One Year Ago Today Wow, one year.

I arrived in North Carolina October 11, 2004. One year ago today. Doesn’t seem that long ago. And yet it seems longer.

Since I arrived, we have acquired an extra dog. We only had George back then, now we’ve got Bruno too. George barely weighed 100 pounds now she’s about 130. Add Bruno’s 150+ pounds, and its like we’ve got 10 dogs some days! Especially with the mud after that 3 days of rain last week. I’ll post pics when I get the film developed, my digi cam crapped out :-p

We’re still waiting on my Green Card interview appointment. That will probably be sometime in the summer or fall next year I figure. Charlotte USCIS office is taking about 13 months from time of application to interview. We sent my application in early this year, but then they sent us the dreaded RFE (request for further evidence). They had lost my medical file, and wanted me to go for another exam. Pfffffffffft, no way was I going to pay the $400 or so it would have cost for that, so we had Senator Dole’s office take care of that for us. USCIS found my file after a few calls from them! Luckily my K3 visa and EAD is valid 2 years, so I probably won’t need to pay for an extension, I should have my Green Card before it expires. Hopefully!

I have had no problem at all with the usual things spousal immigrants seem to have problems with after arrival. We had no problem getting me added to James’ bank accounts as joint, no problem getting a driver’s license, or Social Security Number, or car insurance. Quite a lot of other K immigrants I know of had a heckuva time with all that. But then they didn’t seem to have much difficulty with immigration, whereas James and I have been at this crap since August of 2001! We started out with Canadian Immigration, that didn’t work out very well, so then we went with US immigration. Which took twice as long as it should have, because we got screwed around by 2 separate lawyers! Never hire a lawyer to do spousal immigration, there’s no need for it! Cheaper and less headache to just do it yourself, trust me! UGH!

Got my Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with little difficulty, and even managed to find a job. Which I later quit after just 3 months because it sucked. Big time! Now I’ve got another job that I’ll be starting tomorrow, plus my part time Watkins business. Which is going fairly well, I just got home from a rather successful Good Tastings party :-) Plus I have 4 candidates who may sign up as associates.

Yesterday was Canadian Thanksgiving, so we went out for dinner to Olive Garden with Alie and Steve. Another Can/Am couple who live not quite an hour away. We met half way in Hickory. We found them thru the immigration discussion forum I used to post at, which I gave up on a few months ago because the climate there got distasteful. There are a few other North Carolina couples on that message board, but Alie & Steve and Cara & Greg are the only ones I’ve met. Cara is from the same area back home in Canada. Alie is from Manitoba.

OH! James has had a job offer. If he accepts it we’d have to move, and I’d have to quit the job I just got. Which might not be bad really; the pay he’s being offered is for nearly twice what he’s getting now. The only thing holding us back is where the job is. Its in New Orleans! Yep, New Orleans! Hot, humid, swampy, flooded Katrina ruined, debauched New Orleans. I don’t mind the debauchery so much, it’s the humidity and swampy flood I’m not too keen on. But it would be more money, and fewer hours. Decisions decisions…we’re still thinking on that one. There would certainly be more to do there, and maybe more Pagan friendly. It’s a tough one.

Well, I’ve got a chocolate induced headache. Today I made chocolate truffles and cleaned all the bowls myself. Without having had anything else to eat before that! I should know better, but man, were they yummy!

Catch ya later!  ¶ 11:25 PM