What's for dinner tonight?

Collin and I both love food - no matter if it is homemade or from a restaurant. In Germany we went out to eat about twice a week, sometimes even more often. We were living in a very rural area with many neat little Bavarian restaurants. The food was great and very cheap. Most of the time we didn't pay more than 20 Euros and that included drinks, an appetizer, and two main dishes. After moving back to the US, we realized we couldn't continue with this habit because going out to eat is so much more expensive here (By the way, whatever happened to 10% tips? Is 20% really the new standard? We need to give servers a regular wage!).

Therefore we have been cutting down on eating out drastically. I cook every night. Sometimes I stick to our regular meals that are easy and fast to make. Sometimes I try something new. And sometimes we just eat leftovers from the previous night.

Here are a few of the meals I prepared recently:

Mushroom Cheeseburger

Peppered Salmon in a Creamy Lemon Olive Sauce with Rice

Cheesy Broccoli Bacon Macaroni

Schitzel with Sauteed Mushrooms and Homemade French Fries

Tomato Mozzarella Chicken and Parmesan Penne

Cauliflower Quiche

What are you favorite meals to cook? Do you have a set number of meals that you just rotate? Do you try to cook something new every now and then?

There is always more.

It seems as if life never slows down for me. Even though I am about to earn my German engineering degree by the end of this year, I can't seem to stop thinking about what will be on my agenda next. I always want more which, on one hand, is probably a good thing but, on the hand, it always makes life a little more stressful.

Today I came up with some goals that I would like to have accomplished in a year from today:

1. Get into Grad school! Of course, this is the first item on my list. After submitting my application to Johns Hopkins University, I am this close to completing my goal. If, for some reason, it doesn't work out, I will definitely look into other options once Collin and I know his next duty station.
   
   
2. Get my engineer-in-training (EIT) license! I am considering registering for the Fundamentals of Engineering (F.E.) exam fairly soon. The exam is only twice a year (April and October). I would like to get it out of the way by April, so that I can get my license before we move again. Which brings me to my next point...
   
   
3. Find a job! I don't know how tough this one will be. But with an EIT license and a possible graduate degree in progress chances will be a lot better for me in the future than they are right now.
   

Life is never dull and always busy I think I am okay with that.

PS: Everyone who has been following my "green card journey" for the past 28 months: I decided to just get it over with. On November 19, I'll be flying to Washington State. I'll be there until November 27. Not only will I be able to go to my interview and get all this immigration mess resolved, I will also be able to spend some quality time with my in-laws which I am looking forward to very much. I hope this will be the end of a long journey!

How something straighforward can be ridiculously complicated.

Since I am not a US citizen (at least not yet), I still have to deal with the so-called USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) every once in a while. The emphasis is on “every once in a while” as in “not every month”.

Let me tell you a little bit about it.

In 2004 I applied for a fiancée visa which allowed me to come to the USA with the intention to get married within 90 days after entering the country. This process took only five months and was fairly easy and straightforward. In 2005, after Collin and I got married, I applied for a conditional green card good for two years. It also took only five months to complete this step. After two years, in 2007, I applied for the removal of those conditions. USCIS just wanted to make sure that we were still happily married. Eventually this would lead to me obtaining a 10-year green card.

Well, this process should have only taken six to twelve months. It has been over two years now – 28 months to be exact!

You might be wondering what is taking them so long. Maybe our move to Germany (on military orders) messed up my case?

Well, it did at one point but it shouldn’t have. Our move was based on military orders. Any US military post in a foreign country is considered US soil meaning that we actually lived in the US even though we were in Germany. We even had a US address there.

When I submitted my application in 2007, all they needed to do is review my case and send me a new green card to our US address in Germany. This never happened. At least not on my case.

For the past twelve months I have been going back and forth with USCIS. I went to their offices to get information on my case. They sent me letters explaining what I had to do to get all my issues resolved. In the end it turned out my case was put on hold because of my husband’s overseas assignment.

To make a long story short:

My mother-in-law texted me a couple days ago telling me that she (Don't ask me why they didn't sent it to me.) received a letter from USCIS with an interview date for November 24.

You might think “That’s awesome!”

It would be awesome if the interview wasn’t in SEATTLE, WA. On the other side of the country.

I am so fed up with USCIS. They put me in this situation and now I have to get it resolved within the next two weeks before my case would be considered abandoned (because of a no-show) making me an illegal alien. Yes, that’s right. ILLLEGAL.

I have been sending out emails and making appointments to change my interview location. At one point, I have actually considered flying to Seattle, WA. It’s still on my mind (Because I freaking LOVE Seattle!). My mother-in-law wants me to come. Just to get it over with. Plus, we could see New Moon together (I have my priorities!).

We’ll see. I’ll keep you updated.

To my husband - a veteran.

Thank you Collin!

Thank you for being such a great and dedicated soldier!

Boot camp graduation in September 2005.

AIT Graduation in February 2006.

Before he left on his 15-month deployment to Iraq in August 2007.

Some time during his deployment in 2007-2008.

October 23, 2008 - The day Collin came back home from his first deployment.

And thank you to all the other veterans out there!

What giving is all about.

It's that time of year again. I am slowly starting to stress out about Christmas and all the gift giving that comes with it.

During previous years I had been a last-minute shopper. I usually procrastinated thinking and purchasing any sort of presents for Collin and my family until the very last week before Christmas. On top of that, coming up with the perfect present always seemed like a chore - something I didn't want to deal with during a time that is supposed to be festive, warm, joyful - pretty much anything but stressful. This year I am taking a different approach though.

Collin and I (well, actually it was just me) decided to spend no more then $20 on each person (that includes his side of the family and my family). You might think that $20 doesn't sound like very much but times it by ten and you get the point.

Additionally, we are tired of spending money on DVDs, iPod accessories or any other gadgets. So, this year we will solely rely on Etsy and crafted gifts. It does take some time to find some neat and useful items that are also inexpensive but I have come across some really great Etsy shops.

(c) your wishcake

(c) Little Whimseys

(c) Julip Bags

(c) Crystal's Creations and Gifts

Also, since there is a ton of yarn lying around in our house, I am planning on busting out my knitting needles again to knit some socks, scarves and/or hats - something that is always appreciated for Christmas and the upcoming winter season.

With this in mind, I hope that this year's Christmas will be much less stressful and more joyful because, hey, I like all these Etsy goodies myself and would be very grateful if I was the one receiving them.

What will you be giving this year? I would love to hear your ideas (especially gift ideas for men - I still haven't found the perfect present for Collin's and my dad)!