Ok - some news

I finally got more evidence and the tax returns from Jeremy!! YAY!!! It means I can send my packet three back as soon as I can get to the post office which is going to be Saturday cause I work (which sucks ). But at least I can send it off now which is something!! Scary stuff - it's beginning to hit home what I am actually doing now... it's kinda weird... I feel scared and nervous as well as excited and I just want to feel normal again!!

So that's a good thing at least

In other news, I got a call from Sam at my agency today saying that she has some news that may or may not come to fruition but the local fire department are looking for someone on a three month contract to work in their office Starting 1st April which fits in perfectly!! The downside is they have a contract with a national agency who they need to go through first but they aren't very happy with them so strings are going to be pulled... It's almost £1 an hour more as well which will be fantastic and will really set my mind at ease in terms of all my outgoings I am going to have!! I just have to try to not get my hopes up too much... which is really hard!!!

Are you still nervous?

The job sounds fantastic for you I hope you get it

I'm a bit nervous - I think because now I know nothing is holding me back from sending my packet 3 and once I do, the next thing I will hear back is my interview date - that is sooo scary!!! I can't wait to get it all out of the way though!!

I really hope I get the job as well - it's in a really good location but I don't want to get my hopes up too much in case I don't get it

Congrats Aly...funny how things have a way of coming together like that, huh?

WELCOME HOME, DEBZ!!!!!!!

@ all: i've been to a jobfair today. well - i should have known what a jobfair in this little boarder town would be like. ohwell, there were 2 companies that were kinda interesting, so 2 more applications to go out today.

other than that i cleaned the inside of the car today. outside is due tomorrow. step by step.

my life sounds exciting, doesn't it.....


@aly: that sounds great!

So SS finally let me change my name on the SS card hehe After issuing it in my maiden name (cuz that was the only way to do it they said ) they said to try and come back in 30 days and maybe they will change the name on the SS card. And so they did At least they said they would So now I´m expecting the card in the mail again

Which boarder town is that? Just you know, so I can avoid it (joking )

Tucson *sigh*
but at least the sun is shining 360 days a year.

man, I would hate that :s

I loves me some rain

She gets 5 days of rain a year

Here we get maybe 5-10 days of rain a year

I need more, dammit!

Where abouts are you, Marta? I don't know how many days rain we get but it is more than 5 I can tell you

Besides - Agnes didn't say she had 360 days of non-rain... she said sunshine... the other five days could just be a bit cloudy

I WANNA HEAR FROM DEBZ!!!!!!

Apparently there is a post office down the road from where I work so I am going to pop down at lunch and get my packet 3 off today - I am really nervous about it!!!

And yeah - fingers crossed on the job... it's not set in stone but it just seems to have cropped up in the most perfect manner it is like it was meant to be... here's hoping!

Grr post office closed for lunch!! Typical!! Am leaving work a little early to get to the one back where I live Am determined to get my packet 3 off today - I updated my timeline and everything!!!

Yay!!! I just got an e-mail from Debz



I am so jealous/excited/happy/hyper/mad

So come on - who is hanging back til the end of June with me!?

I may very well be. No clue how long Montreal will take.

Journey wasn't altogether horrendous, just a tad horrendous. Left late from Glasgow but it felt that as soon as we reached cruising altitude we were landing. Took 2 attempts to land because of the wind and we got thrown around something mental. Because of the lateness and busyness of Dublin I only just made boarding allocation for the chicago flight. I sprinted to the desk and asked the wee woman, since I had to sprint any chance of an upgrade with a big half panting cheesy grin, she paused a while and did something on her computer and said, no problem. The plane didn't have seperate business/first class so it was a combination of the 2. I got on the plane, got personally shown to my seat, as my coat was taken of me to be hung on a special rail I got "champagne or orange juice for take off?" took the orange juice, tummy too yicky for bubbles. That flight left late too but landed almost on time. Watched a couple of movies on my personal entertainment system with noise reduction headphones. Clearing immigration and customs at chicago was suprisingly quick I was through it all withing 35mins of getting off the plane. The Immigration officer said "welcome to america" when he gave me my passport back, friendliest immigartion guy I've ever had. Last flight was a bit bumpy but fairly quick. Just so glad it's over. Off to sort my stuff out now.

Welcome to the US Debz.

Hahah - cop out - that was a copy/paste post!!! Come on - you have LOADS of time now

*hugs*

I want to know who to ask for free upgrades so I don't look like an idiot - I would love to fly first class with my little cat and big husband(ish)

Rae - glad to know I might have some company - getting really itchy feet now and want to move!!!

Ha, I bet you are! I can't imagine having gone through a wedding ceremony and then having to be separated. I think that's why we didn't go the K3 route; being married and physically separated was just really unappealing to me. But then, I don't mean to say that with discouragement; at this point, we are all so much further in this process, it's not as bad I think.
Except that Scott still has not sent our P3.

Hey Guys, just checking in to report that our AOS check (OUCH!) was cashed today so NOA's should be on the way soon!!! I am soooooo hoping for a smooth and hopefully quick process, but will keep posting with any little tidbits of advice that might be useful to others as I go!

@Aly - congrats on getting P3 off! hope your interview comes soon so you can just relax and get ready to move!

@Rae - am I reading your timeline right??? you've had P3 since December and its not been sent back yet??? everything okay or does Canada have some weird thing that has held you guys up??

@Debz - WELCOME HOME!!!! glad to hear flight went well will be looking to see how settling in goes for you. I hope you love it here!

@Julez and Gillian - have either of you filed AOS yet??? How's it going stateside?? I just saw on the March AOS files thread that DDKM (from the UK forum - was going thru interview same time as all of us) just filed too!


Update on my hubby: Matthew is doing really well. I thought for sure the homesickness would hit him something awful, but he is just really happy. Says that this is what he wanted and while he does miss some things from home, he would change nothing about his journey or his choices. He is a house project task-master while waiting for EAD. I already own a home here in Seattle (got lucky to buy at the right time several years ago and just rented out my basement to a roommate before until Matthew moved over) But we are getting it ready to sell this spring. So he is landscaping, painting, etc. to put it on the market and hopefully we will buy one that we pick out together this summer, to be our 'family home'!!! I am sooooo excited we went out looking last weekend and saw some lovely homes in our price range that just make me want to put up a Christmas Tree and set up a nursery I am 32 (just turned) and am feeling my clock ticking TICK TOCK (luckily hubby feels the same way!!!) We are so ready to try for a baby, but want to be completely settled and moved...............one more hurry up and wait! story of my life.......

Hope all is well with everyone and good luck on all of our continued journeys!!!!!

Sara

Hahah - yeah well I've been holding off but because I am not leaving until 30th June I am in no rush really - it will justb e nice to have it all dealt with so I can focus on the move and the UK reception.

It has definitely been hard going through the ceremony then having to leave my "husband" (hate using "" but know it is to "protect" me ) behind but I think that under our personal circumstances we have been very lucky and done everything we wanted with very little compromise considering our rocky and naive beginning!!

I think that when we started going through all this I wasn't ready to marry - I was freaking out about it all really and by the time I went out in February it just seemed so natural that it was the right thing to do I think the time apart has really helped us - I think with a K-3 you really do have to take a leap of faith - there are some who have spent a lot of time together before getting married and then K-3 but I am sure there are plenty of people who got married at very short notice as well!!

Hey Sara,
You are reading it right. We have indeed had our P3 for 3 months. It was ready to be sent back 2 months ago but then we went through a major relationship crisis. Well, to be perfectly honest, we broke up. Now we are back together and have lost some time and need to get back on track. It's been a shitty winter.
Glad to hear your hubby is doing better though.

Sara - it sounds wonderful!! I can't wait to pick out a house - it's a pity we will have so much time on our hands when we *aren't* in our family homes that we will be in for a while so we can "nest" - we will be renting something small but I am hoping to make it a bit homey - I can practice for the real one

PM me your AOS details - I'll try and scrape them together from your timeline as well - am trying to be vigilant with our AOS spreadsheet but it is hard maintaining both!!!

Aww Rae - at least you managed to work things through though so every rose has a thorn

*hugs*

Let's hope spring is better

Rae,

I am sooooo sorry you have had a rough time. Glad to hear things are looking up for you, but there is no shame in admitting when things are tough - it happens in every relationship, whether they have to endure USCIS or not. Not to mention that moving country and starting over completely is a HUGE sacrifice for both people, and can really be scary and add stress. Marriage is wonderful and crazy at the same time. Kudos to you for taking the time to figure it all out. Remember that you have a judgment free support network here if you need it

Sara

Thanks Aly. Things couldn't get any worse than they did, so yeah, spring should definitely be better.


Thanks for your words too Sara, they really help. It does help to know there is support here; I guess that's why even when things were horrible I kept lurking here.

But hey... provided our P3 gets sent (!!!) we are actually looking at being together in just a few short months. That is a very positive thought.

I´m not sure but I think in Oregon they might have more

I think that when we started going through all this I wasn't ready to marry - I was freaking out about it all really and by the time I went out in February it just seemed so natural that it was the right thing to do I think the time apart has really helped us - I think with a K-3 you really do have to take a leap of faith - there are some who have spent a lot of time together before getting married and then K-3 but I am sure there are plenty of people who got married at very short notice as well!!
[/quote]

Jeraly,
Just remember to listen to your heart ALWAYS! take it from someone who didn't for a long time (too long)!!! but then when I finally did, it was the best thing ever and totally changed my life. I literally turned my life upside down when I met Matthew (on a fluke, while waiting for a taxi) with nothing to go but a feeling in my heart and gut that he was meant to be my life partner. I took a lot of flack from a lot of people for having the courage to follow my heart - even had some friendships get rough for a while because people thought that I was crazy to leave my comfortable little life and move abroad on a wing and a prayer! I took 6 months off work, rented out my house, finally finalized my divorce from my ex-husband that I had married in College - too young, never truly loved, and had been separated from for 2 years - but many thought we should have 'worked it out' - we were both so relieved to just be done with it. Still are good friends today and are both soooooo much happier now. We were always trying to shove a square peg in a round hole, so to speak, to make our personalities, lifestyles, wants, needs, etc work together. We had just been dating so long that getting married seemed the right thing to do back then. The scariest part is that I knew, somewhere deep down while walking down the aisle that I was making a huge mistage - even then. I just wish I had had the courage to admit it outloud, but I was so caught up in everything I couldn't bear facing my doubts in public. It upsets people when you act out of character. I do honestly believe we know deep down inside of us when something is right or wrong - we just don't always want to listen

Hopefully by June you will be feeling nothing but excitement and confidence. There are always scary parts, but if you know the path you are on is the right one for you, then you can take on anything and work it out. I want you to know that I have always been grateful to you for being able to admit on this forum that things aren't always perfect in relationships. I think people feel a lot of pressure to pretend everything is just great when going through this process because it is such a huge undertaking and commitment. But at the end of the day, we are all just human, trying our best to make the most out of our lives.

Sara

I´m almost half way between L.A. and San Francisco. Visited San Diego last year - it didn´t rain there, it was hot

Sara your words are so right on!
And yes, I've also appreciated any time people admit things are not perfect. Another instance that pops into my head is StP talking about how this is a country she doesn't even want to live in, b/c that's how Scott feels too.
I appreciate all that all of you guys have to say!
*hugs the July bunch*

Glad to hear you made it Debz

Btw, why don´t you wanna get here earlier than June. I mean, now your interview is gonna be pretty soon me thinks so why not fly out earlier?

So why does it take so long in Canada anyways? Are there just that many applicants that they can´t process people faster? In Prague, they sent me Packet 3, I received it and called them back (since we don´t even receive Packet 4 so that one will always be a mystery to me) and I got an interview in a week from then. So that was fast...


When are you flyyyyyyyying?

Sorry to hear that Glad you got back together though Stay happy

Sara sounds like things are going great over there

Oh my gosh, I wish I knew!
Back when we applied in July, Montreal was taking 5-6 months to dole out an interview date (and only giving about a month's notice, but sometimes less). So people were just waiting in the dark for months & months.
There's another VJer that makes a spreadsheet for this and tracks the average wait time, and currently it's only about 2 months. But Montreal has emailed people and told them to expect to wait 4 months. So my current guess is 2-4 months, but really I have no idea.
And the Vancouver consulate only takes like a week or a few weeks! I have no idea why they are so much faster than Montreal. It's kinda like the whole VSC vs. CSC bs; no apparent rhyme or reason to it; you just get what you get depending on what coast you happen to live closer to.

Besides...it doesn´t matter what size of your house is. What matters is that you are together, create a nice home with your husband and love to spend the time there together. Cuz if you both feel comfy and at home then it´s the best (Unless you wanna have 20 kids in a 1 bedroom house )

Not quite finished the AOS application yet, just have one thing to finish and then hoping to have it ready to mail by Sunday. I said that I will would deal with all of it except one thing - I asked Scott to deal with the I-864.

Guess what's not been done yet???

Gillian

Love your words Sara

Well before we got married I didn´t really wanna move to USA and live here. Guess what? It all went somewhere down the gutter I didn´t even notice. Now I don´t care about where I am at all. We just love our live together and we are making the most of it

Maybe it's a Scott thing?
(mine is Scott too - major procrastinator)

That sounds terrible *Hugz*
Hope it will be 2 months for you not 4

Haha My Scott did the I-864 too and me the rest Well we are certainly hoping to be mailing it out today...wanted to do so on Monday and look at us it´s Thursday already

Man, I am so far behind this thread.

Congrats Debz and welcome to America!

We're still a few days away yet as Griff still needs a tetanus shot. They wouldn't give him one in the UK since he's reached his "lifetime" limit byt UK standards. And although he can get one through my primary physician, they won't give him an appointment until June for one, so obviously thats not gonna work for us! So, next week off to a pay out of pocket clinic to shell out $75 to $95 for that one! BUT, at least it means we can get on with AOS.

Hahahahaha - so many Scotts!!



I think I will be - thing is I am not "nervous" in the sense that I have doubts about our future together, just nerves about moving out of my home for the first time - I still live with my mum and we are very close so that is the real stinger for me. As for whether I am doing the right thing? I have no doubt in my mind but that has taken a little while to establish Many trips back and forth have left me really realising where I want to be



Wow - I didn't realise you were so close!!! I'm going to be in the San Bernardino area



I'd love to fly out earlier - it would be cheaper for a start and we would be together sooner. But I want to be here for my mum's 50th birthday - there is very little chance I would get AP in time and we couldn't afford to fly back for it even if I did get AP It works out for the best even though we have to be apart longer



Oh I know - I'd just like to get on the property ladder - it was one of our reasons for moving to the US instead of the UK because it is so much easier to get on the ladder over there than it is here I'm sure I can make do for a while as long as we aren't living in a rat-infested hole like we were the summer I was out there



I think it is defo a man thing... I am sure Jeremy would procrastinate just as much

well been out and about with Nick's mammy, Now I'm on granny watch as Nick's gran, she old wee frail thing who is not in the best health and they don't like leaving her alone. Nick will be home from work soon then we going to get various bits and pieces. Appartment not going to be ready until weekend so spending another couple of nights with Nick's rents. Fine at the moment but I can see myself getting very board very quick if I can't find stuff to do. Next week, weather depending I'm helping a friend of Nick's family sort out her garden and getting pool back into useable condition after the winter....yep I'm gonna be pool painting!!!!! Threatening to paint aquatic pictures in it to amuse myself.

Hehe funnily enough my Mom´s 50th was a couple of weeks after I flew here but it was also a couple of days before she came over here to visit and to the wedding, so I arranged a gift for her back in Europe that I didn´t give to her personally but she loves it anyways and we arranged a funny celebration for her here and she was so surprised and happy

Marta, to answer your question - I plan to leave the UK at the very end of April, and fly back to Aus... after a week or so Dave will join me, for about a fortnight, and then we'll fly on to the US together

and Debz, let me get this straight - you had an upgrade to business class, AND an ultra-easy immigration, and this still qualifies as 'a tad horrendous'?

(glad you made it there ok and can start to relax )

@ debz: they didn't give me an upgrade
WELCOME HOME!!! you could paint fish and mermaids!!!!!

@ aly: i will answer your email soon, the last days were horribly stressful here HUGS!!!!

@ all: FREE HUGS FOR EVERYBODY!!!!!!!


will take my newlywed husband on a date tonite. dinner and a jazz concert.