The Latest OMB

[Momus]

Hi all,

I'm back in Minnesota after my three month sojourn in Moscow. I'm also the newest member of the Old Married Bastards club. We were married in Moscow before I left so we could celebrate with her grandmother and extended family.

I think Babushka would have liked to see her first great grandchild before I boarded the plane, too, but that will have to wait.

So how long does it take to get that first NOA, anyway?

[Jet]

Congratulations Momus! 

[jb]

Yes, congrats, Momus.

You will get the 1st NOA within days after you file the I-131,,, as soon as you have that in hand, make a copy and send that along with the I-129F in your K-3 package.

Good luck~!

[Kuna]

Congratulations Momus and Mrs Momus...

Best wishes for a long and happy future!

[catzenmouse]

You sneaky bugger you!

Super big congratulations! Health, happiness, and a life filled with love to you both!

Ken

P. S. You're gonna have to be meaner now that you've joined the club...

[groovlstk]

Congratulations, Momus.

I'm glad to see another guy had the cajones to court one of those bossy Moscow girls that seem to strike fear in the hearts of many-a man here

If your wife ever wants to know what she might expect here vs. there from the perspective of a fellow Muscovite, my wife would be glad to talk to her. We're coming up on the 6-month mark so the hurdles we've cleared are still pretty fresh.

[START2]

Momus,
  Not sure on that time line. Patience will be a virtue.
  But I am sure that to become a Dadus it's about nine months.
  Congrats!!!!! You did it the right way and it will pay dividends.

[Jumper]

congrats momus!

patience will be  a virtue

that is perhaps the most deep and all incompasing post in the history of RWG.

it should ba mantra or something? lol

P. S. You're gonna have to be meaner now that you've joined the club...

LOL!!
ken!  now thats funny right there!!!
.. i dont care which grumpy old married guy you are ...

should we show him the secret handshake now?

and remind him the GOMG club membership dues are  on the third of each month..

pay pal the treasuerer  AJ @--

 

[ScottinCrimea]

I think anyone who is married to a FSUW is already paying his dues.

[catzenmouse]

I think anyone who is married to a FSUW is already paying his dues.

True, but: The rewards more than make up for any dues we have to pay on the way. I could not imagine being married to anyone else after having a taste of how wonderful it is to pay the dues for this particular union.

Ken

[KenC]

Congrats!
Best of luck to you both.
KenC

[Son of Clyde]

Congratulations, I was thinking maybe you perform as a One Man Band (OMB). Thanks for clarifying this. Best of luck in your marriage. It is not easy but there are many long term rewards. Once she has adjusted to the US it will be a lot easier.

[Momus]

Thanks for the kind words and wishes, everyone.

Groov, that's an especially kind offer and I really appreciate it. I think you live in New York, though, don't you? I have my heart set on returning to Houston, and I don't want you giving M any ideas. She's already seen way too much "Sex and the City."

The I-129F package is off to Chicago. I'll update when there's anything to update. In the meantime, we're planning to hook up for two weeks in the DR in July.

[Momus]

BTW, I want to thank you guys for all of the wonderful advice, information, and encouragement these last months. I ended up making shit up as I went along anyway, but at least I was able to do it with my eyes open. I have you guys to thank for that, and I think it made a huge difference.

At the end of the day, there's only one reason things have gone so well for me, and that reason is Masha (it occurs to me I can probably use her real name, now!). But if things had gone differently, I'd at least have been able to avoid a complete trainwreck based on the help and support I received here.

So, thanks.

[viking]

Congradulations!!! May this marriage be the best thing to happen to both of you.

[Leslie]

Momus,

The interesting part begins when your wife has to acclimatise to a new culture.  Get used to everything being your fault - even the weather 

Ah but it is worth it as you already know

[catzenmouse]

The interesting part begins when your wife has to acclimatise to a new culture.  Get used to everything being your fault - even the weather 

Ah but it is worth it as you already know

Too Funny and Way Too True!

When we moved to Wisconsin from Virginia last fall it was cool then winter hit and it was my fault for bringing us to "Forever Winter Land" especially when she talked to her mom and it was warmer in Omsk than it was here...

Ken

[Momus]

The interesting part begins when your wife has to acclimatise to a new culture.  Get used to everything being your fault - even the weather 

Heh. Perhaps I will remind her, when the time comes, that I refrained from blaming her for Russia's everyday dysfunctions during my stay.

On second thought, that would probably be suicidal. 

[I/O]

On second thought, that would probably be suicidal.

Yes it would....!!!   All the best to both of you.  Nice story.

I/O

[Jumper]

Heh. Perhaps I will remind her, when the time comes, that I refrained from blaming her for Russia's everyday dysfunctions during my stay

Honestly it wouldnt be suicidal,
 just pointless.

1. you'd be arguing , or lets say debating ,
with a woman, and a RW at that.
completely pointless.

2. you'd be debating a RW about *cough* *bad* things in her home country.
light years beyond pointless,

There are no *bad things* in her country or culture,
at that point in her life,none.
none at any piont in time.
get it thru your head right now..
none, period, never, never was , never will be. nada! zip!
neyt! nonE!  ..got it? yet?

 only debate this if your truly bored out of your skull with nothing better to do than lose in a debate,
 and piss off your wife.
whivh in itself, is not without merit,
as thats a husbands main job is right?

 but generally youll have better things to do
like trying to explain why things are like they are,,  in your
rather stupid and frustrating culture  .. LOL
 
and explaining why you are not PERSONALLY responcible for everyone of those things.

things like : insurance rates, no one walking ...the weather .. 

3.again, as its worth repeating,
 she will likely not remember any , i mean ANY,
dysfundstional part of the FSU -

certainly not initially when first adjusting to a new place.

in fact her past will likely gleam  quite rosey  and perfect in everyway.!!
to the point of  it being an absolute  utopia on earth.

actually it is kind of common to anyones adjustment phase to a new place,
as even the bad things, that wont be remebered at all.
  ,were FAMILIAR and comfortable bad things..afterall 


but i do think  RW seem to take this  "past utopia" thing in general,
 to a whole other level

no matter how well , or how quickly she adapts,,
 
her first trip home, "may" bring some change in the hue of her rosey glasses..
but dont expect an entirely *clear lens* ,
for a few years and a few trips

then , only then IMHO,
you may start to see a fresh and actually well balanced view of what is good and bad in both cultures from your dearest..

of course,,
YMMV.


but this is part of the journey for many cross cultural marriages..
remember patience is a virtue?

its actually more like a real honest to goodness life saver,, (hers and yours) LOL

[jb]

AJ,

Have you been talking to my wife behind my back? 

[catzenmouse]

AJ,

Have you been talking to my wife behind my back? 

TFF! I was thinking the same exact thing!!!

[Simoni]

ditto!     LOL

[Gator]

Momus,  My belated congratulations.  And my best wishes to your bride.  I am still catching up with my reading of RWD, so this slipped past me.

Was the legal process of marrying in Moscow very difficult?

[Momus]

Was the legal process of marrying in Moscow very difficult?

Thanks very much for the kind wishes, Gator. As for your question...

Beats me -- most of it was incomprehensible. 

I joke, but not entirely. Masha is a translator at a law firm, so once we made the decision, we had plenty of help getting our ducks in a row.

The only minor complication is that they wanted a "statement of no marriage" or something like that from the MN department of state. This fine institution's website made reference to such a document, but no one working there knew what the hell I was talking about. In many respects, it will be much easier to prove you're divorced rather than single.

In the end, I just signed an affidavit that I hadn't previously been married. That seems to have been good enough.

The ceremony was rather surreal, what with the pretty young woman doing the honors, Masha interpreting, and the live chamber orchestra. No dancing bears, sadly.