YEAH!

OK, so things are really starting to move!  Emma had a letter from immigration about what we need to do next.  We have our number and Emma has paid the IV fee.  At the moment the status is 'pending' but when it says 'paid' we can go ahead with the next forms.
We have started filling them in, but can't save them as they are in a protected format.  We needed my Dad's birthday but I had no idea what it was as he died when I was 10.  So we rang Cardiff registry office (thank goodness I had started doing my family tree on Genes Reunited otherwise I would have had no information !) and bought a copy of the certificate.  They very kindly rang me to let me know the date - turns out it was the 13th December 1901.  It also turns out that I am half Welsh!
So since then we have been fairly busy.  We are still waiting for the letter from us.  Emma has sent us her marriage certificate which we need (?) at a cost of $38!!!  Goodness me.

I also have bought some walnut veneer from eBay and given it to Mick (the gardener) to see if he can re-veneer the little cupboard that Mum had and that got ruined.  Hope it works this time.
So things are buzzing here!

Health

Still waiting and waiting but also having problems with my Crohn's disease and lots of pain.  My main worry is that my health will stop us from emigrating so I'm a bit scared.  It would be shocking to let everyone down.  Praying that doesn't happen.
Off for a meal with a group of colleagues that I might not get together with again tomorrow.  Really looking forward to it.
Hope things do work out ok.

SIIIIGGGGGHHHH...........

Waiting and waiting.  Emma had an email yesterday to say that the processing of our petition would take between 6 and 8 weeks.  Talk about fed up!  Both Emma and I are feeling the stress at the moment I think.  I rang them up but didn't get any further information, it's just how it is.
Patience is a virtue and I am going to have to call on all my reserves now.

Ditto

So today, Steve's police check arrived.  Same as mine so we are both legal.  The file is filling.... police checks, birth certificates, marriage certificate and passports......

Police Check

My police check came back this morning.  All clear which is nice.  Assuming Steve's will arrive tomorrow.  Spent a long time folding clothes ready for the removal team.  Amazing a) hw many I have and b) how long it takes to sort and fold them.  We are only leaving clothes out that are not going on the container.
Heard nothing still from the US immigration people.  It's hard to be patient!  Still, that's what we need to be.  It doesn't help that the weather is truly vile at the moment.  Downpours and cold with it.

Slowly, slowly...

Email received to say the police check forms had got to the right place and they have certainly cashed the cheque.
We spent this morning sorting out which clothes were ok to be packed for the 6+ week sea trip.  We bought some plastic boxes for them to go in but they are a bit pathetic.   Be a shame if we've sorted the clothes wrong!  Haven't finished but at least that's a start.  We are taking the hangers to the charity shop having decided that they are cheap enough to buy when we get to the US.  Sadly some of the ones we had have things like Aged 8 written on them, which considering the girls are both nearly 40 is quite shocking.  Hey ho. Watch this space......

Things are moving

This is beginning to get exciting!  Not only have we accepted an offer on the house, but our Application for Visa has been accepted.  Oh my!  So, we have had to get on with some paperwork, including having a police check (£40+ each) which we are still waiting for.  We will also have to have an interview in London and a medical so need to get all the stuff ready for that too.
On the house front, we have just had the surveyor round for the buyers and that seems to have gone well.  so actually we are still playing the waiting game to some extent but things are at least happening.
Just sent Emma's birthday present off which will hopefully be the last one we have to post!