ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsAL FIN!!!
kicking.gif star_smile.gif kicking.gif Happy for you!
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-08-20 13:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsApproved
Love ya Kim. heart.gif Congratulations.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-08-14 06:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportscurrent noa 2 times for vsc
Look above in the blue menu bar for Immigration Timelines. Then find Statistic>K1 Visas>Historical Trends

That will bring up the current graph for each service center with average wait times NOA1 to NOA2.
But you have to realize, that's what's being approved at the time you look at it. The graph is increasing, so 2, 3, and 4 months from now (when it's your turn for NOA2) the time would be even longer if the trend continues upward. The biggest hump represents when that huge influx of applications came and they had a tremendous backlog. Then they kinda cleared the backlog, but since April it's been going up again. That does not mean April filers, but approvals of people filing in Jan or Feb that came in March/April .The graphs are based only on averages from Visa Journey people who report by completing a timeline. You don't really know if some months get much larger numbers of applications at USCIS causing them to start to backlog longer. It's a guess, but the graphs give you a visual of how the times change. The good news is...they could start trending down again. smile.gif Hope you look at the whole page I directed you to above because there's lot's of other graphs and a link to some of the embassies for their average processing times.


Edited by Nich-Nick, 24 August 2008 - 06:32 PM.

Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-08-24 18:29:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFrustrated with CSC
Hi there smile.gif

You are in the most frustrating part of the process right now. I experienced it myself and have watched other monthly threads go through the same thing. The hardest part to get through is the last bit before the NOA2. People are whiney, depressed, angry and generally obsessed with checking their status. Then when people with dates past you get approved, you really go into freaky mode. It's because you just have no clue how it's going and so many of your hopes and dreams are tied up in the wait. Just make yourself go 3 days without checking or force yourself to clean out a closet or something to distract yourself. When it happens, you will be so busy with trying to keep up with the next steps that'll you'll forget this terrible waiting anguish. Prepare yourself for the next step....how to call the NVC to see if they have your petition, how to track to the embassy with DHL, how to fill out the I-134 (petitioner) or DS documents (beneficiary), how to call the DOS to find out lots of things. Make some notes for all those things now so when the time comes, you're prepared. There's nothing much you can do about getting the NOA2 but it will come soon. Sorry you're feeling this way, but I did too and I know it gets better.

Right at this moment I'm obsessing on the courier who was supposed to deliver the holy grail K1 Visa yesterday and did not. So they promised it would be today between 1:00 and 3:00. Now they have 11 minutes to go and I don't have much confidence that it's going to happen. mad.gif ARGHHH!

Edited by Nich-Nick, 05 August 2008 - 08:51 AM.

Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-08-05 08:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsWe got approved
Very happy for you. It's taken a long time so I hope the rest goes lots faster. kicking.gif Good luck!
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-08-27 20:06:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsPacket 3-CDJ
Congratulations Maria. Finally. It's crazy that they send it to you. So excited for you. kicking.gif
star_smile.gif And you too Caity!
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-08-30 19:42:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsDoes Electronic Filling of federal tax return is valid.
On TurboTax, he can just print a copy of his complete return. Tell him to sign it. He didn't mail a paper copy in because he filed electronically, but he can still use TurboTax to print a paper copy. Tell him if he had Schedule C, D, or any others that went with his return, he should print those too. He also has to make a photocopy of his W2 forms. That's the form he gets from his employer(s) to show how much he earned in 2007 and how much in tax was held out. It would be sent in with a tax return that is mailed.

Or instead of that he can order tax transcripts free from the IRS. This is the form and it can be faxed to them. http://www.irs.gov/p...-pdf/f4506t.pdf
Addresses and numbers are on the last page. Or he can call it in. They come within a week. If he gets transcript he doesn't have to send any of the things I told about first.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-08-30 21:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsk1 visa
Hey there March filer.
I think the others that said it hasn't been that long don't realize that you are one of the only ones of us from March without a NOA2. Lots are already in the US and married. Contacting your US Congressman's office is one thing you could do. It's not the State official, it's the Federal level. Here's an interesting article about security checks that Kim posted that gives you some insight into how some cases can take longer.
http://www.usaimmigr...tiveReview.html

There's a way to talk to a live person past that general help line at the USCIS, but since I never had to do that I don't know how it works. Maybe somebody who's got that experience will come along soon and help you out.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-02 09:18:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsNOA2 On the Holiday!!
star_smile.gif Happy Holiday! star_smile.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-01 21:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK1 Approved VSC
Big congratualtions. kicking.gif
I know you've waited such a long time and were often very disgruntled with USCIS. But it's finally happened so read up on the Embassy Info (in the menu bar) and get ready for the rest because things will go faster hopefully.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-08-18 13:05:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsK-1 Visa Rec'd. 9/1/08 after MONTHS at Consulate
Wow, I didn't know your story. What a long drawn out process.
Congratulations on a successful outcome FINALLY.

Edited by Nich-Nick, 02 September 2008 - 10:48 AM.

Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-02 10:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsThe day has finally arrived!
Oh, you are so SWEET!! What a wonderful post you've made. The wedding plans sound lovely and I wish you much love and happiness together for the rest of your life. heart.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-19 07:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsGareth's visa has arrived!
Oh, that's good to hear. Congratulations. It's taken awhile, but now finally you can make plans and get on with your lives.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-18 11:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsVISA APPROVED at the london consulate!
Congratulations!! It is so nice to have the uncertainty behind you. Very happy for you.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-20 17:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsQuestion for anyone who knows. . .
If the NOA document says July 27, then that's your NOA1 date. The website updates are sometimes a little screwy and sometimes they don't update at all, so go with the official paperwork.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-21 01:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsVisa Approved!!!
Congratulations!
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-20 17:58:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsIgor List
If there is not a clickable link for a couple, it means they don't have a VJ forum profile set up. You can have a timeline without signing up for posting in the forums.

A few on the list I know about-
Olga & Jerry- as still waiting I think
Dion & Michelle-broke up and aren't pursuing the visa
Jennifer & Jack- were approved June and that's a duplicate timeline
Gaura & Nitai- approved, but she didn't update timeline
S&W-approved in May
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-24 06:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Well congratulations to you on your arrival in America and your marriage. Wild and crazy pace...you must be exhausted.

Hope things settle down soon for you. Maybe not just yet since you have to start the AOS stuff now. I finally feel like we are at a more normal pace and we can start doing some fun things. I'm taking Nick to see LA Galaxy v. Houston Dynamo on Saturday night. It'll be like having a date. Cool. good.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-16 20:23:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Oh, you've been waiting a long time. Have you called them to try to nudge them along? Most everybody in your timeframe has had their petition approved months ago. I'm not sure of anything that's been successful for others since our moved along at a normal pace. Estadia and also Sunnybear come to mind as people that had to wait a long time. You might PM Sunnybear and ask her what kind of tricks she tried. Kim will probably know too. She's got a better memory than me and she'll come along and post I'm sure. Well she does have a wedding this weekend so may be swamped with things to do. Your not technically past due until that processing time is later than your filing date, so they normally give you a canned answer to wait until your date past due. I think some people call USCIS and "pretend" they have an RFE just to get through to somebody to talk to. I guess it's in the call menu, but I never called it so don't know for sure. Search for "RFE trick" because that rings a bell as what they call it on VJ.

Wishing you the best.

Edited by Nich-Nick, 14 October 2008 - 10:36 PM.

Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-14 22:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Yes, we read that on the Texas Dept of Public Safety website. When we were checking this out months ago, it said he had to have a Social Security number and a photo id (passport) as well as pass written and driving tests. So after having the SS card ordered we looked it up again and d@mmit, they changed the rules as of Oct. 1. I was then wondering if it took a US license to get added to insurance, so asked my agent. No problems with that, so he doesn't need to have a Texas Driver's license for a year.

Funny story: He's already been stopped by the police. His car that I bought in July has mostly been sitting in the garage. I drove it just a few times to keep the battery charged. So you know how the last month has gone...hurricane, clean-up, no power, sudden trip to England for 10 days, wedding, etc. So I hadn't thought about or looked at his car since early September. He hadn't driven because of his collarbone and ribs being so sore. He noticed the inspection sticker expired at the end of September. I told him we would drive it to coffee the next day and drop it at the place next door and they would get it done while we sipped cappuccino with our friends. He decided he felt well enough to drive that morning. It's a straight shot, down one road, just a mile or so to get there. BUT wouldn't you know it...the eagle-eyed cop on a motorcycle spotted it and wheeled around and turned on his flashing red lights. Officer Sidebottom...I swear that's his real name...questioned him alot and called in his UK license number over the radio. Nick said, "I've only been in your country a few days." Anyway, he gave him a warning and sent us on our way.

This thread was so lost, I had to do a search for it. I realized I hadn't reported in our latest to the Marchies. Hoping to hear something from Aleena soon.

March people: Don't forget to come post at our AOS thread. http://www.visajourn...h...151527&st=0
You can always click on my name and "find member's topics" will bring it up.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-14 20:08:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Hello my March people~~~

We have just about dissolved. Aleena should be married by now.

We had a great wedding. It was short, sweet, fun and very nice. Our progress:

Oct 5 Wedding

Oct 6 Took the signed license into courthouse, got marriage registered and the certified copy of marriage in hand

Oct 9 Mailed all the AOS/ED/AP stuff to Chicago Lockbox address

Oct 10 Went to Social Security office. Card should arrive within 2 weeks

Oct 11 Nick opened a US bank account

Oct 13 Talk to my State Farm agent about adding Nick to car insurance and filed hurricane damage claim too. After explaining it could be a long time before he can get a Texas driver's license, she said he's covered and she's not going to add his name to the policy until we get the rest of the SSN, license, etc sorted. But he is covered and at no extra cost. Don't know how it works elsewhere, but in Texas the cars are insured, not the drivers. Because I pay insurance on two cars, anyone I give permission to drive is covered.

We've covered alot of ground in a short time. It seems that Texas changed their driver's license rules as of October 1. A non-US citizen must have a valid green card to get a license. So that could take awhile. I think there are some visa exceptions but they have to be long-term visas, not 90 day ones.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-14 13:59:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
cray5ol.gif Oh dear, Mommy Nich weeping again with joy and happiness.

Bex you look stunning. Thank you for sharing the pictures. It's nice to see the end of the visa journey of one of our fellow travel mates. I am really, really, really happy for you. dancin5hr.gif

Here's the new place you need to join us http://www.visajourn...howtopic=151527
AOS threads are very active and it gets buried pages back but look for the icon laughing.gif in the margin and pop in.

Tomorrow is our wedding, so today is a busy day since we're throwing it together ourselves. It's an afternoon punch, cake, and champagne get together for our "coffee friends." We all just somehow became buddies at the local coffee shop and somebody is always there in the morning to have a visit with. They have been there for me, kinda like the VJers, through good times, cancer times, sad times, and finding new love times. They have known Nick a long time from when he would come visit our family and he feels like they're all his friends too. So we decided they would be a good group to join us for our marriage. We're having a small two tiered wedding cake and I'm going to put flowers on top in a little china demitasse coffee cup. We did invitations even, that's a stack of coffee/tea cups. It's cute, casual, and going to be a nice little celebration at one of the guy's house.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-04 08:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
QUOTE (John Hall @ Oct 3 2008, 11:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi Guys
Thanks for the comments.
The CO admitted that the problem with the question 11 is a common one and that they have complained about the design of the form but to no avail. Federal beurocracy is glacial in pace as we all know. Karen has Fedexed a revised I134 at great cost that should be herein the UK today but as yet has not arrived. Thought I might try to deliver the revised document and passport to the Embassy myself (a 400 mile round trip) but does anyone know if they will accept hand delivered documents given how paranoid they are about 'Security'.
My problem is that I am about 200 miles from the embassy but I could be in a hotel just around the corner if SMS would deliver the visa back to that hotel address rather than my 'home' address.
Anyone have any experience of this? and anyone know a phone number for the embassy that will actually get you to a person?
cheers
John

I've read somewhere in a post that somebody sent a bicycle courier with documents and the embassy refused delivery. Here's a page with some info. http://london.usemba...iv/courier.html
Considering your time constraints, I think I would try calling SMS to schedule a pick up from you and send the documents that way. Include a cover letter with your LND number, a summary of why you are sending the document and an explanation of your need for speed. I would send the passport with the document because it kinda forces them to get on with it since they don't like to keep passports lying around. Then again they could lose your passport. blink.gif Pay the extra money to SMS for the by 8 am delivery back to you. They make more of an effort to get those delivered. The day I was told Nick's visa was out for delivery, it didn't come because the truck broke down so they didn't deliver after lunch. (Nor did they tell us they weren't coming and left me pacing all day.) I don't know if they offer any early delivery to the embassy. They probably just go there once a day.

Oh and about calling the embassy. Look above in the blue menu bar and click on Embassy Info and find United Kingdom. There's phone numbers.

And thanks everybody for the nice comments and good wishes. TUTY--thanks for coming around. We've been missing you and wondered how you were getting along.

Edited by Nich-Nick, 03 October 2008 - 10:08 PM.

Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-03 22:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Well that's a bummer John. So did she send in financial information to go with the I-134, and just said no about providing specific contributions? And did you bring documents to show you were going to self support, since she wasn't going to?

We interviewed in London at the end of July and I did not check either box and on the lines put-- N/A ( K1 visa process for permanent residence ). But I provided all the information and tax returns and letter from employer. Graham and Megan in the April filers had a problem similar to yours because he did the exact same thing I did (like the VJ sample says to do.) Here's his post http://www.visajourn...p;#entry2185454

In London, if they aren't approving you that day, they don't keep your passport or have you pay the courier. When they get the documents from you and process them, they will notify you to contact SMS to pick up your passport for delivery back to them. Then when they print the visa and put it in your passport, SMS will deliver it back to you. I don't see how you're going to get that done in a weeks time, since you're waiting on documents from the states too. SMS took a week to get Nick's visa to him. It isn't necessarily an overnight service, but sometimes people get theirs in 2-3 days. A week was on the long side. You can call that toll number to talk to the embassy. Did they tell you to send the passport with the papers or was that just your plan?

Keep us posted on how it's going.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-02 18:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Hi everybody--

We are in the USA together!!! We arrived Tues afternoon (30th). POE was fast and easy. It was a slow time for international arrivals so no lines and nobody else in the processing room. They didn't ask any questions at all, just stamped the visa and reminded him of the 90 days to marry, etc. My daughters had left work to come greet us as the airport. They were so cute. They had a Welcome sign, an American flag, a helium balloon saying 'Welcome Home', and had on flashing red, white, and blue pins and gaudy American flag beads. They were too cute. They said they figured people thought they were probably waiting on a returning soldier. Then we did what we always do after a trip abroad....go to a Mexican restaurant. We always need a Tex-Mex food fix after being away.

We were exhausted after finally getting home. I'm still slighty off on time zones because I went to sleep too early last night and now it's 4 AM and I'm awake too early. We went to get our marriage license ($67) on Wednesday afternoon and that was very easy. I thought we would have to wait for the marriage certificate to be mailed back to us. The girl told us that we just need to have the wedding officiant sign the license after the wedding Sunday and we can bring it back Monday in person. Recording it takes about 5 minutes and they will give us the official marriage certificate and we can pay for a certified copy and get that too. I have to look up AOS details and see if the marriage certificate has a to be certified ($20) or just a copy. The forms are pretty much done already, but I need to review the details and get everything orderly for filing next week. But for the rest of this week...we need to get unpacked, organized, and get the wedding things ironed out for Sunday afternoon.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-10-02 04:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Oh good luck with Naples. Maybe it will be your lucky day and a live person will answer. And they will be in a good mood and get you all set up. That's the plan... good.gif ...hope they know it in Naples.

Tomorrow is the last full day here in the UK. Lots to do including taking apart this temporary computer which is being donated to somebody. So I will catch up with your progress soon, once we are in the USA. And maybe Bex will get out of bed again and show us a picture since she's one of the few that had a full blown wedding. And maybe Kim will be out of bed by then too.

Really excited for you Highway star_smile.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-28 18:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Hi March. Hi Alina and Bex.

So happy to see you report in Mrs. Bex. It sounds like your wedding went well and was fun. How many UK people got to come?

I don't think I told it in March thread that I'm in the UK once again (been here a week now.) wacko.gif Nick broke his collarbone and some ribs so I came to help him. His arm is in a sling to keep from moving the left shoulder and arm. The moving people came Monday to get the boxes of stuff and he couldn't manage to finish everything one armed and in pain. I've also been able to drive him to get groceries and see the doctor. I am a UK driver now. WooHoo!! It's getting easier for me.

So we leave on Tuesday (30th) to go home together and we get married Sunday afternoon (Oct 5.) Nothing was planned before my town had to evacuate for the hurricane. Some people in my town and areas of Houston still don't have power and it's been two weeks. Then I came here for 10 days instead of getting ready for a wedding and husband. It wasn't supposed to go like this, but it's ok. I've made arrangements while here. Three cake making ladies are unavailable. I just want a small, but two tiered, cake. I think I may have to do it myself. So far I have scheduled a friends house for the party/wedding vows, gotten a judge, made a haircut appointment, and have some cute casual invitations going. My daughters are great. We've done this invitation thing as a team. One daughter drove a long way on her lunch to a paper place which she realized was still without power. But the people had the door open because they had come to check on their store. She found exactly one of the sample ideas I had found on the internet. Then she had to talk the people into selling them since they weren't really open for business. And she had to go find a cash machine and come back and pay in cash. Finally she was going to pass off to her sister after work as she left town for Austin, so sister could print and mail them today. I love their can-do spirit that I seem to have passed on to them.

Edited by Nich-Nick, 27 September 2008 - 01:28 AM.

Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-27 01:26:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
heart.gif Happy Wedding Day Bex and Alan heart.gif

cray5ol.gif (I always cry at weddings)
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-20 17:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Hi Aleena--Your post made me decide to start an AOS thread for us, so get over there and find it. It has the icon laughing.gif in the margin so you can find it easily. I hope our March group and April and lots of new people join in. You too Stevi...and jmmr Maria need to come join us. That girl just cracks me up. Her posts jump from the screen with enthusiasm and goofiness that's delightful.

The great news is <drum roll>....I got electricity Tuesday afternoon. kicking.gif How lucky is that? The city is slowly coming back to life. We have some grocery stores and restaurants and no more lines for gas (so far). It was kinda like camping out and not in the fancy camper mode. It's so weird to be in a city with no electricity. It is so dark...no houses lit, no street lights, no traffic lights...no Wal-Mart ablaze with light 24/7. And I wonder how in the heck did young Abraham Lincoln read by candlelight in his log cabin? But people in my lovely small town are hardy troupers and just dealing with things and sharing with neighbors and helping each other clean up. There's still probably more than half the city without power, but they are getting businesses up first so we can replenish food and pump gas. A few places opened Monday on generator power and it gets better every day. They are also working on schools so maybe the kids can go back to class next Monday. Some power trucks from Kansas City, Missouri were down my street yesterday. I suspect because I am so close to an elementary school is why I have power so quickly. Must be on the same grid with them.

The positive side of the inconvenience is that neighbors were out visiting more. I met a man from down the street who has lived there for five years I hadn't ever met. (Of course several years ago I was dealing with a husband with terminal cancer and my own 3 facial reconstruction surgeries after a tiny skin cancer wasn't so tiny underneath the skin. Dark days, but not a good time to meet and great new neighbors.) I also met a new young family who just bought the house right across the street but haven't moved in. The weather has been unusually glorious...not the dreadful heat and humidity that is typical through mid October here. I got a chance to tell everybody I had a man moving in with me in two weeks and I was going to re-marry. They were all very happy.

FEMA story for Stevi: The FEMA handouts were so well organized. I've learned a new vocabulary. POD is point of distribution. We had a POD at a Kroger (grocery store) parking lot. There are two small towns just separated by a street that the Kroger is on. There were at least 50 workers from police and fire departments from both towns and others volunteers as well. I think the success of FEMA PODs are very dependent on how local officials set them up. These people were great. They managed the long lines of cars, directed traffic on surrounding streets, and checked IDs to distribute only to local people. There was an officer about every 20 feet as you wound around the perimeter of the whole strip center to the back side of the grocery store in a double file line of cars. There was no cutting in line that makes tired, sweaty people lose their patience. When you got around back to the loading side, 5 cars at a time pulled up to the loading area, popped their trunks, each car loaded by workers, then all five moved out and the next 5 moved up. It was so fast. I told them I only wanted a bag of ice, but every car got the same thing for speed and organization. When I got home I realized that I had 3 bags of ice, a case of bottled water, and 6 snack packs. I shared with two neighbor because I didn't need that much. The ice was the best!! I knew Alina would get a kick out of me saying "glorious ice" since we've talked about Americans and their ice before. LOL. Alina: I crunched it with my teeth! rofl.gif
The POD has since moved on now that our stores are opening and supplies of food and ice are available to purchase.

This morning I got my desktop computer hooked up again. Geez, there are so many cables to figure out. The cable modem isn't coming back up, but it could be storm related and it's hard to get through on the phone to those kinds of people right now. I am using the dial up modem like in the olden days and it's totally fine. I'm not complaining because I am so much farther along than so many people. My daughter (where I evacuated) was told yesterday that she could be two more weeks without power because they are a new housing subdivision and at the end of a long line of areas that have to be brought up in order out from the main power station. They have a nice new gas grill and cook out every evening. They now have access to grocery stores that have opened to buy meat on a meal by meal basis since they don't have refrigeration. Our nice weather is supposed to end and it will be hot and humid again by Saturday so it will be harder to go without air conditioning. It can still be in the mid 80s F in the middle of the night.

Now my excuse for not vacuuming is gone, so I must get to work on house cleaning. And BTW, a hurricane is much easier than waiting for NOA2. laughing.gif

heart.gif Mommy Nich

PS. Bex is getting married in 3 days. So happy for her. Hope we get pics.
And Tuty, where are you???
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-17 13:59:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Today I got FEMA supplies. Ice, water, and snacks. Ummmm ice. glorious, kicking.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-15 16:24:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Nick is coming Sept 30 and will have a house to come to. Hurricane Ike passed right over us. Came back home today. no power yet. no stores. no gas. we have curfew 7pm, but i was about 50 min late tonight. just hooked laptop up to phone line which works. typing by candlelight. dialup sucks. Isuck using laptop in the dark. not used to keyboard or touchpad. House is fine. many trr limbs in yard and some shingles off roof. no leaks. it is cooler now...maybe mid 80s. i am sweating buckets with no ac. 2 million without power but they are working on it. lost power in houston where i evacuated just after midnight friday night. both daughters had trees fall. one blocked the street. the othrt snapped off in middle and fell on neighbors car. oops. we cooked out on grill after hurricane saturday night and drank wine. actually started on the champagne sat morning while it was still chilled since no refrigeration. then the beer that was going to get hot. i drank barely chilled diet coke and pretended to be back in uk. hahaha. things are ok here good.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-14 21:31:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Hi from the evacuee. Things are fine right now but won't be in 15 to 24 hours. I'm on the north side of Houston and we will have possible 70-80 mph winds and 6-8 inches rain where I am now. My house, 70 miles closer to the coast could be bad news because of storm surge but we'll see whenever we are allowed back in. Going back will depend on damage and conditions.

It looks bad, but not a whole lot I can do about it but wait and see what happens. Oh, and among the things I evacuated from my house are all the immigration papers. Got to keep up with those. good.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-12 09:59:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Today is hurricane evacuation day for me. cray5ol.gif

Woke up to check at 5 am and voluntary evacuation for my county and mandatory at 10 am for next town has been called. Going to go before the masses fill the roads. Here's hoping it's just a dry run exercise.

Here kitty kitty...time to get in your cage.... sleepy.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-10 07:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Oh WOW Kim. I'm so excited for you. This whole process comes into perspective in hindsight. Back when we were all waiting for just a touch...anyting to know our petition still existed seems ancient history to me. We got NOA2 way before you, Bex, Alina, Ana etc and yet Russ will be in the US sooner than Nick. It sorta shows that NOA2 isn't everything, although it is a huge comfort to get it. There's so many other bits and pieces to the ultimate destination of the visa journey....arrival in the U S of A.

Nick arrives three weeks from today. Hope I have an intact house for him to come to. I see there's been another shift more towards me. Back and forth...all guesses based on other weather systems in the US that may or may not push it one way or another.

I do plan to visit Boston some time. I was asking Nick if we wanted to plan a little honeymoon trip. I've never done a fall foliage thing in New England. We don't really have seasons here with all the fall color. Lot's of huge live oaks that are pretty much green all year. The trees that lose their leaves don't turn orange and red...maybe yellowish brown and fall off. So the blaze of color I see in photos looks gorgeous. I guess I haven't been on that many fall trips. I had to go to Michigan once when I was working for Dow. There was a tiny bit of fall left and the first snow while I was there. I was blown away by seeing big red barns. LOL. It was like pictures you see in your 2nd grade social studies book. We don't have big red barns here. So where's a cool destination for fall foliage?
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-09 12:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Hi Stevi--

Woke up so had to check the 5am latest hurricane report. Looking better for me this morning. This still reminds me of going up and down on Igor's list. hahaha Well I should go back to sleep, but looking at all the various versions of hurricane tracking maps kinda woke me up. California is fabulous, but very expensive because of that beautiful weather. Houston is way more affordable and very friendly, but it's hot and humid. Inland, like in Houston proper, is not so dangerous for hurricanes. I live 60 miles south right near the coast and low lying coastal areas are subject to evacuation because of tidal surges. I only evacuate to north Houston.
Austin area is lovely, but housing prices have gotten much more expensive since Dell started in the area decades ago. I have a friend who sells real estate to "Dellionaires", as she calls them. Michael Dell actually started his PC business in his college dorm room in Austin.

Ummm.....think I'll go get another hour of sleep.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-09 05:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Hi my scattered March Mates and Kim too.

Well ranting33va.gif I'm watching another hurricane. Ike is predicted here Saturday. But from experience, things change alot so nothing to panic over yet. Was watching Gustav and it went elsewhere. Each update the predicted landfall changes a bit. It's kinda like our timelines predicting our NOA2s. But I'm on standby keeping an eye on it trying to be ahead of the preparation. I filled my car with gas today and got a chunk of cash from the ATM. People start lining up for gas or they run out if you wait. And if I evacuate and my local bank's computers go down in the storm, you can't get money from an ATM because they can't access the account info. Seems like I did read that they have a back up plan since Hurricane Rita evacuation to switch to a different location in case of a disaster. Ok, I feel better. Just got to keep checking, but Wednesday will be decision day whether to start packing and removing all loose objects from the yard. Wish Nick was here.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-08 20:22:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Awwwww Highway star_smile.gif . I am so happy for you. It's nice to see you looking forward with some hope and plans. I just knew it would eventually work out, and step by step, you're getting there.

Yay Kim. kicking.gif You've had a bit of drama and suspense about when things are going to move for you. But you've never doubted it's going to happen. Here's to Kim and Russ. And I saw you were thinking about Oct. 4 as a possible date. I'm still working in Oct 5. Nick is officially unemployed as of today and gets to work full time on packing and getting rid of things and making shipping arrangements. It's crunch time.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-06 10:56:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Hi Ana biggrin.gif

star_smile.gif star_smile.gif Welcome to America star_smile.gif star_smile.gif

Here's something about getting married in Massachusetts.
http://www.sudburyjp.com/License.htm
http://www.cityofbos...ry/marriage.asp

Kim would be a great resource. She lives there.
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-04 23:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Oh Yay. Congratulations Chris. kicking.gif Another Ana coming to America. Good decision to go to the interview. Aren't you glad you spent the money and took time off to be there. No matter what inconvenience it took, it paid off. Whew! Getting your fiance's visa--PRICELESS.

Have a great wedding and start looking over the AOS stuff. LOL. Just when you thought you were done, there's more paperwork looming just ahead. wacko.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-02 13:04:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsFiling in March
Well Kim, it could be all that international travel and "living" here that Russ did that they are sorting out. You never know what they have on you they need to verify. They're probably counting on their fingers and toes to see how many days he was here, and here again before they realize he didn't overstay on any one time. If somebody starts talking, they lose count and have to start over. Who knows? It's going to happen, there's no doubt, but soon would be good. good.gif
Nich-NickNot TellingUnited Kingdom2008-09-02 09:08:00