Wedding Bliss and English Delight

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

   We made it, after staying awake for twenty one plus hours, enduring nine hours on the first plane, a lay over in Seattle, and a commuter flight thirty minutes to Portland, Oregon. I've nearly recovered now from my near psychotic break with reality (I was so tired I wanted to snap the head off the commuter stewardess who would not shut up, and who kept opening and closing the metal clasps on cupboards right behind me while I sat in a grumpy coma). 
   Tuesday was spent in the company of Sparky, Kelli, and Mary; my favorite oldest daughter Jesse and my son in law Ben came over from Spokane. Jesse applied her expertise in baking to help bake and frost wedding cupcakes. Les learned about the local recycling program and set forth to blog about it.

How many Americans does it take to explain community recycling?

Les using Sparky's little pink computer to write a blog post about Oregon bottle recycling

  Sleep, hot showers, sleep, HUGE cups of coffee and tea, good food, big hugs, lots of laughter, and more sleep restored me to my usual silly self.
 

Now that is a cup of coffee!

   Wednesday morning we visited Untangled--a superb hair salon where Shiery gets her do done: cut, colored and, for the wedding, a lot of sparkling bling was glued into her raging fuchsia and purple do. We were served coffee and Mimosas while we waited. Even the men found it interesting!

Son in law Ben and Les enjoying coffee and Mimosas while we wait

Cindy--hair stylist supreme and Oregon Ducks fan!

Bling is applied to Shiery's wedding do

Jesse and Les watching a video of 2 year old Connor in his jingle bell hat

Jesse and Ben: Love is in the air!

Les and I cooking up something in the kitchen while Jesse frosts cupcakes

   Later Sparky and Kelli took us for a Dutch Brothers coffee and we pulled in to the drive through window. A cute young thing waited there for our order. Her eyes lit up when she saw Sparky's bright, glittering hair. Enthusiastically she cried, "Oh my god your hair is fantastic!"
   Spark ordered first for her an Kelli, then I gave my coffee order and then Les spoke up. Coffeegirl's eyes grew wide with surprise as she exclaimed, "That's awesome! Oh my god I love your accent. Keep talking!"

   After a short wait she returned with our order and a fellow employee who took a look at Sparky's wedding hair and said "Dude that's wicked!" Coffeegirl spluttered, "Wait--it gets even better--" she turned to Les and ordered, "Talk!" Coffeedude was blown away and replied, "Wow! That's totally awesome." As we pulled away laughing I knew we had scored as "coolest customers of the day."
   That evening the wedding ceremony went off without a hitch. Les escorted both brides to the altar. When asked, "With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you?" Les replied,  "They come with me, their dad, and are accompanied by all our blessings."

Mother and daughter

Les waits to escort the brides: Kelli left, and Shiery, right.

Kelli and Shiery's hands with their hand fasting cord

With this ring, I thee wed...

The kiss!

Kelli and Shiery Carnes

Getting ready to jump the broom

   The energy of all those assembled wove a circle of love and support for Shiery and Kelli as they declared their love for one another publicly to family and friends. The brides were radiant and our family expanded to embrace them both. We welcome Kelli into our hearts as she establishes her place in our family.

   This morning Jesse and Ben stopped at Panera's on the way over, introducing Les to his first bagel. Delighted, his eyes sparkled as he looked at me and queried, "Do you think we can find these back home?"
   It is strange indeed to be back in America. It is a lot like running into one's ex...familiar and yet...different; love and disaffection in interesting measures; nostalgia and exasperation with each heartbeat.
   This trip was definitely not a home coming. It is a family reunion but physically, home is back across the Atlantic on a smallish island, and an even smaller boat. Spiritually, and emotionally home is where my heart is, and that is wherever Dear Sir lays his head. Happy am I, to lay mine next to his.

International Wedding plans--Wiccan and British

American:

It is with great Joy 

we announce our 

upcoming nuptials:

Les C. Biggs

 & 

Jaqueline M. Almdale

will be handfasted

in an official 

Wiccan wedding ceremony

Saturday, June 18, 2011

10:00 am

Kamiak Butte

Pullman, WA USA

 Private luncheon 

to follow at the home 

of

Jim and Karen Barron

320 NW Joe Street.

An open reception 

will be held on

Saturday, July ninth, 2011

at

Keith and Chrisi Kincaid's farm

1251 Enman-Kincaid Rd. 

Living on a narrow boat 

means space is at a premium;

We ask guests to bring 

a pot luck dish to share 

in lieu of wedding gifts Please!

Join us for dinner, 

wedding cake, sparkling wine,

and dancing under 

the summer evening sky!

British: 

With joy and 

thanksgiving 

for having 

found each other,

Les & Jaqueline Biggs

will reaffirm 

their vows of marriage

in the presence 

of 

family and friends,

sometime in September, 2011

at a British church

to be announced. 

Reception after

also to be announced. 

We will be

in residence at home 

aboard NB Valerie, 

somewhere on the

canals of England!

Hi everyone, 

     It's me, Jaqueline--or Jaq. Les asked me to write this blog post--typical init? The wedding plans always fall to the Bride!! ;) 

     Given that we come from two different countries with different laws regarding marriage and immigration, we have an international wedding team!

     After a thorough perusal of the U.K. Border Agency web site we determined it is less time consuming, far less expensive ($2400.00 vs. $3600.00 and one less visa step) if we married here in the States and I applied for a Spouse Visa.

     In the United States one may get married literally anywhere. One goes to the county clerk's office in the county where one resides, pays a fee of $58.00, flashes one's birth certificates, tells the clerk names, dates of birth, and place of birth of one's parents, show a photo I.D, and the marriage certificate is issued. 

     The happy couple wait a minimum of three days, and then get hitched by the judge or clergy of their choice, in the presence of a minimum of two witnesses. A church wedding will have additional fees attached.

Kamiak Butte, Washington USA

We will be married in the morning on Kamiak Butte in a Wiccan handfast. My dear friend Patti Gora McRavin has gone and gotten herself ordained by the Church of Scientific and Spiritual Humanism, and the Right Reverend Patti will officiate at our ceremony. (For her inspiring love story which is intertwined with ours please continue to follow my blog.)   

     Since we will already be married when we return together in late August, we will arrange an affirmation of our wedding vows through the Church of England. These arrangements will be firmed up while I am over visiting from May 22nd-June 11th.

     While I may visit England on a visa waiver for a period of six months, Les may only visit America on a visa waiver for a period of three months. Les and I will fly back to Pullman together in June, get married, and begin the daunting Spouse Visa application process.

     There is only one shot at this--make a mistake or leave something out--the British Embassy issues an automatic denial and there is no appeal process.

     It can take up to three months--and sometimes longer for a Spouse visa to be issued, and if the British Embassy clerk in Los Angeles, California has any questions about my application they may request an in person interview at their convenience. 

     We must file a five page application, pay an initial $1200.00 fee, and include my passport, our birth certificates, Val's death certificate, my divorce decree, our marriage license, six months worth of our bank statements,  a year's phone records and any emails we have sent one another; a letter from my employer about telecommuting from the U.K., and I must have my biometrics taken at the Federal courthouse in Spokane, which will be kept on file for ten years. (And this is the easiest route for lovers from our respective countries to make legally abiding arrangements to live together until death us do part!)

     In the meantime I must find a good home for my feline friend Wee Man, who would never survive the six month quarantine required by the U.K., put my home up for sale, and winnow out most of my belongings, paring everything down to the essentials. While I am blessed with a home full of lovely things--they are only "things" and with very few exceptions, most of them are meaningless without Les.

      My deepest thanks to all who have offered their good wishes and blessings to us both. I look forward to meeting you all on the cut.
May you have joy in your journey!