough to worry about!!

The vows are very thoughtful - I wouldn't change a thing...

Yay!! I think that means I am good to go on them!! I might read them through once tomorrow and then print them Yippee!!

I think your vows are beautiful Aly. Succinctly saying everything you need to

the words give me chills, aly, it's very very moving! and again, for me it would be too long because of the language. no way that i could make it through so many beautiful meaningful words without
1)bawling
2)forgetting

we wanted to memorize it, but to make it equally hard: so eric had to memorize it in german, and i in english. the night before we were at the rehearsal dinner and freaking out because we couldn't remember anything. so we cut 3/4 of it while we were drinking WAY tooo much prosecco. our priest couldn't believe that we did cheat-sheets.



the sweet things to remember!

Hahaha So did he say his vows in German? I can understand them being shorter if you are memorising them but there is no way I am doing that so!! And yeah - I get to the last line and that is where I just well up. Even my mum got all teary when she read them!!! Hehe!!!

Oh - poll of the day:

Is tito a troll? I don't think I have ever met anyone so infuriatingly opinionated!!!

who is tito?

didn't read anything either.

eric's german is better than my english, so it was only fair that we do it in both languages, plus his family should understand too.

i'm off for bed, i hope everybody has sweet dreams and a great start in the new week!

Night Agnes!!

I see what you mean about tito. Reading some of his posts, he does seem to like to come on a little strong. Some people seem to do that because they want to 'keep it real'. I've never run across any of his posts before, but from his language he implies he is an attorney ('in my professional opinion', etc). Some people here on VJ are rainbows and butterflies, some are Eeore from Winnie the Pooh, and most are somewhere in between. Myself, I lean toward the rainbows and butterflies philosophy.

Yeah - just gets my backup as while it is fine to be realistic about things it is also nice to have hope and look on the bright side of things - I wouldn't want to live through my life being bitter and miserable

Oh - on another note, I thought I would post this so people can pick a background for certificates. There are other designs too so if anyone has any grand ideas then let me know and I will accommodate

Well the VJ community is as diverse as...well...something really diverse. (I've got to come up with a better line.) For example, these are just some of the posters you'll see on VJ:

The witty poster: "USCIS are so stupid. They're like big stupid poopy heads. They are all asleep on their desks HAHAHA!"

The worrier: "ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG I used plastic coated paper clips instead of normal metal ones for my petition. I AM HAZ REF?!?!!11!!"

The not-so-bright poster: "I sent 3 wedding pictures with my I-129F application. Do you think this was enough?"

The can't-be-bothered poster: "How do you do the RFE trick?" (This is not a joke: I took the RFE trick off my signature after seeing 3 posts in a row by 3 different people asking this question. It just made me a sad panda.)

The must-have-the-last-word poster: "Your answer is technically correct, so I shall rephrase it in such a way as to say the exact same thing but it will be a post after yours."

The optimist: "You killed the interviewer with a hatchet, but I'll bet there's a waiver you can file. Good luck!!!!!"

The pessimist: "You realize that by using plastic coated paper clips you have doomed the entire planet to a slowly decaying orbit into the feiry heart of the sun don't you? Do you realize that? Thanks a lot jackass. Update your timeline."

The Jeraly poster: "Wheeeeeeeeeee!!! *cute* *happy* *perky* *tralalalalala!!!*" ( I kid I KID!!!)

Aww - I thought I was *blatantly* the must-have-the-last-word poster!!!

Another gem from the... keyboard... of moxie Will again, steal, prettify and stick on my website Just giving Jeremy his instructions now

And where is your certificate?!?!!?!?!? If you do not submit your certificate within 90 days then the conditional status of your July-filerness will be revoked and you will have to submit a waiver on... blah blah blah...

GREAT summary, mox

in the words of Homer: it's funny because it's TRUE



I don't think tito's a troll, but -
*sigh*
one thing in ten makes sense, but then you read on and the rest is outrageous crap... and he then spends another twenty-five posts (and six thousand words) justifying the original post... like the one to the guy whose wife ran off: 'she WILL do this and she WILL do that' and then trying to say 'this isn't all Russian women, I know that; blah blah blah...'
he needs to learn a bit about expression
oh, after he learns about facts, and empathy, and pulling-your-head-in

I was gonna have a "StP Poster" entry, but decided I liked where I am on the list currently, thank you very much.


I read that post today, and really REALLY tried to hold my tongue...and finally I just couldn't. Tito is why the internet sucks. Actually he's only half the reason the internet sucks. People that actually listen to tito are the other half.

I don't mind trolls because...you know...they're kinda fun to mess with. (Witness JASONandDAA's complete immolation in the 'Off Topic' forum, for example.) But the tito's of the internet are just plain bad news. Like trolls they thrive on the discontent they cause. But unlike trolls they actually believe the idiocy they spew, and so will often sound much more convincing than your average troll. Also they eat their own boogers. Seriously.

I mean...not that I really have an opinion on the matter.

Ooooh - linky?!

Am knackered today - got about 4-5 hours' sleep as the panic set in - was total nightmare... went to bed about midnight, watched three episodes of Red Dwarf. Got ready to settle down then the cat wanted letting in. SO I let her in, got back into bed... she decides to join me. But she's wet. So there she is trying to climb all over me, soaking wet and purring loudly trying to give me a cuddle...

FINALLY I get to sleep then wake up about 6am and can't get back to sleep... I have another three nights before I leave and if I go through three nights like last night I think I might end up going crazy... or at least crazier than I already am!!

So! Relaxation methods, tips, hints and fail-safe strategies will be most welcomed! I tried the deep breathing, relaxing from my feet up, drinking camomile tea/sleepytime tea... Had a bath, lit my oil burner with lavender oil in...

Of course - I blame it all on debz... I think I am getting sympathy-panic... either that or her neurosis has rubbed off on me Wonder when she is due to head off to London... Will text her later

I'm not mox, but I'm pretty sure he's referring to this and this. It's bizarre to say the least!

Whoops...I'm in the July thread again

Red Dwarf is great for evening watching! I usually like to watch an episode of a comedy before bed, it helps me have better (or weirder) dreams.

Honestly, the only thing I can do to keep myself from getting physically sick due to nerves before I fly is to keep myself really, really busy. If I stop and think too much about it it's disastrous! I just kept watching TV programmes or making sure I was surrounded by family/friends I could talk to.

Oh, and love the vows!

Yep, those are the ones. I really have to stop taking pleasure in other people's misery, but it is pretty funny to see trolls get spanked at their own game.

Aww - I will have to check them out later

Ahhh - yeah I am still freaking though - I am busy in work but my stomach keeps turning. I feel hungry but I feel sick as well...

And the vast quantities of herbal tea I am consuming are causing me to pee every 5 minutes

Well, at least you're staying well hydrated!

I wish I had better advice but I've never found anything that can totally quell my nerves! So I'll just offer my best wishes and lots of good luck!

Yeah - I am sure I will be fine but the thought is still making me feel sick... It is horrible... I just want to fast forward to Friday... or even lunchtime Thursday would be good! Oh gods - if I am going to be like this about going over for three weeks then what am I going to be like going to live?! Or going to my interview?!

AHHHHHH I feel like I am going nuts here!

Jeraly, are you freaking about the flight or just the coming here in general? I get a little wigged out everytime I visit my Jeremy in Canada too. Whether I'm flying or driving it's just anxiety for me and I don't know why. I love flying and I love driving. I truly think it's the border experiences we had last year that caused a permanent dysfunction for me lol. At least I don't shake when I get within 2 blocks anymore.

Anyway, the best thing for you is to get good sleep before you go. Make sure you have everything all set so your mind is at ease then just think of something else. I put the tv on in my bedroom to fall asleep with the noise. It helps. I really can't think of anything else that's more calming than what you're already doing.

Good luck, I know you'll be just fine.

I almost had yogurt coming out of my nose from your comment about the boogers. OMG TOO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow...yogurt. That's pretty cool. I do believe my work here is done.

Speaking of work - what do you do for a living?

can i have one like julezabelles?????? pleeeeeeeeeeeeease????? SOOOO pretty!

i have my visa in hands and eric doesn't answer his phone. no comment on my txtmessage either. nothing since 2hours. wanted to celebrate with him, and now i feel all devistated.

I wish I would have seen this yesterday. I would have waited with you. If you need somebody, message me. At least you won't be alone. I promise I am not a crazy person.

he finally answered his phone! needed to share the good news abt the visa so badly!!!!!!!!!

By day I'm a systems engineer. I maintain clusters of computers that crunch satellite data into usable weather data. By night...I'm Batman. Well...I'm Batman6278 in the Bratz chatroom...

oh, the wimpishness knows no bounds

I double-dog-dare you

Don't believe him! I suspect that in actuality he is a Communist sympathizer! Oh wait, it's not the 50s anymore.......

Yeah - I *love* flying, but immigration really freak me out. You hear so many horror stories and even though I have no intention of doing anything illegal I am *petrified* they will deny me entry and then I am screwed. Well. I'm not really and that is kinda half of the problem - can't imagine Jeremy having much fun on honeymoon on his own!!!

Yeah - it's immigration... I'm just flat terrified of them denying me entry. That's about it. Wedding!? I could care less about it at the moment! It will be a walk in the park compared to immigration!!!! Of course, once I am through immigration I will change my mind about that, I am sure but still! In the meantime!!!!

I think I am just going to be neurotic as hell for a while. Being here really helps though but I am defo at the point where I don't need to be reading posts about people being denied entry and instead need lots of happy fluffy bunny stories... actually they prolly wouldn't get through customs but you know what I mean



Aww hun!! I am glad you got to talk to him at last!! You must be sooo excited!! And I promise to make your certificate like julez' - will try to find a way of making in unique just for you Oooh - you move on 8th!!! Ok... I will try and put something together for you then - it's a Friday and I will be there and Jeremy will be working SO I can make you a certificate while I wait for him to come home