Buster and LaFawnda

As you know, I L-O-V-E Christmas!! And this year, Christmas time is GeorgeIsComing time! So in honor and extreme excitement of that fact, I got a head start on my Christmas decor.

This is my first independent Christmas and will be our first Christmas together, so I really want to do it right. I skipped the long drive and over-priced tree farm experience and went to Lowes with Little Brother.

It took both of us to situate our new tree friend into my car (yes, in-not on top) so no pictures....

[use imagination here]

It also took both of us to get the tree and other decor up to the third floor.

[use imagination again]

Prepping for Buster the tree...he didn't get a name 'til we got him home. You know, just in case.

Buster got a few trims....

Little Brother got artistic and took a picture through the vacuum handle. I couldn't resist sharing.

Little Brother got a different kind of artistic in front of the camera.

My beautiful angel. Little Brother named her LaFawnda! It's not the greatest picture, but LaFAWNDA?!? I think she's more of a Halle or Angelique. Little Brother is lucky he's so cute and nice or he wouldn't get away with stuff like this...I think the name has stuck-forever.

After Buster and LaFawnda were dressed for the party of my life, it was time for our INFAMOUS Creeper Dance! Beware, this WILL be at the wedding....

I love the skirt, everything is color coordinated to my apartment. (Doesn't Lil Bro have cute shoes?)

The End.

We had a blast! My apartment is full of life again, my life is full of life again.

Wonderful, WONDERFUL day!!

This has truly been a fabulous and blessed Thanksgiving! There is so, SO MUCH to be thankful for and I couldn't possibly type it all!

I hate to say it, because it sounds so dramatic, but this has been my first good Holiday without George. It's also my last!!

This will probably be boring to some of y'all, so I'll breeze through the deets...

My grandma is recovering from sickness and our plans changed a lot, so this year my mom, little brother and I took food to she and my grandpa. It was a hoot! Thankfully, she is feeling much better! She was very funny today and proud to show off many of her recent projects!

I got a call from George's mom today. She is doing better than expected! She doesn't know when she'll leave the hospital, but seemed to be in great spirits and was speaking well. She told me over and over again not to worry, just pray! :)

George got his medical reports back. All is well and we're one step closer! The interview is two weeks from today!!

My dad worked today-that is fabulous! Earlier this year (several times, actually) we didn't know if he would continue to have his job or not, now he's getting overtime. Doubling the awesomeness-he got off in time for food and Wii tourneys.

My siblings who live near by came over to the rents' house and we had a blast eating, laughing, playing and being thankful together! Yay family and YAY Thanksgiving!!

Sad news...

I found out yesterday that George's mom, Gertrude had a stroke. I'm not sure of all of the details, but at this point George has been told it was a minor stroke, more tests are being run and that she will remain in the hospital for several more days. Please pray that it was indeed a minor stroke and that she will recover fully. George will go see her this weekend.

Craziness!!

Time is flying by-woohoo!! I'm trying to get everything I need to do for the wedding, Christmas, little apartment odds and ends and everything else I can think of, BEFORE George comes! It's wonderfully crazy!

I had a huge accomplishment this week- programs! Over the last 4 days, I have worked on and finally completed our wedding programs (with the able assistance of my MOM!). You probably don't know this, but I'm a paper freak! I don't scrapbook, but when it comes to other paper crafts, watch out!! My mom and I went to about a zillion stores that carry specialty paper on the hunt for the right color and the right texture. The color was pretty much an impossible task. After much ado, we found something pretty darn close, so we went with it! I had a design, an awesome one. I didn't realize I would need to use my Bro's Mac for the printing part-ugh. Let me tell you, Microsoft Word, on a Mac, with VERY specific design wants, is a tough job! It took hours to format! Then I had to customize the ink color and the heavy card stock didn't want to go through the fancy printer. I went through 4 cutting blades on the cute little paper cutter and had to return to go out for more adhesive. I wondered why I started this very involved project in the first place! But alas, it's finished! I LOVE the programs. Little details like this really matter to me. If you are coming to my wedding, please note the programs! I'm glad we did this before George is here!

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and planning out all my other to-dos! In case you were wondering, I'm still pretty excited about my free tires! Yay God! Yay life!

Love my church!

I had become a church hater earlier this year. I am so thankful that that has changed! I've been going to a new church and I LOVE IT! The people are real, the sermons are applicable and the church is having an amazing impact on the community.

Today two things especially stood out to me. The first is the "Thanksgiving Back" push the church has. We were asked to bring specific food items to make Thanksgiving baskets for people who could not afford a Thanksgiving dinner (as well as donation for the benevolence ministry throughout the year). The food donations were amazing! Gorgeous, FULL baskets were made for families, with good food that they will actually eat (not a basket full of spicy hominy or all the other crap people clean out of their pantries). There was tons of food! It was so great to be a part of that!

The other thing that was great today were the baptisms. I love baptisms. What I especially loved today were the number of children who were baptised. There were several kids who got saved around age five, their faith is real and people are taking them seriously. In the past (ahem, my last church) when people have asked about my salvation story, I have shared that I came to Christ as a child. The response was usually some tacky, jerky thing like this, "Oh really? Well, when did you actually get saved??" I won't go into how I feel about those people. What I will say is, seeing how these children were received into the body of Christ made me feel like I truly will fit as well. I'm thankful for this new church!

Thankful, right?

I tried to write this post earlier, but it wasn't quite coming out right. The reason? The story wasn't over...

This morning I really had to muster up my thankfulness because of this tire situation. To be quite frank, tires were/are simply not in my budget right now. However, a dangerous blowout was not in the budget or life plan either...so new tires were a better option! I was trying not to fret over this and was reminding myself about all of the goodness going on right now-trying to make this expense not quite a big deal. It only sort of worked...I braced for impact and prayed that God would make a way.

I waited for the rain to subside this morning, but it didn't. After postponing the inevitable long enough, I arrived at the packed tire store around 9. The salesman explained to me that if I did have a gash in the tire it would be replaced free of charge, IF the tire had been purchased from them. I breathed a sigh of relief-I had faithfully purchased ALL of my tires from this very shop...in my mind my bill had just been cut in half (YESSSSSS!!!). I waited for 40 minutes for the salesman to come tell me that I did indeed have a gash in my tire, but that my tires were not from his store (that is a lie, but I had no proof). I had him search every phone number that could be tied to my car, but to no avail. I had to pay for BOTH tires. The total, $253.77. Not. Fun.

They finished my car about 20 minutes later and I left, in the driving rain, to seek comfort (and help tracking down tire purchase proof) from my mommy.

The day continued and I relaxed a little about the money, safety truly is more important.

It finally stopped raining so my mom and I went to run some errands. As we were walking out of a store, I stopped and made a comment about my new tires...you know, to make me feel better. "Look at these new tires with all the little rubber belly buttons on them. Yep! Nice, new tires!" Wait, only one of the "new" tires had the little rubber belly buttons. In fact, the other tire was cracked and looked like the tread might just come off. I did not have new tires, I had new tire.

WHAT?!? I just paid $253.77 for ONE TIRE?!?!? I was mad, I was really mad. Luckily, I had the manager's card in my purse. I called him immediately, as I drove to my mom's house to get the receipt. I informed him that I paid for two tires and only got one, and that I would be there in 20 minutes-he better be ready.

20 minutes later, I arrived with my mom and towering younger brother, my posse, if you will. I parked my car in a fire zone, because I meant business! I marched in (fortunately for me, I happened to have high heels on-the purposeful click-clack on the tile made it's own statement) and firmly placed my keys and receipt on the counter. "Refund these items, please." I said, pointing to the warranty and lifetime rotation fees. "I no longer need them, I will NOT be coming back." And then, I stood there. No was not an option. And do you know what he did? This manager put someone on my car immediately, apologized for the problem, taking full responsibility, and then.....THEN, he refunded all $253.77. I got my two new tires for free. He asked me to reconsider coming back to his shop. I have, and I will.

Today I am thankful for free tires, safety, and parents who taught me stand up for myself in a firm and courteous way.

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving isn't until next Thursday, but I don't want to do the typical Thanksgiving post on that day-too cliche for me. I'm gonna mix it up.

I am really, really thankful for my mom. You've heard bits and pieces about her, but here is her real shout out. I don't know where I would be or where WE (G and I) would be if it wasn't for my mom. She knows me better than anyone and is always there for me. She believed in George and my relationship from the start and stood by me even when no one else did. She knows just how to walk with me through hard times. She is a wonderful cook and can throw a great party. She has taught me how to be a strong woman. She is funny and makes me laugh a LOT! While others were critical, she believed in me and trusted in God- she has said "goodbye" to me at the airport countless times, sometimes not knowing when the "welcome home" would happen. She is bold, she is confident, she is awesome. She has instilled in me an incredible love for grocery shopping as well as making a beautiful home. She is super organized. She has gracefully shifted her mothering position to a position of friend and mentor. I could not ask for better.

Update on life...

I feel like it's been a long time since I've posted, but it really hasn't. There's not a ton to update on.

Things are going great! I am busy with wedding stuff and preparing for the holidays and George's arrival (Woohoo!!! Saying that just doesn't get old!). I'd like to be working a little more, for the financial benefit. However, I'm very aware that things are going to get very busy once George is here, so I'm trying to enjoy my down time and take advantage of the rest it allows me (that, and be thankful for the savings I have-thanks Mom, for teaching me money management!).

My dad did me a sweet favor this week and got my car inspected and my oil changed. Isn't that nice? The down side was, the mechanic found a "gash" in my tire. Ugh. So on Friday I'm off to Discount Tire to see what I can do (it will be ok 'til then). I'm dreading this task as my silly Saturn has "performance tires" that don't come cheap. However, in light of all the wonderfulness going on, this is pretty much a nothing. Funny how perspective changes. :)

Things are pretty chill for now. We are continuing to pray for a smooth interview and a visa printed immediately. 3 weeks from tomorrow is the big day!

EDIT: After I wrote this I got on the visa forum and read about a recent interview in Ghana. For no particular reason, with no extra proof needed, this applicant was told to come back a MONTH later due to Administrative Processing (AP). When the guy went back, he was told that he was approved and got his actual visa two days later. This worries me. I had only heard of AP when people hadn't given enough or the right info and needed to collect it. AP for no real reason freaks me out! (This person had different circumstances than we do, but it's the whole AP thing...) I was totally confident about our case, but now I'm a bit nervous. Please pray with us that George will get approved on the day of his interview-NO AP!!!!

Proof....check!

George has received the packet of proof! I am so glad. It made it in one piece and there was no bribe. He is now "studying" everything I sent and is a little shocked by the amount of papers included. We are one step closer! Now he just needs the medical results and he'll be ready for the interview!

Medicals....check!

I just got of the phone with George and the medicals are finished! I'm so excited! That's one step closer!

George is such a trooper. He went to THREE different clinics today and got LOTS of injections...have I mentioned he HATES injections? Poor guy. He will need to go back in two weeks to get the results so he can take them to the interview. Everything went very smoothly. We are so excited! George told me he thought he would be nervous, but he hasn't been at all-thanks for your prayers!

The packet I sent still hasn't made it. We're hoping it gets there soon. It has a tracking number, but USPS stopped tracking it once it left the country...gee, thanks!

I got a call from John Carter's office today. I had sent a letter asking for help the day before we found out about the interview. The woman who talked to me told me not to get too excited though, because it wasn't over (I know, but talk about buzz kill!). The lady was ancient, and nice, and very talkative, and ancient, and didn't really know more than I do, and pronounce Ghana "geee-AH-nuh", and she was really old. She told me about what another constituent is going through (which didn't really seem similar to our case at all, but I listened anyway) and warned me about trouble we may/will have (buuuuzzzzzzz kill!). I seemed to know more than she did, but it was nice to finally have someone care. She did say that George would probably have 3-5 minutes to basically sell our relationship and proof that I have continued to go to Ghana would be key. I copied the stamp pages of my passport as well as the page with an extended Ghana visa- I hope that's enough. I was pumped and confident about the interview and our proof...now I'm wondering if I need more, I'm kind of second guessing all that I've put together.

Even though I'm still a little worried, my faith is being renewed and I believe God will guide us through this. It's kind of like in a video game, when your player gets beat up. The player starts to fade as their "life" is getting used up-you know, when the bad guy is shooting at you or punching you. Then, when the player stops getting beat up, the life slowly comes backs. Yep, it's like that, my life/faith is coming back (I'm not a geek, I just have 4 brothers and spend lots of time with little boys).

ONE month!

One month from today, at 3:30 in the morning, my time, George will have his Immigrant Visa Interview. Oh. My. GOD! That is still so fun and unbelievable to say! Whatever the outcome, that day will change our lives. I'm not dreading it, I'm ExCiTeD!!

This is the second week of the month, what has been affectionately referred to as 'hell week" or, interview scheduling. Finally-I don't care and it doesn't matter! Last month, I guessed we would be painfully waiting to hear something, but doubting that good news would come. Never would I have guessed that we would be in full swing of wedding planning and that THE INTERVIEW would already be scheduled! God is wonderful!

Things are really moving along. Please keep praying for us! George has his medicals on Thursday this week! Please pray that everything would go smoothly and that he gets all that he needs. Also, George is a little bit nervous (maybe that's not quite the word, apprehensive?) about getting out of his National Service. Please pray for favor in that and that he would have the right words to say to his boss when the time comes for him to leave. Oh yeah, all the documents and proof I sent him are now somewhere "in-transit" please pray they make it to George in one piece without a pricey bribe to pay. Thanks, readers!!

Birthday Boy!

Happy 28th Birthday, George!!

This is our LAST Birthday apart! Yay!

My dear phone.

I got a new cell phone about the time we began this visa process- it's been through a lot. It has sustained me this past year and a half and done everything I needed it to do. It has been THE connection to George, it has never been too far away. It has been the deliverer of all of my bad news and most of my good news. It has connected me to people who care about me and agencies that scare me. It has been my exercise buddy, my alarm, my secretary and my distraction. It has been around the world and back. It has called the National Visa Center THOUSANDS of times, and as a result, been thrown several times. Sorry, phone.

My phone has finally quit on me. My sweet, battered, ghetto phone, finally gave up.

This was an issue. Immigration is not over. I still REALLY need a reliable phone! So I went to my trusty AT&T store- dressed cute and with a smile on my face (hoping sexism would work in my favor-so wrong, but so true). There was a problem. AT&T would not give me an upgrade, no matter how nice or cute I was; no matter how captivating my story was. No upgrade. There was nothing they could do except sell me a phone at a tiny discount. Meaning, a new one would cost more than $200. Um....no! That just wasn't going to happen.

Dear At&T, Welcome to my short list.

Long and confusing story short-I got a great new phone for free! My boss has some connections and had a brand new phone sitting in a drawer that I got to have! It's the same model as my old one, which is perfect! Only the new one has all of it's buttons, no cracked buttons or case, opens when you try to open it-and here's the kicker, it WORKS!! I'm so excited! It's a small thing, but it was huge to me. I am so thankful for my new phone!

I don't know why things are all of the sudden starting be good for me, but I'll take it! I keep catching myself doing this unusual thing-smiling! I smile just because-it's awesome! This week has been so great.

In other news, I mailed George's "proof" yesterday! I was so relieved to do so. Another blessing was that it didn't cost what I thought it would-it was only $48! Yay! That was the LAST TIME I had to mail anything across the ocean to him! My days are now full of things I'm either doing for the last time or have only one more time before he comes (one more rent check before George is here!). It's so exciting!

Please keep praying for the visa and medicals. George is going to try and get all of his medicals done next week! He needs favor getting off of work to do them and to actually be seen, there are no appointments, it's just first come, first serve.

Surreal!

This has been the most surreal week of my life. I can hardly believe that we found out our good news not quite a week ago...it seems so much longer! My dad was right, "..in a day..." EVERYTHING changed! It took many, many, MANY days to get here, but I'm trying not to think about that!

One of my concerns through all of this was that the stress, the worry, the constant disappointment and the silence from God would turn me into a person I don't like. In the midst of what seemed like my world falling apart, I was worried I wouldn't be ME anymore. I was worried about what I would think about life and God and church and people. I was afraid of being a jaded jerk forever. I was worried that I wouldn't know how to keep from changing for the worse.

However, now that the finish line is in view and this piece of waiting is almost over, I'm not so worried. I am still me. I feel like a MUCH older me, but me, nonetheless. I've learned a lot, a lot about me, people, God and the world. I've learned people are hard to deal with and they let you down (this is not the first time I've learned this-I guess it didn't stick). I've learned it's okay to be sad and angry, just not to let it define me. I've learned that friends worth having will always be there for you-even when you don't answer their calls and are depressing to talk to. I've learned I am not a Southern Baptist. I've learned that looking good, really does make life seem a little bit better-no spending the day in my jammies! I've learned to question what I thought I knew. I've learned God is more mysterious than I realized. I've learned how truly extraordinary my man is. I've learned how meaningless money and success are. I've learned that no matter how old or responsible or "adult" I am, I can always go home to my mommy, and she will be there for me, 100%.

This has not been fun, this has not been easy. This is almost over!

These are the things I have done so far in preparation, it's been so much fun!

• Cleaned out my closet and filled it with awesome stuff for George (I went to B Republic right away and my little bro had a lot things he can't wear anymore that he was saving. George has quite the set-up!).
• Met with the wedding venue, we actually have a date now!
• Collected an insane amount of proof for the consulate-I feel VERY confident!
• Set up cake tastings...heck yes!!
• Put together travel info for G.
• Started eating real food and exercising again...I used to be a healthy person.
• Squeal EVERY time I see Christmas stuff! I'm going to be here and so is GEORGE!!
• Picked out my pick-George-up-at-the-airport dress, it's RED! :)

I've done more than that, but didn't want to bore you. Things are fabulously crazy right now. For one thing, I've been working more. I L-O-V-E it! There is something completely amazing about a newborn. I've spent tons of time with babies and kids, but not a ton with newborns. It is so incredible to see their perfect, tiny features and recognize that God knit this little person together in secret. The little girl I watch is so gorgeous. It has renewed my faith and I love every second of it...even when I'm holding both crying kids and the toddler is trying to push his sister out of my arms. It's still wonderful and I am so thankful to have my job back.

In all of this excitement, I am still acutely aware that this is not quite over. I continue to pray for the next several weeks and all that it entails, as well as the transition into American life. Please pray with me.

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40:1-3

WOW!

My head is spinning! I'm not gonna lie, I really wasn't sure an interview would ever come. Now that it has, there is a LOT to do!

My lists keep growing and I'm constantly afraid that I've forgotten something very important. In addition to new and wonderful things to stress about, I decided to finally start living like a human being. I have actually quit living on Diet Dr. Pepper and chocolate. The result? Headaches! Like you care, but I said it anyway.

The wedding is being planned! I'm excited about that, but nervous all at the same time. Immigration is still my biggest priority and we really have no true guarantee until George is actually in the US. Maybe a more patient person would continue to wait and plan a wedding after the groom was actually in the country. That's not how we're doing it! A bit of a gamble? Eh, slightly. I think everything will be fine though.

To ensure that everything will be fine, I am working fast and furious to "prove" our relationship. Meaning the consulate is going to need as much tangible proof that we are legit and not together for a visa. As if! It makes me kind of mad that they would assume that, but I understand at the same time. Here's the deal though, if you aren't in a relationship in order to prove it to someone, then you haven't adequately prepared to prove it. I'm trying to track down phone records, but Time Warner, AT&T, Skype and Yahoo! Messenger don't keep records from 2006. In fact, they only keep records for a year or LESS! Once I've collected as much "proof" as possible, as well as travelling tips and info for George, I need to express mail them. That means, I get to go spend more money at the post office than I ever have (at once, but maybe even put together)! Boy do I love "firsts" like that! So I'm trying to work with what we have and praying that it's enough. That's pretty much the extent of what I can do. George has to get the medicals and he is the one who has to interview. I wish I could do that part for him. I should have come to grips by now with the fact that there is only so much I can do! It's just not up to us.

With all that said, this is a different kind of anxious than before. It's excited anxious. It's anticipation for great things! It's looking toward the future with HOPE, real hope...not the kind I trick myself into having. It's the real deal!

I really can't tell you how happy I am to have this news. Even with all the things to do, I am still just ecstatic! I know it's not over yet, but we can finally see the finish line (please don't move, finish line!). Thanks to all of you who e-mailed me, commented, called me and texted me with congrats. I feel very loved and supported.