NEW ZEALANDers heading to the US and their USC spouses - POST HERE!

[Kim & Chris 0]

God I don't feel middle aged either and my son made me a granny at 37 !!!

I decided at 40 I was going to start counting backwards......I figured by the time senility set in I'd be back to my teens and no-one would know the difference

In my head I'm still 20 something and ready to party ......except for the backache and the sore knees

[kiwiana 2]

middle age? what's that? In my head i'm still 24!!

[cdneh 3,112]

Counting backwards...that is an idea. Except for I'd presently be younger than my children

[amaciar 0]

I thought of that counting backwards idea too! I was going to start at 50 though :-)

[KimandRuss 0]

in other news: we formally announced our engagement on new year's day, my parents were pretty much in the dark about our relationship/history (or so i thought - turns out they had a pretty good idea, which i think kim had already advised me of...

I'll tell you what I tell my kids... always listen to the mama! We just know things. It's great to see you back Justine!!! Hard to believe it's been sooooo long since you even began to contemplate what you were going to do. I know you've made the choice to return home but in all honesty, I believe you would be just fine marrying and adjusting status while here in the States.

cdneh... and that's all I have to say about that!

Congratulations Lisa and Tim!

know that around February/ March every year the two major airlines Qantas and Air New Zealand have specials on their air fares

don't forget to check air tahiti nui

ivanna, they don't care about his income...they care about his ability and desire to work once he's here. Have him bring a resume/CV to the interview.

Also, let me just share this with you...perhaps it would make you feel better. Russell left his job in AUS (a job where he made well over 6 figures) in 2006 to come to the U.S. just so we could be together. I was separated, but still legally married. My ex, who i'm still friendly with, gave me a difficult time in getting the divorce papers signed. Anyway, we (Russell and I) spent our entire savings (we're talking in the tens and tens of thousands of dollars) travelling around the world and leaving the U.S. every 3 months for a weekend abroad just so that we could be together. We were also blind to the process and just assumed we could be together then marry when I was 'eligible'. Ummm Duh! My ex continued to hold off and ...on one fateful journey to Dublin to meet the VWP guidelines... my love was denied entry and returned to NZ. Me... still married! Grrrrrrrrr. Needless to say, after spending more than a couple of years living together and travelling the world, we were forced to wait apart for one year... we had to wait for my divorce to become final (which in the end I had to hire a lawyer for) and then the months it took for this process. Now, I consider myself a relatively intelligent person but you certainly wouldn't be able to tell after the mess we found ourselves in. Russell (this man w ho worked so hard for his master's degree and left a great job) has now not worked in his field in almost 3 years. Savings depleted and debt rising to more than it was when I was in my early 20's. So when you add up the 75,000 or so in travel, that times 6 or so in lost wages and all the misery and stress it has caused ....yeah ..... feel better?

Nice to see so many posts here this weekend! Oh, and i'm 39...Russell is 30... but i'm not getting older... i'm just getting 'better'.

Edited January 12, 2009 by KimandRuss

[amaciar 0]

Any advice on phone cards in America? I have never been able to find a decent one and now my husband needs one to call home. Anyone have a good one they use? Or an idea of where to get one? I used to go to the Mobile in my old town but no such luck in this town

[rubyred 0]

I know you've made the choice to return home but in all honesty, I believe you would be just fine marrying and adjusting status while here in the States.

i am seriously considering this again. i just found a thread last night for J-1 visa holders going the AOS route, so i've posted some questions there. my biggest concern is proving that i came with no intention to marry. as i said on that thread: on the one hand, the 18 mths of friendship before i came here go towards proving a long term relationship, but on the other, it could go towards suggesting i came with the intention to marry - or at the very least, the idea that we 'might' marry.

but we would save so much money doing the AOS, and then we could afford to go back to nz for a holiday together. i just don't know what to do!!

[KimandRuss 0]

You hadn't even met him or been to the U.S. before you came here. You came with good intention and not with the idea that you would marry him and want to stay forever. I would never advise this to you if I thought you were breaking the law. You really just couldn't know, or even have filed, before having met him in person. I still say go for it.

Oh and ....I read you were missing some things from home... I think you can get just about anything you're looking for if you check online.

amaciar... just so you know, verizon wirless phones work between here and NZ... at least our 4 do. Russell actually had one on my plan while he was back home. It does cost (unsure the amount) but not too bad really. We text each other all day/night long for more than a year and my bill was never that much higher. If you are looking for a good phone card tho... nobelcom.com is a great website. I've used them for calling NZ since 2000....until I found out about my verizon phones working.

[cdneh 3,112]

More good news...Auckland has the electronic file

[cdneh 3,112]

More good news...Auckland has the electronic file

And DHL is shipping here....woohooo...

[KimandRuss 0]

I can see you smiling from here and it's made my day!!! I'm so happy for you!

Hey, they scheduled Russell's interview when they had the electronic version only.... just a thought.

[cdneh 3,112]

I can see you smiling from here and it's made my day!!! I'm so happy for you!

Hey, they scheduled Russell's interview when they had the electronic version only.... just a thought.

Yes...lol...I remembered that...and I have sent them an email to thank them for letting me know ...and ask if there is anything I can do

[rubyred 0]

You hadn't even met him or been to the U.S. before you came here. You came with good intention and not with the idea that you would marry him and want to stay forever. I would never advise this to you if I thought you were breaking the law. You really just couldn't know, or even have filed, before having met him in person. I still say go for it.

so, soooo tempted... but need to do some more research. i'm waiting to hear back on the J-1 thread for info regarding the interviews. looking at the averages on here, it's likely i'd be back in nz for upwards of six months if we did the K-1 thing. that just seems agonising. we would have our costs, plus save on airfares... in fact, because i have an open-ended ticket, we could use the money we would have spent on my return airfare to the US for a ticket for jordan to nz...

and CDNEH!! so happy for you!!! maybe i'm your lucky charm?? i popped up here and suddenly it all starts moving for you...

[cdneh 3,112]

Maybe you are! Something sure changed my luck

[kiwiana 2]

More good news...Auckland has the electronic file

And DHL is shipping here....woohooo...

wooo hooo!! I see on your timeline your interview is Feb 2nd!! Just under 3 weeks to go!!! yay!!! soo very happy for you!!

kimandruss: Would you know if verizon has prepaid phones at all? I'd really love to get a mobile phone asap when i arrive there but would prefer prepaid, so you can pay as you use kinda thing