6 months, 17 days. 201 days. It was May 7th when I had my original issues at the border resulting in my denial of entry. It was three weeks ago that we were planning to have Andrea follow me to California. And then events transpired which changed our mind. A plan was hatched. Action was taken. To our pleasant shock and awe, it worked. I am home. I am officially, and quite legally, in Canada.

The journey home was interesting. The first leg, Los Angeles to Chicago, went something like: bus, alternate bus after the one I needed forgot to turn off it’s Out of Service light and I missed it, train, cab, plane, cargo van, sleep. I spent a day visiting with my Mom, then drove two hours to spent the day with my brother, who’s in the hospital. After returning, another day working/visiting with Mom, followed by the final travel day: cargo van, plane, and an anxiety-filled car ride through the Detroit-Windsor tunnel into Canada.

We’re finishing up my permanent application now, but my visitor record is valid for a full year. It’s just good to be home, to see Andrea again, to play with the dogs, to pet the cats, and to resume living and building the life we’ve dreamed of together.

Many thanks to our friends and family who supported us over the last half year or so of this nightmare. A special thanks to Kattni, who picked me up at the airport and bore the special scrutiny of the border in order to reunite Andrea and I.