Visas, part 2

Well, Robert's visa arrived safe and sound on Friday, so today I filled out forms, got scans, printed things and mailed off paperwork and passports for visas for me and the kids. Keep your fingers crossed! It's a slightly nerve-wracking process, especially because they remind you repeatedly that any mistakes will invalidate the entire application. So, you know, no pressure! Of course I understand that they need to do this to encourage people to be careful and check their work, but it still makes me nervous.

At any rate, I got all the paperwork done and we walked to the bank (to get cash) and the post office (because you have pay for your visas with money orders, which it turns out can only be purchased with cash. Who knew?) and finally deposited the lot in the FedEx drop box. Breath holding will now commence.

Once we get our visas, the good folks at Fulbright India will buy our plane tickets!

Visas, part one

After several days of preparation (needed for gathering documents, writing up requested materials, and getting pictures taken and printed) Robert submitted his visa application on Friday. Now we're holding our breath and hoping it gets here soon! The kids and I can't apply for our visas until Robert has his you see, so this is only step one in getting us all legal.

The most confusing bit on his visa application was that item 3 indicated that he needed 9 copies of a passport photo for the application, but item much further down the list (11? 12?) required 7 copies. We were unsure if the 9 photos from uplist included the 7, or if the 7 were additional. We asked the folks who handle the visas and they said the 7 was included in the 9, but in that case there were only listed uses for 8 photos. So, just to be safe, we glued the 8 into their respective places, and sent another 9 along as well. So. Many. Passport. Photos. And we've since been told we'll need them for just about everything once we land, including buying mobile phones. Eeep!

Cocktails (non vintage)

Ok, so, I'm getting cocky. Or perhaps, more accurately, I've been pretty cocky since the day I was born. Either way.

More to the point I invented a drink! Two, really. But I'm only telling you about one today, cause I gotta hold something back for the future. Don't want to blow my wad all at once, you know?

So here it is, my totally un-vintage drink (now with no pictures!).

The Hudson Valley Special

-Prosecco
-Pear brandy

Mix them together; drink and enjoy. We usually mix them somewhere between 1:1 and 1:4. Yes, I realize that this the vaguest of recipes, but trust me, it's delicious. We use pear brandy from Warwick Valley Winery, which is part of what makes this a Hudson Valley special. The other part is that I live in the Hudson Valley, and suck at naming things. 

In further cocktail news, B & Y came over for lunch yesterday and I made tostadas and Robert mixed up some French 75s. It was a most triumphant lunch.

In totally unrelated news, Robert's visa application has been received by the government outsourcing agency. Keep your fingers crossed!!