MAY 2010

[Leigh Ann 8]

But you're not going to Garden City for your interview I've heard about this before and was worried because I'm mixed (mother is white and father black) but probably more considered "black" here in the south just because of my skin color and my hubby is white...even though he looks latino. We have less than they did too, but I don't think we need to worry (nor you or I) because these kind of people come 1 in a million....or at least I hope so!

I hope so too! I wasn't that worried about it, but we've been trying to get some things together, and now it's just freaking me out a bit. Crossing our fingers for non-racist IOs in TX & GA!

Question: what do you (or anyone else) think about bringing stuff like emails to your family/friends that include references to your spouse? I have a bunch of emails referring to him, and emails telling my family about him....I'm not going to bring them all obviously, but was thinking about printing out a couple. What do yall think?

[hoppla 1]

I hope so too! I wasn't that worried about it, but we've been trying to get some things together, and now it's just freaking me out a bit. Crossing our fingers for non-racist IOs in TX & GA!

Question: what do you (or anyone else) think about bringing stuff like emails to your family/friends that include references to your spouse? I have a bunch of emails referring to him, and emails telling my family about him....I'm not going to bring them all obviously, but was thinking about printing out a couple. What do yall think?

Good I was worried before but worrying doesn't help.

I think it depends on what other evidence you're bringing. I thought about bringing phone bills where they can see we call each other ALL the time since when we first met in 2008 but decided not to.

This is what I've got:

-Marriage license

-Lease & renewal of lease for our apt.

-Drivers license with the same address on both

-Joint savings account at a Credit Union

-Joint checking account at my bank (just added him last week lol)

-Renters insurance

-Wedding invitation with both our names on envelope

-Thank you card from my mom after she visited us

-Photos

That's all.

[hoppla 1]

And yes, crossing fingers for non-racists everywhere...and world peace!

[Leigh Ann 8]

Good I was worried before but worrying doesn't help.

I think it depends on what other evidence you're bringing. I thought about bringing phone bills where they can see we call each other ALL the time since when we first met in 2008 but decided not to.

This is what I've got:

-Marriage license

-Lease & renewal of lease for our apt.

-Drivers license with the same address on both

-Joint savings account at a Credit Union

-Joint checking account at my bank (just added him last week lol)

-Renters insurance

-Wedding invitation with both our names on envelope

-Thank you card from my mom after she visited us

-Photos

That's all.

Okay, thanks for the list.

Ugh, I need to change the address on my driver's license and get him a state ID.

I hope by then we'll have:

Marriage license

IDs (maybe)

Joint banking accounts

Joint credit card

Health insurance for both of us

Life insurance w/ him as beneficiary

Maybe joint Y membership (but it will take effect on 9/1 so I'm not sure if we'll have any documentation of it yet).

A bunch of wedding cards - I'm going to take a bag of them.

A note from the pastor of a church we visited with both of our names in it.

Pictures - tons, from when we lived together in Cape Town, visiting his family in Zim, and a bunch of different places in the States, including our wedding.

Travel itineraries (flying back and forth from GA to Boston etc)

Passport with stamps to Zimbabwe to visit his family

Affidavit from my mom

Cards mailed to both of us (separately) from my mom to our address in Boston

Postcard from a friend addressed to both of us

Emails (?)

Joint phone bill

Trying to think of something else from our time in Cape Town, but I'm not sure what we have -- pictures, obviously, and some emails maybe.

We don't have the lease, but I have emails from our LL with information about the house referring to me and him in it. I'm not sure whether to take it or not?

We also have phone bills, but when he was in Cape Town and I was here (the first part of last year; that was expensive!). I don't think I'll take those either though. It's like we're trying too hard or something.

And yes, crossing fingers for non-racists everywhere...and world peace!

Yes....that too, most definitely.

[hoppla 1]

Okay, thanks for the list.

Ugh, I need to change the address on my driver's license and get him a state ID.

I hope by then we'll have:

Marriage license

IDs (maybe)

Joint banking accounts

Joint credit card

Health insurance for both of us

Life insurance w/ him as beneficiary

Maybe joint Y membership (but it will take effect on 9/1 so I'm not sure if we'll have any documentation of it yet).

A bunch of wedding cards - I'm going to take a bag of them.

A note from the pastor of a church we visited with both of our names in it.

Pictures - tons, from when we lived together in Cape Town, visiting his family in Zim, and a bunch of different places in the States, including our wedding.

Travel itineraries (flying back and forth from GA to Boston etc)

Passport with stamps to Zimbabwe to visit his family

Affidavit from my mom

Cards mailed to both of us (separately) from my mom to our address in Boston

Postcard from a friend addressed to both of us

Emails (?)

Joint phone bill

Trying to think of something else from our time in Cape Town, but I'm not sure what we have -- pictures, obviously, and some emails maybe.

We don't have the lease, but I have emails from our LL with information about the house referring to me and him in it. I'm not sure whether to take it or not?

We also have phone bills, but when he was in Cape Town and I was here (the first part of last year; that was expensive!). I don't think I'll take those either though. It's like we're trying too hard or something.

Yes....that too, most definitely.

Looks like you have more than enough. We don't have health and life insurance and we were members at the same gym, but I canceled mine (his is frozen since we don't live close to any of their gyms but will move in Jan 2011). We were going to get a family plan but it doesn't make sense right now since we're low on cash and he is on his mom's family plan. Thinking about asking our neighbors to write an affidavit. Also might print out a couple of the emails from the destination wedding planner since we're planning our big wedding right now, don't have any contracts yet though...only emails and quotes from her in pdf.

[Leigh Ann 8]

Looks like you have more than enough. We don't have health and life insurance and we were members at the same gym, but I canceled mine (his is frozen since we don't live close to any of their gyms but will move in Jan 2011). We were going to get a family plan but it doesn't make sense right now since we're low on cash and he is on his mom's family plan. Thinking about asking our neighbors to write an affidavit. Also might print out a couple of the emails from the destination wedding planner since we're planning our big wedding right now, don't have any contracts yet though...only emails and quotes from her in pdf.

Hmm, maybe we can include that sort of stuff in a separate file and then bring it out if they ask for more evidence? I think that's what I might do.

[hoppla 1]

Hmm, maybe we can include that sort of stuff in a separate file and then bring it out if they ask for more evidence? I think that's what I might do.

Yeah, that is probably a good idea. We have our interview preparation tomorrow as I mentioned before, so I will ask my lawyer what they think as well (not that they have been very helpful so far ) I just feel like we should have so much more since we have been together for over 2 years, but I didn't know that we would be dealing with this back then so I didn't save stuff. Do you think I should bring the receipt for the ring and ear rings he bought me for xmas last year (I will be wearing them as well as my wedding ring, bc I always do)?

[Leigh Ann 8]

Yeah, that is probably a good idea. We have our interview preparation tomorrow as I mentioned before, so I will ask my lawyer what they think as well (not that they have been very helpful so far ) I just feel like we should have so much more since we have been together for over 2 years, but I didn't know that we would be dealing with this back then so I didn't save stuff. Do you think I should bring the receipt for the ring and ear rings he bought me for xmas last year (I will be wearing them as well as my wedding ring, bc I always do)?

It can't hurt. I've read people's accounts of where they were getting a K-1 visa and they used that as proof.

I hope they'll be able to tell that there are people who don't have it all together because they were focused on being together, not on immigration.

This lease thing is bothering me. I wish we had a written one, but our LL is out of the country until November so that's a no-go.

I'll be interested to see what your advice your lawyer has for you. Will you post it here?

[adethony 2]

Yeah, that is probably a good idea. We have our interview preparation tomorrow as I mentioned before, so I will ask my lawyer what they think as well (not that they have been very helpful so far ) I just feel like we should have so much more since we have been together for over 2 years, but I didn't know that we would be dealing with this back then so I didn't save stuff. Do you think I should bring the receipt for the ring and ear rings he bought me for xmas last year (I will be wearing them as well as my wedding ring, bc I always do)?

I think you're over prepared for this interview. Hope you give yourself enough rest? Just take it easy, everything is going to be fine. I strongly believe you'll be approved. I wish i'm your IO, I would have approved it b4 the d-day.

[hoppla 1]

It can't hurt. I've read people's accounts of where they were getting a K-1 visa and they used that as proof.

I hope they'll be able to tell that there are people who don't have it all together because they were focused on being together, not on immigration.

This lease thing is bothering me. I wish we had a written one, but our LL is out of the country until November so that's a no-go.

I'll be interested to see what your advice your lawyer has for you. Will you post it here?

Yeah, I guess I will bring everything I can think of in an extra folder.

You could just print out the email from the LL, just in case. Are you renting/owning or staying with someone?

I will post it here for sure, we will stay in Dallas overnight so I might have to try to post from my phone I'm not sure if the lawyer's advice will be helpful, you know how they have been earlier regarding the RFE and all, but I'll let you know.

[hoppla 1]

I think you're over prepared for this interview. Hope you give yourself enough rest? Just take it easy, everything is going to be fine. I strongly believe you'll be approved. I wish i'm your IO, I would have approved it b4 the d-day.

Haha! Yeah, I wasn't worried until I realized that it was less than a week away and now I'm stressing I wish you were my IO too, that would have been great! Haha!

[Leigh Ann 8]

Yeah, I guess I will bring everything I can think of in an extra folder.

You could just print out the email from the LL, just in case. Are you renting/owning or staying with someone?

I will post it here for sure, we will stay in Dallas overnight so I might have to try to post from my phone I'm not sure if the lawyer's advice will be helpful, you know how they have been earlier regarding the RFE and all, but I'll let you know.

That's what I think too. We're renting so I'll just print them out and hope it's not an issue.

Hah, I think I'm more interested to see what advice they have to see how helpful it will be rather thank seeking actual advice. Based on their prior record, that's questionable. But I hope you don't make a trip for nothing.

Haha! Yeah, I wasn't worried until I realized that it was less than a week away and now I'm stressing I wish you were my IO too, that would have been great! Haha!

Haha, I was so confident it would go so smoothly until reading the Garden City post. I need to take your comment about worrying not helping anything seriously. Hubby tends to get nervous though so the more we can prepare, the better, I think.

[hoppla 1]

That's what I think too. We're renting so I'll just print them out and hope it's not an issue.

Hah, I think I'm more interested to see what advice they have to see how helpful it will be rather thank seeking actual advice. Based on their prior record, that's questionable. But I hope you don't make a trip for nothing.

Haha, I was so confident it would go so smoothly until reading the Garden City post. I need to take your comment about worrying not helping anything seriously. Hubby tends to get nervous though so the more we can prepare, the better, I think.

No, I still have to go there to get all the docs they have. I told them I don't want them to come to the interview with us, but preparation is free and since I have to go there anyway we might as well do it.

Yeah, it will be okay I'm sure. My hubby doesn't worry at all, so that is good balance. We have been practicing a few questions since he has a bad memory

[Leigh Ann 8]

No, I still have to go there to get all the docs they have. I told them I don't want them to come to the interview with us, but preparation is free and since I have to go there anyway we might as well do it.

Yeah, it will be okay I'm sure. My hubby doesn't worry at all, so that is good balance. We have been practicing a few questions since he has a bad memory

That makes sense. Glad it will be useful, regardless.

That is a good balance. We've been asking each other random questions. He forgets the details on some things so we need to keep going over it, I think, just for my own sanity.

[hoppla 1]

That makes sense. Glad it will be useful, regardless.

That is a good balance. We've been asking each other random questions. He forgets the details on some things so we need to keep going over it, I think, just for my own sanity.

Yeah, I'm excited for the test questions they will ask tomorrow, mostly bc I want to see how much he remembers He's got a hard time with my dad's African name haha!

Sweetapple had good advice though, that if you/he don't remember then say "I don't remember" instead of giving the wrong answer. I also don't think every answer has to be perfect for them to approve you.

Edited August 12, 2010 by hoppla