Was there ever any question which of you would relocate?

[ChasUno 101]

You aren't too far from me then I'm really looking forward to moving ( I leave on Monday ) I feel so much more at home in America because I grew up in American schools my whole life in various countries.. I never really connected with the UK.

Such exciting times! How are you liking Florida life?

Sorry for not replying sooner. We were away at friends for Thanksgiving and then spent a week in New York City (kind of our late honeymoon!)

Loving Florida life, and as I've been back and forwards to Florida over the past 15 years it's pretty much a home from home. Love the weather, especially at this time of year, the spaciousness of family homes here, the tropical lifestyle, beaches, coastline etc. Only thing that really sucks is the driving, the driving "standards" here are abysmal. Turn signals/ indicators never get used most of the time, and drivers are so pushy and impatient (if they're not being completely oblivious to what's going on around them, talking on their phones, swerving all over the place etc.) Tailgating is rife and the average Florida driver seems unable to look ahead further than one or two cars. No wonder there are so many completely avoidable accidents. Hearing how easy the driving test is to take, perhaps the state should increased the level of knowledge and ability required to pass the test. Other than that, we're loving being in Florida!

[JFH 12,191]

My husband wanted to come to live in the UK. He actually wanted to find a British girlfriend to be able to do that many years ago. When I met him he was wearing a Union Jack t shirt and told me how much he loved the British punk scene. He spells things the British way, uses the British date format (eg today is 9/12/15 not 12/9/15) which confuses people and he uses British English words for things. I laugh when I hear him try his Cockney rhyming slang. He is an artist and thinks his work would be more appreciated in Europe. He has a tattoo of Stonehenge and also feels our faith is more widely accepted here than in the USA. So it seemed like a done deal. My brother brought his wife here from Mexico but that was several years ago and the rules were different.

We started the process but my earnings don't count. I am paid a base salary and the rest is commission and bonuses. I've done the same job for 16 years and my annual income with my bonus and commissions has never been below £25,000. Most years it's over £30,000. But because the base salary is less than the magic £18,600 I don't qualify. Then there is the matter of my husband's reckless youth and how something that seemed like a good idea at the time got out of control and got him a 4-year prison sentence. Although this was over 20 years ago, it will never be considered spent by the UK. Never mind that a first conviction of theft in the UK would be unlikely to result in such a sentence.

It sickens me that EU citizens with even more extensive criminal records, no knowledge of English and no connections to the UK can stroll in to the country, but my English-speaking husband is banned. Many people live on less than I make. I don't live in London. Depending on where you are in the country, and your lifestyle choices, £18,600 is quite a good sum. Obviously if you smoke and drink a lot, live off fast food and want a big car it's not going to get you very far but for us my salary is more than adequate. As it is, I support myself and fund several trips a year to the USA on it. The extra cost of him being here would probably be less than I am currently handing over to airlines. And I'm very confident he would get a job here if his art isn't well received.

Edited December 9, 2015 by JFH