Silver lining

This evening I felt a pull to write on the blog. I know it has been a LONG time since the last entry. Even if no one else reads this it feels important to document and update where things are on this journey so that I may reflect on them in the future.
Tomorrow James and Maelle arrive in Minneapolis. This makes my heart happy for SO many reasons. It has only been 1 1/2 months since I was in France and last with James. This has been the shortest time we have ever been apart and yet it feels like all of the others, long! Since my visit to France in May we have had some progress in the paperwork department. I am happy to report that we now have the "livret des famille" (translation=family book, also known as our French marriage license). It feels victorious to FINALLY have this document as it has been a challenging 6 months of paperwork since getting married.
This is the last document needed for me to go to Chicago and apply for the visa in person. Due to our lack of confidence in the mail systems James will be bringing this document with him and delivering it to me in person. So sometime in July I will be traveling to Chicago and appear at the French Consulate to request my "long stay visa for a spouse of a French National." If there are no further barriers, after this meeting it is approximately 3 weeks until the visa is approved and then mailed to me!
In addition to this visit being another opportunity to spend time together, it includes a big event. Our niece will be getting married and this will be the first time in about 10 years that James, his siblings, and their children will be together all at the same time. So while this delay has occurred in me getting to France, it is definitely one of the silver linings that I have found.  This reunion is happening and likely would not have been possible if I were in France busy trying to get established in a new job and transitioning to our life together in France.
I look forward to the next 10 days, sharing time with James, his family and my family and friends. It is a little bittersweet when I think of this visit as I am not sure when the next time we will all be in the States together. What I do know is that I will cherish the memories that these few weeks will bring us just as I have all of the other times I have been able to share life with my husband. I don't wish this long distance/bureaucratic/paperwork nightmare upon anyone, but it has taught me to make each moment count and cherish the little things as much as the big.