January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?

[sunnybear 0]

Good morning my fellow Jan filers So happy this week is on the downslope I always look forward to the weekends....who doesn't aye?

Anywayyyy CONGRATS to Jeroen for getting the visa in your hot little hand! I know you are relieved! Ok so check in here who actually has VISA in hand now? Who has flights to US booked? Rachel you get your visa yet?

We got our LND number last week and Gareth goes next Thursday 8/28 for his medical Called DOS this morning and our stuff has not gotten to London yet so we are waiting to hear that before he sends off his "P3" we got from another VJ'r....of course if his real P3 arrives before we here it is in London he will then send that in....but we are pretty certain we have all we need to send in to them...oooh getting so excited and nervous! I just cannot imagine him being with me for the holidays this year! Seems SO surreal!!!!

[Alex & Rachel 78]

No, no visa.

Oh well - I may visit my parents this weekend anyway. I mean, I'm not sure they'd deliver on a bank holiday Monday anyway. If I get that text telling me they're going to deliver on Tuesday I'll be so mad! I'm thinking of leaving my birth certificate/other ID (not sure what? Provisional driving license?) with my boss as he said he'd be in the office Tuesday and apparently other people can collect delivery for you if they have your ID.

Jeroen - what a hassle! But hurrah, you have your visa! So they don't send your passport via a secure mail service? Just the ordinary postal system?

Thinking I may book plane tickets this weekend.

Looking up what I need to do once I am in the US and married. There's so much to think about! One of my priorities will be changing the name and photo (outdated style of photo) in my British passport. I figure if that's changed then getting everything else in my married name ought to be easier, right?

[sunnybear 0]

HI all I kinda mentioned this in passing the other day but what all do you think about Gareth and I BOTH changing our last names? Currently he is Cobb and he has always disliked it. We also are not agreeing on a lot of baby names (yeah we discuss that a lot heehee) fitting with it properly. My maiden name is Carlson so we were thinking of going with Cobbson......thoughts? Also do you all think this would make the AOS process harder for him changing his name? I would say no since obviously gazillions of women do it daily huh? hahah....

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Unfortunately I'd say YES it makes it harder! Check the laws in your state - it can be a huge hassle for the man to change his name, unfortunately. And whereas the woman gets to change her name for free, often the man has to pay a fee.

I do like Cobbson, though. Sounds much better than Cobb!

Also - YAY! SMS just texted me to say that my visa will be delivered tomorrow! Right on time!

EDIT: Alex and I also discuss baby names frequently. Not that it'd be very practical for us to have kids just yet, though.

Edited August 21, 2008 by Alex & Rachel

[sunnybear 0]

Thanks Rachel....hmmm guess will have to look it over but yeah we really like Cobbson much better.....names just flow with it much better as well heh heh

I was planning on trying to get preggos this winter but have since changed my mind to next fall/winter I will go off the pill as decided I wanted next summer for us all to do family things without me being preggos haha! And gives my daughter a bit more time to adjust to just having Gareth as her Daddy number 2 before throwing another curveball her way!

Oh I keep forgetting ask if anyone on this thread has facebook or myspace? I don't want us to lose touch once we all start AOS process etc....

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I have myspace, yes. Haven't used it in ages though! http://www.myspace.com/racheljanson

Also have facebook. How would I give you a link to facebook? My profile ID is 693865384

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

I have myspace too (Rachel, I just added you to my friends): here's my profile

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Hurrah! I love your photos, Cecile! You have some amazing clothes/outfits.

Ooh, and I am pretty sure my ex-housemate has identical boots to you (the lace-up platforms). They're ace!

Edited August 21, 2008 by Alex & Rachel

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Unfortunately I'd say YES it makes it harder! Check the laws in your state - it can be a huge hassle for the man to change his name, unfortunately. And whereas the woman gets to change her name for free, often the man has to pay a fee.

I'm not sure about that; I remember reading here that when you get married both the groom and the bride can change their name very easily (and can choose whatever name they want).

I don't know if the next administrative things become harder or not though, but I'd think that as long as everything is written on the marriage certificate, it should not be harder for the man than for the woman.

Oh and I absolutely love your maiden name, Steph. I like Cobbson and Cobb, but I prefer Carlson

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Ooh, and I am pretty sure my ex-housemate has identical boots to you (the lace-up platforms). They're ace!

I don't have them anymore They were not very good quality (though I couldn't expect a lot more considering how relatively cheap they were) and the heel was not very stable anymore. So I got rid of them before I left France, along with a few other pairs that I never wore. But I loved them.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Aw! Maybe my friend has a more expensive pair, then, as I believe hers are pretty good quality and she paid quite a bit for them.

I'm trying to strike a balance between needing to buy a few more clothes so I can 'stock up' before I leave for the US, and not buying too many new things as then I won't be able to fit everything in my suitcase. Being in the US will be a great opportunity to get a new wardrobe - but only if I can afford it!

sunny - I am trying to google Michigan legislation for you, but not having very much success so far! 'last name' and 'marriage' are common search engine words!

By the way, how are things going for you, Cecile?

Edited August 21, 2008 by Alex & Rachel

[sunnybear 0]

Ooh yay will add you all once I get home as facebook and myspace are both blocked here at work haha....my names are ummm....

myspace I think I am pear_fairy

facebook Stephanie Gerencer

I would think if you searched for Stephanie Gerencer on both you would find me

Yeah I have heard it super easy to change last names when getting married too do no idea......guess we will find out aye?

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Found you and added you on facebook!

And apparently we're already friends on myspace - huh!

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Aw! Maybe my friend has a more expensive pair, then, as I believe hers are pretty good quality and she paid quite a bit for them.

I'm trying to strike a balance between needing to buy a few more clothes so I can 'stock up' before I leave for the US, and not buying too many new things as then I won't be able to fit everything in my suitcase. Being in the US will be a great opportunity to get a new wardrobe - but only if I can afford it!

sunny - I am trying to google Michigan legislation for you, but not having very much success so far! 'last name' and 'marriage' are common search engine words!

By the way, how are things going for you, Cecile?

Mine came from Hot Topic, I think I paid them 40 dollars. They were (and still are) my favorite shoes ever!

Things are going fine so far.

Except all the wedding stuff that is soooooo stressful. Every night I dream about the wedding. And it's so annoying because it is only the small courthouse wedding, not even the "big" ceremony wedding. After the courthouse, we will probably go to the park where we had our first date, and then in the evening we are going to a restaurant with some friends and family, so they can celebrate with us. Well, Bryan basically wanted to invite everyone he knows and see who would want to come, while I wanted to select a few people only. So we ended up making a list of people, but that is still more than I thought. there is going to be 10 friends of us, and he just told his mother to contact the immediate family to tell them they were invited (for me, immediate family meant mother, father, grandparents, and his aunt and uncle in St. Louis) well, his mother also called a few other people to tell them that her son was getting married, and his aunt from Connecticut decided that she would join us for the restaurant. So she's going to drive 6 hours to come here (+6 to go back there) for the restaurant.... ok, not so much for the 'select guest list'...

and yesterday Bryan comes back from work and tells me that he called his aunt from Connecticut and that she now wants to come to the courthouse with us! #######! We had planned that only him and I would go to the courthouse, not even his parents! What is the point in having a ceremony later (which we had decided because it would make it easier for people who live far from here btw) if the whole family comes now? so I don't really know what is going to happen here. I clearly told B that I didn't want her to come with us, but he says that she is stubborn, that once she has something in her mind, you can't change it. So we'll see what happens in the next days.

Oh and my mother decided to make invitations (not exactly invitations... more notifications) to the family in France to tell them that I was getting married next week. She didn't even ask me, basically she bought everything for the invites, printed a picture of us 10 times, and let me know just before she sent them that she was doing it. I feel like everyone else is taking control of our wedding.

We got our wedding bands yesterday it is so exciting!

And we also bought his outfit for the wedding.

Other than wedding stuff, everything's fine

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

myspace I think I am pear_fairy

I added you.