What to say to a girl when it hits her, sometimes in the middle of Nebraska Furniture Mart, that she misses her daddy.    You can surround a girl with all the love and support she needs, but still, rising to the surface at times, is the sudden tug of missing someone she loves.    All we could say is that we were sorry she was sad and that we’re here for her.   It doesn’t bring her dad back, but what else can we do?

We take on the problems of the day, when there are some, and think about all the many good things to be happy about.    There are good reasons not to be sad, but I bet it’s hard to see them every now and then when you’re 10.

As my mother reminds me… “This too will pass.”   Time heals.   Maybe not everything, but at least it numbs things enough where we can focus on things we DO have control over.

Today, the Chicago immigration office will be receiving our Adjustment of Status paperwork.

After arriving in the US with a fiance visa, an immigrant has 90 days to get married to their intended spouse.  They have a right to remain in the US, technically, until their landing card (i-94) runs out.   In order to legally remain, the “adjustment of status” paperwork has to be submitted.

Our filing involves a request to adjust residence status to permanent, authorization to be hired by an American employer and for authorization to travel and return to the US.

It’s a shorter waiting game than the fiance visa was.  We expect everything to be done by the middle of February.

In the meantime, once our paperwork is received and entered, we can start watching it’s progress through the USCIS tracking system.     Hopefully, all the paperwork is what they need and there will be no “requests for information” along the way.

I only know because work is closed (rarely happens) and so is everything else.    It feels like -14F outside (that’s -25c), and we have a foot of snow that’s blown and drifted overnight.    Molly, the little dog, has to be careful about where she goes outside, because the snow is currently taller than her.   Good thing the bouncy Golden Retriever is here to swoosh the snow out of the way!

On November 29th, I married Ian.  It was a long time coming, since the circumstances of our situation required us to work with immigration to obtain permission for us to be married in the United States, and for him to remain with me afterward.

Our wedding ceremony was exactly what we wanted:  something meaningful and heartfelt.   The judge’s words touched me from the very beginning, causing tears to stream down my face.   For that moment, the world melted away and it was just the two of us, standing together, making a committment to love, honour and be faithful for the rest of our lives, no matter what.

I stood there thinking, as well, about all of the time that we endured the immigration trials and tribulations, and this moment, which we really worked for, was finally here and happening, after 7 months of being separated and waiting to be together again.   It was our moment and it was right and surreal, in a sense, and perfect.

Afterward, many tears and smiles and laughter everywhere amongst the people who were able to attend.   I really missed the people who couldn’t be there..   Ian’s family and friends and my friend Jane.    We were thinking of them all, and we hope to celebrate with them next year when we return to England (can’t wait!).

We had photos taken, we went to dinner at the Upstream restaurant in the Old Market, and then spent the night at the Hilton Garden, where there happened to be a jacuzzi in the room.

Of course, we were quick to update Twitter and Facebook.  Hey.. we’re techies.   What can I say?

Two days later, we made a return trip to the courthouse to pick up the certified copy of our marriage license.   Being in that place again made me weepy.   We needed the marriage certificate so we could file a new set of paperwork with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services; our Adjustment of Status paperwork, which will allow Ian to remain for 2 more years.     After 2 years, there’s a bit more paperwork for his 10 year green card, but nothing seems so difficult when you’re together to work on it.

We cooked up a huge feast for Thanksgiving, and it was lovely.    Thanksgiving, for those of you unaware, this is a holiday where we celebrate a moment in history where the (British) Pilgrims and the Indians came together and had dinner in celebration of their combined decision to “make peace, not war”.  

The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans.

We cooked a mixture of US and UK recipes, including Yorkshire pudding, cornbread stuffing, turkey, roast potatoes and a salad which includes acini di pepe, whipped cream and strawberries.   Oh, and apple pie.  Good stuff.

Well, off to do wedding stuffs!   Getting married tomorrow.  The pastry chef wants to know where the cake topper is.