Living in America 2011

[MmeBucket]

We were a few messages away from being closed on the other one. Hope everyone finds me here.

Hi Spamm, wheareabouts are you? Twelve weeks to get your greencards, that seems very quick? Is it because you are doing it through your company?
DD's passport turned up so I am all booked for going to the UK end of May. I'm tring to find out if I can hire a car on my probationary NJ licence (no uk licence). Anyone have any ideas?
Dh is not happy because I let the doctor give me a non-generic prescription for eyedrops and to be fair fifty dollars co-pay is a bit steep! But medco prescription plan also seems not up to much!
I'm very jealous of all this roadtrip talk, would love to do it but this year will be a no go as dh is in a blackout period for extended vacation. I'm going to try and book a week by a lake in PA somewhere for me and the dc!
Hope everyone has better weather than we do here!

it is cold, wet, like british winter here. usually by now i'm out in the garden, but it's only just above freezing - there was a load of snow yesterday. today has just been rain.

Frida - We are in NOVA - Northern Virginia. I work just outside DC.

The 12 weeks to green cards is definitely through the company, although there is no way to speed it up, unless you are vital to National Security or a famous actress or singer. I do not fit any of those, however much I have tried to convince then I do!

But this is after about 3 months of working with the lawyers to finalize the paperwork, which has been more complicated due to my husband having been in the armed forces, and then due to the fact that we unexpectedly moved house as well. We just went through our medicals and the paperwork went in last week. The lawyer has said early July, although she has seen it take less time, but not likely. We were very grateful that the Gov Shutdown did not happen!

We have a provisional itinerary, I repeat we have a provisional itinerary :)

What is the provisional itinerary Penguin Army? Enjoy!

It's until July, but I need something to focus on to get through work.

We've made the decision to leave 1st August job or no job, but I'm finding it all rather stressful and can't quite commit to the decision.

It's a bit long the trip, so I will come and write the plan when there aren't people in the office I'm at home.

Here's what we have in mind so far. It's bit epic

spamm - we went through that kind of green card app. last year. we were told 3 -4 months, but ended up getting it in 5 weeks! mind you, no-one else is moving into MI right now - when we went to get fingerprinted, there was a big room, able to process 100 people at a time, and we were the only 3 there.

they prob. did a jig of excitement when our paperwork landed on their desks!

Mine and the dcs green card application was rejected last week because the cheque amount was incorrect. Well not according to the website it wasn't! Dh's application has gone to a completely different centre so I don't know whether that has affected it or not.

That trip sounds cool pa - still think you should give Oregon a go though!

Bummer tad :( You reapplying? Oregon is just too far, it would add another week to it. We looked at going to Seattle and then coming down the coast that way, so we did try :)

The lawyer is apparently sending all the paperwork off again because 'we are welcome to reapply.' Hopefully it gets sorted, or at least the visa renewal. If it can only be 5 years then that's fine too. Whatever life gives us I suppose!

Penguin - I've done some of that. Where are you staying, motels, camping etc? Some places you really need to book in advance, others you can just turn up.

Salt Lake City - big city, lots of conferences, hard to find somewhere just to stop. Personally, I'd rather stop at MacDonalds on the freeway than go into the city. However, the free tour of the temple area is quite fun, though I found it a little creepy. You will feel v dirty/scruffy unless you are wearing a frock, with freshly washed hair, and a perfect smile on your face.

Alcatraz - you have to book for the trip at least a few weeks in advance. (which is why i've never managed to do it)

Yellowstone - it's bigger than you think. It takes hours to drive around it, and we got held up by 3 hours due to buffalo one day, so be prepared to be flexible. If you don't make it to the far north west of the loop, don't worry. there's no water there any more so the 'pools' were a disappointment - we'd seen them 10 years before when they had water in them, and they were way better. the south loop is definitely the best bit.

Tetons - get the boat across the lake & do some walking.

Grand Canyon - I really noticed the altitude there, and we didn't stop for long enough to go down, which is a shame, but again, I think you need to plan that in advance.

Zion - fantastic, but hard to find tent camping nearby.

Not trying to fit in Death Valley? (joke)

Thanks kickass that's useful info.

We've done Grand Canyon (and Las Vegas) before, so it's whether we feel like popping and seeing at sunrise or sunset.

DH wants to see a Mormon church or something in SLC

Zion we've found somewhere cheap to stay. Looks like we'll camp at Yellowstone and Lake Powell

Death Valley we want to do, just not sure what day. Whether to drive through on the way to Yosemite. I need to look up what's there.

San Fran we've done before but didn't do Alcatraz as we didn't book in time. I think DH is going to book it soon. He really wants to go. Me, I' not fussed about the cities but I think this trip is a good mix of the two.

Death Valley is good but VERY hot & dry. There are hotter areas of the US, but it's also v picturesque.

you're not allowed into a mormon church or the temple, but they do a free tour of the complex. there's a shopping mall nearby which is so clean it's unbelievable (we'd just been camping for a week & were quite smelly).
the 'saints' walk round in pairs - her in 80s style laura ashley frocks, him in suit, with briefcase. they hold hands & smile.

when you go for the tour, watch the hands. loads of them are called by god to be 'interpreters' and learn sign language at their own university. as they give the tour they are also signing to other saints nearby. at the end they shake hand & stare earnestly into your eyes. i gave false info on the card you fill in, so they would never be able to contact me.

we found it quite hard to get a motel (twice) there as always booked up for conferences.

I don't what his fascination is with the Mormons. Odd chap

So - on a completely different topic........I read some of the Style and Beauty threads on the main board with more than a bit of envy. As they trade suggestions for clothes/shoes at M&S, FatFace, White Stuff, etc I often find myself wishing I could just pop out to the shops and try on certain items.

So - I think we should do our own version of Style and Beauty on this board to show off our 'finds' - and maybe help each other with good fashion ideas. Also, America is such a catalogue shoppers paradise, I think we should take advantage of it.

So, I'll start with several discoveries I am more than pleased about:

First - a few basic summer t-shirts in good quality cotton, run a bit long in the body (a good thing!), and are flattering (they run small though, so maybe order a size up from your regular size). V-neck:

www.jcrew.com/womens_category/knitstees/shortsleevetees/PRDOVR~97784/97784.jsp

Another good basic summertime t-shirt (can't have too many!), this one a scoop neck:

www.jcrew.com/womens_category/knitstees/longsleevetees/PRDOVR~97759/97759.jsp

And finally, my basic run-around and can-stand-in-them-all-day shoe. A friend has them, and though they don't look so great on the website, they are chic in real life (not nearly so shiny as in the photo) and ultra comfortable:

www.eccousa.com/shoes/womens/casual/vibration-ii-skimmer/2706/detail.aspx

So - those are my spring/summer style tips for those of us in America.

What have all of you found? Share please!

I can't do links but I am a complete bargain junky so if I have an hour or two I like to go and rifle through Ross Dress for Less. Most of it is dross but if you have the tim and inclination there are some finds to be found. So far I have found about six dresses over the past four times I've been there with the most expensive being forty dollars. Unless you are a whizz at sewing do check seams etc before you buy.
As for shoes the reduced section in DSW can be great for finding lovely/designer shoes at very good prices.

time

I need new little shorts, but pg ones

damn needing pg clothes

is anyone rhesus negative over here and had a baby. I only realised after having left the OB yesterday that they have my bloods back, but didn't mention it or needing anti-D. I assume they give it to you over here. Not that I like my OB anyway, FFS weighing every time you go making you feel guilty for perfectably fine weight gain (4lbs in 14 weeks but it was all in the last four weeks)

fridakahlo we go to Solebury Orchards. It is just over the border in PA but we stop by lambertville for lunch. South Orange does border Newark and it is a night and day difference. When we first moved out I followed the GPS directions to get onto the Parkway. It took me down South Orange avenue and through Newark. I missed the entrance and continued further into Newark. I have never been back since. It is a really bad bad area (think LES from the herion days in the late 70s).

Passports out of Washington are a pain. I still have not updated mine because it is due to expire next year. They were telling me that they would issue me a new one with my name updated for the full price but I would still need to renew next year. I am 99% sure that they are wrong but I don't want to find out. I have a US passport with my married name and British passport with my maiden name. I book my flights to England using the married name and then show both passports at UK immigration and hope they let me though! The British consulate used to do the pictures for you but I don't think they offer this service any longer.

PenguinArmy I am in the middle of having a baby (7 mths along) and I am Rh-ve. The obn said it was the least of my worries and said they would take care of it. If you don't like your obn change now. There are lots of great obns out there and it is super easy to change.

Anybody out there in Houston TX ?I spoke to my younger sister earlier and she would love to meet some friendly types there. She, DH and DD (10 months) moved there from Scotland in March with his job and although she's not struggling, she's spending a lot of time just with the baby and not finding it that easy to meet people. Any suggestions?

For a moment there supermum I thought you were actually in labour. I was surprised he didn't even mention it, but we leave for the UK on 1st August so I'll shall stick with it.

Hello, other rh- people, don't have any experience of it with pregnancy in the states, but two years ago in the UK (no help at all am I), it was one anti-d jab around 20-24 weeks then another 30-34 weeks and then one post-natally (if your baby is rh+, both of mine were).
Penguin, I assume you know your other half's bloodtype?
Supermum, I'm going by my maiden name until it's passport renewal time. Though with a visa and all that jazz I'm probably stuck with it for life, oh well suits me better than dh's surname anyway.
As for Newark, I've only really seen the airport but I guess it's like Trenton, in the respect of people telling you to avoid it.
Anyone else got areas like that near them?

well seeing how DD is +ve and I developed antibodies after a fall, I assume he's +ve as well. About the father of my child however... [bugrin]