They're coming to take me away hee hee ha ha

As with anything involving the government, doesn't matter what country you're talking about, the immigration process to get Paul into the US was a colossal headache! First I had to file the I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance(e) which would allow Paul to file the K1 Non-immigrant Visa for Fiance(e). These were accompanied by about 12 other forms each outlining everything from our backgrounds, to finances to not just our criminal histories but histories of everyone in our immediate families! We also submitted supporting documentation as evidence of our relationship which manifested into an 8inch 5pound box of photos, gift receipts, airline ticket stubs and a phone record so large dad nearly had a heart attack when it arrived thinking it was last month's bill! Finally, after seven months of scrambling, arguments and 3 nervous breakdowns, Paul received word that he had an interview with the US consulate in London for a final determination about the visa.

I knew I'd be too nervous to sit by the phone and wait and as Paul's interview was scheduled two days before his college graduation, I immediately booked a flight and the next 8 weeks DRAGGED BY! There was a problem however during this time. We had a pretty good feeling that Paul would be granted the visa but I couldn't find affordable housing in a decent neighborhood. Mom and I pounded the pavement hitting as much as 3 roach infested, urine soaked apartments in skeevy neighborhoods a day until finally two weeks before I was to fly out, we came across a small one bedroom apartment in lower Bayonne. Unfortunately, the place was pretty filthy but mom and my sisters scrubbed the place from top to bottom while I was finishing the bureaucratic BS in London with Paul.

First, we arrived bright and early at the consulate, showed the desk person our appointment and went up to the 6th floor. There, another desk person had us wait 30 minutes until Paul was called up to yet another desk person. This desk person told Paul he would have to get a physical from an approved doctor a few blocks away and return for another appointment at 11am to finish up the process. So we went back out on to the street and queued up like good British people to wait for the office to open so the doctor could give him a full bill of health, do bloodwork and xrays and headed back to the consulate. By then the room was full of other people waiting for visas and paperwork but an hour or so later Paul was called again and the desk person had in her hands the massive box o' evidence we'd submitted. She'd told us #1 she was surprised to see me there as most of the time the other half doesn't make the appointment and #2 this was the most evidence she had ever seen in the 15 years she'd been doing the job. She then stamped Paul's passport and it was official, he had been granted permission to move to the United States so we could get married!

Two days later, on September 13th, I met up with my future mum-in-law and brother -in-law at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College in High Wycombe to watch my future hubby walk down the aisle and receive his degree. We spent a final night with Paul's parents and flew back to America the next morning. One week later we were married, but that's a story for next time:)

...And On the Third Day We Were Engaged!

Greetings all! I know last week we promised to tell the story of how we fell in love but we decided though it makes for a great memory it doesn't make for good writing:( So, in commemoration of the event 11 years ago, we'll fast forward to Paul's marriage proposal!

On a chilly day about mid-March I got a phone call from my favorite Brit with news that he'd be coming to visit Easter weekend, just two weeks away! It would be a short visit but as we hadn't seen each other for three months it was still a nice surprise. Mom and I were active in the church choir and that being Easter Week we were singing ourselves hoarse from Wednesday night on and the schedule was fairly hectic. So dad met Paul at the airport on Holy Thursday, which like it did this year fell on April 1st, and headed right to church while mom and I were at practice before mass started. Between the long mass, dinner with the family and the fact that the only room we had for him was on the living room couch, Paul and I didn't get a chance to talk alone until late that night after everyone had gone to bed. The lights were low and the tv off so we could talk quietly without disturbing the rest of the family in the little two bedroom apartment when the conversation suddenly went serious. Paul looked a little nervous as he started talking about how much he always loved me from the beginning. Being we were involved in a mostly long distance relationship I'd insisted on our taking things slowly so when he said "I love you" a mere three weeks after we'd started dating and then more recently when he'd started talking marriage and kids three months prior to this visit, I'd panicked on both occasions and we'd gotten into huge fights. It wasn't that I didn't care for or love Paul but at 18 and 19 years old I wasn't exactly family oriented and the intensity of Paul's feelings along with the sureness of our future scared the hell out of me. Yet as he sat there now seriously telling me about his feelings for me I started wonder that maybe I'd held him at arm's length too often and for too long and he was breaking up with me. I started to get angry at both him for not having patience and myself for being such a chicken while at the same time glad that at least he was man enough to do it in person rather than leaving it to a letter or doing it over the phone when I saw him go down on one knee. Confusion caused my brain to stop functioning as he pulled out a dark blue felt box, opened it and presented a little gold ring with seven small diamonds glittering in the dim light and the words floated up to me, "will you marry me?"

My mouth fell open, he wants to get married? Is he serious? But it's April Fools Day? Could I see myself spending the rest of my life with this man? Do I love him that much? I searched inside the way I usually do when it comes to major life decisions. The idea of being someone's wife made me nervous but the idea of marriage, kids, spending the rest of my life with Paul just felt right. I immediately thought back to that day we'd first met and the moment we'd said goodbye in the lobby of that hotel and suddenly realized what it was I'd felt that day. I did love Paul, always had, and there was absolutely no fear. I had my answer and it was yes... and if this was some kind of joke I was going to kill him!

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That's it for this week kiddies. Next week will be the weird and wonderful story of when I visited the United Kingdom for the very first time, met the in-laws and got a crash course in culture shock all at the same time! Be sure not to miss it, if you thought Paul's meeting with my family was funny, this story will just kill you!

Meanwhile, don't forget to enter our giveaway! Right now every donation gets you entered in a live drawing April 25th (via Ustream, time TBD) for a Cappuccino Mug and Blueberry Pie candle set! You can't have pie without coffee and you just can't have coffee without pie:) The default flavors and scents are Cafe Latte and Blueberry but you can also get Mocha and Apple, Pumpkin, Strawberry, Lemon or Chocolate cream pie upon request. Or if you're sensitive or allergic to scented candles, they can also come unscented upon request.

So please, donate now and help us towards our goal of having a baby. Remember, proceeds not used by the procedure go to the March of Dimes and the National Adoption Center so you're helping three causes:) Also check out a site Paul and I created as part of our grieving process from our last pregnancy that gives information and guidance to those who've experienced the same problem and are having trouble dealing with it or knows of someone who does. Thanks and have a great week!