Ham

So for those of you who have been following this over the months, my wife and I have finally successfully completed the visa process to have her become a permanent resident here. We just had our couple's interview the day before Thanksgiving where they see us both in person to check if we're bullshitting or not.

We first mailed our forms back in Sept of 2006, so that makes it about 14 months long for this process altogether. A little over $1000 worth of application fees, TONS of paperwork, a few dozen phone calls... finally pau.

The interview wasn't bad. We had a BAG full of all the applications and information with us. The instructions were clear that we had to bring all this stuff...including PROOF of our relationship. So I had all our lovey-dovey Hallmark cards with us that we mailed to each other, all our trip & wedding photos, receipts for trips, etc etc.

So we sit there at the interview and nervously watch as this local lady starts stamping my wife's passport. Meanwhile I keep telling myself, "Smile...be friendly. These people don't want to be here anymore then we do...so be good!"

Then...the lady starts talking about how tired she was because she spent the entire evening the day before getting ham for her Thanksgiving feast. OH, that was the open door... I talked ham with her for the next 5 minutes and we were golden. She didn't even look at any of our paperwork at all.... I was like "OH, so where'd you find the ham?" "OH! We go shopping at that grocery store too! You mean they didn't have it there?" "Is that ham that good?!"

Heck give me an extra 5 minutes I might have even been invited to Thanksgiving dinner at the interviewer's house. I had to sample that ham recipe she kept talking about!

Anyway, we're good...2 years we don't have to worry about the US Immigration office again. Good riddance!