Well I thought it was time for an update to everyone. First things first, I'm officially done with immigration due to nothing being short of a miracle. God truly does work in mysterious ways.
As many of you know my Opa wasn't doing well which was really hard for me since I couldn't be there to see him. He passed away on Tuesday morning. Once I got the phone call from Mom & Dad I started trying to find information to see if there was anyway that I could possibly make it home for the funeral. First I looked on the immigration website online, at first I couldn't find a phone # to call.. eventually I did, a 1-800 # but it did me no good since I counldn't find the info that I wanted. Then while Johns mom was here I suddenly had a brain wave. I asked her if she knew what the name of the lawyer was that John had spoken too before we started the whole immigration process before we got married. She didn't know but told me that if I had a telephone book for her to look in she could probably find it. So we figured out who it was. That meant time for another phone call. I called him, and got put directly through to him.. no questions asked(really amazing for a lawyers office, I would know cause I worked for one). I explained the situation to him, and told him that so far everything had gone really well, except now that my Opa had passed away I really wanted to be able to go home for the funeral but didn't know if there was that possiblity. He asked me how far along in the process we were. When I told him that I thought we were almost done, and had already had our interview he wanted to know why we didn't have them already. I explained that I had to submit another waiver and some letters, but had to mail them out yet and was planning to do that today (tuesday). Then he said..."who is the immigration officer that you are dealing with" I told him.. he said "Let me tell you what, normally I may never do this but I'm going to make you raise your right hand and swear that you won't tell anyone this phone #" So I had to swear and then he gave me the phone # for the immgration officer that we were dealing with. This made it possible for me to make a phone call that normally speaking would never have been possible because the general public doesn't get that type of information.
Anyway, so I called the officer and explained the situation to him. He then asked me how I got his phone # when I explained he said OK, and then told me that I could come and see him in the next day or so between 10-3. Normally the only way you get into the immigration office is with an infopass which gives you an appointment to come in. Since I had been planning to go shopping(do some groceries) with John's mom in the Tri-Cities we changed our plans and went to Yakima instead and headed to the Immigration office first. We got there around 11:45 and at about 12:30 I walked out of the office with a stamp in my passport, and had been told the my temporary permentant resident card(valid for 2 years) would come in the mail in 2-3 weeks. Rigth now I can't find words to express how happy I am, and yet so incredibly sad at the same time. It really is a answer to prayer...
We hope to travel up to Alberta on Thursday morning, leaving Sunnyside around 12pm or so, flying out of Yakima/Seattle/Calgary, and getting into the Calgary airport later that evening. From there we take a rental car and drive home. The funeral is on Saturday morning, and then John plans to stay till Tuesday morning and I stay till the 11th.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunnyside weather.!!!?! :(
Boooo I hate the weather here this winter!!! The snow was awesome, I'll take the anyday, but the last few days all I've seen is a drizzle of rain and lots of fog!! ugh!!
Seriously I would take snow and cold any day over fog and rain in the winter!! Because that is just totally wrong, haha at least for this Albertan girl!! One thing is forsure, as soon as I can go home I'm going asap and hopefully there is some snow for me to enjoy :)
Seriously I would take snow and cold any day over fog and rain in the winter!! Because that is just totally wrong, haha at least for this Albertan girl!! One thing is forsure, as soon as I can go home I'm going asap and hopefully there is some snow for me to enjoy :)
Finally I'm posting some pictures of the snow that we did have! :) I kept meaning to post about it.. just didn't happen, but I figure now it may as well go with this one :)
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Immigration update...
Well, it is time for another one of those wonderful updates... what a thrill! or not!!! anyway it could have been worse so I won't complain, just time to state the facts so everyone knows what is going on :)
Yesterday morning we had an appointment with the immigration officer in Yakima.. which I think John was more stressed about than I was LOL! Anyway, we got there in plenty of time.. checked in.. went through security.. (yup the joys) haha and of course there is always a first time for everything! the beeper went off for me :P I think it was because of my zipper in my boots.. but who knows!
We had to wait for a little while and then it was our turn... the interview went pretty quick, which amazed me to a certain extent.. but part of it was he only asked a few questions and it was pretty much like he had to do it because of protocol. He gave us another form/waiver that needs to be filled out and sent in before the 14th of January as well as, John needs to write a letter stating why it would be a hardship for him if I would be deported.. LOL! as well as some other minor things! The waiver that needs to be submitted is the part that has us going.. seriously that is a rip off!! $500+ dollars later! booo immigrations stinks! :P
So other than that.. things are looking pretty good, and hopefully that means that I will be able to have my papers in a month or so :) We were told that pretty much the rest of the correspondence will be done by mail.
That about concludes my update :)
Yesterday morning we had an appointment with the immigration officer in Yakima.. which I think John was more stressed about than I was LOL! Anyway, we got there in plenty of time.. checked in.. went through security.. (yup the joys) haha and of course there is always a first time for everything! the beeper went off for me :P I think it was because of my zipper in my boots.. but who knows!
We had to wait for a little while and then it was our turn... the interview went pretty quick, which amazed me to a certain extent.. but part of it was he only asked a few questions and it was pretty much like he had to do it because of protocol. He gave us another form/waiver that needs to be filled out and sent in before the 14th of January as well as, John needs to write a letter stating why it would be a hardship for him if I would be deported.. LOL! as well as some other minor things! The waiver that needs to be submitted is the part that has us going.. seriously that is a rip off!! $500+ dollars later! booo immigrations stinks! :P
So other than that.. things are looking pretty good, and hopefully that means that I will be able to have my papers in a month or so :) We were told that pretty much the rest of the correspondence will be done by mail.
That about concludes my update :)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
I can't believe myself....
So yesterday.. I decided that maybe I should get the papers together that we need to take along to our Immigration Interview on Monday... anyway so I was looking around and couldn't find my "new" birth certificate... I was sure that I had gotten/seen it! Anyway.. I looked in our room, in the drawer where I keep that stuff.... nope not there :(... then to the office.. which was more of an interesting experience because there is why more stuff to look through in there.. anyway.. I dug through all the file folders, pile of receipts, and paper in there... no BC.. :( I was kinda starting to get a little worried, to say the least! Anyway then I went and looked in the kitchen in the papers that are on the counter..not there... behind the couch.. where there is a small pile.. not there... back to the office.. then to the bedroom... UGHHHHHH!!!
In the mean time my wonderful hubby started to look too.. we couldn't find it anywhere.. I thought well maybe it feel down to the bottom of the dresser.. under the drawers.. which apparently don't come out of there.. booo! Anyway you can't even get your arm down there to feel anything.. so John got a screwdriver and tried that... nope not there.... Man.. I was starting to get slightly stressed! But I had to go make supper... so that was that! Anyway after supper I looked a bit more in the office and then decided I'd had enough... and we had Bible study so we had to get ready to go for that anyway!
When we were on our way to Bible study I said to John... on a scale of 1-10 how stressed out do you think I am right now... LOL.. he said probably like 8 or so... which was exactly how I was feeling... I wasn't majorly freaking yet.. but getting pretty close! I told him that we really need to get a safe to store all our documents like that in.. not good to leave things like that laying around the house anyway!! Anyway got back from Bible study.. I looked for like 10 minutes again.. and I was like.. forget it.. enough for tonight! Tomorrow is another day!
This morning.. I didn't even start looking yet.. but decided maybe I should call mom and ask her, if it had been mailed to me or if she had brought it when they came.... LOL! Anyway.. she said that when they came they still hadn't gotten it.. and she had kinda forgotten apparently. She told me she was going to phone the registry because it was super weird that she didn't have it yet! They had told her they were going to mail it. Anyway, a few minutes later she calls me back! Ya, I called them, but they said they had mailed it.. not registered mail though, so they were pretty worried too.. anyway...... Mom remembered getting an envelope from the AB Gov in the mail.. that has Tax (or something stamped on it) so she had just put it away and never bothered to open it and look into it... When she got off of the phone with the registry place she decided to go look in there... TADA!!! my BC!!
I seriously don't know when I have been so relieved......... I was pretty freaked out by this morning... !!!!!!
In the mean time my wonderful hubby started to look too.. we couldn't find it anywhere.. I thought well maybe it feel down to the bottom of the dresser.. under the drawers.. which apparently don't come out of there.. booo! Anyway you can't even get your arm down there to feel anything.. so John got a screwdriver and tried that... nope not there.... Man.. I was starting to get slightly stressed! But I had to go make supper... so that was that! Anyway after supper I looked a bit more in the office and then decided I'd had enough... and we had Bible study so we had to get ready to go for that anyway!
When we were on our way to Bible study I said to John... on a scale of 1-10 how stressed out do you think I am right now... LOL.. he said probably like 8 or so... which was exactly how I was feeling... I wasn't majorly freaking yet.. but getting pretty close! I told him that we really need to get a safe to store all our documents like that in.. not good to leave things like that laying around the house anyway!! Anyway got back from Bible study.. I looked for like 10 minutes again.. and I was like.. forget it.. enough for tonight! Tomorrow is another day!
This morning.. I didn't even start looking yet.. but decided maybe I should call mom and ask her, if it had been mailed to me or if she had brought it when they came.... LOL! Anyway.. she said that when they came they still hadn't gotten it.. and she had kinda forgotten apparently. She told me she was going to phone the registry because it was super weird that she didn't have it yet! They had told her they were going to mail it. Anyway, a few minutes later she calls me back! Ya, I called them, but they said they had mailed it.. not registered mail though, so they were pretty worried too.. anyway...... Mom remembered getting an envelope from the AB Gov in the mail.. that has Tax (or something stamped on it) so she had just put it away and never bothered to open it and look into it... When she got off of the phone with the registry place she decided to go look in there... TADA!!! my BC!!
I seriously don't know when I have been so relieved......... I was pretty freaked out by this morning... !!!!!!
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Carol of the Bells - This is really neat!!
Carol Of The Bells from SPaschall on Vimeo.
I especially like how the have the lights going to the rythm of the music.. just thought I would share :)
Monday, December 07, 2009
Sunday Morning Madness... grrr!!!
This calls for a whole separate post.. LOL!! for one small thing! Anyway Bright & Early Sunday morning, at like 4:40, our phone rang.. scared the crap out of me.. but before I got out of bed and got the phone it had already stopped ringing!! :( The call display said Blocked Call.. Go figure, who in the world in their right mind calls at such a crazy hour in the morning!! Needless to say John and I were both awake.. and kinda annoyed.. Oh well we survived, but still have no clue who it was... BOOOO!!! :P
General Update
Well things have been some what boring yet life seems to have a way of giving me little things to do right now! Some of my family(parents, siblings) came to visit me a week before American Thanksgiving! That was pretty awesome since they also brought along my piano and dining table and chairs! I love it, it makes it feel so much more like home!! :) haha like it wasn't already! I got our big wedding pictures printed..another accomplishment! Christmas cards made... for us and I designed the cards for my Mom & Dad!! :) I love the Stampin' Up! My Digital Studio Program!!
Anyway the week that my parents were here ended not so great.. I had a sore tooth on Wednesday but didn't think to much of it.. dumb me... anyway by Thursday morning it was really starting to hurt.. :( so I took a tylenol and it didn't even put a dent into the pain!! :( by evening it was just throbbing, and nothing was working for the pain :( booo!! so we had to do a search for a dentist and get a root canal done Friday morning!! I normally hate freezing and let them do anything to me with in reason without it.. haha this time totally unlike me I was like just freeze it up good please!! haha :) anyway then after this I still felt miserable because of the pain meds they gave me they were making me puke and feel miserable.. so I stopped taking those pretty quick and switched to regular Ibuprofen!! aahhh much better LOL! :) Now I have an appointment on the 9th again.. so we shall see how that goes, because they only put a temporary filling in that day...
On the 14th I have an appointment with the Immigration Office, so we are hoping that things go well and who knows hopefully I will have my papers soon!! I'm definitely not getting my hopes up or getting to excited about it yet.. as a matter or fact I think my wonderful hubby is more excited about it than I am LOL and thinks I will have them pretty quick.. me... well I say if I have them by the end of February we are doing good LOL!! So nope don't get to excited yet!! Hopefully after next monday we will know a little more though!! :)
This past Wednesday I helped a lady here in town take off wall paper for a few hours.. apparently my reputation is preceeding me.. I'm not to excited about it LOL!! removing wallpaper is not on my list of exciting things to do.. LOL! :) Got that done.. and went home and unpacked a few more boxes of stuff.. which makes for finding somethings :) good times!! Friday I always clean house for someone, which isn't a bad thing but I don't get to excited about it either :) but at least it is something to do and it sure beats sitting at home all the time! In the afternoon I went to Aunt Annemarie's to visit my "new" cousin Tyssyna, who is here visiting with her little 8 month old from Iowa! :) haha and then promptly was late to pick John up for work because the clock was off.. Oops!! haha big time Oops!! LOL!! :) it wasn't the first time that happened and won't be the last!!
Saturday was a crazy day!!! In the morning I dropped John off at his parents' and then I went to the Tri-cities to go do some groceries.. and bail Dad out haha :)... Came through Winco pretty unscathed.. LOL! But then hit Costco.... and ummm not so good as usual LOL! Or maybe not as good as I want it to be :) I did find myself two nice tanktops and also a magazine rack.. so that did account for about the $50 extra that I spent there!! :) If it hadn't been for that I would have felt better :) haha! :) but I'm happy about what I got :) Anyway came home quick unpacked and headed down to the In-laws again.. went to a Christmas Craft Fair in the Mall with Mom and Cynthia! It was pretty cool, but nothing that I was like.. ooo I want that LOL good thing too! :p Then we got back there and John and I headed to our place... time to run around and dust my house... since we had company coming... oops haha I forgot one spot and leave it up to James to notice.. LOL! Anyway Tori & Arlen also came that evening.. we had some fun playing Rook! it seems to be the game to play but we really enjoy it!! :) so that was Saturday.. or most of it!! :) Enough info for this post anyway!!! :)
Anyway the week that my parents were here ended not so great.. I had a sore tooth on Wednesday but didn't think to much of it.. dumb me... anyway by Thursday morning it was really starting to hurt.. :( so I took a tylenol and it didn't even put a dent into the pain!! :( by evening it was just throbbing, and nothing was working for the pain :( booo!! so we had to do a search for a dentist and get a root canal done Friday morning!! I normally hate freezing and let them do anything to me with in reason without it.. haha this time totally unlike me I was like just freeze it up good please!! haha :) anyway then after this I still felt miserable because of the pain meds they gave me they were making me puke and feel miserable.. so I stopped taking those pretty quick and switched to regular Ibuprofen!! aahhh much better LOL! :) Now I have an appointment on the 9th again.. so we shall see how that goes, because they only put a temporary filling in that day...
On the 14th I have an appointment with the Immigration Office, so we are hoping that things go well and who knows hopefully I will have my papers soon!! I'm definitely not getting my hopes up or getting to excited about it yet.. as a matter or fact I think my wonderful hubby is more excited about it than I am LOL and thinks I will have them pretty quick.. me... well I say if I have them by the end of February we are doing good LOL!! So nope don't get to excited yet!! Hopefully after next monday we will know a little more though!! :)
This past Wednesday I helped a lady here in town take off wall paper for a few hours.. apparently my reputation is preceeding me.. I'm not to excited about it LOL!! removing wallpaper is not on my list of exciting things to do.. LOL! :) Got that done.. and went home and unpacked a few more boxes of stuff.. which makes for finding somethings :) good times!! Friday I always clean house for someone, which isn't a bad thing but I don't get to excited about it either :) but at least it is something to do and it sure beats sitting at home all the time! In the afternoon I went to Aunt Annemarie's to visit my "new" cousin Tyssyna, who is here visiting with her little 8 month old from Iowa! :) haha and then promptly was late to pick John up for work because the clock was off.. Oops!! haha big time Oops!! LOL!! :) it wasn't the first time that happened and won't be the last!!
Saturday was a crazy day!!! In the morning I dropped John off at his parents' and then I went to the Tri-cities to go do some groceries.. and bail Dad out haha :)... Came through Winco pretty unscathed.. LOL! But then hit Costco.... and ummm not so good as usual LOL! Or maybe not as good as I want it to be :) I did find myself two nice tanktops and also a magazine rack.. so that did account for about the $50 extra that I spent there!! :) If it hadn't been for that I would have felt better :) haha! :) but I'm happy about what I got :) Anyway came home quick unpacked and headed down to the In-laws again.. went to a Christmas Craft Fair in the Mall with Mom and Cynthia! It was pretty cool, but nothing that I was like.. ooo I want that LOL good thing too! :p Then we got back there and John and I headed to our place... time to run around and dust my house... since we had company coming... oops haha I forgot one spot and leave it up to James to notice.. LOL! Anyway Tori & Arlen also came that evening.. we had some fun playing Rook! it seems to be the game to play but we really enjoy it!! :) so that was Saturday.. or most of it!! :) Enough info for this post anyway!!! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)