The Return of an active blog...what could possibly cause this?

Time to check back in, and start regularly writing again. Since I last left you, Rodz arrived in America on October 3rd.





Rodz arrives in America!
 

In a surprisingly quick time frame we were married on October 21st. Yes, one day before my birthday, forever dooming me to getting ripped off at gift receiving. We filed the paperwork to change her legal immigration status and wrote the check (yes another one) for $1,070.

Everything seemed to be falling in place for Rodz to begin her long term life with her hubby in Columbia, Missouri. Then I got an unsolicited and definitely unexpected phone call...My old employer that I left in Dubai almost 3 years ago decided that I was missed and made a generous offer for me to return. After a quick chat with my new wife we accepted the new career opportunity, and then our new immigration challenge began. You see, if Rodelyn leaves the United States before her paperwork has been processed and her "Biometrics" are completed (ok, tried to slip that one past you - biometrics is fingerprinting and pictures done at an official government center) her immigration status would be considered abandoned and if she wanted to return to America we would have to start the whole process over. We contacted USCIS and found that we could apply for "expedited" processing. It was late October, and we needed to report for the new job on December 1st. Plenty of time according to everyone...we would know within 10 days....not so fast batman - 10 days became 20 and still no answers...we met with the field representatives in Kansas City and they gave us little hope. Finally on Wednesday, November 18, the person at the call center advised us our only option left was to go back to Kansas City and beg. W could ask for an "emergency" processing that could be done in 48 hours if approved. We made the appointment and headed to KC for our last hope request. When we met with the field agent, he shot us down quicker than a fat mallard on opening day of duck hunting season. We were not eligible for "emergency" processing...Rodz looked like she lost her best friend as I tried to console her, and the Immigration Agent said it broke his heart, but there was nothing he could do. So we spent the next 10 minutes going over the "what ifs?" and he decided to check and see if he could see online where our file was physically. He said, "good news" your file just moments ago got assigned to an agent case worker in Chicago, and the file was just delivered to their desk. We talked a couple of more minutes, and our KC field agent said, let me make a phone call before you leave. There was no answer on the other end, and then he explained he wanted to see if when the Chicago Agent received our file if he logged in a Biometrics case number. He said that if he did, a notice of and appointment date in the coming two weeks would be mailed out on Friday. But, if the supervisor at the biometrics center wanted to they could move that date up as long as they had written proof of our pending appointment.
Sounded like a "hail Mary" to us also. so, he tried to call again, and could not get through. So he stated that he would call Monday morning, and if he got through we could possibly have the biometrics done in Washington, DC the day after Thanksgiving. I said I would call him, and sadly once again we were thwarted, it is strictly against the rules for him to give out the centers phone number. I asked if there was anyway he could call us, and he just smiled and said, why not and asked for my mobile number...we had made a friend...We got up shook hands and he wished us the best...then he said wait, let me try calling the center that does the testing one more time...He got through to the Supervisor. Listening to them talk, it was clear that he had a good relationship with the supervisor...He gets off the phone and smiles at Rodz and I, says go to the center right now, they will process you. Unbelievably, within a half an hour Rodz had been fingerprinted and mug-shotted, and now we could legally leave the country without abandoning her case for legal immigration. So we now wait for her temporary green card, that will allow Rodz re-entry into the US for the next two years...Hooray!

So, after that long dissertation, I am sitting at the Dulles Airport Holiday Inn, waiting to catch a morning 13 hour Emirates Airline flight on Saturday to Dubai. I will begin writing once again on or about the first and fifteenth of every month to update you on our great adventure....

Until then, I appreciate your prayers for a good and happy marriage, a good success at my new job (more on that next time) and a safe journey to the UAE for me and my bride...



Update, unfinished business, my Princess is on her way...

I sometimes miss the therapy this blog provided me. Writing about what was going on in my life, gave me a good time to reflect. I also felt that I had left this blog with no ending causing people that stumble upon it to wonder what came next...well, here is your update...

I went back to work for Kuna Foods in St. Louis as Rodz and I went through the immigration process. We continued to answer the government requirements, and eventually had a final interview opportunity scheduled for Sept. 9, 2015.

Rodz made a trip home to the Philippines this past summer to finish getting her documentation. One big final hurdle was Rodz's father. I called him to ask permission to marry his daughter, we had a long (very long) conversation in which he asked a lot of questions, but in the end he gave his blessing. The change in Rodz was immediate, I hadn't realized how important this was for her. Well to keep a long blog short, my good friend Vinny, drove Rodz to Abu Dhabi to the American Embassy for her interview, and she was granted her Visa to travel to America and join me. It's unclear what date she will be coming (between Sept. 26 & Oct. 10), but we are both very excited. 

I promise to update periodically....thank you for checking in.

All things, Good and Bad must come to an end...

     You will be amused to know that my patio furniture was delivered on the 19th.

My patio August 2014

The comedic value didn't stop with delivery, I am still getting emails requesting the return of my lost furniture. I like my new furniture, but boy what a pain in the butt!

 

I am planning a nice trip for the month of September, I have tickets to both the Dallas/St. Louis football game and the Reds/Cards baseball game the same weekend. I am going with my good friends Rez and Chad.

 

Business has been slow but steady, and I continue to add products and new customers.

 

Sadly, the readership of this blog has dwindled steadily, I thank you for keeping up with me, I invite you to facebook me or email me (jbruck1022@aol.com).

 

This has sadly become a chore, and I will say goodbye to all of the readers. Please keep Rodz and I in your prayers and I wish you the very best of luck.

 

Hopefully you will find ways to stay in touch with me...

Patio Furniture, Sure I ordered Patio Furniture...

Since our last time together, I have furniture updates, Rodz's Moms health update, and most importantly Fred is another year older update.

       Debbie hosted a birthday party for Fred a couple of weeks back. I was invited to attend Fred's birthday BBQ. Everyone else in attendance works or is wedded to someone at the Episcopalian church that Fred is the Associate Business Director (probably not his real title, but you get the gist). I had a basic mission, attend the celebration without angering Fred's bride Debbie, and without embarrassing myself or Fred  in front of his work colleagues (I think there were four Episcopalian Priests present). Well, I can say that I didn't make Debbie mad at least... Somehow, Fred's boss - the Chief Priest (Grand Poobah?) and I ended up in a conversation about Rodz being a Catholic gal and hopefully soon to be living here with me. I shared Fred's and my belief that Rodz and I would probably try a Episcopalian church since it is the protestant church that is closest to Catholicism which would hopefully make my Catholic gal happy, and yet be comfortable for this protestant blogger. Priest Jim showed interest and asked questions, well I fell into the trap of saying I didn't think I would be comfortable attending Catholic Mass, but I did respect the Catholic church. I have always admired a church that hasn't bended their core beliefs to make the masses happy, but pretty much struck to their doctrine. Well, I guess I did the equivalent of spitting in his wine chalice. After hearing about child molesting Priests and no birth control I quietly accepted my flogging and kept quiet the remainder of the evening. I just don't seem to do well at parties...The good news is Fred still has his job, and we will see if I bring Rodz to service at their church...

         Speaking of Rodz, her mother came through her surgery in Paris and she tells Rodz that she is doing well. Rodz is still struggling with everyday life in Satwa (Dubai neighborhood). She went a couple of days this week without running water. They bought bottled water to wash with. I of course couldn't resist teasing her about being a little pampered Princess washing in Perrier. Yes, I will never learn (see above paragraph and numerous blog stories in past blogs). We both just try and be patient and wait for her November 9th interview with the American Embassy in Abu Dhabi and then hopefully her immigration to America before Thanksgiving. Legal Immigration is not an easy thing to be patient about, especially with our current administrations polices regarding illegal immigrants.

           My mother is the most loyal blog reader out there. She faithfully prints my blogs and has a big binder on her living room table full of my ramblings. When I meet her friends in Lebanon, I often feel the need to apologize, knowing that the have been subjected to the "binder" of her son that they don't know and probably know too much about. Well, I know my mother is reading this today looking forward to seeing pictures of my new patio furniture. Well, as you can see or not see, there are no pictures - because there is no furniture. The "lost" furniture that I reported so faithfully Target had found in a New Jersey warehouse, they managed to un-find it. They called and said they would reorder it and "hope" that a new set would be delivered to me. I was told by my specialist (Amy) that she could make no guarantees and was really sorry for the length of time I had waited for a resolution that was still forthcoming. Well, last week I got a "robotic" auto call saying my new furniture will be delivered on August 19th. Yesterday, I decided to go to Targets web page and track the progress of my furniture. I see that it left a warehouse in California and will be delivered on August 30th...Sigh. Then today I get an email saying that this was my last confirmation of my furniture delivery on August 15. Well to say this hasn't gone smoothly would be like saying "is the Pope Catholic?" - oops sorry Fred. 

        I look forward to seeing you back here in a couple of weeks where you can see a nice picture of my new patio furniture, read about my interaction with the Obamacare website, and hear about my mini vacation that I have scheduled for September. Hope the remaining weeks of your summer find you happy and healthy. God Bless, and thank you for sharing this time with me...

       

The Weekend is upon us....

     There are times when this is little blog is tough to write. Sometimes, because of personal issues, sometimes when I am not feeling particularly insightful. then there are those rare times that both reasons apply. There are still an average of 200 visits to the "Great Adventure" blog each month, and we are nearing 14,000 views of this blog. There are fewer readers now, then there were except for the first few weeks of my drivel. At one time, the readership was pretty equal between Americans and non Americans, now it is pretty overwhelmingly Americans reading this....

United States	7717
United Arab Emirates	2006
Germany	789
Russia	277
United Kingdom	243
Singapore	210
France	139
Malaysia	114
India	94
Canada                                               88  It still puzzles me as to who these readers in Singapore are...       I just returned from a 3 day trip to Idaho. Hopefully I have solved some of my product sourcing issues. The things that I learned about potatoes on this trip....lol.     Rodz is struggling with tough news from her mother. She is battling cancer and has surgery scheduled this coming week. Linda lives and works in Paris and it is difficult for Rodz that she can't be there in her mothers time of need, and of course I feel awful that I can't be there for Rodz. Maybe President Obama "with a stroke of the pen" will allow Philippina's to immigrate...lol - fat chance.      Speaking of amnesty, my missing patio furniture has been located. As of last Friday, It was "located" in a distribution center in New Jersey. The company that I have so far shielded (TARGET), says it will be delivered soon. They promised an update by this past Tuesday, yes I have not heard from them and yes for the 4th time in this 7 week ordeal, I will call them tomorrow. Let's hope next blog includes a picture of patio furniture....      Fred and Debbie are hosting a bbq to celebrate Fred's 51st birthday this weekend. As my hair is thinning, Fred's hair is greying....it is hell to grow old...but as many wise people have said, growing old is tough, but it beats the alternative. OK, I tried this week, if you want a refund for costs incurred while reading this blog, I am with you...let's hope for a better blog next time.... 

The Worlds Oldest Profession...

Greetings from beautiful South Florida. Things are starting to shape up. I got back from Dubai last week with some business opportunities, and happily I have closed some deals. On the home front most of my new furniture has been delivered, and my home is starting to feel like...home.

new furnishings July 2014

          I have patio furniture that was due to be delivered last week, sadly it is lost. I kid you not, the company promises to deliver a set of furniture as soon as they can find it...lol.  So far I have not ridden my newly repaired bike, or swam in the pool, but Lord knows I know that I need to.

 

          I last blogged from my hotel room in Dubai. Well, the remainder of my stay was eventful. On my last evening (Wednesday July 3rd), my plane was leaving just after midnight. Well Rodz and I had a nice dinner out to be followed by packing up and meeting with





Rodz and I Dubai June 2014

Vinny for our farewell at the airport. Vinny was meeting us in my room at 10:15 pm so Rodz and I headed to the hotel about 9 pm, that is when the fun either started or ended - depending on your perspective. I was staying at a 5 star hotel, so we valet parked and headed for the elevator. Not so fast, security stopped Rodz from getting on the elevator with me, and made a comment about not working at this hotel. They quickly escorted Rodz off the elevator and I was stunned. I caught up with them and tried to intervene that Rodz and I were in a relationship, it fell on deaf ears. Security tried to stop me from following, as Rodz cried (you can't begin to imagine the humiliation being treated this way in the lobby of one of Dubai's most prestigious hotels) but I went from shocked to angry in a nano second.   
As I raised my voice in the security office, I quickly became the focus. They quickly requested my ID. Rodz was no longer teary eyed, she was livid! It took the security manager getting involved and at least 15 minutes before they finally backed off and allowed Rodz to accompany me to my room. Needless to say, the romantic evening we were enjoying had ended. Hell hath no fury... Of course I have not let it go when teasing Rodz (asking her if she is cruising the hotel lobbies can quickly draw a reaction)...Love to tease her....

My trip back was long, but having Fred welcoming me with my car in Miami and my 7 day adventure was over. It was great seeing Rodz, seeing old friends and solidifying business. I will probably go back in February, but hopefully Rodz will be here by then. The immigration update is not pretty. Rodz needs to get one more official document from the Philippines, so the Embassy in Abu Dhabi rescheduled her interview...Rodz is traveling to Manila in August and will finalize her documents for her now November 9th interview...It seems so far away to me...I would be lying if I didn't say I was depressed about the delay...The 4 month process will be 15 months along when she finally has her interview. She is asking for the date to be moved up, but I am not optimistic.

        One of my good friends that I spent time with in Dubai was Transmed's finest Juan Lopez. Well Juan is now enjoying his annual leave in the states. He is planning on visiting me here in South Florida (Nick is planning on joining us) sometime this month. I will try and take a picture.

See you back here in a couple of weeks....

Back in the Sandpit!

Well where to start...


I left Miami (almost missed my flight, arrived 45 minutes before International flight...but begging sometimes actually works) on Friday, and after an 8 hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany a half hour walk through the terminal (I wish I was exaggerating- what a poorly laid out airport!), a 7 hour wait for my connection I landed in Dubai almost exactly 24 hours after the doors of my plane were shut in Miami. What a long an exhausting trip.
Vinny picked me up at the airport after 11 pm and whisked me to the Shangri La hotel. I tried to get a good nights sleep, but I would be kidding to say that I did. I wasn't feeling anywhere near normal until Monday. I woke up this morning at 5:30 am and turned on my laptop to the MLB package and watched the Reds/Padres game on the West Coast. It brought back memories of when I lived here trying to keep up with American sports.


I have had several excellent sales calls, and really am set up with some good opportunities. If I can close only 10% of what was presented to me, my company will be very successful. It does pay to leave a country on good terms and with a good name as both of the companies that I worked for over here have pledged full support and opportunity. I also have met with a few colleagues that worked with or for me in the past that now are in decision making positions, and those meetings also presented many potential opportunities. This trip is just what my business needed.


I had dinner with Kelly last night, she has invited me to attend her wedding here in Dubai in early January 2015. I am planning on being here for that grand event! I have also gotten to spend some time with Juan, Steve, Reem, Vinny, Kumail, Muzzy, Suresh, and Joseph. They are all good souls.


Ok - Now for the fun with Rodz part of the trip. We got to spend Sunday evening together, it was a wonderful, and fun evening. We dined at Cheesecake Factory in the Mall of Emirates. I am sure most of you have seen the photo's on my Facebook wall. I had my normal fun with Rodz on words, she asked me what was the main reason I came to Dubai, and in my normal flirty manor, I shared with her that "Monkey Business" was why, of course you Westerner's understand, and Rodz laughed. I laughed with her until her mom posted how nice it was for me to visit her daughter in Dubai, and Rodz posted back on her mothers Facebook wall that I came for "Monkey Business". Rodz doesn't read the blog anymore, nor does her mother....I think if I explain more to her, she will kill me...lol.


I am returning to South Florida tomorrow night, so I will leave for now. In 2 short weeks I will give you a complete immigration update!


Please keep me in your thoughts for a safe journey...