Is America ready for me?

It's official, I'm an alien, A LEGAL alien! I think most of you will have heard this already, but I won the green card lottery last year. I received a letter of notification and the application forms back in June of last year, which I of course thought was a joke. But no! It's one of those things I've heard about but didn't really take seriously. I have applied maybe 3 times over about 7 or 8 years. I basically do it when I remember it, as the application period is only one month long each year and I usually forget. And even then, it's something I did just because I could, I never actually thought anything would come of it. So receiving the letter was a shock. And so was the application process, I'm not a fan of filling in forms at the best of times. But I did it, and shelled out the application fees, attended the expensive medical exam, and did my time at the US Embassy for the interview. They approved me without too much fuss but as my interview was 3 days before I was flying to the US there wasn't enough time to turn the visa around so I had to wait until after I got back to courier it to the Embassy. I got it back today with a shiny new visa in it!

Jon and I have planned a trip back to California in March so I can get my entry stamp and become an official US permanent resident. The plan is not to move there immediately for the long term, it will be a tough time to leave my dad alone. But it gives me options for later on. We'll see how things go.

New Year on the Cote d'Azur

It's been a busy December! After two weeks in the States and a whirlwind of a jet lagged Christmas at home, we flew to Nice for a few days over New Year. Can anyone tell me how I've managed to overlook Nice as a fantastic close-by holiday destination for so long?! We had a wonderful time there, and had much better weather than southern California.

Nice is a beautiful little city, clean and nice with a laidback atmosphere. We spent our time wandering around and admiring the spectacular sea views, people watching and enjoying the winter sunshine. We spent New Years Eve day eating a very long lunch at a restaurant on the beach and then drinking wine while watching the sun set over the very blue sea. That evening we went out to a restaurant/club where we saw in the new year. It was a fun place with a mixed crowd. Those French know how to party, there were people literally dancing on the tables quite early in the evening! New Years Day we went on a tour of Monaco and Monte Carlo, checking out how the other half live!

So all in all, it's been a good start to the new year. And 2006 was an eventful one. This is my 2006 in bullet points:

• Lots of trips, including UK ones for a change - Dorset, the Cotswolds, Hastings and Sussex, Oxford, Portmeirion in north Wales, Cambridge, Berkshire.
• Trips further afield included New York, Torino, Berlin, Venice, Chicago, California, Nice.
• Winning the green card lottery and making a successful application for one.
  
• Jon celebrated his first anniversary of living in London.
• My beloved mother passed away after long and numerous battles with her health.
• Seeing friends from California in Berlin. I get a kick out of things being taken out of context in that way, it's very surreal but lots of fun.
• Jon leaving the flat he 'landed' into in London, and moving to my neck of the woods.
• Several of my esteemed friends/colleagues from my office moving on and my boss also resigning at the end of the year.
• A baby boom. A few of my friends have had visits from the stork this year. Congratulations to Lauri and Andy on Michael, Dallan and Bethany on Claire, Jenny and Ben on their upcoming adoption, and we await news from Nikki and Jeff and Nick and Anna on their imminent new arrivals.
  
• Being seduced in the Apple Store and buying a MacBook. My conversion to the dark side is complete!

Click here for a 2006 Highlights photo album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9198&id=692170356&l=e8a65ba14e then click on the first picture to view by slideshow so you get the descriptors.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!