Moving on...

We're not moving on to Carlisle yet (that isn't until after the week at Beulah), but we ARE moving on... Tired of cold and rain and **ugh** SNOW, we're packed up and on our way to 2 weeks of sun and heat in Tucson , Arizona. I'll still have internet (staying with Jer's mom), but probably won't blog much. So incase I don't at all, see you June 6 or 7th :)

Things we're looking forward to doing:
1- Horseback riding with Laurel (Jer's mom)
2- Eating cereal at Cereal Bar
3- Watching sunset over mountains
4- Climbing a mountain
5- "Testing" cactuses (or cacti) (This involves touching the spines... it will be more me than Jer.. ok, it'll be just me)
6- Relaxing for a movie day with Laurel
7- Spending time in Hereford with a bunch of Jer's family
8- Swimming *outside*
9- Trying to convince Anthony and Elizabeth (Jer's bro and sis-in-law) to move to Carlisle with us :)
10- Supper with Jer's dad
11- SLEEPING
12- NOT WORKING
13- READING FOR FUN
14- NOTHING BUT WHATEVER WE WANT TO DO!!!!


BRING ON THE SUN!!!

Cake... mmmmm

I made it home.

Piece of cake

Ok, so things worked out a little easier than we had been told.. The lawyer definitely made it seem like there would be bad stuff to pay if I left the country without this stamp in my passport... So we thought we would have to go back to Portland. So we got up at 5:00 to leave by 6 to head for Portland. In the morning, I called the border just to make sure that what I had wasn't enough.. They said I'd have to come in so they could see it... but the guy in Houlton wasn't in until 8. We could be halfway to Portland by then... so we went to the Bridgewater border. They guy there was quite positive that I had what I needed - if HE were working, getting back into the country would not be a problem.

Wanting a second opinion (you never know with border guards) we headed to Houlton. By this time, it was 8:00 and the guy who could answer my questions was there. He said yes, what I had was sufficient and there was no stamp I needed.

Good. So we took his word for it... We left. Got here MUCH earlier than we thought.

Granted, I am still out of the country. Here's to hoping that tomorrow when I try to reenter, one of those guys is working or they really were correct...

I'll post about the wedding when I get home and can get somepictures up... :) It was a beautiful day (had it not been for the weather, it would have been perfect)

Aaaannnnndddd - BACK to Portland we go...............

A HUGE GRRRRRRRRR POST TODAY.

Ok, so as mentioned, my immigration interview was yesterday. It went really well. They approved me as a "Conditional Resident", different from a permanent resident only because Jeremiah and I have not been married long enough (2 years). The only difference is in 2 years, I have to file an I-751 to have the conditions of my residency lifted.. (costing me another $200 of course...) That's ok -- we're happy with that, makes sense with the way SOOO many marriages go these days. I don't blame them -- even if we do have angelic faces.

So I come home, happy, knowing that for sure I can go to my sisters wedding. The advanced parole papers came last week, but now I don't even need THEM because I've been officially approved!

Or so I thought.......

I came back and emailed Mr Eiss, my lawyer, as he asked me to, just to let him know how the interview went. His response, "Did they stamp your passport with a temporary I-551 stamp?".... Ummmmmmmm, no....... were they supposed to??? His response to that, "Just go back to the office and get them to stamp it before you make your trip across the border." All well and dandy if the office wasn't FOUR HOURS SOUTH of here when our trip is SIX OR SEVEN HOURS NORTHEAST!!!!!

So tomorrow, instead of getting up and leisurely showering, etc and leaving by around 10 and getting to my sisters around supper time, we get to wake up at 5:00, shower, drive 4 hours south to Portland, get a stinkin' stamp in my passport, turn around, drive 2 hours north along the same highway we just came down (if you do the math, we should be to my sisters already by this amount of driving), then drive another 7-8 hours, getting to my sisters house (IF the stop getting the stamp is quick) exhausted and ready for bed......

Oh well - when you consider that the US government originally told us not to bother planning a wedding before this coming fall because I wouldn't be able to get in before that, I guess an extra trip to Portland isn't the end of the world...

New Handle

I've got a new handle. You can officially refer to me as:

"Sarah Gomez, CR6 - Temporary Permanent Resident"

and it only took 85 days from the day we submitted to the day we interviewed and went home completed.

The Next Step

After compiling and photocopying a myriad of pictures, Christmas cards, Wedding cards and invites, bank and credit card statements, car ownership papers, health insurance cards, Geico insurance cards, letters from the church, passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates and anything else we could think of to "substantiate our relationship," Jeremiah and I are ready to hit the USCIS with paper! It's amazing all the things that they want us to show to prove our relationship. Hope they're happy... Interview is Monday morning, May 7, at 10:30am. Keep us in prayer.

We are really excited that this may be the end of this process for us. At least for 3 years. It is absolutely amazing how much God has gone before us in this. If it weren't for Him, I would still be sitting at home in Ontario, trying to get through to the US government that I love Jeremiah and want to move to their country. If it weren't for Him, it wouldn't have happened that, even though we procrastinated a little longer than we should have, I am still able to go to my sisters wedding (this coming Saturday). We were told that the *earliest* we could expect the advance parole was about a week more than 3 months... We got in by earnest prayer 1.5 weeks BEFORE te 3 month mark. If it weren't for Him, we wouldnt' have been able to afford the extra $2000 for the medical I needed. If it weren't for Him, If it weren't for Him, if it weren't for Him...

Thank you God for loving me deeply even in the midst of my downfalls..

I love You.

THR3E

I am not usually one for movie reviews, but after the movie Jer and I watched last night, I feel the world must know. Back when we were dating and doing a lot of road trips, Jeremiah and I both listened to an excellent book on CD by Ted Dekker, called THR3E. Very intense, highly stimulating, and incredibly fun to listen to. While walking the video store aisles the other night, we saw, to our amazement it was a movie now! Neither of us had any idea. We grabbed it and brought it home, expecting a pretty decent movie.

We were sorely disappointed. Where the book was exciting and made you wonder what could possibly happen next, the movie left you thinking "why did I put $4.40 into renting this movie?" The characters, who are pretty well created in the book, felt cheap and fake in the movie.

If you asked my opinion (which you didn't so if you don't like it, ignore it!), I'd say put a little extra effort and a little more time and pick up the book. As for the movie, save your money and leave it on the shelf.

The best part of the movie for us: We returned it after only one night, and get a $1 credit towards our next rental.

I'm on AP!!!

Granted, while at Bethany, this would have been nothing to boast about.. students on AP (Academic Probation) didn't usually go around flailing their arms and proclaiming their good fortune..

But now that Bethany is part of my history, AP is a whole different story.. A new realm of excitement.

AP (Advanced Parole) is an answer to prayer. Yes, I know it sounds like I got out of jail early, but that's only partially true. While working towards immigration status in the States, you are not allowed to cross the border. Correction - you are allowed to cross the border. You are just not allowed to come back! So, for the last few months, I have been unable to enter Canada. What this AP does is, even though the process is not complete and I still don't have a green card, I am now allowed to resume normal border crossings. My sister is getting married in 11 days in Nova Scotia and as of yesterday, I'm allowed to go!

Best news yet (and why it's an obvious answer to prayer) it's *weeks* earlier than it should have arrived. God has his hands all over this one!

And also, my interview in Portland is Monday. I should be receiving my work permit any day now. So even if they don't stamp my passport and give me a green card, I can work, I can come and go when I want and/or need... I'm happy :) The green card can take a couple more months if it likes.

YIPPEE!!!

Oh, and I'm getting money back from my OWN government to boot! Yahoo!!