POE - Alexandria Bay Bridge

[Southern_Canadian 0]

Hey everyone!!

Sorry for the late update on my POE! Eric and I have been busy planning the wedding and unpacking and stuff. (You all know how it is.)

Well July 18th, my mom had a really nice Stag and Doe for Eric and I. It was great to see lots of family and friends and we got to dance the night away! We went to bed at about 2am and had to be awake for 3am. With only one hour of sleep, we said bye to my mom and sister and my dad picked us up at 4am and we drove to the Alexandria Bay Bridge.. with a stop at Tim Hortons of course!!!

With it being a Saturday morning, the lines were crazy long but we finally got to talk to an officer at around 6:20am. We gave him our passports and I told him that I was coming in with a K-1 Visa. He told us to park to the right and go into the building and wait for our name to be called. We waited till 7:30am then my name was called, the guy was really nice.. he even made a few jokes about his wife being able to put up with him and that he is happy for Eric and I. He did his thing, made sure I understood the next step (which I did.. thanks to VJ) and then he double checked with another officer to make sure that everything he did was right, which it was. Then he came back to me and told me that everything was good to go and wished us luck!

We got back in the car and drove another two hours to Syracuse New York, picked up our rental car and went for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. After breakfast, we said bye to my dad and we were off to Georgia! We stopped a lot and took lots of pictures along the way. We stayed the night somewhere in Virginia and were back on the road at 11am the Sunday morning. We stopped at the Georgia Welcome Center and got lots of coupon books for my family for when they come to visit on the 23rd of August, for the wedding. We finally got home around 7pm, unpacked and returned the rental car that night.

The 16 hour drive from Syracuse didn't feel long at all and the POE was simple. Like I said above, we are now busy planning for the wedding which is in 26 days!!! Some days it feels like I am just visiting and have to go home in a week or two.. but with getting new furniture and stuff, it is starting to feel like our home! I love it and am so glad to be here with Eric!

Thanks again to everyone!!!! You guys have been amazing!

[BH45 0]

Welcome home. Glad to see you had a smooth POE experience. Would love to see pics of your trip?

[thetreble 19]

great to hear!!!!!!!

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

YAY LORI!!!!

[Kathryn41 3,205]

So you're now in Newnan? Wonderful, now we are neighbours! It is funny because we are going to be doing your trip in reverse later this week. Joe and I are going to visit Kingston- his first time to my home town. We're flying into Rochester (remember that it is cheaper to fly to a US city than to a Canadian city so if you are going to a border town and can rent a car, it may be cheaper than flying to a Canadian city). The flight is $226 for each of us, round trip, compared to $365 to Syracuse (just another 2 hour or so away by car), or nearly $600 to Toronto or Ottawa !!!. Anyway - we are renting a car in Rochester, then driving to Kingston crossing at the Ivy Lea bridge just outside of Gananoque. Dad has all sorts of events planned for us including a barbeque for friends and family on Friday evening. We'll be doing dinner and the Evening retreat ceremony at Old Fort Henry the night we arrive, then visiting with friends and touring Kingston, doing a waterfront tour, a Ghost Walk, visiting my favourite cheese factory, going garage sale-ing with my Dad and visiting my Mom's grave for the first time since she died (5 years). I am very excited! We are coming back on Monday - we had hoped for Tuesday or Wednesday but there were no direct flights available on those two days and after a 4 hour drive we weren't interested in a 5 or 6 hour flight with a layover in Washington or some such place.

Anyway, Southern Canadian, welcome to the South and we should arrange a get together with some of the other Canadians here south of Atlanta soon - and of course, north of Atlanta are welcome too!.

Edited July 28, 2008 by Kathryn41

[JillA 2]

Congrats and enjoy your new home!!

[Carlawarla 1]

Welcome to your new home Southern Canadian! Sounds like a great crossing. You'll be busy finishing the planning of your wedding now! Congratulations!

[JillA 2]

Hey everyone!!

Sorry for the late update on my POE! Eric and I have been busy planning the wedding and unpacking and stuff. (You all know how it is.)

Well July 18th, my mom had a really nice Stag and Doe for Eric and I. It was great to see lots of family and friends and we got to dance the night away! We went to bed at about 2am and had to be awake for 3am. With only one hour of sleep, we said bye to my mom and sister and my dad picked us up at 4am and we drove to the Alexandria Bay Bridge.. with a stop at Tim Hortons of course!!!

With it being a Saturday morning, the lines were crazy long but we finally got to talk to an officer at around 6:20am. We gave him our passports and I told him that I was coming in with a K-1 Visa. He told us to park to the right and go into the building and wait for our name to be called. We waited till 7:30am then my name was called, the guy was really nice.. he even made a few jokes about his wife being able to put up with him and that he is happy for Eric and I. He did his thing, made sure I understood the next step (which I did.. thanks to VJ) and then he double checked with another officer to make sure that everything he did was right, which it was. Then he came back to me and told me that everything was good to go and wished us luck!

We got back in the car and drove another two hours to Syracuse New York, picked up our rental car and went for breakfast at Cracker Barrel. After breakfast, we said bye to my dad and we were off to Georgia! We stopped a lot and took lots of pictures along the way. We stayed the night somewhere in Virginia and were back on the road at 11am the Sunday morning. We stopped at the Georgia Welcome Center and got lots of coupon books for my family for when they come to visit on the 23rd of August, for the wedding. We finally got home around 7pm, unpacked and returned the rental car that night.

The 16 hour drive from Syracuse didn't feel long at all and the POE was simple. Like I said above, we are now busy planning for the wedding which is in 26 days!!! Some days it feels like I am just visiting and have to go home in a week or two.. but with getting new furniture and stuff, it is starting to feel like our home! I love it and am so glad to be here with Eric!

Thanks again to everyone!!!! You guys have been amazing!

CONGRATS!! So one question, did your Dad accompany you across the POE? Reason I ask is my Mom wants to accompany Glen and I, she wants to help us move in and say a final goodbye She really can't bear to see me leave!! But I don't know what to do with her when we arrive at the POE.

[Southern_Canadian 0]

Thanks everyone!!! Wedding planning is starting to get a little better now

Kathryn: I hope that you have an awesome vacation!! Post pics when you get back!

JillA: Yes, my dad was with Eric and I during the POE. They took his passport when we pulled up to the window to talk to an officer. My dad came in the building with us.. they didn't aski him any questions. They just asked the relationship of the people who were with me. You'll have no problems if your mom goes with you.