paul.

Successfully navigated the interview this morning and am now going back to bed, as I didn't sleep a wink last night! Technically, I am awaiting documents, but it's no biggie-just a photocopy of my co-sponsor (mother-in-law) passport and driving license to confirm she is an American. She's emailing me that now, I should have it printed and sent by tomorrow morning and they said the current wait is 4 days for the actual visa! So thumbs up!

Congrats, I'm all alone tomorrow! I'm only stressed to forget something silly and whether my rucksack with my paperwork will be considered too large (it's just a regular-sized rucksack, but you never know lol). I also wonder what size the lockers at the chemist are, as I might need to stick it all in there!

I certainly am counting down, I should probably go to bed as I have to be up in 8 and a bit hours lol, but I'm not nervous, but just would rather go and wait outside the freaking embassy now already.

Yeah, my life story is a messed up one! My Mom is Dutch, lives in Scheveningen. Dad is English, divorced and back in England. Sister studies at Leiden on her Masters and when I finished school in Holland, I had dual nationality and could join British or Dutch military. I chose Brit because our contract is a minimum of 4 years and a maximum of 22, so you have a good job until you're 40 years old, which suited me. I left at 28, last year, to get married and settle down in one place. I did know Kourtni before, but not while I was on tour. I was actually working on Helicopters too, but training to fly them, when I met Kourtni, so we had a good year and a half where I didn't deploy and got real close and decided I'd had enough of playing with the boys overseas and would enjoy living as a couple, so the rest is history. There, mini life story lol! But yeah, now I'm a massive adrenaline junkie, she's a massive worrier and my greatest loves are flying helicopters and planes and jumping out of them lol.

Ooh, 8 hours to go now exactly!

I'll be there on the same day, good luck!

1 more day! It's 6am and I can't wait for tomorrow hehe.

Yeah, I do miss the camaraderie a lot. I went out with some old friends on Saturday to say goodbye, which was cool.

I did the obvious deployments this decade and in the late 90's went to Former Yugoslavia on 2 tours. I was lucky though, I never got injured on tour (although I had bad dysentery in Iraq in 2003, which sucked lol). But I have a friend who was the same rank in the US Marines as me, same age and had served the same length. We both have shot knees and back and groan like old men when getting up from chairs haha, which we thought was quite funny. It doesn't matter which Infantry you're in, it's pretty hard on the body and training just helps overcome that, so I just can't wait to be near a gym and be able to take my dogs running.

Congrats!

Anyone know what time the earliest I can get to the US Embassy at?

I have a time for 0830am for a CR-1 interview, but I read it is a "first-come, first-served" affair, so clearly in my benefit to doss outside until they open up. I heard 0730am is the earliest they'll let you line up, can anyone confirm or deny that? Many thanks!

Tomorrow will be exactly a year since I started this journey, fingers crossed I'm nearing the end straight!

Also wondering, so I can make an attempt at a roughly accurate time to book my return train ticket, how long it takes inside. I know it's not an exact science, but if anyone on a CR-1 can let me know how long it took them, I'd appreciate it.

No way! Yeah, our neck of the woods is real dry from the time I have spent there. I've done a Jan-April, a March-Jun and a Nov-Jan, so I haven't yet experienced the full summer, but my friends do tell me it remains dry hot. Fingers crossed, or my aircon is gonna be working overtime.

Getting nervous now about Tuesday lol. Have just packd up my stuff and will be on the train to a friends just outside London tonight, so I'm within and hour and a half of London center. I need to be there at 730am, so I'll be getting out of bed for about 5am, urgh!

off-topic, tomorrow will be exactly a year since I started my visa journey!

Argh, but the one bonus is it is dry heat, which I can cope with over humidity.

Oh, Oklahoma is 88F today. I am gonna pass out so bad, I grew up on Scheveningen beach, but 88F/31C would be a few days in August maybe, not April that's for sure.

Peet, hope your flight goes well and you have a great time!

Jeanine, hope you get everything sorted soon, it's been cool flying next to you through our visa journey, you as K and me as CR!

Rianne, I understand how you feel. I spent 11 years in the Army and ultimately left as Kourtni had spent time in England and was ready to go home. I decided that I was ready to leave the Army and find something else in the USA. I still have friends in the USMC in 29 Palms and Camp Pendleton, whom I served in Iraq with and/or who are friends locally in Oklahoma. But of all my deployments, this 5 month "short" one has been the hardest as I am civilian and I thought I'd never have to leave her for that long again! Argh! Anyway, if you need support or help, PM me as it emails me, so I'll get to it faster. I can't see myself checking in on VJ more than twice a month once this is all done, as I'll be enjoying that 88F/30C

weather as I have to keep training hard for my Police training course. A year of being civilian made me out of shape hehe!!

Oh it will be cold alright! Glad you had fun!

Don't worry about this process. If you're an honest couple, there is nothing to worry about, seriously. It's just getting through the time apart, the cost and the pain in the bum paperwork. This forum has done wonders for me, I sometimes think that I'd never have gotten through it all without VJ and wonder how people do! I'm a smart guy and that paperwork had me stumped at times. But the final hurdle is coming and I see it more as a step I have to take, than a hurdle. I'm nearing 5 months away from Kourtni now, so I will SO happy to see her and get on with life eh.

Thanks to you both!

CR-1 interview on Tuesday, 28th at 0830hrs. Should I get there stupid early? Also, anyone know a cheap way to get train tickets, I'm looking at 60 quid return from Colchester!

Hey all, so awesome to see everyone moving along nicely! Oh and of course, congrats Jeanine!

My interview is in exactly one week time, slightly different as it's for a CR-1, but I'm only nervous about forgetting what to bring with me. Not too nervous about the actual interview itself.

I wish there was a black and white list of things to do and bring through this whole process, all the different paperwork just gets me confused. I'm glad I don't work in administration, cos I would suck! hehe.

I'm looking at flights, a bit presumptuous, but ya gotta be confident, right. Looks like the dollar is still low, which is good for me right now as I can get a fairly good flight home. I found one for 513 dollars, roundtrip London-Dallas, as roundtrip is cheaper than a one-way. Which is good, cos this whole thing has been mighty expensive!

I wish y'all well and I might check in before my interview, if I don't I will for sure let you know how it went next Tuesday.

Oh I know, I'm super-excited!

We just celebrated our first wedding anniversary and my 29th birthday from 4500 miles apart, so that sucked in a way, but I like to see things half-full, so it was novel too. I convinced my local florist in Oklahoma to deliver a nice bouquet at the time we got married on the 2nd and that definitely made her day for sure.

Hey all, still lurking, nothing to report till my interview on the 28th. Getting a little nervous about nothing, but only cos I miss home so bad. It's been since Christmas that I saw Kourtni, which sucks, but hopefully only one more month!

Hey all, sorry to hear about your job Marieke, but as you say, some beach time first and then a job within your industry is a blessing in disguise as everyone needs some time off in their life.

I'm actually stuck where I am now, can't find a small job anywhere, absolutely nothing. So I'm relying on savings for the next month, which I should just manage along with my trip to the Embassy and my flight home in May. Then thank god, I have a real, full-time job shortly afterwards. I can't wait!!

Still lurking, but no questions anymore since I am just waiting for the month and a half to fly by until my interview. Looking at cars as my GMC sierra needs trading in soon. I think I'm going for a Nissan Murano or something like that...who knows, but it keeps me busy!

Moved back to my Fathers since 2 days ago, so faster internet, but no jobs around here, so money is tight right now!

waithatter, to close this up, yes it was indeed a false RFE based on a Dutch PCC. Because a Dutch PCC needs to be ordered by the US Embassy in London from the US Consulate in Amsterdam, the document is indeed missing at the NVC phase but is nothing a petitioner or beneficiary needs to worry about according to the NVC customer service as the US Embassy will ensure it will have it by the interview date.

Anyone know where to get potato farls other than homemade? We're in Oklahoma, but we'd probably do a road trip to stock up on them!

Not quite, Peet, as Marieke is already at home!

But yes, only a month and a half until I get to go home, pending the interview outcome. I'm not a negative person, but just have a little thing I have always done for important things I work on:

I never say out loud I will win/make it/beat it/etc as I am superstitious that it then won't happen, but I'm usually quietly confident that I can/will. Like now, I know I have nothing to hide and have a genuine relationship with a USC, so I know I will probably be just fine...but I am not going to say it out loud ha! It's like people knocking on wood, I guess!

I have had a little snag as I got a letter saying they hadn't received my RFE documents, but my main interview letter states everything is in order, so it's been an anxious weekend (They sent it late Saturday night my time) as I can only find out by phoning NVC in 30 minutes time! Arrgh.

Thanks queuedup, the list doesn't list anything as missing, which raised my suspicions. Another half hour and I can call, so I'll update if I can in case anyone in future has this dilemma.

That's cutting it fine though if I turn up to the interview and I odn't have any documents with me to show them and they haven't received the all clear from the NVC...anyone actually have any experience with this issue?

I received an email 2 hours ago from the NVC, stating that they had not yet received the items from the RFE checklist they sent me for the DS-230. The list consisted of the following:

• Original Divorce Decree (I sent a certified copy originally)
• PCC for the Netherlands (Can't send it as the Embassy has to "order" it for you from the consulate in Amsterdam)

Anyway, we got an interview date of the 28th of April a few days back now and the AVR on the NVC customer service phone line say the case is complete and was sent to London on the 11th of March 2009. So I'm a little concerned as the email says the following:

It also mentions that "Failure to provide the requested information will delay your immigrant visa interview."

As I can't call them until Monday, I'm hoping someone here might know something to help me.

Greats pics, Marieke! We got married in Arkansas too!

Jeanine, that's great! You'll be in the USA about the same time as me then, early May?

Everyone else, fingers crossed!