January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?

[JeroenAndMichelle 28]

Welcome!

I've not had to make any new threads making questions either - but it's still fun to post here to pass the time.

Thanks and yep, I totally agree on that

plus its good to hear all the successtories of people who got approved (especially those with fast approvals, it gives us good hopes ).

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Approval times are slowly but surely coming down! I'm back in June instead of July!

[BlakeandOlha 0]

Approval times are slowly but surely coming down! I'm back in June instead of July!

I watch my approval times closely (nothing else to do) it popped up a day because some July filers finally made it through the system and got approved, but the trend is certainly down. I'm thinking approval around the first week in June or something. Perhaps we should poll the January filers at csc and see what their guess is - it would be interesting to see what peoples expectations are. My estimated adjudication date has dropped a month since I filed at the end of January, I'm hopping this trend continues.

I know when it comes to the consular stage I will be asking questions, but the regional forums, embassy reviews, and portals are very helpful in answering country specific questions. There is so much good information out there I don't think I'll have to be posting any new threads - until, of course, comes the one where I say "Approved!!!" followed by a long series of OMG's, dancing figures, and thumbs up. Hopefully there will not be many January filers left when my application gets approved since I filed at the end of the month.

[BlakeandOlha 0]

Hey Rachel,

The next time your out at your local pub - give a look for Ruddle's County Ale or Bitters - that's from the branch of my family that didn't get kicked out of England 300 years ago. I think it's outstanding, but I'd like a resident's opinion. That is, of course, if you're looking for an excuse to have a drink!

[sunnybear 0]

So many things to be obsessed over... the visa journey, the wedding (with everything little thing that is included), the moving and what we're going to do with our belongings... but we'll make it through!

sunnybear, are you planning an inside or an outside wedding? where do you live?

I live in Michigan and we are planning an inside wedding but we are getting married right at same place the reception will be held. It has a back balcony type deck area though so if it is a nice night we may get married out on that! It is right on a lake as well. Too bad huge boats seem to block the view of the lake though!

Oh and I got my dress from Peridress.Com

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Blake - I shall definitely have a look out for it, although I'm not too well versed in the knowledge of ales! I've just drunk what my dad drinks - Old Speckled Hen and Abbot's Ale.

Oh goodness, my stomach I made the mistake of going round to a friend's for dinner...mini chocolate donuts and dried pineapple while we waited, then an apple and feta salad, followed by huuuuge portions of lasagne (bolognaise, spinach, courgette, carrot and mushroom) and then chocolate melt pudding with tiramisu ice-cream and raspberries. As per usual it was a joint effort - collaborating with my friend (slim, athletic) and my housemate (also slim, athletic - where do they pack it all away?) over meals is deadly for one's diet.

[dbears 1]

I live in Michigan and we are planning an inside wedding but we are getting married right at same place the reception will be held. It has a back balcony type deck area though so if it is a nice night we may get married out on that! It is right on a lake as well. Too bad huge boats seem to block the view of the lake though!

Oh and I got my dress from Peridress.Com

Your description of the place seems so lovely.

I've been checking the site you mentioned... there's so many lovely dress there and the price is not bad ... are they really giving that 80-86% discounts?

BTW, anybody know I could buy will power? will power to resist food! Gosh, i'm soooo weak when it comes to food Right now, I am giving excuses that I won't be eating filipino foods for a long time so I might as well stock up.. YEAH RIGHT!!! the thing that is really stocking up is my hips and the belly. ARRGGG!!! Maybe I should buy some straps and have myself strapped during meal time and snack time.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Well - at least you know not to look to me for tips

[JeroenAndMichelle 28]

Hmm all this talking about weddings make me a bit curious.. What kind of wedding will you guys be having? Will it be a big one with lots of family or just a quick and plain one?

For us it will most likely be a quick and plain wedding, mostly because family and friends would be coming from all over the world and there is not enough time to actually plan a wedding like this in our point of view... We think the K1 might get approved early september and then I should be flying september/october so basically you could say there is enough time to figure this one out but what if we get denied for some odd reason? Then we have to file for a waiver and it will take longer for us to be together, the wedding has to be postponed then and...well, i guess you get the picture.

We kinda go for a quick and plain wedding first and for a more 'normal' and bigger wedding a year or so later so we can do it really like how it should be. But yeah, kinda curious what your views are on this and how you guys do it yourselves ^^

edit: maybe I should've created a new topic for this but oh well, too late now lol

Edited March 27, 2008 by svache

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Quick and cheap!

Between 20-40 people (I really have NO idea!), held in Alex's parents' back garden, and home-made food/BBQ (at least, I'm really pushing for the BBQ). My parents, most of my siblings (the twins and one of my brothers want to attend, my other brother and sister don't but probably will under pain of death from my mother ), hopefully four of my friends + boyfriends and a couple of family friends will be flying over to attend. It's a long way to travel so I think most people are going to try and make a proper holiday of it. In the run-up to the wedding I'll probably be acting as tour guide and attempting to divide my time equally between all the guests. It's going to be hectic!

The problem does lie with trying to judge when the visa will be approved. I was originally going to go with a wedding date roughly 6 months from our NoA2 but I'm concerned that that may not leave us with enough time. I've tentatively suggested sometime in February as a new wedding to Alex although he's not very happy at that thought. I'd probably fly out on Christmas Day if that were so - cheap flights and empty airports!

Sigh...today is going slooooowly. I did bring my DS into work although I don't always like to play it - doesn't seem very professional! The great thing about secretarial work is the way you can obsess over the details. I can get a real bee in my bonnet over the most inane things. I just spent a good half-hour formatting a word document so that every indent aligned perfectly and it looked as neat and professional as possible. I can get unnaturally frustrated over improperly aligned/arranged word documents.

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Well, it seems like we're going to do just like you: quick wedding when we get the visa and then next Spring/Summer we'll do a more traditional wedding. That will not be a big ceremony, from my family there will probably be only my parents, brother & sister. And maybe one or two friends. From his family there will be more people of course (that's easier when you live in the same country)

I would have prefered to do everything at once right after we get the visa. I'd like to think of my wedding day and not of my two wedding days. It's going to be strange to be ask if I want to take him as my husband the second time if we're already husband and wife. I would have prefered a small traditional wedding (by "traditional" I only mean "wedding not at a courthouse") even if it's only half of a real wedding instead of doing it that way.

But I do understand that everybody else would prefer to have the ceremony later. That's the way Bryan wants it and that's the way my parents and everyone willing to come from France like better. So yeah... that's probably be like you. Courthouse at the end of this year, and ceremony later.

[KimandRuss 0]

BTW, anybody know I could buy will power? will power to resist food! Gosh, i'm soooo weak when it comes to food Right now, I am giving excuses that I won't be eating filipino foods for a long time so I might as well stock up.. YEAH RIGHT!!! the thing that is really stocking up is my hips and the belly. ARRGGG!!! Maybe I should buy some straps and have myself strapped during meal time and snack time.

Gaye, I dont know where you can find any will power but maybe this will help... Getting2Goal < my site... read the tips.

btw... there has got to be places here in the states you'll be able to get your favorite foods from home.

CSC seems to be pushing the approvals out a little faster these days. Could it be they're finally catching up? I hope so! Looks like a lot of you will be approved around the same time we hope to be. Maybe I should start posting here!

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Maybe you should! The more the merrier, after all. I'll even host a tea party.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Speaking of food and diets:

Anyone using gmail knows that google places adverts to one side of the e-mail which are based on the e-mail's contents - just as the google ads here draw upon the contents of the page you have open.

So in my usual nightly e-mail to Alex yesterday I talked about the meal I'd eaten with my friends - didn't so much as mention a diet! - and I received the following adverts in my sent folder:

10 Skinny Rules

I lost 9 lbs. in 11 days, just by following these 10 simple rules.

Obsessed by Pleasure

Cheeky chocolate bites from The Filthy Food Company. On sale now

5 Tips to Lose Belly Fat

Stop making these 5 mistakes & you will finally lose your belly fat!

1 Trick to Lose Belly Fat

I struggled for years with a fat belly, until I found this 1 secret.

Google's telling me I ate too much, guys

Edited March 27, 2008 by Alex & Rachel

[JeroenAndMichelle 28]

Sigh...today is going slooooowly. I did bring my DS into work although I don't always like to play it - doesn't seem very professional!

Gawd you look like me hahaha... I'm not a secretary tho but yah, I do have my PSP with me during work (and like you, I dont play it constantly, just once in a while during breaks lol)

Quick and cheap!

Between 20-40 people (I really have NO idea!), held in Alex's parents' back garden, and home-made food/BBQ (at least, I'm really pushing for the BBQ). My parents, most of my siblings (the twins and one of my brothers want to attend, my other brother and sister don't but probably will under pain of death from my mother ), hopefully four of my friends + boyfriends and a couple of family friends will be flying over to attend. It's a long way to travel so I think most people are going to try and make a proper holiday of it. In the run-up to the wedding I'll probably be acting as tour guide and attempting to divide my time equally between all the guests. It's going to be hectic!

The problem does lie with trying to judge when the visa will be approved. I was originally going to go with a wedding date roughly 6 months from our NoA2 but I'm concerned that that may not leave us with enough time. I've tentatively suggested sometime in February as a new wedding to Alex although he's not very happy at that thought. I'd probably fly out on Christmas Day if that were so - cheap flights and empty airports!

Well, it seems like we're going to do just like you: quick wedding when we get the visa and then next Spring/Summer we'll do a more traditional wedding. That will not be a big ceremony, from my family there will probably be only my parents, brother & sister. And maybe one or two friends. From his family there will be more people of course (that's easier when you live in the same country)

I would have prefered to do everything at once right after we get the visa. I'd like to think of my wedding day and not of my two wedding days. It's going to be strange to be ask if I want to take him as my husband the second time if we're already husband and wife. I would have prefered a small traditional wedding (by "traditional" I only mean "wedding not at a courthouse") even if it's only half of a real wedding instead of doing it that way.

But I do understand that everybody else would prefer to have the ceremony later. That's the way Bryan wants it and that's the way my parents and everyone willing to come from France like better. So yeah... that's probably be like you. Courthouse at the end of this year, and ceremony later.

Good to hear we're not the only ones doing it like that... I was kind of wondering about it since I read some stories from people and was wondering if we were beginning to be the only ones who would do it like this haha

Anyways, about my own relatives, I wish my mom and sis could be there when we 'redo' the wedding with ceremony but thats not even sure as of yet. Airfare is about €1000/$1500 during the low seasons and I doubt they're all willing to pay for it (I kinda don't wanna pay for them all lol, it will only be for my mom and my sis if any but then again, mom doesn't want to travel about 24 hours ). Oh well, maybe we will have to redo it even later on again for my family over here in the Netherlands.

As for the 'quick' initial marriage, I think only Michelle's mom and maybe some friends will come.. well maybe some of the people who rent a room at their place. Her brother and such are on the mainland and it is a bit ackward to have them coming over for this and then about a year later to ask again if they can come over lol. And a BBQ... hmm... lol.. it's pretty sure I will get one after the wedding.. they are doing a BBQ so much there... everytime when I hear about it I'm like "I WANT!" haha