update

well, since I haven't updated in months, it's about time I do. I'm currently practicing staying up late and trying to get my schedule accommodated to my next weeks schedule as I am working my first week of overnights at Walgreens. Tuesday night I start 1 of 7 days in a row of the graveyard shift. should be fun. so I'm staying up late and sleeping in for these few days off before.

update on Fiance Visa process: the first step FINALLY got approved, after 5.5 months of wondering what was taking so darn long. Now the National Visa Center has our case and will eventually, hopefully soon within weeks and not a month, send it on over to the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain, where Marin awaits, trying to be patient. But can you blame him...while his lovely fiancee is in MN!? I'm also impatient, but just have to TRUST that the timing of this all IS in God's hands! so, we pray for quicker processing and that when his interview day comes that he will pass with flying colors. where did that saying come from anyways?

wedding stuff: bought the final of 3 matrons of honor dresses today. got the last one for 35 bucks!! whoo hoo! momma Roehl is happy! bought a very sexy red dress at my old place of work, the Limited today. Think I'll wear it for the rehearsal dinner! also got some shoes for the big day and they will be good unless I find others that are better. which I'm kinda hoping to find some with just a slight smaller heel, for more comfort and for Marin to be taller by a better amount.

started working on the slideshow tonight. i really wish I had an iMac, or MacBookPro or PowerMac. the audio coming out of FCP is not sounding good at all on my old and hopefully not dying Powerbook G4! and i found out yesterday that Apple requires a minimum of like 16 hours/week to work there, so my hopes of getting a part time like twice a month job for the discount isn't going to happen! :(

that's about it for now. if you read this post all the way to here, thanks, friend.

please keep Marin and I in your prayers as we wait for our case to process and are going on 4+ months apart. :(

A New Year!

I've been quite busy in the freezing north. I found a background that will take me through various months so I don't have to keep feeling the pressure of updating it. I don't even know if anyone reads this, I guess there are better ways to keep in touch these days, which is fine. Besides looking for jobs and working a lot at Walgreens since I've been home, I haven't had anything to exciting. And now that I finally was offered a full time job that will pay decently (Assistant Manager at Walgreens, somewhere in the S/SW Suburbs of the TC) I can focus on other things. Like....honing my skills (or learning) how to keep up with media stuff. I hope to self teach website creation and maintenance. I have to apartment search. Lots of things. oh, and planning a wedding!! :) Just waiting for USCIS to get off their butts and approve my petition and give Marin a date for an interview! What the heck. Why is it taking so long?! My pobrecito guapo fiance is sad and wants to be with me! That's it for now.

End of 2010.

I haven't been keeping up on my blog recently because I guess I've just been busy and there isn't a whole lot of exciting stuff to blog about. I've just been home, working at Walgreens (again) but this time a new store. My old manager took me back and it's been great because I really need the income and I've worked almost full time hours every week since I've been home. Christmas was great, chillin with the fam and eating yummy food. I really wish Marin could be here though. I think about how great it will be when he is here, experiencing the Roehl Family traditions and getting a taste of MN living. I don't feel settled because I won't be until I get a full time job I want to do for awhile and until I marry Marin, I'll be living with family and not in a place with myself, which is fine because I need to save money by not paying rent until needed. I hope in the next months I'll land a job that is decent pay, something that utilizes my skills/experience/degree and that I at least somewhat enjoy. Is there a job out there for me...we'll see. Saturday starts 2011. Maybe then I'll write about great things that happened in 2010 and great things that are yet to come next year!

Home. MN. Cold. Winter. Sick. Family. Friends. Marin.

Those are a few words that describe my life these days. I'm back at home in MN, enjoying my family and seeing some friends. My 24 hours of travel got me sick with a cold. Jet lag with the cold makes me tired all day long. I can't stop thinking about Marin and wish he could just be here with me or that we could talk more easily/cheaper. He needs to get internet so we can Skype. It's actually hard to believe I'm back. Doesn't really seem real quite yet. It's going to take months to get in a normal feeling mode. I look forward to Thanksgiving with all the great food and company and playing games. Why can't we just have the best of both worlds. Maybe I can once Marin gets his sexy booty over here!

2 weeks...and counting!

Who can believe that in exactly 2 weeks I'll be somewhere in the sky, flying over the Atlantic, on my way back to the land of the free and home of the brave!

It's hard to believe this chapter of my life at IMM is coming to an end. I know "once an IMMer, always on IMMer" will be a part of me, but I won't actually be here doing the IMM stuff. I'll be...doing something else. In the near future, planning a wedding and trying to land a job I enjoy and that pays the bills!

However, as this chapter ends, yet another one opens! And one that is sure to be exciting, adventurous, a learning experience, lovely, happy, stressful and fun! Of course, you all know that I'm talking about.

Until my next post...have a great day!

PORTUGAL=AMAZING

When Christina and I decided to venture our way on over to my neighboring country of Portugal, we mostly wanted to go because "it's another country to add to our list" and "we've never been there" and the beach! We did not expect it to be as great as it was. Really, almost everything was great. Everywhere we went-stores, restaurants, hostel--everyone spoke English! Portuguese is a Latin language, but somethings are quite different from Español and we may have not understood if they didn't speak the great international, business language of English.

The beach--best part. Thanks God for giving us PERFECT weather! The forecast said it would rain Saturday, but it didn't! Good memories made on the sand. Relaxing time. People watching. Picture taking. Taking in the sun!

This cute beach city was easy to navigate. We found our way to the beach/city centre from the bus stop-without a map, without directions, just following another couple, reading signs and using our great sense to find our way!

Many great photo ops here. Loved it!

Albufeira, Portugal, I don't know if we'll meet again in this life, but know that you were the perfect last hoorah with Christina as we bring our European travels to an end.

I'll miss....

this guy and the beauty of España! Olive and sunflower oil. The warm weather. But I'll mostly miss Marin while we are apart.