I’ve been taking a look at some places I’ve been to and some I haven’t been to in England. Very cool. Makes me want to take a trip.

On the way to be dropped off this morning, TLK said, “Mom? What are your plans for my life?” I snickered a bit, thinking, “She doesn’t know she’ll be in charge of her life entirely, eventually.”

My response: “What are MY plans? What are YOUR plans for your life?”

Where she started talking about various things she’d like to do, including owning her own pet shop.

We talked about university and business degrees that would teach her how to manage people and money. (I’m required to mention university, right?)

Very cool 10 minute conversation.

kids

Ian’s greencard application (AOS) has been approved!    According to the USCIS website, it looks like his card has already been mailed. Can’t wait! I didn’t think I would cry when the Adjustment of Status was approved, but it was a welcome relief. “Yes he’s here, and yes, he can stay”, says the US Department of Immigration.

Dual citizenship is only 3 years off. Shouldn’t be too difficult. I would like to get citizenship in the UK, as well, but I think we might actually have to live in the UK to do that.

So, the airline understood our frustration with their service, and decided to give us vouchers for our next air travel.   They were generous, and we appreciated it.

Ian did some amazing cooking this week, as always, and helped me with the red wine demi glace I made for our bison/mozarella burgers this week.   The chicken and wild mushroom pie was the best, and even better the second day.

My parents have sold their house, and they’re off to Italy on April 15th (tax day), which may be better than April 1.     (“We decided to fly you to Brazil instead, ok?”)

I only had to work 3 days this week.  I have to say I prefer the abbreviated weeks, but Friday I went “over the edge” just enough to make up for 2 lost days.      Sometimes I think I just need another line of work.   I wonder if I can make a lot of money making cupcakes or muffins.  

This weekend:   Big fund-raising thing for my company.  I have a minor role:  setting up the computer equipment.     It will all be fine.    Right?   We’re eating breakfast with the DBA and one of the company secretaries at the hotel restaurant.   I’ve been inducted.    It was nice to be invited.

We bought a tv from a pawn shop yesterday.   I think it’s brilliant buying a tv from a pawn shop.   You get something reasonably nice for cheap.   It was $55 with a new remote tossed in.    They had loads of flat screens there, as well.   It’s not too late if you want to snap one up.

It’s fun to see what’s in the pawn shop.  There were loads of drums (like bongos), stereos, jewelry, etc.    I think Ian is most amazed by the guns and rifles, since they don’t sell these things (legally) in the UK.

TLK’s off with her dad this weekend, so Ian and I have some time to do what we want, even if it means sitting around watching our new TV all weekend.     Actually, though, we’ll probably be out at least collecting items for whatever Julia Child recipe we pick from one of her cookbooks.

We thought it would be an interesting challenge.   The recipe on my list (for someday) is Pâté de Canard en Croûte.   It just looks so pretty when it’s done and looks like an amazing challege.

What I like about the Julia Child cookbooks is the personalization she puts into the instructions, like a certain recipe (crab, I believe, of some sort) where she said (paraphrasing), “It’s done when you snap off a small leg and it tastes done.  If it does, then declare all the small legs for the cook.”

We were smitten with “Julie and Julia“… what can I say?  

So, Thursday, we arrived bright and early at the Omaha airport, only to find out that our flight was delayed.  We assumed it was due to the weather.   The airline agent tried to get us on a later connecting flight from Detroit to Virginia, since we’d miss our originally scheduled connecting flight, but to no avail.   Our choice was to fly to Detroit and have the airline put us up in a hotel for the night (at their expense) or leave the next day.   We figured the weather delay could happen the next day, as well, so may as well fly to Detroit (what the heck… we’re on vacation anyway).

So we wait in the airport for 2 hours and then fly to Detroit.    The pilot announces that the reason for the delay is a mechanical malfunction (hence the reason the airline has agreed to pay our hotel for the night..  We find out later that they don’t do this with weather delays.  They only offer you a 10% off coupon).

Detroit has a really large airport.   There are many shops and many people waiting in the “please issue my tickets and/or check my luggage” line.   The airport staff directs everyone to stick close to the ropes in the line.   The line is so long that the zig zag, roped-off line has exceeded its capacity and is now trailing into the lobby.

We get to the counter and the ticket agent is new.  She doesn’t see the note about the hotel.   She goes to get a supervisor.   The supervisor doesn’t see it, until we insist it’s there somewhere and Ian goes to pull the Omaha agent’s name, etc., from his iPod.

So we go down two levels and finally find the place where hotels pick up people in vans or buses.   Ours is a 9-seater van.  We are mostly away from the airport, when the driver circles around to pick up one more person.  The van is full of people and luggage.   People are exhausted and not happy with the reason they’ve got to go to the hotel overnight.   Most of them seem to be delayed by the airline for one reason or another.

The hotel is nice, but it’s not where I want to be.  I want to be relaxing in Virginia, not worrying about getting up at 4am the next day and what to do when we get to the airport.  I’m not looking forward to lugging the luggage around, making sure everything’s packed and going through security at the airport again.

But at least we have a decent room, hot water, a hot dinner and a decent beer.

The next day, I’m up at 4am.  Ian and Brit are up at 4:30.   We get out to the lobby around 4:50, along with many other people waiting to be shuttled to the airport.. People who are unsure whether or not they’ll be leaving Detroit today or not.   We just hope that we are.

Long story short.. Security is a crazy place.  People want your ID.  People are hustling for boxes to put their shoes and stuff in.  We’re travelling with 2 laptops and each requires a separate bin of its own.  Together, we must have 7 bins.    People are hurried to get through the scanner and collect their stuff at the other end.

Suddenly, I cannot find my ID.   I’m vocally trying to recount where the ID could or could not be.   Ian thinks I am freaking out.  I am, a bit. 

We eat breakfast.  Burger King is out of cinnaminis.  Bastards.   I calmly tell Brit we will get her sugar donation from another vendor, and we do.

The departure gate is swapped mid-waiting for the plane to be boarded.    The plane does not board till 1/2 hour after it’s due to.   Nobody assures us that the plane will board soon until it’s already 10 minutes late for boarding…

to be continued..

You’ll have to look @ Hubby’s blog to see the long-awaited snow sledding. It was hilarious (and cold!)

weather

Weather permitting, we’ll be boarding a plane and heading to Virginia Beach this week. The weather between the two of us is snowy, so I’m hoping it holds up so we can at least fly there and get back as planned. I’m sure it will be fine.

This will be the first time Ian and I have flown together. We’ve done a bit of flying to see the other, but never have been on the same plane together.

He was surprised that we can’t fly directly to Virginia Beach. We have a stop-over in Detroit.

are wandering off to Italy for 3 years for a new job assignment. It will be an exciting place to visit, in addition to England. I have still not seen London. We’ve always been so busy seeing people, that we’ve found it less important to see the scenery. Funny, eh?

travel

In Immigration News,  we’re seeing some good progress on Ian’s “I want to stay in America with my wife” paperwork.

His card which authorises him to work for an American employer went to production, his paper which allows him to come back into the US if he has to leave temporarily (for holiday or emergency or what-not) is approved and on the way.

The request to remain (green card approval) has skipped over the interview phase and gone straight to California for approval, which is good.

This is what immigration used to look like.