Forgotten Whispers

How does one describe themselves in such a tiny space? I suppose I could go on and on about myself, saying my likes and dislikes and what generally amuses me, but then what fun would that be? I guess you could think of me as a Christmas present, one that has been sitting under the tree for a couple of weeks with your name on it, your parent(s) thought it would be funny to torture you and it's been eating away at you trying to figure out what it could possibly be inside; but secretly, you love not knowing because now unwrapping it will be all the more fun. Well, I'm that present and this is where you can come to unwrap me. (All dirty jokes aside)

[cherylblogs]

So tell me.. how much do you think Hunter loves ducks? 🤣 He is carrying it around room to room saying “I just love this duck! It’s MY big duck!” 🦆 (at Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBcCAA8H0IV/?igshid=dyjwa3ch2y3u

[cherylblogs]

Pure happiness! 💕 (at Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBbhsgyH-9D/?igshid=6o3em7bl02v1

[cherylblogs]

Finally got around to the cucumbers peppers and ... apparently one lonely tomato. I’ll have to plant some more tomorrow. The peppers however are doing super good. 9 of them made it! 4/6 sunflowers also made it to be potted lol. (at Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBbcx8JnhaQ/?igshid=uu27qma9mai9

[cherylblogs]

Our first attempt at gardening is coming along very nicely! (at Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYfdnbn9_a/?igshid=19po4f7uujr0o

[cherylblogs]

4 years old and such a good helper. He does dishes, dusts and vacuums. Hope this lasts into teenage years.. 🤣 (at Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBYZsD2HdkV/?igshid=q29im5dhn4qp

[cherylblogs]

Khalie and Oliver. My Ying and Yang. These two are the most loving cats I’ve ever seen in my entire life. They both love to cuddle and have their belly’s rubbed. 💕 (at Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBR0k7CnTn-/?igshid=hlpixfu8xwrg

[cherylblogs]

This is Oliver. Curious kitty! 💕 (at Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBRzmN4iUmH/?igshid=dkis3n0k1k1c

[cherylblogs]

Some onion soup for dinner tonight to go with this out of the ordinary, random chilly day! 😋 Yum. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQs46UH9LQ/?igshid=15b901poagyux

[cherylblogs]

Just a few nature shots🌻 (at Branson, Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBQZYTCnVbz/?igshid=1v4flzvjmu9b9

[cherylblogs]

Future Doctor! 👨‍⚕️ (at Columbia, Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBPSf5FibZN/?igshid=2agabo9ljwcs

[cherylblogs]

Not just friends. Brothers. 💕 (at Missouri) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBN9mnKHVF2/?igshid=15tmes5krv4ty

[cherylblogs]

More than friends. Brothers. #onlychildlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CBN9XZpHeX5/?igshid=9houe5k2js2c

[cherylblogs]

More than friends. Brothers. #onlychildlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CBN9GrVH7HP/?igshid=1ry2weq9nwhat

[cherylblogs]

Here we go again!

Ah. Do you smell that in the air? It smells like immigration nonsense in t-minus 36 days! 

It was a good immigrationless 2 years... but alas. I must bother with them again. Here's a preview of all the fun stuff they want me to give them!

A copy of my permanent residency card (because they clearly can't get that themselves seeing as they issued it to me *cough* ^_-)

Evidence of our relationship and that we entered it in good faith and not just to speed up the process. I'm Canadian and moved here from free healthcare and have stayed even though President Oompa Loompa is running the show here... I mean that should be evidence enough but here's what they want:

My child's Birth Certificate. Because let's face it, only those who entered into a marriage of "good faith" have kids... *stares into the screen*

Mortgage contracts... Pretty sure my name isn't on it because of being an immigrant BUT SURE.

Financial records of joint accounts and transactions... Well at least we have that.

Joint tax returns. Have that.

Here's a funny one... My husband's insurance policy showing me the beneficiary..

Joint Utility bills... I dunno.. maybe I can find something with both our names on it lol

Ahh and my most favorite part of all! The one that brings not one but TWO people into this with us who have to give their affidavits swearing that they've known us both since being married and they have to provide their full name, address, date and place of birth, relationship to us, and full.. sorry FULL information and COMPLETE DETAILS explaining how the person acquired his or her knowledge. This is where the benefits of a swinger life come in handy. LOL

I'm going to throw a criminal history in too, just because there's a blurp about something to do with that, that I'm pretty sure doesn't pertain to me, but what the hell. I have connections. haha

Then we send them our left kidneys because that's about how much it costs... and we wait and wait and wait and never hear anything from them and wonder and hope.Of course, when the time comes, 

I'll give a more detailed explanation of this step and what to do etc. Have a great week! :)

#theimmigrationlife

[cherylblogs]

Obtaining your SSN (Social Security Number) - Update

Hi guys! 

So I have a friend who recently also immigrated to the USA and she’s using a lawyer to go through the process, let me tell you, from what she’s been telling me I certainly am GLAD I didn’t use a lawyer to go through this process because whoever they are dealing with they do NOT know what they are talking about most of the time. Kind of disheartening really when you think about it. I mean you are putting your ENTIRE future in this persons hand... 

Anyways I digress... 

So we were speaking to each other a few weeks ago and she was telling me that their lawyer told her that she would have to wait 3 months to get her SSN and I laughed at this because that is entirely untrue. I told her I had gone a couple of weeks after I got married to the Social Services office and gotten my SSN with no problems and that she should do the same because it would make things a hell of a lot easier during the three month wait for her EAD (employment authorization document). 

She thanked me and said she would check into it when she could, well, I spoke to her this morning and she told me that she could no longer apply for it because her K-1 visa had expired which I didn’t even think of. 

So on that note, at her unfortunate expense I am advising you all to make ABSOLUTELY SURE you get as much as you can done before the 90 days are up on your visa or you risk not being able to get your SSN which means no drivers license and no medical insurance amongst other things. 

Here’s a link to the SSN information I gave as a reference if you are currently wondering about the process.

  https://www.facebook.com/notes/immi...

Best of luck to you all!

[cherylblogs]

Event Timeline: Immigration Process

I met my future husband online and fell in love with him the moment I heard his voice in February of 2012.

We met in person after speaking for a year the following February (2013).

I stayed with him for 3 months and 12 days.

We spent the summer apart and I was back visiting him at the end of September (2013).

This time I spent 4 months and 15 days with him.

When I returned home, we started the immigration process.

February 15th we made the decision, or rather, we got “engaged” for a more romantic view on the process. (I just pictured my engagement to be a little more romantic than “lets start this long process and get it over with so we can be together” lol But those were my words, not his :P)

We gathered all the documents and fees in the next couple of weeks and sent out our first of many many forms  (filling out the I-129F)

* Sent out first package to immigration: March 7th 2014

*Received an email saying case was approved: March 14th 2014

*Received RFE (request for additional evidence): May 21st 2014

*Immigration received additional evidence: June 2nd 2014

*Case moved to “Post decision” NOA (Approval notice) sent in the mail: July 7th 2014

*NOA received by my husband: July 26th 2014

*Filled out DS-160 form: July 27th 2014

*Packet 3 received: August 6th 2014

*Packet 3 Documents they requested sent out: August 7th 2014

*Packet 4 Received: August 26th 2014

*Interview appointment scheduled: August 26th 2014 (for September)

* Medical exam done: September 5th 2014

*Interview toke place: September 15th 2014

*Visa approved: September 15th 2014

*Visa ready to be picked up: September 19th 2014

*Moved to USA: October 12 2014

*Got married: October 17th 2014

*Sent out Form to adjust to permanent resident/EAD (employment authorization document): October 19th 2014

*Obtained SSN: November 1 2014

*Biometrics appointment: November 17th 2014

*RFE received (again): November 21st 2014

*Sent out RFE: December 10th 2014

*Received EAD: January 6th 2015

*Received case update on green card status: March 6th 2015

*Got my first job here in the good ol’ US of A: June 27th 2015

*RFE; need to make an updated medical appointment: August 7th 2015

*Medical Appointment: August 20th 2015

*Sent out medical information along with other RFE they requested: August 27th 2015

*Got pregnant!: September (some day around the 7th lol) 2015

*Had our wedding “party” with family and friends: October 17th 2015

*Received NOA (approval notice) on green card: October 21st 2015

*Received green card: October 24th 2015 

Now I wait, patiently, lurking here, with my green card, waiting for three years to be up, so I can take my citizenship test and finally be done with this entire process!

(NOTE: Remember, as I’ve mentioned previously, every case is different, especially coming from different countries and obtaining different visa’s. I just want to document my process and have a bit of a guideline around for people to see so they can be reassured because lord knows that when I was going through this I couldn’t find anything to get my questions answered or my worries put to rest!

So that being said, if you ever have any questions, feel free to ask away and I will do my very best to answer them!)  

[cherylblogs]

The annoying yellow paper: Request for Evidence (I-485)

Well it was too good to be true I suppose. A couple of days ago we received a request for evidence in the mail. Now if you are like me and are completely anal about double/triple checking your documents before you send them and then you get this in the mail it’s pretty damn aggravating. The RFE we got is pertaining to my application for adjustment of status (green card) and it basically is telling me that they need an “updated” version of the affidavit of support.

I laugh at this because when I was filling out the paper work for my adjustment of status they said in the instructions that they would require no original documents if they didn’t specify for them so photo copies would do just fine and that is exactly what I gave them. I gave them every single piece of paper I sent originally that was good enough for them the first time and is apparently not good enough for them this time.

Ugh seriously aggravating. “If you have submitted form I-864, the version you submitted is no longer accepted. You must submit form I-864 with a revision date of 3/22/13. All pages of form I-864 must be present and of the same revision date.” Really immigration? Really?

I suppose it’s not that big of a deal, another form to fill out, some more running around to get supporting documents, more money spent on mailing them AGAIN and a little delay of my green card. >_>

They need to fix this immigration process for those of us doing it legally and they need to crack down harder on those here illegally. The illegal immigrants are here working, living, getting away with not going through this process and here we are, the ones who are doing it truthfully, getting screwed over, delayed, not able to work, stuck in some sort of weird immigration limbo. It’s awful.

And we aren’t even allowed to leave the country without asking if we can first until we get our green cards.

The system is broken, like so many other government systems. Catering to those who don’t deserve it and ignoring the ones who do deserve things. And that isn’t just for the American government; it goes for all of them around the world. Canada included.

Anyways, I digress.

So I guess we’ll be getting these documents all done and together within the next few days and we’ll be sending them off. I’ll keep you all posted on any more developments!