An update, with good news in it!

Rosemary here, to tell you the good news that USCIS has approved our application for Chris to get permanent residency! We didn't have any real doubts that it would happen, but the wait has been long and torturous at times, not having any way to know where they were in the process, if they'd even started looking at our application yet, or how much longer it would take. So now we're waiting for instructions on what to do next, because this doesn't mean that he can cross the border quite yet, just that the longest part is over. Still have more documents to turn in, and the application now goes to the National Visa Center for yet further processing... not sure exactly how long that will take but from what we hear it shouldn't be too long. So we're very happy at least that things are moving along, and hopefully my next trip up to visit Chris will end in me bringing him home with me finally!

Aside from this, I have long been planning on writing a blog post with an update on things in general, but had been procrastinating as I always do (the reason why most of the posts are written by Chris). But this good news has given me motivation to write!

Just over a week ago I returned from another wonderful trip up to BC. I've been able to make it up to visit Chris for a few days every month, which would make this my fourth trip. Each time I've gone up, we've managed to get in a bit of camping, and this last trip took us out to Vancouver Island, where we camped along a logging road a few miles inland from the western coast, a bit south of Tofino. We spent both the last day of 2010 (which was Chris's birthday) and the first day of 2011 on a beautiful beach, catching some much-needed sun through our many layers of clothing, for it was also very cold!

You can see more pictures from our recent adventures in the new album to the left: Adventures in BC!

Aside from spending time up north with Chris when I can, I've been busy back in my hometown in Oregon, busy making connections and getting started on my new journey of midwifery. I've connected with an amazing living opportunity for us once Chris gets down here... but I will refrain from writing more details about it until it actually happens, for, as I have recently experienced, things don't always go as you plan and sometimes a last-minute wrench can change your direction entirely. But hopefully this one will work out!

It has been nice being back in my home region, which I have missed ever since I left it in 2003. I like that it rained on Christmas, and that the temperature these days is hovering around freezing and a few degrees above: it's cold, but not the bone-chilling, eyelash frosting, icy windy frigidness of Montreal at this time of year. And it's getting close to pea-planting time already! And bulbs are already poking their new shoots out of the ground. Oh, and I saw a furry white pussy willow last week! Though I'm thinking that pussy willow might be a bit confused, since we have had a very mild winter so far. I remember pussy willows normally being more of a February finding.

I hope that the new calendar year of 2011 is treating you all well so far! And I hope that I get around to writing more often here! Certainly once our new plans are in motion, we will share them with you...