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.
The path of unknowns
Monday, March 14, 2011
As some might expect this post to be written by the new Mrs. Leger who is residing in France, I am unfortunately not able to say that, not the France part at least. The end of 2010 was pretty magical to say the least. James arrived, we spent Christmas together with my family and his family that are here in the states. It was as if the stars had aligned if only for a few weeks time. The day of the wedding was perfect! As a girl growing up you imagine what your wedding day will look like and how you will feel but this exceeded my dreams. I could feel the love and happiness all around James and I. The only thing that would have made it any more perfect was to have all of our family with us.
James and I spent the 3 days following our wedding trying to soak it all in. He left on January 3rd and the plan was to wait for the marriage license to be returned, submit it to the French government for them to issue their version of the marriage license, go to Chicago with this document and a few others to apply for the spouse visa, and be in France by March 6th. This would be the shortest time we would have to be apart and yet none of this has gone according to plan. James is back in France, I am still in the states. The French consulate has not issued their version of the marriage license and report that there is some form we missed filling out prior to the wedding(that no one told us about in all of our communication with the consulate and the local government in France that James spoke to). As a result of this we have been told that they can take up to a year to register our marriage. This presents a huge barrier as that document is needed to apply for the spouse visa.
As March 6th has come and gone, the plane ticket that was booked for that date has been moved to April. It is highly unlikely that anything else will be sorted out in the next month and so the next big decision is, do I go to France for 90 days to see if we can figure any of this out from there or at a minimum get to spend 90 days next to my husband? This of course entails many other decisions. Things like leaving my job, not being able to work in France without a visa, being able to financially make it with future employment being unknown, what to do after those 90 days are up? And then of course should we have to both appear at the consulate in Chicago that will require 2 airfares and the list goes on.
It seems familiar to be sitting in a spot of big decisions once again and not having a crystal ball to know which path to take. I would be lying if I said that I have remained calm through all of this. I mean how do you make it okay in your head (let alone your heart) that your husband is over 4000 miles away and you have to be apart due to paperwork and things that you thought were all figured out? I don't know what the "right" path is but I do know that only getting to spend 3 days with your husband isn't the right path either.
Tomorrow is James birthday, I should be there with him to celebrate! That was the plan. Instead I shipped a gift and will wish him a happy birthday through the computer screen. The only thing that can make that better is to believe that this is the last birthday I have to spend apart from him and be able to hold on to the fact that I have found my heart's match (that makes me one lucky person)!
James and I spent the 3 days following our wedding trying to soak it all in. He left on January 3rd and the plan was to wait for the marriage license to be returned, submit it to the French government for them to issue their version of the marriage license, go to Chicago with this document and a few others to apply for the spouse visa, and be in France by March 6th. This would be the shortest time we would have to be apart and yet none of this has gone according to plan. James is back in France, I am still in the states. The French consulate has not issued their version of the marriage license and report that there is some form we missed filling out prior to the wedding(that no one told us about in all of our communication with the consulate and the local government in France that James spoke to). As a result of this we have been told that they can take up to a year to register our marriage. This presents a huge barrier as that document is needed to apply for the spouse visa.
As March 6th has come and gone, the plane ticket that was booked for that date has been moved to April. It is highly unlikely that anything else will be sorted out in the next month and so the next big decision is, do I go to France for 90 days to see if we can figure any of this out from there or at a minimum get to spend 90 days next to my husband? This of course entails many other decisions. Things like leaving my job, not being able to work in France without a visa, being able to financially make it with future employment being unknown, what to do after those 90 days are up? And then of course should we have to both appear at the consulate in Chicago that will require 2 airfares and the list goes on.
It seems familiar to be sitting in a spot of big decisions once again and not having a crystal ball to know which path to take. I would be lying if I said that I have remained calm through all of this. I mean how do you make it okay in your head (let alone your heart) that your husband is over 4000 miles away and you have to be apart due to paperwork and things that you thought were all figured out? I don't know what the "right" path is but I do know that only getting to spend 3 days with your husband isn't the right path either.
Tomorrow is James birthday, I should be there with him to celebrate! That was the plan. Instead I shipped a gift and will wish him a happy birthday through the computer screen. The only thing that can make that better is to believe that this is the last birthday I have to spend apart from him and be able to hold on to the fact that I have found my heart's match (that makes me one lucky person)!
A date has been set
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
I know it has been FAR too long since I have given a proper update. SO much has happened in the last few months. After James and the girls left to return to France we spent weeks trying to figure out the process of how to be on the same continent. We looked at many visa options and it was so frustrating trying to figure out the documents needed for them. The plan that seemed the most appropriate for us was for me to file for a fiancee visa. This would allow me to reside in France, then marry James, and stay in the country (however it still did not allow me the opportunity to work). We began to try and gather the documents needed for this visa. It seemed that every corner we turned there was some other ridiculous document needed. I mean how in the world do you prove you are single and then once you have figured that out have that document "officially" translated into French?!?! It seemed that the more we dug into this process the more discouraging it became. It didn't help that the French Consulate isn't the most helpful source of information.
I was linked up to a friend of James' sister who is a French native and married to an American woman. We chatted and he asked why we hadn't considered getting married in the US and then apply for the spouse visa for France. Well that was not something considered because we thought we had our "plan" figured out a different way. To make a really long story short it proves to be MUCH easier to get married in the US. So that is what we are doing! After much contemplation about how we wanted to do the wedding (a small justice of the peace and bigger wedding later, a justice of the peace, wedding in France and then celebration back in MN...) it was decided that we would do a "proper" wedding here in the US with a reception and then do a wedding celebration in France.
So within 4-5 weeks we have planned a wedding. It is amazing to think that most people make these plans over a years time. I am delighted to report that we are all ready to go (minus the little things yet to do) and we will be getting married on December 30th!!! Our friends and family have been very supportive in our change of plans and have been able to embrace our nontraditional path of life. Most of our love affair hasn't been traditional so why should we start now right :)
James arrives in MN 3 weeks from tomorrow and will get to spend Christmas here. I don't think words can express how excited I am for what the next month has in store for us!!!
22 days until James arrives
31 days until I am Mrs. Leger :)
I was linked up to a friend of James' sister who is a French native and married to an American woman. We chatted and he asked why we hadn't considered getting married in the US and then apply for the spouse visa for France. Well that was not something considered because we thought we had our "plan" figured out a different way. To make a really long story short it proves to be MUCH easier to get married in the US. So that is what we are doing! After much contemplation about how we wanted to do the wedding (a small justice of the peace and bigger wedding later, a justice of the peace, wedding in France and then celebration back in MN...) it was decided that we would do a "proper" wedding here in the US with a reception and then do a wedding celebration in France.
So within 4-5 weeks we have planned a wedding. It is amazing to think that most people make these plans over a years time. I am delighted to report that we are all ready to go (minus the little things yet to do) and we will be getting married on December 30th!!! Our friends and family have been very supportive in our change of plans and have been able to embrace our nontraditional path of life. Most of our love affair hasn't been traditional so why should we start now right :)
James arrives in MN 3 weeks from tomorrow and will get to spend Christmas here. I don't think words can express how excited I am for what the next month has in store for us!!!
22 days until James arrives
31 days until I am Mrs. Leger :)
He picked me...
Monday, August 30, 2010
There were many memories made during the time James and the girls were here in MN. Towards the end of the trip we were talking and trying to decide what our favorite parts were. It was decided mutually that it's the little things that mattered the most...getting to sleep next to each other, going for walks, grabbing a coffee together, watching a movie sitting on the couch together, holding hands, random kisses. The general theme of these magical moments is that it is all of the little daily things that we miss getting to do together. Each and every one of these moments was truly wonderful!
With that said, there was an event during these two weeks that stands out. James and I have had many conversations about spending the rest of our lives together. We both know that we have found our "match" in this world and it would just be a matter of time before we began our forever after. Fast forward to Saturday afternoon...I am sitting out by the pool watching the kids swim when James' sister says "Lynn we need to run an errand, can you come with?" I of course said yes. I entered the house and asked James where we needed to go. He replied that we needed to go get some kimchee(a korean food). I asked why we needed kimchee when we were all going out to dinner and he stated that he wanted to bring some back with him to France (not unusual as I brought him some in February). He and I had gone to the Asian Food store the night before but had not gone to the location that has the GOOD kimchee. Therefore James' sister was going to come along and show us where we needed to go. We all jump in the car and she stated that she needed to run by the mall first to pick something up for the girls.
We arrive at the mall and all of a sudden find ourselves in a jewelry store (one of which we had been in to look at rings during the last few weeks). I was encouraged to show which ring I thought was the prettiest and then asked to put it on to "show" how great it was. I obliged and when I had it on my finger James stated "it's yours!" I looked at him was confusion and really thought the two of them were joking. He continued to say "it's yours" as I stood there shocked. James then proceeded to say that I could not have it yet because he needed to propose to me properly.
We then left the mall with the ring and went to Silver Lake Park. We walked over to an area that is very picturesque and James then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I of course said YES!!!! We then went for a walk into the wooded area and sat on a bench to talk. Then it really hit me, he just asked me to marry him!!! The tears started to flow and I assured him that they were happy tears! I just kept thinking, "he picked me!" Of all of the people in the world that he wants to spend the rest of his life with, it's me!!!
The rest of the evening consisted of having dinner with James' family and the girls (both of which were very happy with the news). Then we met up with my family and were able to do a toast before leaving for Minneapolis.
We were lucky enough to get these events on film thanks to Ellie and my family! Here are a few of the pictures of this memorable day!!!
So while there is no official countdown to list at this time, we are focusing on the fact that each day is one day closer to forever (and I can't wait)!!!
With that said, there was an event during these two weeks that stands out. James and I have had many conversations about spending the rest of our lives together. We both know that we have found our "match" in this world and it would just be a matter of time before we began our forever after. Fast forward to Saturday afternoon...I am sitting out by the pool watching the kids swim when James' sister says "Lynn we need to run an errand, can you come with?" I of course said yes. I entered the house and asked James where we needed to go. He replied that we needed to go get some kimchee(a korean food). I asked why we needed kimchee when we were all going out to dinner and he stated that he wanted to bring some back with him to France (not unusual as I brought him some in February). He and I had gone to the Asian Food store the night before but had not gone to the location that has the GOOD kimchee. Therefore James' sister was going to come along and show us where we needed to go. We all jump in the car and she stated that she needed to run by the mall first to pick something up for the girls.
We arrive at the mall and all of a sudden find ourselves in a jewelry store (one of which we had been in to look at rings during the last few weeks). I was encouraged to show which ring I thought was the prettiest and then asked to put it on to "show" how great it was. I obliged and when I had it on my finger James stated "it's yours!" I looked at him was confusion and really thought the two of them were joking. He continued to say "it's yours" as I stood there shocked. James then proceeded to say that I could not have it yet because he needed to propose to me properly.
We then left the mall with the ring and went to Silver Lake Park. We walked over to an area that is very picturesque and James then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I of course said YES!!!! We then went for a walk into the wooded area and sat on a bench to talk. Then it really hit me, he just asked me to marry him!!! The tears started to flow and I assured him that they were happy tears! I just kept thinking, "he picked me!" Of all of the people in the world that he wants to spend the rest of his life with, it's me!!!
The rest of the evening consisted of having dinner with James' family and the girls (both of which were very happy with the news). Then we met up with my family and were able to do a toast before leaving for Minneapolis.
We were lucky enough to get these events on film thanks to Ellie and my family! Here are a few of the pictures of this memorable day!!!
Today is the day...
Saturday, August 7, 2010
James and the girls are arriving in Minneapolis in less than 1 hour!!! It is hard to believe that the last time I entered something on the blog the countdown was at 115 days. I am not going to say that the last 115 days has flown by because that isn't true, I have missed him every single minute of those 115 days.
The next two weeks will be an amazing time for James, the girls, and I. I am so excited to share my world here in MN with them. I feel like today my two worlds will finally be one (even if it's only for a few weeks). I am over the moon for him to meet my friends and family and to be able to spend time with him and the girls.
There are many memories to be made. The first being getting a much needed hug and kiss from James!!! That will truly be a priceless moment that I have been waiting for ever since leaving him in Paris six month ago.
PS Only 51 minutes until that plane lands and my heart can feel complete again!!!
The next two weeks will be an amazing time for James, the girls, and I. I am so excited to share my world here in MN with them. I feel like today my two worlds will finally be one (even if it's only for a few weeks). I am over the moon for him to meet my friends and family and to be able to spend time with him and the girls.
There are many memories to be made. The first being getting a much needed hug and kiss from James!!! That will truly be a priceless moment that I have been waiting for ever since leaving him in Paris six month ago.
PS Only 51 minutes until that plane lands and my heart can feel complete again!!!
Je parle français!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
It is hard to believe that I have been back from Paris for over two months now. James and I have had many discussion about our "next steps." As I have mentioned before, spending time with James in France felt like being home. So the plan is that the next time I step on French soil, it it is to make France my home for a while. In my free time (insert sarcastic tone here) I have been investigating job opportunities in Paris and this has proved to be an overwhelming task. Here in the states I feel like I have many skills to market myself in a few different career areas but not speaking French greatly limits my options of gaining employment in France (along with all of the bureaucratic paperwork). It has been my intention from early on to learn French. Not only will this be a wonderful thing to share with James but I will be able to communicate with his daughters and friends and not have to be the "American who only speaks English." It will also be important when I want to be exploring France and serving as a tour guide to the many visitors I hope to have when I am living there.
So I took the plunge a few weeks back and signed up for a French class through community education. I had looked into specific French organizations here but classes were $400+ for 10 weeks, hello not realistic! I didn't have great expectations for the community education class knowing that some of them can be great and others not so much. I am happy to report that I attended my first "official" French class this evening!! It was great!!! I was pleasantly surprised by my teacher. She was very organized, had an outline for this evening's class and even gave a significant amount of homework to do before next week. I can honestly say"Je parle français," well at least a little bit! Taking this class makes me feel like there is forward progress and it is one step closer to being with James in France.
I am happy to report that James is one step closer to being in MN too!!! There is officially another countdown in order! James AND his daughters will be traveling to MN in August and spending 2 weeks with me. I can't tell you how much this has elevated my spirits! To have a date on the calendar when I will get to hug him, kiss him, hold his hand, and see that big radiant smile in person is truly priceless right now! While sightseeing in MN is nothing in comparison to the sights of Paris and London that we shared together in February, being able to share my life in MN with them for a short while is going to be wonderful. I am excited for them to meet my family and friends and for my two worlds to be joined as one, even if it is only for a few weeks.
So with no further delay, let's get this countdown started...115 days!!!
So I took the plunge a few weeks back and signed up for a French class through community education. I had looked into specific French organizations here but classes were $400+ for 10 weeks, hello not realistic! I didn't have great expectations for the community education class knowing that some of them can be great and others not so much. I am happy to report that I attended my first "official" French class this evening!! It was great!!! I was pleasantly surprised by my teacher. She was very organized, had an outline for this evening's class and even gave a significant amount of homework to do before next week. I can honestly say"Je parle français," well at least a little bit! Taking this class makes me feel like there is forward progress and it is one step closer to being with James in France.
I am happy to report that James is one step closer to being in MN too!!! There is officially another countdown in order! James AND his daughters will be traveling to MN in August and spending 2 weeks with me. I can't tell you how much this has elevated my spirits! To have a date on the calendar when I will get to hug him, kiss him, hold his hand, and see that big radiant smile in person is truly priceless right now! While sightseeing in MN is nothing in comparison to the sights of Paris and London that we shared together in February, being able to share my life in MN with them for a short while is going to be wonderful. I am excited for them to meet my family and friends and for my two worlds to be joined as one, even if it is only for a few weeks.
So with no further delay, let's get this countdown started...115 days!!!
Tu me manque
Sunday, March 21, 2010
It doesn't seem possible that a month ago today I was crawling into bed next to James for the last night of my time in Paris. It seems so much longer than that since the last time I got to kiss him goodnight. My last day in Paris was wonderful. James and I spent the day sightseeing in Paris with Maelle, one of his daughters. It was truly wonderful to get to see the Dad side of him in action. That day in Paris was truly bittersweet. On one hand it was wonderful to be in the city that I love so much with the love of my life. On the other hand I was dreading each passing hour as I knew it meant that the time would arrive when I would have to say goodbye. If a genie had appeared that day I would have surely asked for time to stand still. Instead I tried my best to smile and soak in every last second. On the drive home that last night we listened to "our songs" and held hands in the car with tears running down both of our faces. I am not sure that I slept much that last night as I knew that waking up meant I had to leave for the airport. On the way to the airport we stopped at the bakery for one last croissant. At the airport we went through the motions of finding the ticket counter I had to check in at and checking my luggage (which was NOT over the weight limit this time). We then proceed to the security area and arrived to find a pretty long line. Suddenly it was time to say goodbye. Amongst all of the tears we kissed and hugged each other. Not knowing when the next time I would be able to do this, I definitely held on a little tighter. Maelle began to cry and we did a group hug. I knew that there would be things I wanted to say to him but wouldn't be able to, so I had written him a note before leaving for the airport that morning and tucked it in his pocket when saying goodbye. There was one last kiss and I started the walk through the zig zag security line. James and Maelle stayed and watched me until the very last second they could see me, they blew me a kiss and then they were gone from sight. I am pretty sure that the other passengers flying didn't quite know what to make of me. I did my best to cry silently as I sat on the plane waiting to take off. Once we were in flight and I couldn't stop crying I thought it would be a good idea to take out my journal that I had brought with and try and write through the tears. As I jotted down some things I didn't want to forget about my time in Paris for whatever reason I flipped a few pages ahead. There was a note from James and petals from my Valentine roses. This definitely brought on the tears even stronger. As I got ready that morning I sat looking at my flowers and was thankful that I had taken a picture of them since I had to leave them behind. Now I sat looking at the petals knowing that he had thought the same thing and wanted to send a piece of them with me.
I would like to be able to say that it has gotten easier as this month has passed, but that wouldn't be truthful. You see I know what I am missing now. Before arriving in Paris I had envisioned what my time with James would be like. How much fun we would have, what it would be like to hug him, to kiss him, to wake up next to him. Now I know, and my heart does too. When you have found your person you just want to be next to them. So now continues the process of making that happen.
I would like to be able to say that it has gotten easier as this month has passed, but that wouldn't be truthful. You see I know what I am missing now. Before arriving in Paris I had envisioned what my time with James would be like. How much fun we would have, what it would be like to hug him, to kiss him, to wake up next to him. Now I know, and my heart does too. When you have found your person you just want to be next to them. So now continues the process of making that happen.
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