Good Morning everyone! Monday came again and I really don't feel like going to work, but not much choice this morning..hahaaa....

I hope that everyone has a great week and that we hear some good news for those of you waiting on AP - those waiting for NOA2 and those leaving soon to be reunified w/your SO.........

I second everything you just said.........don't want to be at work today and lets hope for lots of good news this week!

I don't wanna go to work!!!! Only 4 more days at this job! My days at work this week will consist of trying to train a nurse that has no brains. Yes, scary I know. Sometimes I wonder how some people become nurses.


Hope we hear some good news from Cairo this week!!!!!

hi

j

hi everyone. happy? lol i dunno how people say HAPPY and MONDAY in the same sentence. anyway lol mondays dont hold the same weight here in KSA cause the weekend is thur and fri and sat is back to work. so what today is TECHNICALLY Wednesday lol.

hope everyone has a great week and i reallllly hope we get some good news this week, especially out of Cairo.

i don't either

is it friday yet?

Im sooooo sleepy please not Monday

Mornin everyone! I lost 3 pounds on my first week back to weight watchers last week.

No plans for today really other than to maybe to go the beach this afternoon. Have to buy a mattress and bedframe for my oldest daughter and find someone to rip up the rugs in both girls rooms.

Anyone know about how much I should pay for someone to rip a rug out of a 10 by 10 room? Underneath is hardwood floors so they'll have to take the staples out of the floor as well. I don't know how this week turned into redecorating week but it has. lol

Have a good one and let's hear some news from Cairo!! Maybe Nicky's congressman will put some pepper in their azz!!!!!

Are you getting any time off before you start your new job? Are you excited about the new place?

Doodle that is AWESOME!!!! Very proud of you! Stick with it girlie!

It would be good to find someone that would quote you a price for the whole job. If they charge by the hour, make sure they don't drag azz. I've ripped up carpet before in a room that size. Taking the carpet isn't the hardest part, but taking out the staples is a real beeyatch! Unless you can leave the rug for the garbage pickup, they may also charge you a carry off fee. IMO, anything over $100-125 would be excessive.

Blue Monday......why can't we just cancel Mondays due to lack of interest?

HI everybody! Its Monday again dang it, I SO didnt want to come to work today. I dont think its a good sign to begin the week exhausted.
I am going to the doc this afternoon for a final ultrasound, just to check size and position and stuff, then we are in countdown phase, only about 2 months to go! I feel big as a barn and I know these next few weeks are not going to be a picnic...

Good morning everyone! I woke up with a headache, sore throat (i actually sound like froggy today), and body ache! ughhh. Other than that Mrs. Lincoln how was the play?

Let's see how this week plays out for everyone! I'm wishing good news for everyone! May this week be the beginning of good things to come.

Hugs,

Ayesha

(LaL - trying to focus on the positive....)

how's the new fridge?

new appliances, new windows, door & garage are all fab ...


im trying to focus on the positive with regards to immigration, but the neg is winning today.

what was that about dumb and dumber installing the fridge? i need a good story

Tip of the day....Do NOT file a K3, go for the CR1. K3 is a BS visa. Hindsight being 20/20, waiting an extra month or so and paying the extra $ for the CR1 is so worth it. Waiting on an EAD is BS!!!!! A wise woman once told me that importing a husband is like adopting a retarded (sorry for the word) toddler. OMG it's soooooooo true!

"Be careful what you wish for cuz you just might get it all, you just might get it all...and then some you don't want."

I so very much agree with what you said. Hope and pray that Cairo gets some movement going on our visas this week.

I think the grass is always greener, you know? I mean the extra month for the CR1 is spent apart from each other while the EAD is spent with each other. When you're on the other side waiting for him to come you can't bear to think of another month apart yet when you're with each other the frustration of waiting on that EAD is just killer.

Plus it seems like it's way more than just one month for the CR1. Seems like the security checks and AP are just about doubled when the CR1 is applied for. Just how I've seen it anyways.

Has he started volunteering anywhere to keep himself busy or is the transportation thing a big issue?

Waiting for an EAD has taken us 3 mos and at this point I'd rather be alone waiting. At least I'd have my house to myself and free time. I know that sounds horrible but I'm not equipped to be the sole bread winner forever. I'm starting to get REALLY resentful. I know I cried myself a long, deep river while waiting for Moh to get here. I feel kinda foolish looking back on it now. I love the guy but if he doesn't get that EAD soon and get his azz off the couch I'm gonna be taken away by the men in the white coats. We definitely have transportation issues where I live. Public transit sucks and he can't drive yet. The guy has been very patient but I believe his patience has just about ran out, mine too. Can grown ups run away from home?

Fridge Fiasco

12:20pm - Guys arrive late - couldn't find my home even though they were here a week earlier with a different delivery.

1:20pm - after measuring the space for the new fridge & the doorway 11 times to ensure fit, and asking US if it will fit another 23 times, they finally decide to bring it in. Wrap up decrepit fridge - haul away.

1:17pm - realize there is something horribly wrong about to go down, have to message RJ and VJ

1:45pm - turn off the water! turn off the water?? turn off the water please! ok i will turn off the water! pliers? pliers? who took the pliers? where are the pliers... i think he took the pliers. maybe they are in the truck (depart dumb #1 leaving water splooshing out onto the floor, dumb # 2 is on a pliers crusade of his own)

2:00pm - hmmm.

2:15pm - hmmm.

2:35pm - we need a pipe cutter. yes we need a pipe cutter - do YOU have one? (speaking to me) um noooo - didn't you bring tools? "welllll, they got stolen". (blank stares from us)

2:40pm - my dear irritated husband leaves to Walmart to BUY a pipe cutter. *Phone Rings* - "LaL there are no pipe cutters here. what do I do?" message is relayed by me to d#1 & d#2. (receive blank stares in return)

2:45pm - called hubby back. "Del ~ they want you to go to Lowe's"... (begin to hear massive amounts of noise on the other end of the phone only discernable words were - THEY ARE FROM LOWE'S!!!!)

2:55pm - hubby returns, they leave to go back to their store.

3:35pm - installers return. by this time I am tuning everything out until they say - "all set, sorry for any inconvenience".



Moody - I TOTALLY agree with the K3 thing. Its crap IMHO, and even with our K1 - If I was able to go back and do it again , I would do a CR1. Having to go through 2 separate "checks" is redundant and st00pid. Over 3 years and not done? Give me a break.

Doodle,,, 35 cents a sf.

Jackie

We didnt do a K3 but I know waiting for the K1 EAD was MUCH harder than either of us had ever even begun to imagine it would be. We also had an RFE for immunizations on the AOS and it held up the EAD for an additional 6 weeks and I can tell you by the end of that we were both at each others throats and just about over the edge. Everyone thinks its easier to do some of the waiting together but I am not at all sure I beleive that to be true. Anyway hang in there Kara! Hopefully you will hear something soon


Hey, has anyone heard from Dee lately? Wondering how things are going for her......

This is pretty much how I feel about the lack of interim benefits during the AOS phase. 3 months for an EAD, seriously I much preferred living our lives as normal (relatively) in our own countries with our own schedules. This one *tiny* piece was a pretty difficult part of the process, but hard to imagine when you are still separated.

Also - I would think it is such a wonderful thing for the SO to step off the plane and have everything they need to "start" when THEY are ready - not when the government tells them they are.

Thanks, Sara and Laura

I was one of those who said...all I want is to have him here, I don't care how long it takes for him to work, etc. Oh do I ever regret those words. I want so badly to blame him for it but it's not his fault. It's easier to have at him than to call USCIS and yell irrational things into the phone. We had a completely irrational argument over a candy bar last night, ppl! Seriously, who does that???? Hopefully we're at the end of the waiting for the EAD. Moh called last Wed and they told him if he didn't hear anything within a week to call back. But once he has the EAD then what? He still can't drive by himself. I'm not helping myself by being miss doom and gloom, thinking completely negatively. Sorry for the rants today. I'm really frustrated.

Happy new week to everyone. I hope that those who are stil waiting and waiting and waiting and..........>>> will receive some good news this week

Just curious what does this mean exactly? What benefits?

Aside from the EAD itself, she's probably referring to all of the things that you need a green card to do. Depending on where you live, that could mean driver's license, home mortgages, tuition, etc.

Moody, It took a little over 90 days for us and not to mention going to SS office and waiting an additional week for his card to be mailed. Hang in there!!

Can't he get his learners permit now so that once he gets his EAD he can go right for his license? That must seriously suck not having public transportation available. I would hate being stuck at home all day and I'm sure it makes you feel awful knowing he's sitting there waiting for you. Puts a strain on both of you to be sure. I hope you hear something soon!!!!

Well...we were supposed to go last Saturday to take the written test for the learners permit but didn't make it. Then this Saturday, again didn't make it. He's in a rut right now and doesn't feel like leaving the house (or shaving). So now I live with Wolfman Jack. Another reason for wanting this EAD asap. I tried to explain the importance of trying to get the learner's permit then getting his license so by the time he does find work he can drive to work. I don't have work on Friday so I plan on making him go take this test. I have 4 days to work on him.

@ Wolfman Jack. I WISH my husband would grow a beard but the last time he did it for me he was pulled out by the police in a cafe because they thought he was part of the muslim brotherhood. I can't wait till he gets here so he can grow one. He doesn't think it looks good on him but I think it's soooooooooooooooo sexy!!!

My hubby has a goatee and it just drives me CRAZY!!!!! Makes him look very hot!!!!!

I doubt that most of our MENA men are "folicly challenged"!!!!!

ONLY above the ears!!!!

TRUE THAT!!!!

thanks for making me laughhhhh today! that is SOOO TRUE!

Mine's follicly challenge above the ears, too.

Moh looks good with a bit of stubble or even a slight beard but a slight, trimmed, styled beard. Not a beard grown just allowed to grow wild.

Oh man the Gotee on my hubby makes me not want to leave his side. Damn him for being so hot with his GTY and not

i get all thoes emotions just thinking about him.

Moody -

I know what you mean it is sooooo hard! Seriously for the first two months Youssef was so depressed he didn't get out of bed - for 2 stinking months. He had a "headache" all day and didn't want to do a thing at all. It was so hard and I really started to question why we didn't just do the CR1 visa. At least he would have been able to start life when he got here until just really starting now (almost 2 YEARS later!). It's so hard and no one really understands unless they've done it themselves. Let's just say I've never met anyone who had an easy immigration story!

They do have the test in arabic for him and they also have a study guide. I'm not quite sure where you can get one at, i just remember the DMV asking if he studied the guide ( i wish we knew there was one ) but fortunately all went well!

Mine is also folicly challenged above the ears, i find that attractive too. One time i was in a jealous mood and he told me: "baby, I'm no Tom Cruise, so please stop", and i replied: "well, umm actually i wasn't thinking of Tom Cruise, if we're going to name actors, i would say you started out as a Nicholas Cage and, over the years, worked your way to Vin Diesle .....of course he asked me why i said this and i quickly changed the subject

I do love his beard, and sometimes he cuts it and leaves it gotee style (but i told him, no more gotee until we're together!!, where i can keep an eye on you

Moh was doing great until about two weeks ago. He seems depressed and like Youssef, always has a "headache" or is "catching a cold". He's not his usual happy go lucky self. He still has moments of cheerfulness but they don't last. He wants to get out and work and if he can't work he's gonna lay around the house and not leave. He doesn't get dressed, doesn't shave, he moves from the computer to the couch and back all day. I feel bad for him but it's driving me nuts and getting me depressed too.

I'm happy to hear things are looking up for you and Youssef now. It gives me some hope.

Maureen...

We got the little study booklet a couple months ago and he's been studying it off and on. I think he's gonna take it in Arabic but I've heard that the dialect it's written in may be hard for him to understand. If so, he'll just take it in English. Has your husband taken his road test yet? If so, how did that go for him?

Youssef tried the test 3 times in English and finally gave up and did it in Arabic (the people at the DMV really razzed him for wanting to take it in Arabic or French so he kept trying). It was sooo hard and frustrating for me when he wouldn't move. I tried getting him into school, getting him involved at the mosque, family events, going to the park, going to the mall, cooking his favorite foods, buying him new things, anything and everything and I don't think it made one bit of difference. I asked him the other day if he remembered and he honestly said he barely remembers the first few months here. I'm not going to say it's not worth doing because they he'll feel just more useless but know that you're not alone. If it would help we could hook the two of them up on a chat sometime to talk about things in general. PM if you need some support or just an ear - or if you want to give me your husband's SN and then they could chat. Hang in there hun!

Thank you, Amera. I'm PMing you.

Waiting Waiting Waiting. I can't think about the waiting. I have to stay busy or it would drive me crazy. Sometimes it does and him too I am sure. We waited 6 months after marriage to start the visa process because both our schedules were busy. I had school and he had the hospital. I didn't know anything about the process and wanted a lawyer. He had the lawyer over there in Egypt who advised him so he could guide me in the process. I wondered if the CR1 is a better process than the K1 and K3 but I don't have time to research it. In truth this whole Visa process makes my head spin and when you're trying to finish college there isn't much more I can cram in my little brain. With summer session out I could finally sit down and fill out the visas and collect all the information. Doing this process made me fell incredibly vunerable as I was spread eagle for all the government to see all (my) our business. My husband was so kind to offer this site at a resource for me and support going through this process.

Now I study for school and wait patiently to be "touched" by the Gods of Visa Olympus for the next move. Sometimes Waleed asks me to call and check and when I do I am polite but I feel they can be misleading and nearly rude. Really what more is there for me to do but wait? I told him, "I gave it over to God." I can't think about the problem of the long wait and that we already waited this long, or any of the challanges he might face there like the military or finishing the doctor training or any legal issues that I am powerless against.

Mmm.. yeah... so that's that better get back to my research paper on the affects of Africa post cold war.

If he has trouble with the English, they will also do an oral exam. Mine took his in English but asked if they would help him if he didn't understand the question. They read the question to him and then explained what some words meant or what exactly the question was asking. A few of them they even drew diagrams as to what was being asked. It is worth asking about.

amal

I had a hellofa day today. I've worked in this clinic for 11 years and have put up with way too much crap. I have 3 weeks of vacation left that I'm supposed to get paid for and they are "thinking" they are going to screw me out of it. They are about to meet my evil twin!!! Everyone up there knows that I WILL get my paid vacation.

I can't wait to start my new job! I start Sept 4. I will be working in a big OB/GYN clinic and I will have soooooo many benefits. I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!!!!

They don't have Arabic or even French translations for the driver's license test in Minnesota...I guess we just don't have enough native speakers of those languages yet (you can take it in Spanish, Hmong, Vietnamese or Somali, though--no help for us).

It took my habib 3 tries to pass the written test--his wrong answers were vocabulary problems: first time, he came out asking me "Honey, what is a snowplow?"