Deep River Park...nature walk with my daughter and friends

 Deep River Park

 Saw Mill

 Saw Mill

 Looking out from the Saw Mill

 Something growing in the woods

 Signs along one of the nature trails

 Chickadee

Osage Orange tree

Late winter in northwest Indiana just looks brown. Brown tree trunks, brown bushes, brown leaves on the ground and brown dirt. We enjoyed the walk anyway...fresh air, mild weather finally after such a cold March. We plan to return once things start growing and the leaves are on the trees.

Happy Easter weekend everyone

Today looks like it will be pretty nice, a bit warmer than it has been. I'm meeting my daughter and her boyfriend and we going for a walk on the nature trails in Deep River Park. If I get any good pictures I might post one or two later.

I made another count-down ticker. I hope this visit puts a visa in his hands.

My long distance phone service

I sent an email to Telrite after I finished with the embassy and then went back to bed, since I had been up since 4:45 am. I woke up just in time to get a call from Telrite with confirmation that my long distance has a problem and they are working on it.

It's 5:50 am

And I'm up, because I wanted to try calling the embassy directly. Again, busy signals. So I went online to check my long distance account. Everything seems fine....haven't gotten a bill in awhile but it shows my balance is 88 cents. It's through Telrite, a really cheap service (yeah I know...you get what you pay for). So I thought....ok....let me try the USA number with my cell phone (I can't call overseas with my cell, not without it costing over $2 per minute). I honestly didn't think anyone would answer but they did, with the same accent my hubby has (smiles) and I got his appointment...April 11 and 11 am....yay!!

Wow.....April 11, 2011 I was sitting in the lawyer's office doing a consultation....I asked her, what should I do if we find we really love each other when I go to meet him? She said, "Marry him."

Hubby has the new documents!

Now if I could only get through to someone at the Call Center to make an appointment for him to bring the papers to the Embassy. I have a USA number to call. I have been calling ALL DAY. beep beep beep....that's it. Nothing but a busy signal. My hubby will try calling the embassy directly tomorrow.

This about sums it up

...from Facebook, credit unknown

Conference

I found out this morning I am flying. I found out this evening I have a ride lol. No sure which way I'm going. Leaning toward the ride because I can take more stuff.

Paperwork is done

Now we wait, again. When hubby gets the papers one of us will call to make an appointment. Then the embassy will send an appointment letter. We are hoping for April.

Amidst all this craziness

I've gotten a possible job offer. It's not set in stone, but contingent on another person deciding to retire. The offer is from one of my website clients, who is a well-established local business. If it happens, it won't be until summer or fall. But I have a lot of things to think about. Pros and Cons. Pro---I could pay off my debts, increase savings, afford to buy all the things hubby needs to fix up this house without pressure on him, because honestly, until an immigrant boosts their language skills, it's hard for them to get hired, unless they speak Spanish, and that's one language my hubby doesn't know...yet. Con---well, it's not working from home, which I really really like. It's more work and maybe not even something I want to do. And it has the potential to screw up my health insurance with the state. The state I live in has a health insurance plan for low income individuals, based on income, and I buy into it. It's not free, but it's affordable. I can't be without insurance.

The job is sort of full time but not quite and he is open to making it flexible to fit in with my current job, which basically can be done any time during the day, and many days there is nothing to do, at all. One crazy thing about my current job, I'm sort of "on call" but I'm not paid to be on call. I'm "on-demand" tech support, shipping, webmaster and purchasing agent. All really kewl but I'm lucky to get 50 hours per month. So, anyway....lots to think about.

In other news, the phone number for the call center here in the USA for the Macedonia embassy is still just busy busy busy. But hubby called the Macedonia number and talked to someone. So I guess the appointment will be set through the Macedonia number.

I am rethinking.....

I am rethinking making an appointment before hubby receives the new papers. For one, I'm not sure how hard it is to reschedule. And....if the right people at the embassy don't get the message, they could just think he didn't show up. We just can't have any more omg what now moments. My hubby's interview took place exactly 465 days after the USCIS assigned his priority date. Another month to do things right means he can't go to the conference with me. I really wish that could happen. But this week the lawyer will prepare papers, then my daughter and I need to sign. Then they will be sent. Then hubby receives. Then I make an appointment. Then hope and pray he gets his visa, then he calls me and I book a one-way flight. I need about 2 to 5 days out to get a price I can afford. Lufthansa has the best deals, but they don't have the option to book a flight for the next day. Tuesdays and Thursdays are the best deals.

The waiting....the stress

All the papers are with the lawyer. She wasn't in today, so she will see them Monday.

The normal sequence would be:
Lawyer completes papers
Joint sponsor signs
Papers are sent to hubby
Hubby receives papers (in 10 days up to 4 weeks)
I make appointment with embassy
Hubby brings papers to embassy, gets visa
He flies here (maybe mid to late April?)

What I'm hoping for:
Monday I call embassy and try for an appointment the last week of March)
Lawyer completes papers
Joint sponsor signs
Papers are sent to hubby (via FedEx at the shocking price of $150)
Hubby receives papers in 5 to 8 days
Hubby brings papers to embassy, gets visa
He flies here (no later than the 1st week of April in time to come with me to the annual conference)

Am I freakin crazy? When I call the embassy, if there is no time-slot the last week of March then the plans are gone. Lawyer can mail the cheaper and more sane way via regular mail and I have my hubby home sometime after the very lonely and boring conference, to which I will need to fly, because I can't drive to Little Rock, but hubby can.

Done!!!!

Praise God we have a joint sponsor!!!!!

After much discussion....More delays

I have discussed matters with the lawyer and the only sure-fire way for my husband to receive his visa without further stink from the embassy is to find a joint sponsor. The embassy rejected my Affidavit of Support, even though I meet the requirements. "Give me your tired, your poor?" Hooey. Show us the money. You know, I understand the reason for that, but it burns me there are 11 million illegal immigrants in this nation who DON'T have a sponsor and they make it ALL SO MUCH HARDER for those of us doing it the legal way.

I need my Hubby here

All the paperwork is with the lawyer. Then somehow everything needs to be sent to my husband so that it actually ARRIVES in a timely manner. Thankfully the National Visa Center sent his appointment letter as a PDF file via email, because the hard copy arrived the DAY BEFORE HIS INTERVIEW - ONE MONTH LATE. So the papers will need to go FedEx. It will probably cost about $150. And then I need to call the embassy and make an appointment and hope its soon after the papers arrive. I need my hubby here no later than the first week of April. I have a conference to go to April 12-14. I need to work. I can't do it all alone. I really really need him here before the conference.

Visa pending more documents

My husband needs to show some documents which the lawyer will send. The embassy said he can have his visa in 3 hours after they are satisfied with the documents. Everyone, I repeat, everyone, is being turned away at the embassy in Macedonia. Some are approved on the second visit. Of course visitor visas are almost impossible to get, so those people come back 4 or 5 times, maybe they never get them.