This was probably the most fascinating adventure of my life...if l could remember it!!

Well, l have finally made it to Minnesota and settled into my new home with my husband.  Our travels went smoothly in that we arrived without missing flights (our first flight was delayed and we still haven't recieved any of our 10 pieces of luggage...but thats ok! We're home and happy!) 

So this is how immigration went!:

We made our first flight to Amsterdam, had something to eat in Schipol airport and then boarded our long haul flight to Detroit, Michigan. We settled into that flight and l watched the first movie with Seth and then told him l was going to take a some sleeping pills and sleep for a few hours. l took two pills and the rest of the events of our trip were related to me by Seth and Ashley!

Seth said that after about half an hour into the second movie l just flopped forward and he lifted me back up against the seat and l stayed like that until landing. He also said l asked weird things like why do you have four eyes? He also said l couldn't drink coffee very well and ice cream didn't make it to my mouth quite (why he let me eat at all l have no idea!) When it came to leaving the airplane on landing he said he realized there was something not quite right with me. He waited until everyone else had departed the plane and l stood up and said l think l'm sick! Seth told me sit down and then said "someone get a bag!" And l was quite sick but l was still able to walk off the plane!

l got into a wheelchair (l think this probably looked quite effective anyway!) which was just as well because from then on everyone in the world except my family became multiplied by two! This was extremely confusing and l tried hard to look at everyone with one eye and focus really hard on people until l was staring at people up close with one eye (l think!)

Ashley brought me into the bathrooms of the airport where l think l continued to get sick for a while and then she helped me back into the wheelchair and we continued going...somewhere. Seth said the wheelchair did help us get through all sorts of lines and then best part was immigration!

l didn't have to say anything, because l don't think l'd have been able to answer very well. l was pretty doped up the whole way through. Seth spoke for me the whole time. Then l was asked what day it was and what my name was and where l was from and who the man who was taking me through immigration was and l answered everyone correctly and Seth breathed a sigh of relief! They didn't even ask for my freakin x-ray which l travelled so far with and forgotten numerous times and taken great care not to fold!!

We finally boarded our last flight from Detroit to Minneapolis and when l came to in Minneapolis l felt like a new person! What a blessing to be sick all the way through that flight, it was so stress free for me! And l thank the Allen's from the bottom of my heart for taking such good care of me! l thank Ash so much for being such a great sister and sticking with me and taking me into the bathrooms and to my wonderful husband for taking care of me and doing all the talking for me!

Our luggage is supposed to arrive today. Seth and l slept well in our new home last night and have spent the last few hours in Panera on the internet sorting out the long list of things we have to do to start our life togther here in Minnesota!

l will continue to update.

We won't have internet at home for another while, but l will get on top of that asap!

Thanks to everyone for praying for us the whole way through our trip. We are so thankful for your prayers and happy to be home and the weather is warm!Whoohoo

love Seth & Carol 

l can say without a doubt that yesterday, the day l had my interview, was the most stressful day of me life!!

l flew up to Dublin in the morning with my mum (moral support!) and we took a bus out to the embassy. l went in and told my mum l'd find her in a nearby cafe after. My interview was for 1pm and finally at 1:30, hands shaking and not actually knowing how nervous l was, l was called to one of the 6 windows at the top of the room. A woman behind 6inches of glass (weird!) asked me what my name was and secondly asked me for the DS156 form...and l said "The what?!?".

Well l didn't have that form, l was so sure l had everything...but well, l didn't. So l burst into tears, l just couldn't control myself! The woman said "Its ok, theres a library round the corner, if you go round there you can download it and bring it back". So l went round the corner to the library, still trying to control my tears (not very well!) and l asked the Librarian if l could use the internet, she said "Sure, but theres a class in 5 minutes,so you have to be quick", l said "No prob, thats all l need". l eventually found the form on the site l needed and downloaded it. l took it up to a study desk and sat down to fill out, trying not to let tears fall on the form (l just couldn't stop myself!). So l filled it out and took it back to the embassy and went back through security and they said "Ok, better look this time, same routine". They took my cell phone and l went back inside with the form.

l went back up to the woman at the desk with the form and gave it to her. She looked up at me and said "No, you're supposed to fill this out online, then print it". l kind of controlled the tears second time! She said again "The course of romance never runs smooth", l thought maybe when l'm married it will!

l left the embassy for the second time. l couldn't go back to the library so l asked the security gaurd if there was somewhere else l could get internet access. He said a hotel down the road. So l went down and went over to the reception desk and in a barely controlled voice l asked if they had internet access anywhere, he said no and pointed me towards the city. And again l just couldn't keep it together, l was just so completely distraught at this point that l burst into tears in front of 6 or 7 more strangers! The man behind the desk that l approached said "M'am are you ok?" l said no, that l really needed to use the internet.

The people in that hotel were so kind and really tried to help me out, l found the form again and filled it out and printed it and thanked them profusely and then ran as fast as l could back to the embassy (which actually wasn't very fast because l was wearing my 'big-girl' boots!) l entered security again and went back inside and up to the desk again. She took the form from me, and then asked for my medical, my police cert, some passport photos, a letter from Seth's employer and another form. She then said l could sit down and wait. 

l waited another  5 minutes and was called up to another window by an American man. He asked me to raise my right hand and swear that everything l said and presented was correct to the best of my knowledge. l said yes! He then asked me how l had met seth, had l been to St. Johns (his University) and then told me that the National History Museum was a great wedding venue...his wife is from MN and thats where they had their wedding. He really put me at ease at this point. My voice wasn't even shaking anymore!

He looked through all our photos and said "Ok, well its a bit late in the day to process your visa now as this computer has to talk to the computer in America to give you your visa so you can collect it tomorrow or sometime" l told him l had to return to work the following day so l couldn't wait for it, but that l would return on Monday.

So thats where l am right now! l have been approved, though technically he never said those exact words, and l will fly back to Dublin on Monday to pick my visa up!

l came out of the embassy and met my mum and she said she knew something was not quite right. l kept crying sporadically throughout the day. l think l had invested more emotion into this then l actually thought l had. l came out feeling not quite what l thought l'd feel! l thought l'd be on a high for the rest of the day and my mum and l would have a great day, but l was really spent!! l slept on every bus ride for the rest of the day!

But its over! Thank God. l will collect my visa on Monday and marry my best friend after that.

Thank you for thinking of us! For praying throughout the day! Please continue to pray for us as we wait to be together again!

love Carol 

Carol finished her interview today at the United States Embassy in Dublin, Ireland, and she was approved for the K-1 Fiance Visa!!!  We can now finally start setting wedding dates and tell everyone our plans!  If you are able to contact Carol and your are happy for us, please let her know!  I'm so proud of her and all the difficulty she has endured with me to get through this visa process!  Thanks so much for your support and prayers over these last 7 months.  Thank God it's all at an end and we can now get married!  Woohoo!  It feels unreal, knowing we have completed our Visa Journey!

 

 - Seth

I awoke this morning before work to a phonecall, which is a good thing considering I had somehow disabled my alarm.  I picked up and heard "IT CAME!!!!  WE HAVE A DATE!!!!!" to which I answered "What???"  I processed what this frantic caller was saying and realized it was my sweetheart Carol and she was ecstatic because the packet of information about Carols interview with the U.S. Embassy in Dublin had finally arrived!

The interview date is February 5th, 2008, and Carol will be flying up to Dublin, taking a bus to the Embassy, and explaining to the Interviewer that yes indeed she does want to marry me, showing all the evidence we have put together including letters, cards, photos, emails, phone call logs, plane ticket stubs, air travel luggage tags, scans of every page of my passport to show the stamps of when I went to Ireland, as well as other pieces of evidence.

Carol will be asked questions to prove she knows who I am and has been in a relationship with me, and all that supporting evidence should mean we get approved and receive the K-1 Fiancé VISA that same day.  At that point, we will update everyone again to let them know the VISA is approved.  Then we get to begin planning our wedding!  Just 2 weeks from now and this whole Fiancé VISA process will be complete! 

- Seth

P.S. Check here for the current plans and events in our VISA Process and Ireland Wedding Planning

I haven't written on our site for a while, so I thought I should write a short update! My visa has been approved by the U.S. government and my packet three sent off and I should receive my interview date in a matter of weeks! I was quietly writing away beside my workmate today and then all of a sudden I got super excited and yelled "Agata, Im getting married in 3 months!" (well, thats not for certain but thereabouts!) she laughed and said congratulations again!

I have my medical tomorrow, (the second cost in marrying an American! €317/$465!). I dont really want the flu jab, but I'll see what happens anyhow! But it's all worth it! I know I'd pay anything for this! Maybe they know that! Anyway, we are getting closer and in the mean time we continue to work. The new year has started back for me with a lot to learn as I intend to be a fully qualified Framer when I leave my workplace. Makes the days go by quickly! Life is good...

GREAT NEWS!

Our prayers have been answered and very soon after that last Wedding post, we do have good news to share!

The VISA for Carol has been approved by the U.S. government and is in the process of being sent to Dublin, Ireland. Carol will do some more paperwork and go through an interview in Dublin and then she will finally get the VISA.

The obvious question is, when will the wedding be? We don't have an answer yet!! We hope it will be in March or April if the process goes as expected.

- Seth