January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?

[lucie&damon 0]

Hey, I have a question:

We are about to fill out the AOS paperwork, and we are confused about whether to put the married name on the documents or the maiden name. What steps do we need to do to apply with my married name? Do I need to update my french passport? Do I need to update my visa? Or can I apply for my AOS with my SSN under my married name and with my old passport and visa?

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

I think that everytime they ask you your name, you put your married name. It doesn't matter what your passport and your visa say. It is how they did in the example forms on Visa Journey.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Congratulations to Boohbah on her fiancé's successful interview and to Pam and Josh on their wedding!

Blake, I shall cross my fingers and hope that you encounter no further problems in your visa journey. Here's to a safe entry and lovely wedding!

Hello after another long protracted absence.

Blake is going to be able to say 'I told you so' now. I was just speaking to my mother and she has finally come around to the idea of Alex and me having a small courtroom wedding as soon as possible; if only she'd said so earlier! I am very tempted to cancel my ticket and book an earlier flight. I'd lose money on the ticket but save money on the wedding. Anyway, I have yet to speak to my father, so we shall see.

Alex is finding it very hard what with me having limited internet access and not having seen my face or heard my voice in such a long while.

FINALLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

We have an interview date!!!!!

Just called DOS today and interview was scheduled for Gareth on October 16th at 8:30 am! YAYYAYAYAYAYYAAYYAYAYAYYAYAYAYAYAYYAYAYA

Oh man oh man I am SO happy!!! Tears of joy baby!!!!

I missed this! Congratulations! :dance:

[sunnybear 0]

Aww cool Rachel hope you are able to get that earlier flight now!

Gareth and I also have decided against a formal ceremony and are pseudo-eloping at a nearby Bn'B that will also serve as a 3 night honeymoon for us. We are still having a party/reception on the Saturday after we get home though So far our dates are set for wedding on Nov 18th (this is darn near close to exactly 2 years from when we met! Also the 18th just has special meaning to us) then our reception will be on Nov 22nd. I am getting so darn excited and we are even sending out Save the Dates to warn people of short notice invites headed their way LOL. I will attach on here. I designed myself on a web program then had them printed onto postcards by vistaprint which they should arrive anyday now weeeeee

Things are coming together more and more but also makes us that much more nervous for upcoming interview and of course POE! We just pray and keep fingers crossed all goes smooth as possible!!! We have been through enough!

PS I did tweak the invite a tiny bit from this for example it no longer has the "http" at begining of web addy so there is a bit more white space

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Wow Steph, this "save the date" postcard looks lovely!

[sunnybear 0]

Wow Steph, this "save the date" postcard looks lovely!

Thanks took me maybe 10 minutes haha! I used scrapblog which I also use for digital scrapbooking! They have so many different styles to use for soooo many things! I also have used them to come up with different logos for us to use on some stuff at our reception (yeah I am a dork haha).

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

I'm not into scrapbooking, but if we can make nice things like that on Scrapblog, I'll definitely check it.

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Blake and Olga (and her son) will be reunited in a few hours!!! I'm crossing my fingers for you Have a safe trip and please let us know how things went.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Yes! I really hope they have a good journey.

Sunny, I love the design of that card, too. And hurrah for finally being able to set a date! I'm a little envious that you have a date with meaning, but you deserve it after so much hassle!

I spoke to my dad after writing my last post and as he has forked out over £3,000 on plane tickets for my family to fly out there at Christmas he said he was jolly well expecting to see us get married for that price. Which is what I'd expected he'd say, and is fair enough! So I'm sticking to my original plans.

[sunnybear 0]

Very cool Rachel and so amazing they are all coming for you!!!! Gareth I think is quite sad that no one is coming from England but again that is why we decided to elope in a way and have it videoed (which we are doing ourselves as we just couldn't justify cost of videographer when we could buy our own cam to have and play with haha!). So hopefully we will figure it all out and be able to even post online for you all to see

I am getting soooo excited as more wedding supplies come in the mail each day it seems and each day brings us closer to the interview! under 20 days away now for that to happen!!! If all goes smooth he will buy his plane tickets night he gets home from interview!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Blake hope the reunion was just fantastical!!!

[BlakeandOlha 0]

Blake and Olga (and her son) will be reunited in a few hours!!! I'm crossing my fingers for you Have a safe trip and please let us know how things went.

I am sitting here in Kiev and wondering if Moses had the same thoughts. #######!!! I received an e-mail from Olga (through her sister). She is in the country at her aunt's house (no cell coverage) saying that she has a "problem" and cannot make her flight. I told her to go to her aunts because of her ex's appearance on the scean again. This was last Thursday. I received word from Olga on Weds that she was essentially freaking out. I am still in Kiev, this is sunday, and I honestly don't know what to do. I cannot talk to her nor receive real e-mails - just disjointed words. She said she will be back on Monday/Tuesday, but I can only stay so long. I moved my tickets to Tuesday when she said she would be back from her Aunts. After all this time, worry and effort.....time to go get a beer I think.

Anyway, I am addressing this with patience, hope, and love. The same things that got me through the last nine months. Cecile, Rachel, Chantal and evey one who's ever had to leave their homes, families and friends to journey to a new land knows that this is not an easy thing to do. Patience, love and hope. My new mantra, along with pass the nuts.....

Knock, knock. Please may I come in?

Your prayers and wishes are all appreciated.

[Pam&Josh 0]

Hi Blake,

I am so sorry to hear that! I was so hoping to hear great news from you...

I hope you're still holding yourself together!

Yes, leaving your home country with family and friends is not such an easy and simple thing to do.

Maybe, it was easier for me because I already spent 2 years in the USA and almost one with my husband before our wedding. I cannot imagine what it would be to meet someone in my home country and coming in his country knowing I don't know anything about it!

I am not in her head, but I think love will let her do the right move... She probably never left her country, and also bring her son in a total different culture with different traditions...it must be a huge transition in her life!

She must be "nerve wracking" (if I say it right!), and need a little more time to make sure it is the right choice to leave everything she knew since she was a little girl...

At the same time you did travel a long way to bring her in her new life with you. You must be very frustrated right now, and I know that not being able to talk to her is not helping at all!!

I don't know what else to say instead that I am truly hoping that she will follow her heart, and understand that she will have such a wonderful future with you.That moving with you will bring her so much! (and you said she will be back on tuesday,isn't it?)

I don't believe in God, but I have many many thoughts for you! and I hope that we will hear from you soon!

Like you said, keep faith!

I sincerely hope the best for you Blake!!

[JeroenAndMichelle 28]

Wow Blake, that's a big shocker to say the least. I was hoping to see a post about how great the reunion was and how immigration would have greeted her into the States but this is a bit the opposite.

The hardest thing to understand for me is that she didn't come to see you wherever you two were supposed to meet so you could fly to the States but that she is in some place with no cell coverage and no real emails. You have no idea of how she is at the moment, she basically left you in the dark as for now. I seriously hope she is ok and that she will come tomorrow or tuesday (better be tomorrow). I can seriously not imagine how this must make you feel, all I can do is hope and pray for the best for you and her.

It is indeed a very hard thing to do, to leave your country, everything you know, your family and friends and so on, for a complete new environment, sometimes even at the other end of the world. I hope she will turn around and that she will be with you real soon.

I wish you all the best Blake!

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

Blake, I hope this problem will be solved soon! I'll keep you in my thoughts.

[BlakeandOlha 0]

Blake, I hope this problem will be solved soon! I'll keep you in my thoughts.

Thank you, and thanks for the PM's. I'm more concerned about Olga at this point and hope she has been able to calm herself and reach some clarity. We were just together a couple of weeks ago for the interview so I know this isn't about a change of heart, it's about a change in home. I am positive that all will work out fine, and I've been able to keep my frustrations in check.

Whether it be tomorrow or next week or the week after, she will come and we will be together. I will probably move the wedding back, however, as it is just getting to be too much for me to deal with alone at this point and my focus should be here instead. We've had enough stress around these parts as it is.