82 long days

After our last snippet of information was received from USCIS on June 25th, we have heard nothing positive. We received a letter to say we didn’t file the medical records so we must take that to the interview when we receive a date…well that would be all good and well if we would be receiving our interview date any time soon! It’s been 82 days exactly since USCIS received our latest request for evidence. Yes, I counted. After 60 days of hearing nothing you are allowed to call and ask questions. After 82 days I am growing increasingly frustrated. I have called two or three times in the last couple of weeks and after calling today, I was told “You are still within the normal processing times for this type of case so you must wait now to receive an interview date” Oh how nice it must be to spew out this information to frustrated petitioners at home while you have a job and an income!

It’s becoming incredibly boring checking the mail everyday and staring into an empty box. I feel like I cannot look forward to anything anymore. Family members birthdays, Christmas. I have no money to contribute to anything. Yes of course Adam provides for our family but I want to contribute too! I want to be able to go out and see something desirable for our home and buy it there on the spot because I am working and I have the money to do so! Instead I am just able to dream about the day that I can do that and leave the item on the shelf.

Adam frequently reminds me that this is a journey we embarked on together and one we will face together. As frustrating as it is to sit at home with no money and no car, it warms my heart when he says that because I know he will truly always be by my side. And he is right, this is a journey we decided to start together and we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we filed that paperwork a long five months ago.

My frustrations come from the waiting; the unknown. Will I be able to work by Christmas or will I be waiting until next March? Another one of my unanswered questions that I must wait a possible further 82 days to find a resolution to.

Me vs Texas weather

If you told me at the start of the year that I would one day grow to love thunderstorms, I’d have laughed in your face. They were one of my biggest fears; I hated them. The wind that came along with them, the lightning and worst of all, the thunder. When I experienced my first Texas storm; the dark clouds rolling in and the thunder bellowing above our apartment, it was intense. This was a whole new ball game of storms and I didn’t think I was ready for it. Not only this, I was told “Oh that was just a mild storm!” MILD. To me, the walls of our third story apartment building shaking and car alarms being set off by the rumbling of the thunder did not constitute mild! I wasn’t sure that I would be ready for the intensity that Texas was about to throw at me!

Now? I never thought I’d say it, I love thunderstorms! They are so different from what I have previously experienced in England. If the first Texas storm I experienced was mild then the UK storms were just child’s play. Having downloaded multiple weather apps on my phone and following weather updates on social media, I now get excited at the prospect of a new storm coming our way! The bright, dazzling fork lightning and the deep roar of the thunder that takes a hold of our apartment building and rattles it from top to bottom. It is truly incredible. My favorite part of a storm has to be the thunder; once I see the flash of light, I know what is coming and I anticipate the arrival of the thunder. How strong will it be? Will it shake the apartment this time? (I really secretly enjoy when it does!) One evening while in bed, a storm hit the area so hard. There was no pause between lightning and thunder; no chance for the thunder to pass before the next strike of lightning could hit. When we woke in the morning, our pictures had fallen off the walls in our living room. We can only assume that the power of the thunder had forced them from their holdings. Now that is intense!

Of course thunderstorms can be a truly beautiful sight to see, but they can also bring the threat of serious danger. Tornadoes. Something that truly scares me to my core. This past month, there have been multiple tornadoes not only across Texas but Oklahoma and Illinois to name a few. They bring absolute devastation to cities, homes, families and lives. It is hard to imagine what it must be like to experience such a powerful act of nature and it is so incredibly heartbreaking that some families have to experience such desolation.

While storms can be phenomenal to experience, it is also important to remember that should things take a turn for the worst and severity occur, listen to the warnings. I have educated myself on the difference between a tornado “watch” and a tornado “warning” and this is something that can save lives. I have learnt very quickly not to panic when I receive a tornado watch notification on my phone or see it on the news. It is a scary prospect but is not something to be taken lightly.

I am learning to embrace and love the unpredictable Texas weather! However, like many others, I am ready and waiting for the arrival of the summer heat!