Within the next 24 hours, we will begin our journey back to the U.S. This has been a long time coming. We originally applied for my wife’s green card in Sep. 2018. We had her interview in March of 2020, and we received her green card visa the day before the borders were shut here in Russia. We purchased tickets for July 24 and didn’t receive a refund but only airline credit – the privilege for that cost us $280 in website booking fees with another $280 due if we use the credit to book a flight. Our insurance also wasn’t refunded and was only good if we got sick or quarantined – not the entire country. Each weekend after that, we purchased tickets but made sure to get those that were refundable. Now comes the big flight and big move.

Where Will We Live?

We’re still looking at places on the Oregon Coast. I actually found the perfect house in Tillamook. It was so beautiful. The fireplace and bookshelves were just how I imagined them, the kitchen was immaculate and large enough for people to work together, and there was a deck looking out to the sea. It was such a gorgeous scene; I could imagine the two of us on the deck with our coffees watching the sunset. The most unbelievable part was the price – $85,000! I was almost on the phone, or Facebook messenger, to my mom to get her there to buy it. The Tillamook I remember smells like cows, but there’s good cheese and ice cream, so it’s a fine trade-off, especially for the dream house. Then I read the fine print – $85,000 would allow us to live there for six weeks out of the year. Bummer.

So, we’re still looking. I don’t know exactly how to find a place to rent while we’re out of the country, but I’ve checked out several properties from afar. If you know of a place that will take cats, that would be amazing. Right now, we’re thinking mid- to north Oregon because there’s a great bookstore in Gold Beach we wouldn’t want to compete with – though if we could partner with them…

Where Will We Work?

I have a pending, mysterious job offer! It was a relief to get, so I’m grateful, even if it doesn’t happen. There are some details to be worked out, but it’ll be a great opportunity, and it will allow me to work from wherever within the U.S. Time Zone minus Hawaii and Alaska. (Okay, I haven’t checked that part.) We still want to open up Penguinate.com Studios and Outlet for Internet creations, penguins and Indie Author sales, and we both have freelance jobs. Of course, the best would be to have a group of fans who love our work and are willing to support us through Patreon. Page views on this website (and the others I’m responsible for) and YouTube subscribers would also be amazing.

For now, however, we’re concentrating on getting our four suitcases, three carry-ons, and cat along with ourselves on the flights headed out of our town and country and toward our next destination. I’ve already had to leave an enormous quantity of books and all my winter clothing behind. Hopefully everything else will arrive more or less intact. Thanks for the support. Please feel free to share this website and any blog post you find amusing, uplifting, and/or informative.