I watch too many romantic movies!

AND! Tomorrow I get to meet Zoyabean!! YAY!!

Yay, that sounds fun!

I had a good time at the show - technically we got eliminated, but it was my fault more than my horse's...he was an absolute star all day, so I'm happy with how things went.  Today I've been totally dragging, though, so I don't know if I got a bit of heat exhaustion yesterday or what.

Someone came to look at my boy today and liked him, and another person is coming tomorrow, so hopefully things will progress on that front.

Only 12 more days until my citizenship ceremony, yay!

Hope everyone has good weeks, including everyone in various stages of transition.

I'm here, I'm here!  Not much to report at the moment -no word from the interviewers eventhough they said they would let me know by today.  I guess I may have to call them if I dont hear from them.  I really would prefer just an email saying "no job for you" instead of having to call and be let down on the phone. 

I really would prefer just an email saying "no job for you" instead of having to call and be let down on the phone. 

Yeah, that would be a drag.  It's hard to say if they're dragging their feet because they don't want to give you bad news or just because they're being slow, I've encountered both before.  Hopefully you'll call them and they'll say they love you.  (Or better yet, they'll call you and say so!)

Hi ladies...I've been away from the forum for a while!  Wow...so much catching up to do.  I hope everyone is well.

I have been super busy with wedding planning and getting daughter ready to start pre-k!  It's bitter sweet, b/c I know she won't be graduating with all her friends that she has been in daycare with since she was 9 months old.    Since we are moving in January, she will miss the May graduation.  Her school said they will do something special for he when she leaves...thought that was sweet! 

I don't think you ladies know this, b/c I don't talk about it much...it's just so hard to deal with, but my 4 year old nephew has leukemia and has been in and out of the hospital for a year and 1/2.  He had a bone marrow transplant in January and it was a success, but he has so many other complications...I just wonder when we can finally breath a sigh of relief...not to mention the guilt that I feel for moving when my nephew is ill.

Sheateawholepie, I see that you are moving across the pond very soon.  i hope it all goes well and I wish you the best!  Soooo exciting!

I will try to catch up on everyone else.  I have been swamped at work and can't get on as often as I would like.

Since we are moving in January, she will miss the May graduation.  Her school said they will do something special for he when she leaves...thought that was sweet! 

I don't think I knew January was the moving date - how exciting!  It is sweet of your daughter's school to give her a send-off.

I don't think you ladies know this, b/c I don't talk about it much...it's just so hard to deal with, but my 4 year old nephew has leukemia and has been in and out of the hospital for a year and 1/2.  He had a bone marrow transplant in January and it was a success, but he has so many other complications...I just wonder when we can finally breath a sigh of relief...not to mention the guilt that I feel for moving when my nephew is ill.

That is tough.   Realistically, though, there will likely never be a "perfect" time to move.  Someone close to you will always be going through a less-than-ideal time.  I think it's just one of the challenges with moving - trying to balance your life plan wih wanting to be there and give/get support from people close to you.

EQ, yep...it's looking like January will be the move date.  Wedding in Nov; then honeymoon; submit visas early Dec; put house on market for lease; sell, pack and ship household items and then move!  I am guessing that will all be completed in January.

Thank you for your words regarding my nephew.  I agree there is never a perfect time.  I just pray that my brother and SIL get some peace and soon.  This has been so awful on both of them and you can really see the stress has taken its toll. 

I see that you received your approval letter!  Congratulations!

hi everyone!  i'm (mostly) all settled in now--it's been a hectic 6 days...we've gotten all unpacked, set up the flat, had a housewarming party, i bought an iphone and got an O2 account (woo!), and started my job! luckily, i'm only working 3 day weeks until october 1, after which i'll go full time.  i'm going to hopefully use my two days off this week to register with a GP and a dentist and buy a few more things for the flat.  i really need to get a referral to a good dermatologist who is knowledgeable about skin cancer issues (i don't have it, but a lesion on my back was just discovered to be abnormal a week before i moved).  hopefully having the extra days off work for the next month and a half will help make scheduling those sorts of appointments easier (and hopefully i can get in to see someone before october!).   

  I agree there is never a perfect time.  I just pray that my brother and SIL get some peace and soon.  This has been so awful on both of them and you can really see the stress has taken its toll. 

sorry to hear about your nephew...what a tough situation  

sheeta: i feel your pain about leaving your cats behind.  i left two behind with my dad and it makes me so sad!  one of them was his to begin with but the other i had seriously considered bringing over...but i know she would be so much happier with my dad where she has so much more room and a fenced in patio that allows her to go outside.  i don't think she'd cope with our small flat here very well after being used to all the room she had in the US.

EN: sorry to hear about your foster cat!  i lost a cat the same way when i was younger.

carey: hope you're settling in okay!! we'll have to plan a day to meet up soon!  i have tuesdays and thursdays off for now and weekends, of course. 

hope everyone is doing well!  i'm really loving life here so far!

So glad to hear you ladies are settling in well! Kerri- TOTALLY jealous about the iphone. I'm waiting till I move to get one over there. LOVE iphones.

Cell- glad to see you around. Also yay for having a moving date! Sorry to hear about the tough situation with the nephew. I do worry about leaving my parents at some point, too. But really, can I stay here just for that and not go live my life? Thank goodness for planes....

Anyway, not much going on for me. Just back to school. Hoping I start getting some tutoring calls soon to add back to my savings (that I spent this summer). I am going to look for a PT job at the end of the month to add to my salary, too. Fingers crossed I can qualify for the Tier 1 with all that..... Eyes on the prize!

Have a good evening!

Well it's my Friday and all I can do to get thru my weeks is start projects that MAKE me busy.  I have just 21 days till I jump on that plane - geezz it seems to be taking forever.

Kerri - I love seeing the "updated" from mobile - hee hee "Having a latte"..."on the train"...You make me jealous!

sheateawholepie aka Elly and I had lunch and just have to say she was just as awesome in person and hoping to grab a beer when I get there in Sept.  Meet her man <nodnod>

OH and I also wanted to share for all you that have a gmail (if you dont, go get one) go sign up for the invite to google voice. I have mastered this and it is awesome - I can text the UK for free from the web interface or I can access it on my mobile browser and send the man text whenever I want NO CHARGE!  Also he can call my google # and it will ring to wk, cell and home all simultaneously and I can answer any of them.  The cool part if I am in my car and I answer my cell, when I get home I can press a button and my home phone will ring and I can grab it there and hang up my cell and doesn't disconnect the call or anything - it is FABULOUS!

If ya get one - I can help!

Ok well have a GREAT Weekend - I know I will as I am gonna be one year older but not one year wiser 

Zoya before you know it those 21 days will fly by and you will wonder where they went...I came back to the states on July 24th to get ready for my wedding on the 29th of August and I thought that seemed so far away...well guess what it isn't...the stress and freaking out set in a little lol...but it is all worth it...and my fiance comes over here next week so then he can share the stress...there is so much to do in so little time...

Kerri I am glad you are there and settled...

Beth I am like you and want an Iphone but I really have no use for it...except to get all the cool apps and play all the games lol..

Patty how the heck are you lady?

Jamie what have you been up to?

EQ did you have anyone interested in your horse over the weekend?

Becca how are you?

How are the rest of you lovely ladies?

I saw 2 new movies to add to our collections..."I hate valentines day" with Nia Vardalos and John Corbett and "The Time Travelers Wife" with Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana...the first movie is a funny movie...but the 2nd movie is a 3 hanky movie....

pretty soon it will be Dec and time for us all to break out our Christmas jumpers lol

Becca how are you?

Not dealing with turning 30 and being apart from Tim too well at the moment.  Yes, I know, some of you are older than me and 30 shouldn't be a big deal....but I really just don't like the fact that I'm hitting this milestone alone. 

There are some changes afoot at Tim's job which could result in him losing his bonus for being relief (they'd put him permanently in the panel instead of relief), so we're trying to figure out what the implications are for our future and if this means we have to re-work some of our current plans. Which could mean either spending more time apart, or getting married sooner rather than later, depending on which way the pendulum swings. 

The funny thing is, they offered him the panel job back in November, but he told them he didn't want it because he liked being relief (and really liked the bonus for being relief) and now they might just force him into it anyway.  He'd only heard rumors at this point, though. No official word, and it's possible the union might be able to protect his job, so I'm just going to cross my fingers that he gets to stay in the position he loves.

EQ did you have anyone interested in your horse over the weekend?

I did, actually.  One lady was quite nice and seemed to like him.   She needs to consult with her trainer, though, who's on vacation at the moment.  I had a good feeling about her as a potential home for him, though.

Another lady spent about 5 minutes looking at him, decided he wouldn't hold up for what she does (despite spending half his life doing it before I got him), and left.  So, her loss.  (And if she's that convinced he'll be ruined if she rides him, there's no way I'd want to sell him to her!)

I'm enjoying being out of show mode, though.  I actually took yesterday off (he got ridden by my trainer, so no vacation for him) and played computer games, which was quite fun.   I'm tempted to do the same tonight, but I have someone else coming on Sunday to look at him, so I should go out.  (The weather's looking hit or miss, so we'll see.)

Other than that...not much to report.  Today feels like a Friday, but isn't, which is a drag.  Hard to believe that in a week I'll be a full UK citizen, though!  Then the job hunt can begin in earnest (eep!).


Becca - I hope Tim gets good news from his work.  Spending more time apart would be a drag, but getting married sooner could be good.   (Assuming it's a logical next step and a "crap, we have to get married" thing, of course.)

sheateawholepie aka Elly and I had lunch and just have to say she was just as awesome in person and hoping to grab a beer when I get there in Sept.  Meet her man <nodnod>

Awww, thanks Jenn! I had a blast, too! I can't wait for our beer date in toon! And that DVD is in the mail!

Becca, my 30th birthday was a bust, and the next few months felt a bit odd, but after that, I LOOOOOVED it, and still do! Being in my 30s has been really great! I feel more confident, more beautiful and more energized than I did all throughout my 20s! And I don't know one 30-something woman who doesn't absolutely love being in her 30s.

Carey!!! Any news?

I'm having a rough time here in Texas. My stepdad's made a rapid decline, heathwise (he has terminal colon cancer and is on hospice care now) and now he's unable to be alone. So I've been house-bound mostly, which has been ok and relaxing, just not what I was expecting. I'm getting excited for England the /DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!!/ but feel guilty about leaving my mom as well. I feel like I'm escaping this prison and leaving everyone else behind. So I booked a trip back here from Sept 8-14 so I can spend some more quality time in the thick of things. And still be back before uni starts.

So that's my life as a homeless traveler.

Becca - I hope Tim gets good news from his work.  Spending more time apart would be a drag, but getting married sooner could be good.   (Assuming it's a logical next step and a "crap, we have to get married" thing, of course.)

Yeah, I'm hoping it's all just rumours and nothing will come of it, OR there will be a definite start date to all this so we have time to make plans and figure out all our options.

Becca, my 30th birthday was a bust, and the next few months felt a bit odd, but after that, I LOOOOOVED it, and still do! Being in my 30s has been really great! I feel more confident, more beautiful and more energized than I did all throughout my 20s! And I don't know one 30-something woman who doesn't absolutely love being in her 30s.

Oh, I'm sure it'll be great once it all sinks in, but the days leading up to it (8 days til it!) haven't been the greatest.

I'm having a rough time here in Texas. My stepdad's made a rapid decline, heathwise (he has terminal colon cancer and is on hospice care now) and now he's unable to be alone. So I've been house-bound mostly, which has been ok and relaxing, just not what I was expecting. I'm getting excited for England the /DAY AFTER TOMORROW!!!/ but feel guilty about leaving my mom as well. I feel like I'm escaping this prison and leaving everyone else behind. So I booked a trip back here from Sept 8-14 so I can spend some more quality time in the thick of things. And still be back before uni starts.

Aw, I'm sure your mom doesn't want you to feel bad! 

No real news, here.  Just TRYING to settle in, which isnt as easy as I hoped for.
Elly, please please when you are here, send me your phone number!! 
I am so sorry about your stepdad - your family will be in my thoughts.  Fantastic that you were able to book a trip home so soon!

Continued good luck on the horse front, Shanthi!