Anna and Ali

I like this one
I may just say everything gets to known in comparison. Think about it - as in other countries there are barely same thing as K1 fiance visa, there are spousal visas which take somewhat a year and half to get processed.
Not talking of Russia, tht not so long ago would make it completely impossible for its citizens to get out of a country even for a short trip. So things changed in your favor.
Yes, we are going to make inquiry as soon as we reach 5 months, but before that I would not cry over for something that inevitable anyways. It would be nice to get NOA2 in a shorter period and it suck tht we wont, but if you are confident in your relationships, it wont hurt.

everybody chill! I say that including myself. I'm going to have to start living by the mantra "A watched pot never boils."
We are stronger than this. It's 5, 6, 7 months out of a lifetime. It's like a dentist appointment, sucks while you're in the chair, but after the visit you soon forget about the pain. That was a lame comparison but hopefully you get what i mean. It's easy to be consumed by the wait, but it's healthier to just get yourself excited about whatto do when the wait is over.
Let's just remember not to take out our frustrations on others. As people have said, we are all in the same boat.
truce?

There is no need to be so overly dramatic. They aren't ruining your life. They are going to do EXACTLY what you want them to do. But because they aren't doing it as soon as you snap your fingers and they aren't doing it on your schedule, suddenly they are an enemy. To be so angry this early into the process isn't going to make it any easier.

Finally a voice of reason
It is one big ball of misery and depression to be separated with no definite unification date. Absolutely.
However, it is even more miserable if you don't make an attempt to spin it on a positive note.
For example, although I don't know when my wedding will actually take place, i have spent weeks looking at fabrics, color combinations, venues, food, music, dresses....you name it! I have lists going so that when we get the go ahead, I can quickly obtain everything I need at the lowest possible price because I have researched it all.
This separation is also giving me time to adjust to a new job and try and get several things in order financially so that I can support Ali.
Is it ideal? No. Do I hate it? Yes. But if you can't look at the glass as half full you are going to be in no shape to handle the stress that the interview brings with it.
We have every right to feel slighted and ignored, but it's not healthy or helpful for us to maintain a level of pissyness (word?)
Positive thinking goes a long way!

so excited you guys! Ali's dad offered to fly me out to Jordan for free and my parents agreed so I'm off to Amman for the first time tomorrow night! cannot believe it! We have been apart 14 months straight. Doesn't seem real. Sometimes we DO get surprised in a nice way. Let's all keep positive and keep in mind that good things come to those who wait!!!
Wish me luck!!

Yup! LOL. Mine does it, too. He'll leave shoes all over the house, dishes and junk on every horizontal surface, clothes all over the furniture, coins all over the floor (I think he's pooping money, which is good because I prayed for that) and tell me that I "need to organize this house". Or covers the computer desk with crud and then complains because I have all "stuff for nothing" in the bookshelves. LOL
I cant get him to buy new underwear either. He had like, 4 pairs when he arrived (not even enough for a week!) and some of them were turning into granny panties. I finally got fed up and went to Walmart to purchase them myself. There's nothing wrong with taking your time to purchase your own panties. You want the right, cut, size, color, etc. This is an important decision! Men's underwear is completely different. I had no friggin clue there were so many different choices. So here I am wandering around in Walmart, frizzy hair out to there, pregnant belly out to here and I start talking to myself "I just want underwear for heaven's sake!" and people begin to stare. Oh hells bells. I grab the nearest package in his size and make a beeline for the dog food, or something equally innocuous.

OMG my husband won't even dream of eating dinner before 11pm! It drives me batty
He can't get off his schedule in Jordan, no breakfast, lunch at 3, dinner at 11!

Ohhhh...where to start! We've been together now for 7 years and I've got quite a list!!!!
Hicham is a BIG germ-a-phobe, so he'll follow me around sometimes to make sure that I've washed my hands or something like that.
He also checks the oven to see that it's turned off before we leave the house EVEN IF WE HAVEN'T COOKED ANYTHING! And he does this at other people's houses that we go to visit. He doesn't say anything, but I watch him and I know that is what he's doing. A couple of times I just look at him and he says..."It's off."

How about "I need a haircut because my hair is getting to tall" lol

This is not a mena answer but my husband has given me many beautiful Nigerian outfits. I have declared one day a week "enjoy Africa" day. The first time I got a few odd looks, now there are people that comment when they haven't seen my in my outfits in a while. So you may not get as negative response as you think you will. Just don't get defense when asked, simply say that you got these recently and think they are comfortable. As long as you are not in violation of a safety code at work you should be fine.

I haven't lavished. The only thing I guess you consider "lavishing" was that I helped him replace his guitar my first trip to Egypt because his other was smashed by 2 guys in a net cafe one night while he was attempting to play for me and they realized he was talking to an American. I felt a bit responsible and I knew what it meant to him so it seemed fair. Otherwise, we value our time together above anything else.

I read a lot of topics on these boards and it seems like people get annoyed too easily-so much that a friendly thread turns into a nasty cat fight. People take things too seriously. Many people want to argue and this is why most feel discouraged to post. So bitter. I guess it's easy to do so behind a computer.
I bet I just annoyed a few of you....
Zaytoona

Firstly I can understand how someone would take offense though it is soooooo sooooo hard to understand what a person's intent is on the internet since there is no facial expression or vocal tone on these threads. I kind of think if I commented that I've seen tons and tons of Christians sleeping around and not ever going to church and asked if that is part of Christianity, people would get offended.
If you see people with tight jeans on and a scarf on their head, who knows what their intent is. Maybe they used to dress a heck of a lot worse before they became Muslim and this is like step 5 in their progression of becoming more modest, maybe they grew up muslim and don't wanna wear the scarf at all but just throw the thing on 'cause their parents make them and they wear the tight jeans out of protest. Only way to find out for sure is to stop and ask them. There is no uniform for muslims to wear, it's all an individual thing and I can't judge why this one does this or that one does that. That is for Allah to do at the end of their life and for them to answer for when they are being judged. What I think doesn't matter in the end.
Hope that helps and if you truly want info on Islam, I've learned the hard way that here is not the place to ask. There are tons of helpful sites out there and Rhama is our resident internet link queen so I'm sure she or others could lend a helping hand in pasting some links. The Idiot's Guide to Islam is a good place to start. It's an easy read and is what got me intrigued about the religion when I first started researching it.

The only thing I can say is dress by your own convictions. Dont do it for pressure of a man or to try to please him if one is hoping to please him. Be yourself.
In my own life, I grew up wearing dresses and skirts and the modesty rule was set by my parents. I carried it over into my young adult life style. When Adam has the question of a clothing that I wear, I tell him that my conscience is clear and what I am wearing is modest. I stand firm on that. Rarely anything is in question since he understands that if hes going to be wearing shorts to the knees, so will I. Modesty does go both ways.

one of the most famous questions is...are you going to turn muslim too? i just laugh at them when they ask....is it anybodys business? and how, exactly do you "turn" muslim?? wait until midnight , turn around 3 times, and poof, you're in hijab??? hmmmmmmmmm

painintheass!

I proposed to John over Thanksgiving '08, ring (titanium, three diamonds and "Marry me?" inscribed inside) and everything. He loved it. But when I arrived at Heathrow the following June to bring him home from England, he surprised ME by getting down on one knee, with ring, at the terminal. He said he had wanted to propose all along, but was waiting until I came over to do it.