Oh what agony this I-171H has caused us, but today it finally came. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, since Geno got home first, he called me at work saying that we had no mail and that it did not come. In our neighborhood the mail usually comes around 2 o'clock. Well, needless to say, I was so distraught ... but I told myself, well maybe tomorrow. The officer at the USCIS did say I'll have it Saturday or Monday. Well, it was Monday and I still didn't have it so I sent him an email shortly after Geno called to let him know I don't have it. Granted, in Atlanta GA where our USCIS office is, it was already 4 o'clock in the afternoon so I knew I won't hear anything today. So I go about my business at work, still so dissappointed about this whole debacle, when Geno calls me at 4 o'clock letting me know the IT CAME. As he was leaving the house to pick up Jalen from school, he saw the mail truck just turning out of our cul-de-sac and leaving. He immediately checked the mailbox again, and sure enough there it was. Had Geno not happened to see the mail truck leave, we would've never known it came today until we would've checked the mail again tomorrow evening after coming back from work and Karate.
Oh, I'm so happy I got this paperwork in my hands now! Still, not out of the woods yet .... so still I cannot purchase the flight tickets, and I cannot give Nana (my mom-in-law) the green light to pack up and come down to Montgomery AL from St.Louis, MO, to care for Jalen while we're gone, because we are waiting for the TB results. If all goes well, we'll find out about the TB results hopefully tomorrow or at the latest Wednesday so that we can go ahead and leave on Saturday.
God, what a nerve-wrecking roller coaster ride this is!!! I'm staying hopeful and keeping my faith that it'll all work out well in the end. But I sure wish I'd know sooner than later. Everything is ready and packed up: Hanna's suitcase, the donation suitcase and the bedding/snack suitcase/cleaning supplies suitcase (gotta take our own bedding since a very bad experience with hives from sleeping in hotel rooms while TDY ... so I learned my lesson). Only thing left to pack is the last suitcase of Geno and my stuff, and our carry ons. Since I work everyday until Saturday, I have to do bits and pieces at a time ... but it's coming along!!!
Not having to pray for the I-171H anymore to get here is such a relief. But still more prayer needed for the TB results to come!!! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that we can make the 10 March visa appointment and be able to leave this Saturday!
We're leaving Nana and Jalen behind to hold the fort down! Of course Lori, our neighbor and Jalen's "big sister" is here to help them out. We'll be driving to Atlanta, then flying to DC and then flying to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We'll be staying in the big room at Melkam (yeah, the one that has a bathroom in the room and you don't have to share ..... so I'm absoltely thrilled, because at first it didn't look like it was going to be available, but now it is!!!!) We went to the doctor yesterday and he loaded us up with Cipro, Malaria medication, Immodium, etc.... I feel like a mobil pharmacy ..... but hey, better have it and not need it, the need it and not have it!
