Her Man's Ramblings

Monday Sharon asked me if I knew that one of our flights (in November) had been changed !!! I didn't ........... when I checked, we hit the ground in Chicago with 50 minutes to catch the Heathrow flight !!!! A quick call to American Airlines, provisionally changed my booking ..... call Sharon, get her to change hers ....... await confirmation of that, call AA back again, and eventually confirm mine. Finally ......... we are seated together again !!!!

Wednesday the visa people want some more paperwork ..... and also inform me that the 6 month validity of the visa starts on the day of issue. In other words, Tig's biometric appointment is far too early.

Thursday Sharon attempts to call the Consulate in LA to confirm this ..... unable to speak to a 'human' unless she is willing to be transferred to a $12 a minute line !!!! I don't think so !!!

So we change the appointment ....... it is now 11am on Friday 8 August. Even if the visa starts from that date, we will be married within the 6 months limit - JUST !!!!!!

After all of this, getting married is gonna be the easy bit !!!!

Friday Major car trouble .......... don't ask !!

Today Sharon's final (hopefully) paperwork arrived ........ the list checked, and double-checked, documents stuffed in the envelope with mine, and sent to Cassy. They will have it tomorrow, and have at least 2 - 3 weeks to forward it to the Consulate in LA.
Meanwhile, Tig has her appointment for biometric data on July 11, then has to forward that stuff to the Consulate. I don't know what more we can do, or needs to be done .............. except wait !!!!

Ohhhh, just in case they need to know....... I had bacon and egg for breakfast today, and she had cereal and yoghurt !!!

My broadband finally came back on sometime Monday, and to 'round off' the weekend's woes, we had problems with 'Messenger' on Monday evening, but determination prevailed !!! A 4,700 mile separation does NOT need communication problems !!! We've survived worse though ......... particularly Tulsa's ice storm last winter when Sharon really was a Snow Tiger - with no power for 10 days !!!

Eating, drinking, sleeping, dreaming ........... visa's !!!
Most of Monday this week, and a good part of Tuesday I spent on the phone talking to Cassy (our Visa Immigration consultant). Final paperwork/evidence/documentation was resolved (I hope !!) ...... and now only waiting for a few things to arrive from the US to be forwarded.

Sharon spent most of Tuesday evening photocopying, scanning, attaching, and e-mailing even more documents - this will avoid the inevitable delays using the postal service.
Hopefully this is an end to the demands ........... both of our brains are a little 'scrambled' by all of this !!!

Today Cassy informed me that the visa is paid and submitted .........this evening Sharon & I completed her 'online interview application' ......it is booked for Friday 11 July in Oklahoma City.

It is also 4 months today until I see my woman again ( or, as she informs me, 123 days !!!) .......... not that either of us are counting, of course !!!

Finally, we feel as if are getting somewhere, watch this space ........... !!!

Last Tuesday I said "The end is in sight ........... or is it???". 'Or is it???' was very phrophetic as things turned out ......... last evening another e-mail from the visa people, with another longgggggg list of paperwork to provide !!!! This is starting to play on both of our nerves a little ....... by the time I receive Sharon's stuff, re-post it with mine, another two weeks have passed.

I even have to produce a mobile phone statement to show that my telephone number is correct ...... even though they have called me on it three times !!!!

I'm sure all of this will make our case much smoother, so should'nt really 'whinge' too much ............. but can there really be anything else to ask for !!!!!!

Yesterday a ton of paperwork was sent to the visa people. On top of this we have already been told that they need more ............ Tig has taken this afternoon off work (any excuse does !!! ) to chase hers up, then we wait a week or so until it arrives here. I accept that the 'powers that be' need proof of everything, but I didn't have a copy of what they were requesting ......... and getting a certified copy was gonna prove extremely expensive, and extremely lengthy time-wise. Eventually, after three days of wrangling .......... and after the visa lady talking to Head Office, lawyers, blah, blah ...............my suggested alternative was accepted as the evidence required. Common sense prevailed !!

On top of this, my 'other half' found out that the consulate I'd written to (Houston, Texas) didn't deal with visas .......... damn, I'm sure they did when I wrote. So a quick search revealed that LA was the place - change the address, and copy and paste the letter, and forward it.  Problem solved ....... I hope !!!

Now we wait for the next stage ............. we should know more by this weekend.

Today started off well .............. the visa people sent Sharon's online application form which was quickly completed and returned, Tig's visa paperwork turned up with today's mail - so all stuffed in the envelope with mine, ready to post. The wedding ceremony is booked, the registrar is booked .... and as soon as the registrar's letter of confirmation turns up, the visa stuff can be posted.

Or so I thought ........ at 6pm tonight I got an e-mail from the visa people requesting even more paperwork !!! I'm sure that this is all normal and in a day's work to them ..... I guess that we just need to be a little (a lot !!!) more patient.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day ............

Phew ........ what a day !!!  A quiet start ....I received Sharon's Visa Application form, after reading it I suggested that we completed this the next time we were online together ...... so I forwarded it to her, no problem there. Then I walked into town to get a certified copy of my passport, and some passport photos. I came home to find that the visa folk had sent a questionnaire ..... and could I send it back ASAP !!!!

This was basically a copy of ALL the questions on the Visa Application ........ a lot of info that Sharon had to provide, but also a lot about me .......... something that neither of us could complete on our own. So the remainder of the day was spent frantically texting and e-mailing each other, and by 9pm (3pm in Tulsa) it was on it's way back. At least I was at home for this ....... Sharon was at work trying to juggle her workload, and respond to my frantic e-mails, no doubt the brain circuits are fried tonight !!!

On top of this the registrar called me to say that, although I'd reserved a date, she couldn't issue a 'confirmation' letter (needed for the Visa Application), until I'd booked and confirmed a venue. Oh well ....... only a minor issue after today !!!!!!

Last night I received an e-mail from our Visa Consultant, listing the (endless!!) things that are required to get Snow Tiger permanently into the UK. Amongst other things they require love letters and e-mails !!! Could be some blushes coming at their end .......... hey, we are too old, too crazy, and too madly in love to care !!!
Today I made a start on it all !!! Finally we are on the way.

But whatever it takes .............. believe me folks (and for all our Oklahoma friends ...... ya'll ), she is WELL worth it !!!

Have a great day.
Dave