British Expats - I beat the volcano and made it !!!!!!!!!

I am now all legal and US resident !!! My lengthy story follows............

We got on the phone at 4 am Wedneday morning to Virgin Atantic. Got through to someone at 6.45 and he said, can you make it to Heathrow today, because if you can, you fly, and to LA!!

In the time it took me to say thank you, please marry me Mr customer service clerk and put the phone down, Mrs Ginblossom was grabbing suitcases, which were still packed from last Thursday and I then started ringing a cab.

Breakneck speed to Heathrow which was crazy and there was lines outside as basically people were just showing up without reservations.Thank Goodness we had Upper Class reservations as we managed to get some air of normalcy after check in.

We get on the plane, and as the last time we were on the runway, we got cancelled, but this time, we were up and away! After we climbed to around 5,000 feet, the captain came on the horn and said congratulations everyone, you made it, and thank you for being brave and getting on the plane. Cue mad round of applause throughout the plane.

We did get rerouted and flew across Ireland, and over and across Greenland, touching the upper most tip of the US, the closest we ever got to Iceland was 1000 miles away. Some people were worried because the captain came on later and said some passengers had requested more details of the flight plan as there was concerns. He then explained why it was safe. This consisting of him saying, we arent going near it and the regulator saying its now safe to fly. So not really very nerve settling but it was something.

By now, I had other things than ash on my mind, as I was thinking about the POE. I had still managed to keep mr MBE from splitting though my goodness, the poor thing has taken some hammering the last few days, repacked, unpacked, carried etc.

Anyways, we tocuh down safe and sound after 11 loong hours, and again captain was on and said we are all safe ladies and gentlemen, a little after the fact I thought but hey, God loves a tryer right?

Thankfully, we were first off the plane (again, those first class tickets can be worth the money) and straight into immigration which was empty ( I guess after all, they had seen a lot less people the last few days). Initial guy on the desk was friendly, and swiped my passport and said do you have a packet for me. I most certainly did and presented poor bruised MBE, he did my fingerprints, photo and sent me off to an empty room just off the side. The infamous Secondary!

There was a guard on the door who asked me to leave my hand luggage at the door, and take a seat until called.

I looked around, and there was more staff than people, and it was me and one other. I was pleased to see no long lines but then in a milisecond of thought, oh I bet I get asked lots of questions as they have lots of time!!!!!!! Cue another mini panic.

The guard said Mrs G could head off and collect luggage. I had fleeting abandonment issues as Mrs G went off and I went in and sat down.
I waited in there for what seemed an entirety ( actually no more than say 10 minutes) as I listened to an interesting conversation about Ronald Reagan! and then I was called by name.

The guy asked me to come over and sign my name and did my fingerprints, and said, just for your green card, and we will verify your package and you can be on your way. He handed me back the x ray, saying I dont need that.

I didnt like the word verify as I thought what if it doesnt verify, what if it is a mistake, or a crueld joke and there is a problem!! Again, a few anxious minutes, and the guard on the gate then allowed my wife to come sit with me. I waited perhaps another 5 minutes, was called over, handed my passport and said, you are free to go.

In those magical few seconds, I was a legal resident, Mrs Ginblossom hugged me lots and we walked away past the baggage collection points, and I was like, ok, that was it, that was what every minute of stress over the past 18 months was for. It lasted about from start to finish initial POE processing through Secondary about no more than 20-30 minutes I would say. Not a single question.

As we headed to customs, we saw the same guard again, who was returning back to the secondary room, he smiled at us, and I said thank you, and smiled and he smiled back and said...............welcome to America.