Headed To Portland Oregon

We now have plane tickets in our hands for the arduous journey from Teresina to Portland, Oregon! That is important, but some of you have known that for awhile.

What is more important is that we now have confirmation that the visa has been given the official stamp of approval! This means that we can leave on our flight as scheduled—provided the courier does their job in a timely manner. As you may recall, Patrick and Nyna had to delay their trip home because the courier took forever to deliver the package.

As long as the visa gets here, and all the flights are on time, we should be in Portland, Oregon on the 22nd of April at 2:30 PM. After about 26.5 hours of planes and airports we might even have enough energy to say, "Hi!" (And maybe someone can tell me whether or not I actually have an accent in English!)

Rio de Janeiro Day Four: The Visa Interview

Transit

We awoke early, and to a rainy day in Rio de Janeiro. As I remember it, neither of us got a great night's sleep. The nerves and stress of the next day weighed heavily on our minds leaving only restless sleep to be followed by heavy eyelids the rest of the day.

The plan was to get around quickly and grab a bite to eat at a local bakery on the way to the subway. The plan was abandoned when we realized that we had spent to much time getting ready to be sure we would be early to the 7:45 AM appointment. So we skipped breakfast (opting instead to feed Kylie), and hoped for the best.

Mark and I had talked over the plan to use the subway, which was pretty simple, but we still asked around to make sure we were on track. We just hopped a bus to the closest Metrô station (Saens Peña) and got in one of the cars, then disembarked at the Cinelândia stop, and walked to the US Consulate.

On the way to the Consulate we stopped for breakfast because we had time, and we were starving. When we had finished we made our way the rest of the way to the Consulate.

The Interview

When we reached the consulate we were told to wait in a line next to the building. Since it was still raining I was grateful for the shelter we were under, as well as a waist-high wall where we could sit. Carrying a twenty-plus-pound baby all over the city is not easy.

There were two lines forming, and though ours was the smaller of them (and an earlier appointment time), we were being bypassed. At first we did not understand, but we eventually figured out that the other line was for tourist visas, and maybe work visas. We ended up waiting for almost an hour after our appointment time to even get inside the consulate.

Once inside we got checked for metals, weapons, etc, and got in the next line. Unfortunately that was the wrong line, and we had to go somewhere else to wait in line again.

We were directed to some stairs which led to a waiting room that was a lot smaller and quieter than the other waiting room had been. It was hard to tell how much time had passed because the only way we had with us to tell time (our cell phone) had been held at the security checkpoint. We were finally called to one of the small interview booths to submit papers.

The lady checked our forms, and had me fill in a couple of things that were still needed (the instructions were explicitly vague on those points). Once that was over we were given a number, and asked to wait again.

Kylie was bored. We were too, and so were most of the people in the waiting room. Fortunately for Kylie there was a small play-area that we made use of. The toys were—well, the were filthy. I almost did not let her play with them, but she was fussy, and there were no other alternatives that I could see.

After a bit a couple of other kids who were waiting with their parents came over to play. They were around six and eight years old, a boy and a girl. At first they just skirted around Kylie and I, but then warmed up to Kylie. They played with the cars, trains, and what was left (one arm, torso, and head) of the He-Man action figure.

They eventually started batting around a hair tie-back. You know, one of those elastic things that the ladies use to put their hair in a pony-tail. They were batting it back and forth with a plush stegosaurus and penguin. For some reason Kylie thought this was the best thing ever. I have never seen her laugh so hard!

At first I thought she was crying. Then I realized that this infectious laugh was being heard by everyone. Every time the hair-thing went flying through the air she laughed and giggled. I couldn't hold back a laugh or two myself when I heard it. Nobody could.

I still wonder what she saw in it that was so fun.

Eventually we were called into the interview booth. After taking an oath and answering a few basic questions about us the Consular Officer gave her response. The visa would be approved, but she could not approve it that day because there was some other proofs that needed to be submitted. Though she said that once we re-submitted some certain forms the visa would be approved, and sent to us via courier.

Kind of anti-climactic. No real interview. Just a few simple yes/no questions. No stamp of approval, or other tangible evidence that the visa had been approved.

Wasted Time and Money

Tuesday (the day before) we had gone to pay a fee at CitiBank for the interview. They were happy to sell us a voucher for the fee for a tourist visa interview, even though we had checked with the clerk that this was for an immigrant visa. So now we had wasted over US $100 on this voucher we did not need.

After going between the Consulate and the local CitiBank branch we figured out that we could sell the voucher to someone else as long as the bank put a new name and number with the voucher (something like that, anyway). We did not catch anyone in line without a voucher before lunch time, so we decided that we would feed Kylie, and get something for ourselves as well.

At some point here, while we were waiting at the consulate, we saw the woman pictured above in line at the Consulate. Susana Vieira has been a famous actress for a long time here in Brazil, and is currently playing one of the leading characters in the prime-time novela "Duas Caras" (Two Faces, or Two Sides).

Since we were not allowed to take a camera into the consulate we did not even bother to take it with us. Otherwise we would have at least snapped a picture or two of her.

Then we decided that the best place to wait was the bank. We ended up waiting about a half hour there before someone came in to purchase what we wanted to sell. We felt fortunate and grateful that it only took that long, but were tired and wanted to get back to the apartment and rest. Kylie had a lot of fun flirting with the security guards there, though.

The subway ride back was uneventful, but we somehow got a bus that went the opposite direction from where we wanted to go. Once we discovered and corrected that error we got home safely, if not more than a bit worn from carrying Kylie—not to mention the stress of the day.

We rested, and made plans to visit Cristo Redentor (the Christ the Redeemer statue) the next day.

This entry is part of "Rio de Janeiro: A Series." All the published entries are linked from that entry. Don't want to miss out on the coming entries? Try the RSS feed, or getting updates via email.

Rio de Janeiro: A Series

We are back from our trip to Rio de Janeiro, and while we returned early Sunday morning safe and sound, getting the photos named and uploaded has taken some more time than originally expected. Besides, even if I wrote it up all in one entry a lot of people would not want to read it all. So I decided to write a few smaller entries so that it was more manageable for both the reader and the writer.

Some of the news you likely want to know has already been published. But that small tidbit is likely not enough for most of you.

Here is the list of posts that I will publish in the coming days:

• Day One: Getting There
• Day Two: Blood and The Beach
• Day Three: The Medical Exam
• Day Four: The Visa Interview
• Day Five: O Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer)
• Day Six: Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf)
• Day Seven: Rest and Return
• Rio de Janeiro In Retrospect

As I get the entries posted I will also link to them from this post.

If you are interested in being notified as I post (So you do not have to remember to keep checking back here.) you can sign up to be notified via email. You can do that by either following this link, or by simply putting your email address in the box at the top right corner of this page.

I would like to emphasize that neither I nor the company who sends these emails will spam you. The company is very careful about the sign-up process, as well, so that someone who knows your email address will not be able to sign you up without your permission or knowledge. If you have questions about the process, please feel free to contact me via email. My email is published in my profile.

Enjoy the series!

Going To Rio de Janeiro

It is almost 9 PM here in Teresina, which is late if you are getting up at 2 AM to be at the airport by 3 AM for a 4 AM flight to Rio de Janeiro. We are excited about many things about the trip, and nervous about a few. But we know it is all in God's hands and that those are good hands for it to be in.

We will have adventures to tell, and pictures to show when we get back (and maybe I can do some catch-up posts as well). The visa interview is scheduled for 7:45 AM on the 26th (Wednesday), but Nádya has some medical exams for the visa on the previous two days.

I will try to post here when we know something, but don't have any guarantees when it comes to the internet access.

Visa News: The Countdown Begins

Good news! We have an appointment with the US Consulate in Rio de Janeiro for Nádya's visa!

The interview will be the 26th of March. We just found out this morning, and have a lot of planning to do between now and then. We do not even know when we will need to leave for Rio (but we know at least a day or two before the 26th).

More news as it comes.

While you are here, an update on Patrick and Nyna: Nyna's visa has been approved, and they are heading back here to spend some time with the family before heading off to Florida. They get in tonight at around 11 PM local time.

Pat’s Blog: The Big Trip!

The plane tickets have been purchased! I will be leaving for Brazil on Tuesday, Feb 19th, arriving Wednesday the 20th, around 7 in the morning.

[From Pat’s Blog: The Big Trip!]

After a long wait, Patrick and Nyna finally get to head off and get married! We are very excited for them, and are looking forward to seeing Patrick again. 

For new readers, or those who don't read every entry: Patrick is a good friend Karl met while at Multnomah Bible College, and Nyna is Nádya's sister.

Our own visa process is (as far as we know) moving along behind the scenes in Rio de Janeiro. So we are trying to be patient while waiting. We will keep you posted as soon as we find anything out.

News About Our Visa Process

Our trip to Recife to visit the United States Consulate there was only the beginning of the entire visa process. After that application step, we were to receive more forms to fill out and return to the Consulate in Rio de Janeiro. The problem has been that we have never received these papers.



So, I emailed around after the first of the year to see if there were any developments. It turns out there were: They mailed the papers on the seventh of November—we just never received them! The Consulate sent the papers, but the Correios (the Brazilian post office) never delivered them. Frustrating too, because we will have to send the papers via this same un-reliable system.

Besides this delay being frustrating, we are elated that we can move forward now. Just last night I was lying awake wondering what was going on with the visa, and just when I could introduce my wife and daughter to family and friends.

I am still wondering some of those things, but at least now we know that the next step is in our hands.

Now we are working on getting these papers filled out, and documents collected in order to send them to the Consulate in Rio de Janeiro.

[Update: I did not choose the best wording, and that left some things unclear. The forms have still not arrived in the mail from the Consulate, however, they are also available online. So, we have downloaded the forms and are in the process of filling them out. Hopefully we will have more news soon regarding this. Though I do not know how soon to expect it.]

Recife Trip: Success

We are home after an eventful trip to Recife, but before all the details, here is a quick rundown of our itinerary for the trip:

1. Sunday the 23rd, at 10:15 AM 10:55 AM:Leave for the bus station.
2. 12:30 PM: Bus leaves for Recife.
3. Monday the 24th, at 6:15 AM arrive in Recife.
4. 1:30 PM: Arrive at US Consulate.
5. 2:30 or 3:00 PM Leave US Consulate.
6. 7:15 PM: Bus leaves Recife for Teresina (with us aboard).
7. Tuesday the 25th, noon: Arrive in Teresina.

Does that look grueling enough? It was more than enough for me. I am still recovering!

It is a fairly common thing among Evangelicals when traveling to ask for hospitality and give it in turn. So we thought we would try to save on the hotel that way. On the advice of our pastor here (who had tried to find other arrangements for us ahead of time, as one needs the commendation of a pastor) we asked to be taken to this Baptist Church/Seminary, but ended up at a slightly different church.

We walked in at about 7:15 AM, and to my wonder there was a service going on. On the way to the church from the bus garage Kylie had put her diaper to good use, so we were really in need of somewhere we could change her quickly. Nádya asked someone sitting in the back who the pastor was.

I went down front to where he was sitting, and asked him if we could talk outside for a moment (the music was playing so loud that it was difficult to communicate). It turns out that he was not the pastor—in fact, he did not even go to that church!

He is a missionary from the United States. He was also kind enough to invite us to his home and rest there. It was a beautiful apartment with a wonderful view of the city—which is drastically different from Teresina, and far more beautiful. They were very gracious in offering their home, taking us to lunch, and even offering s'mores (marshmallows are impossible to find). They even dropped us off at the consulate!

At the consulate we were treated very cordially (in stark contrast to last time), and all the applications, forms, and other documents were accepted. I did need two more documents for Kylie's registration, but those can be emailed when I get them. So, it was a successful trip.

I have already had a couple people ask me when we were coming home since the trip was successful. We don't know. This is the first step in the process, now we wait to be called for our big interview in Rio de Janeiro. There will also be some more documents to get for that, as I recall, but hopefully they will inform us what we need to do before we get there. They say they will.

Now we just wait.

[More panoramas of Recife here, and other photos of the trip are coming.]

[composed and posted with ecto]

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Will Travel For Visa

The ink is dried. The writer's cramp is still wearing off my hand. The paper cuts are beginning to heal. The forms are all tucked safely in a nice folder with our passports and work-permits. We even have the bus tickets.

Recife here we come!



We are heading to Recife via bus this Sunday at noon so that we can do two things at the US Consulate:

1. Register Kylie as a citizen of the United States of America.
2. Apply for Nádya's immigration visa.

This is the first step in getting moved to the US. If all goes well the process will take about six months, and who knows, maybe less (okay, so that is not to likely).

It will be a seventeen or eighteen hour bus ride on two-lane roads with a two-month-old. Want to sit behind us?

Very long-time readers may remember that we have made the trip to Recife before. It did not turn out the way we hoped. The rules have changed now, and are a good deal clearer now (at least, so it seems to me). The Consulate even seems to be more ready to answer questions than before.

Other News:

Following are some posts you may have missed if you are not signed up to the email subscription to Karl and Nádya's Blog*:

• Kylie recently turned two months old there is a post about that called: Two Months With Kylie
• We had a beautiful rainbow the other day: Teresina Rainbow
• I also posted a story about burning saltwater that you should read.

*This is a different list than many of you are already on, but still managed by me—I am in the process of trying to switch you over to this list, but you have to sign up for yourselves.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: passports, six months, work permits, kylie, immigration visa, bus ride, teresina, united states of america, Our Activities, Our Story, bus tickets, recife, feedburner

Our Big Goal For 2007

I have never been the type of person to like filling out forms. At all.

No, really, if there is a way to avoid filling out a form I will do it. I suppose this goes back to my kindergarten experience. My teacher was strict, old, and grumpy. Actually, the way I remember it, grumpy does not quite do justice.

I don't remember a lot from that year, but I do remember that my teacher made us write our names ten times per day. It was supposed to be an exercise to learn our alphabet and how to write, but with my name it was just torture. My last name alone is eleven letters long. Put that with my first and middle names (which we were required to write out as well), and the grand total is 19 letters.

I remember one day in particular, all the other students had finished their work and were playing (this turned into a common pattern in my early school days). I was about half way done with writing my name ten times, and seeing all the other students playing was making me very anxious to join them. I decided to go bargain with my teacher. She yelled at me that I needed to finish writing my name or I would never get to play.

Since my bargaining skills proved less than adequate, I ended up (begrudgingly) writing out my name the rest of the ten times, just in time for playtime to be over (which I think was deftly coordinated by the teacher).

Fast forward to today. I married a foreigner, and to get her home I have to fill out forms. Not only this, but I am also responsible for making sure that we fill out the right forms, and that they are submitted to the right place... blah blah blah.


Yes, we have begun looking into getting Nádya's visa again. I spent all day yesterday reading web-pages, emailing lawyers (they want money I can only dream of having), and trying to get some coherent idea of what needs to be done. I can't say I got much of anywhere.

The combination of needing to fill out forms—read: “I sense my doom is near at hand.”—and not knowing what direction to pursue... Lets just say that I am ready to throw in the towel. I am not planning on doing that, but I feel the desire.

All that to say that, yes, one of our goals for 2007 is to move to the US. The three of us are aiming for September. ;)

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: blah blah blah, alphabet, playtime, emailing, i can only dream, i decided, i do remember, reading web, grumpy, Living Outside the US, coherent idea, fast forward, filling out forms, foreigner, kindergarten experience, Our Activities, Our Story, doom, first and middle names

This Works For Now

The interview went well! Nádya started work today. The pay is not “out of this world,” but it is livable. There may be some options for me, as well, but for the moment we are considering what is best. I will let you know when we have more concrete ideas.

In the meantime, a friend wrote yesterday asking a few questions. They were so good that I thought I would reply by creating a new entry, and let you all in on the answers.

You haven't mentioned anything about the World Cup, it must have been a riot when they were winning.

I suppose it was. We moved to Parauapebas in the middle of the “Copa,” so we experienced it in two cities. Here in Teresina the Brazilian flag was everywhere, along with various other forms of decoration. Some of these were (ahem, are): Painting the street with the Brazilian flag, hanging yellow and green streamers from strings, and stretching them across the street, putting the Brazilian flag on the car.... They can get very creative, so this is just a few of them.

Teresina seemed more intense about the decorations (and fireworks) by a long-shot, than Parauapebas, but both towns shut down (including most government facilities) for the games. We were out walking Monday, and saw a flag in the very top of a very tall tree–it was no small flag, either.

[Image: The above image can be found here along with much interesting information about the ball itself.]

The fireworks went off anytime a goal was made. Here in Teresina it was pretty crazy in that way; in Parauapebas after the games (even the final loss) there were a great number of people driving through the streets in a “mom motorcade” honking horns and making a great racket any way they could.

What kind of timeline do you guys have for coming to the states? Or is there one?

Several people have asked this recently. The answer is still “I don't know.” Its kind of lame to keep saying that, but there are so many factors involved, that I can't make any prediction. I don't mind the prospect of staying here for a while, but we need a more stable (robust?) financial situation.

Essentially we are waiting for my Brazilian identification card to come through, which will allow us to apply for Nádya's visa a the US Consulate. Once that comes through (and depending on what obligations we have here when it does come through), we will have a better idea.

I have student loans to pay off, and need to either come up with a way to make enough money to pay them from here, or get back to the US, get a job, and pay them from there.

Most of all, though, I miss friends and family there. Nádya is looking forward to meeting you all, and I am looking forward to introducing you to my wife.

How is your Portuguese coming along? How about Nádya's English?

My Portuguese continues to improve. I have recently hit this patch where I understand almost everything that someone says to me, but may not understand a word or two. This can be very frustrating, but its all a part of learning a new language.

Nádya's family has noticed that I learned a great deal while we were in Parauapebas, and are sometimes surprised at how much I know now. I guess the strangest part for me is that I don't really usually have to think about it that much. I own the vocabulary I know, sometimes I have to think about a word, or two, but in general I am pretty “fluent.”

Nádya's English is doing well. Since we started focusing on my Portuguese, it has kind of taken a back seat, but we do continue to work on it. She helped out a lot with the English classes I taught in Parauapebas, which she said was good review.

Important: If you have questions about what we are up to please comment or email me! I will be happy to answer them the best I can.

Summary of Karl's trip to the States

Whirlwind. It is sort of cliché, but that is how I felt the trip went by. So many people to see, and things to do, and so little time.

I said before I left that I would update while I was there. Unfortunately, I that plan was hampered by a lack of time, as well as an unhealthfully slow internet connection. So, I am doing an update now.

Instead of detailing everything that happened in my little-over-two-week-trip, I think I will overview the major events. Some of the details may be a little messed up, so if the one I mess up is one you know about, let me know. We will go in chronological order:

Wedding:

The primary reason I went was that my brother, Nathan, got married on the 20th. I arrived the 18th in the afternoon, and we had the bachelor party that night (I guess he wanted to be well-rested for the wedding, or some-such.).

The next day, I got to rest a little, as well as having the rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner that night. I recall being very tired, and was probably not a lot of fun to be around.

The food was very good. I do remember that!

Saturday the 20th of May, we did the picture thing before the wedding, and got the ceremony started at noon. I am pretty sure a woman would tell you all about the flowers (which were beautiful), the dress (which was also very chic, as they are saying here in Brazil), the other decorations, and, of course, the bride (I can only think of one more beautiful--mine). I am not a woman, though.

My tux was smelly. The last person that wore it had forgotten to use deodorant, or something. It also became apparent that the designer shoes I was wearing--well, the “designer” forgot the inside part of the shoe... they were pretty uncomfortable.

All of that, though, did not overshadow the very special time with friends and family, and seeing my bro get married. It was a beautiful time, and... Well, how about I quit talking, and show you some pictures. There are more, but these are the highlights. My dad took the pictures, so he is not in any of them for that reason (Just in case you felt left out, dad.).

More information about the photos can be found at our Flickr account (there is a link on the top right-hand side of this page).

Packing:
After the wedding, I rested a bit, and visited with some of the family was around. It was good to see them, as well as my church family on Sunday.

The rest of the week I spent packing my belongings better. My parents are moving, and I needed to get my things in order as much as possible, as they are storing them for me.

I did see a few friends during the week, which was wonderful. I am blessed to have wonderful friends, and very supportive ones, at that.

When I had all my boxes packed, I put them in a little truck my dad owns, and my brother, Ryan, and I headed to my parent's new home in Idaho. My mother's parent's live near there, as well as other family, so we visited them as well. Another great weekend.

Of course, it was quite a drive; essentially, two days of driving, and one day to visit and rest.

I knew I had to sell some things in order to make the finances work, as well as everything fitting in the storage space. So, undaunted by the impossibility of the tasks (well, “undaunted” might be exaggerated a little lot), I looked in the first places I could think of to sell. God blessed my efforts, and everything I had to sell sold within that week. With one exception, and it looks like my '71 Jimmy is going to sell as soon as we get the title stuff worked out.

The last weekend, I saw more friends, and visited my home church once more.

What's With This Job?
I got some emails after the last entry asking what the deal was with my new job. Sorry, I have not kept you very up-to-date on that.

Nádya's brother works at a company that he really likes, and gives him great benefits. So, he was able to hook us up with jobs there. Since we are in “hurry up and wait” mode, we decided to give it a shot.

As a result, it looks like we will be here another year, at the least. We are looking forward to having our own house, as well as me having a job. It would have been nice for both of us to visit together for this reason, but that did not work out, due to the huge wait time for visas to the US at the moment.

Yeah, I will miss my family, friends, and guitars for another year, but that is better than being away from my wife for any amount of time. We (at the moment, at least) plan to visit next year sometime. There are a million and six possiblities between here and there, though, so don't start making big plans yet. :D

Nádya Update:
She is feeling quite good today. Good enough to be pulling pranks and making jokes all day. As I have said before, we get the results of the biopsy on Tuesday.

Take your vitamins!

Hi there, its been a while, hasn't it.

I am more, or less, recovered from the illness the last couple of entries mentioned. But I still ended up going to the doctor to get poked, prodded, and X-rayed. The good news is that they determined from the X-ray that I do have lungs; even better, they are clean. We are still waiting for other test results (blood tests for Dengue—yeah, I know—and who knows what else).
One of the doctor's concerns is stress, so he prescribed a ton of B vitamins. Looking back, I have been stressed, and there are a ton of factors that go into that. I won't bore you with all of them, but one major thing is being in a foreign country for a protracted amount of time, and not knowing a return date.

We are still waiting on one peice of paper so that we can start the other paperwork. They said "within the next month," a month ago, so I am not sure where we stand with that.

I am looking forward to getting "home" and seeing friends and family again (though, the latter more so than the former). It should be somtime this year, and I assure you that I will let you know here very soon after I know.

If you want to know how best to pray for us, please email me.

Make up your mind, Karl!

So, looks like my illness was incorrectly assessed. It was not Dengue Fever. I still recommend not getting that disease, though.

I don't have a name for what I had. Evidently all my symptoms were the result of some sort of throat infection. I went to the doctor the night I wrote the last post, because I was still feeling ill. He said that I needed antibiotics, an injection, and a throat spray.

I am still recovering, but the worst, by far, is over. The doctor said that there is no Dengue in these parts this time of year.

Some minor news on the paperwork we are waiting for: I now have an internet site I go to every day to see if the papers have arrived. I am not sure of this, but I think that means the papers have been approved, and I am just waiting for them to arrive in Teresina.

Paperwork Update

We called the Policia Federal yesterday to see if my documents were ready.

As you might recall, if you read this regularly, I took the documents in on the 27th of January. We then visited the 6th of February just to see if there was a chance they were ready. They had not yet sent them in, but were going to do so that day (they said).

When we called yesterday, they said, "Have patience! We just sent them in on the 15th."

Part of me wishes that I could just rant about this for awhile. The other part, though, says that would not do much good, and would not make for a very good entry here. Besides, I have so many things to be grateful for, that this is not a huge deal (okay, it is, and it isn't).

I have another interview today. This one is with a college here in town, and will take place at 11:30 AM Pacific. I have already met with the President of the college, and she is very interested in having me teach the teachers. I am not sure what all this will entail, but I will let you know soon.

You might have noticed that there is a new button on the right-hand column of this page. It should let you know if I am online with Skype or not.

I should have another entry up tomorrow with my assessment of the interview. Have a good day.

[Update: The interview did not work out today, we will try again tomorrow at 11 AM local (6AM Pacific).]

Paperwork Arrived!

We should have let you know yesterday, but we were to busy celebrating.

The paperwork we were waiting for arrived yesterday (Thursday) around noon, and I took it to the appropriate place in the afternoon. We don't know how long we will have to wait for it to process, but we were told another month. We are praying that it will go faster than that. As an act of faith we plan to call in two weeks to see if it is ready.

Pray with us that it will be processed quickly. And, thanks to those of you who have been praying with us so far.

The day before the big day.

Wow... Its kinda crazy around here. Friends and family are in and out of the house, things are being staged for the party. Its kind of exciting. Of course, I was already excited... Anyway, just thought that I would let you all know that everything is going fine. Could be that I won't respond to emails etc. very rapidly at times this month, as Nádya is on vacation, and we have some travel plans in the works. we will also be working on getting her visa, which remains a “work in progress” because we are having trouble getting information as to where we need to start.

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