Thanksgiving in the UK?

Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, mashed potatoes, and much much more! This is what occupied one particular table in Edinburg on Thursday. Our friend Ruth invited Andy and I over to her parents house for a quite-American thanksgiving. Ruths husband, Todd is from California. His mum was over for a few weeks and so she became the official host of an absolutely amazing thanksgiving. I made my very first pumpkin pie to add to the ensemble. For never making a pumpkin pie before, Andy said it was the best he’s ever had…of course he had never had pumpkin pie before…that probably had nothing to do with it 😉 There were probably about 15 people over at Ruths parents house and we proceeded to play a very active game called King Elephant. Details of the game are quite complicated…basically you make stupid sounds impersonating animals and try to win…which I did! Hoo Rah! 😛

We spent the night over at Gran and Grandad Bruce’s house and spent the next morning hanging out with them both reading books, chatting, drinking tea, and eating far too much food! Lol, good ‘ol Granny Bruce 😀

We got a bus back from Edinburg to Glasgow where I met up with the lovely Anna Shields to go see Ludovico Einaudi!!! He played a wonderful concert. I got to see him to years ago in Newcastle and he wowed the audience yet again. We followed it up with a very sophisticated cup of coffee and lovely visit in McDonalds. I love that they basically never close 🙂 I have to say that it was a wonderful end to a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend.

And here stands one of the most amazing piano players I have ever heard in my entire life!

 

New Plans!!!

We don’t have to spend 3 months apart!!! We decided that it was going to be outrageously expensive to change our tickets and ridiculously hard to live apart for 3 months so we have changed our plans yet again. Also, considering the fact that the laws keep changing every few weeks I could very well move back to Alaska, the laws could change, then I would be back in Alaska without a visa and with my dear Andy back in Scotland. So we are going home to Alaska for 10 days over the Christmas holidays then coming back just after the new years. Next summer I’ll head over to Alaska a bit before Andy and apply for my visa then probably stay a few weeks after to ensure we allott for enough time to acquire my visa. So that’s our latest plan! Alaska, see you at Christmas time!!! Now I”m going to decorate our flat 🙂

I’m going to have to learn to be married long distance for a few months…

So the morning of my 21st birthday I got a phone call from our lawyer who is helping Andy and I acquire a visa for me to be able to live in the same country as my dear husband. The very changing news that we received was that I have to be in Alaska while I apply for my visa. This could take up to 3 months 😦 So in the next few days I have to buy a very expensive last minute ticket back to Alaska and head back alone to begin the application process. Andy will be able to come over for 10 days during Christmas and new years which is a huge blessing. This also means that we will have to change my return ticket. So not only is it extremely expensive for the tickets, visa, and paying off our lawyer fees but we also will have to spend a few months apart. My poor husband is going to have to live on his own for the first time in his life. So that will probably be quite hard for him to get used to aswel. Not exactly the easiest news to swallow particularly on my 21st birthday :S

The biggest comfort in all of this is that I know that God is looking out for us and He cares more about our marriage than we even do. God will always provide for all of our needs. This includes money, friends, and a place to live. It is not going to be easy to be apart and being married long-distance for a few months will be quite hard to deal with. We dated long-distance for 13 months and we survived that and we know that God will not give us anything more than what we can handle. We are hoping to learn better communication and build more friendships during our time apart. At least I get to go home to Alaska during our time apart. It is an absolutely wonderful place. So um…Alaska here I come?

21st Birthday Week

I am currently living the last few days of my 20th year of life. About to begin “adulthood” in every country! Apart from getting the stomach flu I have to say it has been a pretty fantastic week. My lovely husband has made my birthday week full of fun and lots of presents. Everything from Donkey Kong Country for my Gameboy Color to animal bandaids to pink hand soap to help girlify the bathroom. He also got me lightly decaf coffee which the jury is still out on what he was trying to say with that 😛

This morning I got woken up by the postman dropping off a parcel with a crossword loo roll and a Venus Flytrap kit from my recently acquired Mother and Father in law. What a good start to a Wednesday, two days before my 21st birthday. It has been a good week no doubt 🙂

My Visa application is now in my hands!!!!!!

I just received an application to apply for a spousal visa!!! I am going to start working on the 54 pages of never ending questions all about me and my history and every part of my history that I can write down on paper.

So it should be fun times and something entertaining to occupy my spare time…not terribly entertaining but the prospect of having a visa in my hands in the near future will keep me going 🙂 I cannot wait to get started! Not terribly sure how long it will take to fill out with alllll the thoroughness the UK requires for immigrants. I GET TO STAY!!!!!!