When I woke up this morning, I found my Basil boy had passed away probably a few hours before I woke up. He was sleeping on my bed because he's been growing frailer the past few weeks...

Basil was older than 1 year, I think he may have been 2 years or even 2 1/2. He was full grown when I bought him and his brother Sage last March. The pet store I got them from had them living alone and they were covered in mites. His brother Sage passed away 1 month later.

I tried letting Basil live with Fennel and Barley but he was too aggressive to live with other male rats so I ended up having him neutered. He lived the rest of his days with his girls who he got along with and loved. He was really my buddy and a bit of a spoiled mama's boy. He went from a scared skittish non social rat, to a spoiled big squish who liked to be held and petted in his old age. He's been slowly going down hilll, with osteoarthritis, a cataract in one eye, not eating or drinking as much anymore.... I will miss you Basil...




Basil enjoying Thanksgiving dinner 2010:

I can't believe it's only been a few days since we found out F.B.'s visa was approved!

We are still waiting on the US Embassy to mail his passport/visa and paperwork to him. (Hoping it only takes a week!) and then F.B. can book a plane ticket. I've talked with his Dad and I took off a few days around March 6th-12th so it's likely F.B. will be getting a ticket for around then.

There's still so much to do here to get things ready! I just ordered a new bed from Sear's yesterday, after looking at lot's of online reviews through Google & Yahoo Search.

It was only $610.00 for a new Sealy full mattress, box spring & frame. Sears is having a 50% off President's Day sale on mattresses and I also got free shipping and $20 off with a coupon code! (Free shipping is for purchases over $499 and coupon code is: SAVEBIG for purchases over $299- not sure when that expires.). I scheduled delivery for the last weekend in February! I'm so excited the bed even has a layer of memory foam! I love memory foam! I used some of our savings to buy the new bed.

Next week I have to stop at Lowe's and get some paint and paint supplies to redo my room. I'm getting a similar color (Mint.) I only have 3 walls to paint in my bedroom, the 3rd wall is real wood paneling. The paint in my room just needs to be touched up. It's stained and chipping away in areas so it needs a retouch. My Dad is also going to help rip out the built in desk that I never use. It will give us a lot more space for the new bed and the rat cages once it's removed. I'll take pictures when everything is finished. :) I'm planning on painting during my 3 day weekend. ( Feb 21st is President's Day).

I have to get new drapes for my room. Walmart had some nice affordable ones. The ones I have now have been chewed at the bottom by my ratties, when I used to have the girls cage near the window 3 years ago. Plus they are pink and faded and never really matched my bedroom.I want to get a nice deep chocolate brown since that might go better with my mint colored walls.

Going to get some new comforters and sheet sets either from Big Lot's or a 2nd hand store. With rats as pets I try to buy the cheapest blankets and sheets I can get. Because they WIlLL chew a hole in them at some point! Also getting new pillows from Walmart.

I want to put together a toiletry box for F.B. so he will have everything here ready for him when he arrives.

• Soap
• Shampoo
• Axe Solid Stick & Spray
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Floss
• Hairbrush
• Razor
• Q-tips
• Towel & Washcloth
• Robe

I might also get together a little snack box of some Philadelphia treats for him! Just about a month to get everything ready for his arrival! :-)

This is a very brief blog entry tonight! F.B. had his visa interview this morning around 6:30am Philippine time. He just got out of the embassy it took about 5 hours. He said there were lot's of people... but guess... what....

HIS VISA WAS APPROVED!!! WHOO HOO!!!!

He has to wait for the US Embassy in Manila to mail him back his passport with his visa and paperwork and then we can figure out when he's going to book a flight to the USA!!!

Edited to add: Lawyer emailed and said it's actually two years before we will have to file to remove the conditional status from his visa. So that's a lot nicer than having to file again in September already! Gives us more time to save for more immigration fees.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

F.B.'s visa interview at the American Embassy in Manila is 1 week away! It feels like time is going really slow, yet really fast at the same time!

F.B. got his police clearance paper last week. (He needed an original for the visa interview.) And Thursday & Friday he went to get his medical exam. It took 2 days for them to do everything. ($213 USD!) He had to have a physical exam, xray, eye exam, blood tests and he also got 3 vaccines. They have forwarded his medical results to the Embassy so they will have them for his interview on Feb 4th.

If he is approved, there's a good chance F.B. will be able to fly to the USA sometime end of February or beginning of March! (Praying!) I'm sure he will be approved- because he is coming to the USA on a CR visa. (Conditional Resident.)

What does that mean? Well it means we're not nearly done with immigration. In 2 years we will have to submit paperwork and file to remove the conditional status off his visa. ($590!) We will have to submit evidence that we've been living together, affidavits from friends & family that state we have a relationship, etc. Our lawyer has already been preparing us to gather evidence together for that.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

There's so much other stuff to do once F.B. is approved and comes to the USA. We'll need to visit the Social Security office near me and apply to get him an Social Security number so he can work legally.

I also contacted the PA department of motor vehicles, to find out how he can apply for a driver's license. They wrote me back and said:

An international permit, obtained from your home country prior to traveling, may be used in Pennsylvania (PA) for one year from the issue date. You must carry both your international permit and your valid foreign license with you when driving. You may review the documents necessary to apply for a permit by using this link, Non-U.S. Citizens. This will provide the list of documents to take to your local driver’s license center, depending on your immigration status.

They also said he will need to apply for a PA drivers permit and he will have to take the test again before he can get a PA drivers license. But if he's able to get the international permit then at least he will be able to drive legally here- while he's applying for a PA driver's license!

Going to also have to add him onto my checking & saving accounts so there's proof we are living together. And probably get him a cell phone in his name so he has a bill with his name & address on it. I think if I add him to my plan- the bill will still be in my name only?

I also have to demo my room, lol. We are going to be living at home with my parents for probably about a year & a half while we finish immigration, and F.B. gets a job so we can save money to get our own place. My room at home is not very large. It's got this built in desk that I never use that takes up a lot of room. My Dad is going to help me take it out. Then we will need to repaint the whole room. And I want to get a full bed. (I don't think anything larger than a full would fit in my room! And hubby & I are are not sharing a twin!)

So much to do! I can't wait until the visa interview is over and we know for sure what's going to happen next!

Back in November I ordered a sketch of my Basil boy from one of our Rat Chatter members. She is selling the digital color sketches for $9 and $2 for every extra rat added into the sketch. They are amazing! I decided to get all of my current ratties drawings done. For the 4 additional sketches I emailed photos of the rats and I told Ciara she could pose them however she wanted to fit them into the sketches. I wanted to share all the watermarked versions on my blog here. I love them all!

If you would like to order a digital sketch of your pet or pet rat. Click here for more information. You can also contact Ciara by email too.

(You can click on the pictures for larger versions.)

Today, heading to the train station after work with my co-worker who catches the same train. We walk into 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and across from the door leaned up against the wall is a very very dark almost Indian looking guy. You couldn't help seeing him where he was standing coming in the door. Well as we walk in the man opens his winter jacket with both hands and holds back his jacket & button down shirt exposing his naked chest for a few seconds and grins weirdly. I was totally shocked. I say to my coworker. "Um... should we call the police?!" He says, "Why?" He didn't see, he was just a few steps ahead of me! I had to tell him and we debated telling someone but we were late for our train and rushing. I said if he had shown anything below the belt I would have had to grab a guard! And 30th Street Station is a BUSY place too! What a creep!!! Sure have a story to tell my coworkers tomorrow... lol!

Got a very important email today at 4:49pm. It was the NVC telling us that they had already forwarded our documents to Manila, Philippines and....

(Click the picture to make larger)





That's right.....

F.B. has his visa interview at the US Manila Embassy in TWO WEEKS?!?!

When I emailed our lawyer he replied with: 'That was faster than I expected, too'.

Yikes! I was sure they'd give you a month to prepare. It doesn't look like he will need to bring much with him from the rest of the document. But he will need a medical exam and ugh... he's just getting over a head/chest cold he's had for a few weeks. Our immigration lawyer is emailing information tomorrow on what F.B. needs to prepare and bring to the interview.

This should have been included in my last blog, but I also ordered the book 'Anna Karenina' on Ebay. My blogging friend Shannon from Misguided Mommy was reading it and recommended it. :)










I also went to see the movie Black Swan after my car inspection yesterday morning. I went to the 9:40am show and there were only 12 other people in the theater, gotta love early movies! (And yes I sometimes go to see movies by myself!) It's a very pretty movie in spots. I like those emotional dysfunctional type movies. (The Virgin Suicides, White Oleander, Girl Interrupted, The Lovely Bones, etc.)

But... if you go see the movie, the one thing you need to keep in mind the whole time, is the girl in it is freakin' insane- literally, lol. (Insane as in she sees some crazy sh#t!) She's also obsessed with perfection & pushes herself to the edge. Her mother is insane & overprotective too. It's a really dark drama and it's got some horror type scenes in it. Though the ending I thought was going to happen- I wish did- instead of the one that actually happens.

It's National Delurking Day! (Thanks Patty for the reminder!) So come on, don't be shy! Today is the day you can say "Hi!" if you read my blog but don't usually comment. :-)

It's also Tastykake Day!


Our own wonderful Philadelphia company, (Established in 1914!) Is having some financial difficulties. Today the company was able to refinance some of their loans. But they are definitely struggling. Unfortunately they will most likely have to sell or complete a merger with another company. Their loans have to be repaid by June. Please support this Philadelphia company by buying a few boxes of Tastykakes (If you're on the east coast!) Or by visiting their website and purchasing some goodies! I picked up some Tastykake mini pies today after work. And am shipping my husband Apple & Blueberry pies for Valentines Day. :)

I am also so excited because I pre-ordered The Pioneer Woman's new novel that is coming out in Feb! 'Black Heels to Tractor Wheels!' (Love her blog!)













And finally got to order her cookbook too! (Love free super saver shipping on Amazon.com!)













I discovered that I like Taylor Swift's music. I needed something new to listen too. She reminds me of Michelle Branch, (one of my favorites). And she also reminds me a bit of Avril Lavigne. Sort of a mix of the two. The countryish sound & then because some of the songs have some smart ass lyrics, lol! I have to get F.B. to listen to her music, because I think he'll like her too.
























(I do use Amazon Associates, but not because I've made any money- because I haven't! lol! But I like that I can show a picture/link with a book or music when I'm blogging. Plus I do recommend Amazon.com for their low prices. That or Ebay!)

It's been slow going, waiting for the NVC to finish reviewing our paperwork. We are down to the last few steps, but it's just a waiting game at this point. I was optimistic that perhaps F.B. might be here before March, but now that it's almost the middle of January... I'm not really sure. Who knows- perhaps things will start to move faster, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I'll just say I hope he's able to come to the USA by Spring or Summer.

Where we are right now- email from our immigration lawyer:

The next step is for the National Visa Center to complete the processing of your case and then forward it to the Consulate in Manila.  Once the Consulate Receives the case, we will receive a notice with a date and time for FB to appear for his interview and instructions for FB to complete his medical examination. We will keep you posted as soon as we have new information.

I checked on our case via the USCIS website. You can see we are pretty much on the last step- click for a bigger version:

Here is our immigration process check sheet. (Strike through's are completed steps).

1. USCIS will send our lawyer a receipt notice sometime in the next few weeks confirming they received our I-130.

2. In approximately 3-5 months the USCIS will make a decision on the I-130 and will forward our file to the National Visa Center in New Hampshire.

3. The NVC will then send a packet with instructions to complete our I-864. (There will be a fee.)

4. Once the packet is returned to the NVC, they will review everything and within 45-90 days they will forward the packet to the U.S. consulate in Manila.

5. The Consulate will send a packet with instructions for F.B. to complete a medical examination & obtain a police clearance certificate prior to scheduling his visa interview.

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia. 

Last summer I adopted my 3 beautiful girls Honey, Hazelnut & Clover from Star's Rat Rescue. They traveled all the way from South Dakota to Philadelphia.

SRR is currently planning another trip to PA tentatively set for Spring/Summer 2011 depending on how fast they are able to get drivers and coordinate everything. Anyone along the route in NE, IA, IL, IN, OH, PA or MD can adopt! There are still a lot of rats available for adoption. I'm adopting 2 boys and 2 girls from Star's Rat Rescue.

My boys!

And girls 11H & 11J I will also be adopting!


Here is SRR's plan for the 2011 Rat Train! If you can help fill any driving spots or want to adopt please contact SRR by email at: stars.rat.train@gmail.com

Phase 1

Winner, South Dakota to Joliet, IL
718 Miles - 11 hours 54 minutes
20 Rats

1. Winner, SD to Yankton, SD            149 mi  2 hours 56 mins - Filled! - Thanks Brittney!
2. Yankton, SD to Omaha (I-680), NE  160 mi  2 hour 41 mins - Filled! Thanks Brittney!
3. Omaha (I-680), NE to Adair, IA        82 mi   1 hour 18 mins - Filled! Thanks Barbara!
4. Adair, IA to Des Moines, IA             57 mi  55 mins  - Filled! Thanks Barbara!
5. Des Moines, IA to Williamsburg, IA  90 mi   1 hour 24 mins - Filled! Thanks Kristin!
6. Williamsburg, IA to Geneseo, IL      110 mi    1 hour 45 mins
7. Geneseo, IL to Joliet, IL                  116 mi    1 hours 56 mins - Filled! Thanks Mary!

~~Overnight Stay Needed in Joliet, IL or Chicago area. for 6 rats~~ - Filled! Thanks Pam!

Phase 2

Joliet, IL to Philadelphia, PA and Stevensville, MD
772 Miles - 13 hours 45 minutes
16 Rats

1. Joliet, IL to Chesterton, IN              59 mi   1 hour 17 mins - Filled! Thanks Pam!
2. Chesterton, IN to South Bend, IN    53 mi   58 mins - Filled! Thanks Pam!
3. South Bend, IN to Montpelier, OH    97 mi    1 hour 36 mins
4. Montpelier, OH to Fremont, OH        89 mi    1 hour 32 mins
5. Fremont, OH to Elyria, OH              62 mi    1 hour 7 mins
6. Elyria, OH to Boardman, OH           95 mi    1 hour 37 mins
7. Boardman, OH to Pittsburgh, PA      61 mi    1 hour 10 mins
8. Pittsburgh, PA to Somerset, PA       70 mi    1 hour 15 mins - Filled! - Thanks Samantha!
9. Somerset, PA to Harrisburg, PA      138 mi   2 hour 25 mins
10. Harrisburg, PA to Philadelphia, PA 107 mi   1 hour 55 mins - Filled! - Thanks Sarah!
11. Philadelphia, PA to Newark, DE      45 mi    56 mins - Filled! Thanks Jenn!
12. Newark, DE to Stevensville, MD      70 mi    1 hour 22 mins - Filled! Thanks Jenn!

Want to adopt a Rescue Rat?

If you live along/close to the train route and would like to adopt a rescue rat now, please go to Star's Rat Rescue and check out the available rats and then fill out the Pre-Adoption Questionnaire.

You can still adopt even if you are not along/close to this train route, SRR will have more routes in the future. Please follow the same instructions as above.

For other ways to Help Star's Rat Rescue, please see our note here.

I'll be keeping the list updated as we get new drivers & adopters added! 


(Please cross post or tweet about this if you can! Thanks!)