Pros :: Cons

I don't know about you all, but I am a LIST MAKER. I currently have 63 notes in my phone and I just downloaded a new app for my watch for making lists. 

Ed has officially been in the US for 10 months today. 
So, here is a list my husband and I came up with. This is a pros and cons list for having a Green Card in America. 


Pros:

• Ability to work in the US: This doesn't mean you will get a job or that it will be easy to find one. But, it means you are legally hirable. 
• Able to get a drivers license in the US: You don't have to rely on public transportation or others to get you around. We live in an area where public transportation isn't super convenient or affordable. So, this was important. 
• Sense of achievement: It is a long and difficult (plus expensive!) task. So, when you finally get approval it is a pretty great feeling. 

Cons: 

• Taxes: Not only paying taxes on what he earns here (totally get that), but if he earns a certain amount or has a certain amount in the bank abroad we will be taxed on that. Not only from the UK but here as well. This also  includes any inheritance he may receive in the future. 
• Lack of Flexibility: We used to be able to travel wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Now we have to be careful with how much time we spend overseas. This means we are limited in the time we can spend with his family. It also means if/when we are offered job opportunities we need to consider his residency obligations in the States. 
• Healthcare: HOLY BUCKETS, it's expensive. We pay every month/pay check to have health insurance and yet when we go to the doctor we still have to pay quite a lot. I got a sinus infection a few months back and on top of my health insurance costs, I still paid around $200. Coming from a country with free health care, this was quite shocking for my husband. 

These are the main pros and cons we wanted to share with you today. There may be more for you or less depending on where you are coming from. But, this is how WE currently feel about having permanent residency. We decided to apply for the green card after having visited for one summer. We don't mean to be down on the US. It's just that its a very different lifestyle than we were used to. It's also very hard to "get settled" here. We thought this was something that we wanted. But, it seems like we miss the flexibility of our old life.  If we want that again while living here, we are going to have to wait a long LONG time (or win the lottery). We are lucky to have had this experience and to have had such supportive (amazing, wonderful, loving) family to help us along the way. It hasn't been a great one for us. But, thats ok. We aren't going to sit around and complain though. We are looking into different options for our future. This has been a learning experience and has made us better, stronger people. We know that whatever life throws at us, we will get through it together. 

Annnnd GO

This week has been busy, but good! I feel like everyday has been filled with something. Tuesday we had a great time! We met our friends for tacos at a local bar for Taco Tuesday where tacos are a dollar and then we went bowling! It sounds kind of lame when I write about it... but it was really fun!! I can't remember the last time I went bowling. We went with our friends Tifani and Ben and their daughter! It was her first time bowling and I think she loved it! This girl is THE CUTEST. She is also super SUPER well behaved. We also met them for dinner again tonight. Our experience there was not as fun... the restaurant was not very busy and yet we waited about an hour for our food and then they got one of the orders wrong. But, L was great! She sat so nicely. I think I was more impatient than she was. 

Friday I had a few girlfriends over and Ed went out with the guys. Us girls sat around drinking wine and chatting having a great time. The guys took Ed out for the WI "dive bar" experience. They then decided they needed to come home and take their wives out. I am not really into going to bars, but with my mother in law visiting... well ... we had to go! I think everyone had a great time!

We have a week left to spend with my mother in law and 16 days until our next big adventure. I can say that we will be moving at the end of this month. But, I won't say where yet. We don't really have a whole lot of time for relaxing and preparing. Which makes me sometimes feel overwhelmed. But, that's just who I am. I overthink things all the time and they end up turning out fine. Moving is hard to prepare for. You need to pack, but can't pack too much because you still need to live... any tips from anyone?! Any expert packers/movers out there? I know one of the last rooms to be packed will be the kitchen. I need my cooking stuff. Of course, we also need clothes. So, that will have to be packed late as well. Like I said, I overthink things... I know everything will turn out fine. 

A Dual Purpose

Thank you Mother Nature! Ed's Mum is visiting from England. When we found out she was coming we wanted to plan things to do.... well... things are expensive. Almost immediately after she arrived it started to snow A LOT. This gave us something to do today! We went to the water and took some pictures and looked at all the snow. BRRRRR and pretty!

We are hoping to make our way down to Madison, thankfully we have some awesome relatives we can stay with. But, beyond that we will probably just be hanging out. Don't get me wrong, it's great to hang out. I just wish after she travelled so far we could show her more.

We thought of visiting my parents in AZ... the flights were kinda pricey. I'm guessing because it is warm there and cold here.

We thought of heading up to Door County and touring a winery... one night in Door County even at an AirBnB isn't all that affordable. Especially, when you add in food and gas expenses. 

Chicago is just a few hours away. So, we considered going there for a few days. FORGET ABOUT IT! The "attractions" and hotel prices were way more than we could afford. 

You may be looking at this list thinking we must make pennies if we can't afford any of this. This isn't true. I know plenty of people who make what we make and are able to visit these places. However, this is after planning to visit these places for awhile. We like to plan. I am DEFINITELY a planner. But, when we lived in China we didn't need to plan sooooo far in advance for these trips to make it work. On top of that, we've got other expenses this month that have to take priority over the fun stuff. 

For those of you who don't know. This blog serves a dual purpose.
1) I can update my friends and family on the weekly goings on in my life.
2) For those who are thinking of emigrating to America, I can give a first hand account of what it may be like.

When it comes to #2, this doesn't mean that this is what it will be like for everyone. But, when researching it myself I couldn't find much. There is TONS of information and help when you are going through the green card process. But, not so much afterwards. This is our story, I'd love to hear others!