To my second child...

Today has been a solemn day for me. Not many of you know but in December 2007 I had suffered miscarriage. And today marks the due date of our baby. I do feel sad of what could have been, but at the same time happy because I was at least able to cherish the small time I had with my with baby. I'll never understand the reasons for it happening but I'm grateful that the Lord allowed me to the opportunity to at least experience it.

As I go through this journey I've never expected my life to be this way. But I do believe that bigger and better things are coming. Many people tell me that the Lord is going to bless us like never before. It was hard hearing that before when things looked so grim. Now that I feel things are moving in a positive way it's something to look forward to.

Last night I was reading Aaron a story call Miss Rumphius. How one of her goals was to make the world more beautiful. Even Aaron said that it was a nice story and "could we plant flowers?". I replied that no matter where we live we will definitely plant flowers.

Is this blog ever going to be about something normal?

Wednesday morning I went to court for my husband possession of cannabis case and praise God we got it vacated... actually BETTER then vacated. The judged order it to be "annale"? I probably spelled it wrong, but its a Latin term that basically the case is abandoned.

The judge couldn't understand why CDJ was being difficult about this case. And my criminal attorney explained to the Judge that if we didn't get the decision amended to show that the case is closed my husband would not be allowed to complete his immigration process. The state's prosecutor said they had no problem with the motion to vacate. "We have no evidence, no witness, even the lab couldn't pull up any reports". So the judge said that he didn't want to this case to "deny him the chance to reenter the country. Motion sustained." And at this point I don't have to pay anything!

I will have to wait until the decision is entered into the system. Supposedly it's 3 days but in reality its 9 days. However, my criminal attorney said he would call the clerk and ask her to enter it as soon as possible. So I hope by today (Friday) I'll have the certified court disposition in my hands and off to Laurel (our immigration attorney)! As Laurel and I were talking we think we're going to have to postpone our wavier appointment. We still don't know how long the Consulate is going to take to make the decision about the gang thing. So we'll see. 1 hurdle down, 1 more to go!

In other news...The family camp was so much fun and we had a great tent that held up during the horrible rainfall we had last Saturday night. I'll post pictures as soon as my sister downloads them :)

A minor recap and what's coming up...

Ok, as you know last Friday I went to the City Clerk's office to get a new court disposition for Eduardo's 93 case of poss. of cannabis. At this time the consulate has said that what we gave them indicates that the case is still open. However, its not. At the recommendation of the Clerk's office I had to ask to call the file back from the "warehouse" and I would present myself with Leo (our criminal attorney) and ask the judge to either vacate the case or amend the decision to show that it is dismissed. It would take 5 days for the file to return from the warehouse and 3 days before I can see a judge. I called the Clerk's office today and praise God the file has already arrived! So I'm going there tomorrow during lunch to ask that it put on the court docket. I'm praying that I see a judge next Monday or Wednesday! Keep those prayers coming.

In other news, our church is having they yearly Family Camp in Green Lake, WI. Yoly (my sister), my son and I went to last year and we had so much fun. This year my parents, my sister and son along with my cousin Mary and her husband will be going. Aaron's been wanting to go back since we left last year. I hope that when Eduardo comes back we can do it more often during the summers.

In other other news, Aaron was written up at his summer camp at the park. Turns out he was hitting another kid. When I said that he shouldn't hit other kids he said "But Mommy Andrew was not being very nice!" like that's an excuse but to him it was good enough. He cracks me up because he kept trying to change the subject by telling me how he tried the lunch at the camp. He ate the sandwich, but what that really meant was he just ate the bread and "it was so delicious!" ha!

Eduardo's back in Mexico City and he was very happy to be "home". When I head there next month I'll be checking out our possible "apartment" and the school. Then we're trying to decide about where to go and what to do. Of course Aaron said the beach and there no arguing that!

Here's the update to Thursday's appointment...

It's been a whirlwind kind of week. Here's what's going on now. We still have the gang problem and now according to the immigration officer there is a 1993 possession of cannabis case that the Officer seems to believe is still open. When you look at the court disposition it says "Bond Forf - SOL". I got a letter from the Chicago City Clerk's office that gives an explanation of that acronym "SOL". Basically the case is dismissed and the State of Illinois has 90-120 days to reinstate the case. Well that was back in 1993 and obviously 90-120 days have passed!

Anyway we don't know what exactly is bothering the Consulate about this particular case. But I've got someone at the Clerk's office and my wonderful criminal attorney Leo who are helping me recall the file and asking that it be put on the court docket. So I'm hoping to appear before a Judge and we're going to ask him to vaca the case. Because that seems to be the only thing that's going to work.

What’s confusing is that they’re telling Eduardo to bring stuff to the wavier appointment in August. But when Eduardo asked if it means we can proceed to the second appointment they told him “no cuentas con ese sita” (don't count on that appointment). I think the bottom line is they said we have to mail them a letter that states the poss. of cannabis is closed and that THEY would inform us of when we can go back to the consulate.

We did a 3-way call with our immigration attorney and she's also confused. Both of us believe the wavier is still going to happen so we’re going to continue to prepare for it. So right now I'm waiting for a court date and Eduardo's old file to come from the "warehouse". I pray its going to be this week. There's so many obstacles and it's very difficult but it's not impossible. I feel that the consulate is looking for every reason to deny us the opportunity to file the wavier. As much much as they want to knock us down, we keep coming back and giving them everything they're asking for.

I have a playlist on my iPod call "Encouragement" and whenever I hear an encouraging song I add it to that list. Two songs that have helped me today have been: New Direction's "Peace" and Fred Hammond's "No Weapon"... which I thought was an appropriate song and verse for my family.

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.

Update from Tuesday's 1st Appointment.

They are still trying to see if my husband is eligible for the I-601 (the pardon). Here's one of the problems. On one police report it says that my husband said he was a part of the Latin Kings. My husband denied it and said that when he was arrested there were two other guys that were part of the Latin Kings but he was not. There are no other court dispositions or police reports that state my husband's supposedly affiliation with the LK. Just this one police report. So they're reviewing it further to make sure that his can file the waiver.

The second thing they asked for was for my husband I-212 form. This form is needed because Eduardo had to leave to Mexico due to his order of deportation from a 1991 hearing. I didn't send because 1. I didn't remember and 2. now that I think about it is supposed to hand and hand with the I-601. So when my husband called me and told me that he had to go back on Thursday they wanted the I-212 AND the I-601 wavier packet! Blah!

I told my husband he needed to go back and ask again. Because how could they ask for the I-601 packet when we have the wavier appointment? Plus there's no way I could shell out the $580 for the wavier and $545 for I-212 Thursday! So he called me back and said that he could turn in the paperwork and the money at the wavier appointment. Here's my thought on why he's going to be eligible 1. God is good and He is on our side 2. The officer kept telling my husband "bring it to the wavier appointment"...why say that if there was a chance he wasn't going to be eligible?

So all panic aside and talking with my husband (and my friend Hilary) we figure this is a good thing. I mean this officer could have told him flat "No wavier ... see you in 10 years" but she didn't. So it's a good thing. On Thursday they'll tell him if he can file the waiver which I'm sure he can. Thanks for the prayers and the thoughts! We're still in the rat race!

Cutting it close with Immigration....

So by some fluke I didn't get the DS-230 (the Beast of all forms) or the I-864 (the form that says I will support Eduardo .... $$$... for 10 years!) done and mailed off with enough time.

Anyway. In the past I sent immigration stuff to my cousin Sandra in El Paso (FedEx, Overnight ... even Saturday delivery). However on Thursday, when I tried to prepare the FedEx label it tells me Saturday delivery is not available to my cousin's address. So I said ok well I just overnight from the post office. BUT I wasn't sure if their overnight also included Saturdays to a PO BOX. Well it kinda of does, but it worked this.

If you overnight something with USPS they guarantee it will get there to the next day to their "facility" HOWEVER they have no control of when the workers at the actual post office will put it in the box. Also remember the post office closes early on Saturday. Yet another obstacle.

Well my cousin called me Saturday and said NOTHING arrived. ARGH!!! So it will probably get there Monday.... I just checked the Track and Confirm with USPS today and it says a notice was left in the box. I hope its there. If not I planned to email scanned copies of these forms to Eduardo and I hope that it flies with the immigration officer at his appointment. Seriously what else can I do if the package doesn't make it? Needless to say my husband was really ticked off and he asked me to get him the waiver packet 1 week before the appointment so he wasn't going through this mess again.

I said this time around I wasn't going to freak out. I'm just rolling through the punches at this point. By the way, my husband said that going to the psychologist was the biggest waste of his time. He even argued with the dr. because Eduardo said the dr. talked about nothing but about his previous drug use.

My husband told the doctor MANY times that he since he turned his life over to Jesus he has not done any drugs for 15 years! My husband said to the doctor why are they treating him like a drug addict when he clearly isn't one? Caramba I tell you my husband has taken a "no holds bar" kinda of attitude with immigration. I think he (and I) are tired of tippy toing around immigration... its like we're telling them "you have NO reason to deny us anything anymore". We sick of this process! Oh and they had him draw pictures... what the!?

Two days to go!

Update from Eduardo - Medical Exam is complete!

As some of you know Eduardo's first appointment is Tuesday, July 8. He arrived in C. Juarez yesterday afternoon. His medical exam was today. He just called and said the medical exam went fine (had to get one vaccination = $210) and now he's off to see the Psychologist. (When you admit to drug use you are automatically sent there). I reminded Eduardo to EMPHASIZE the fact that he has been drug free for 15 years!

More to come!

After many days (months maybe?) without any updates from the Bohorquez family you must be suffering. :)

Throughout my month(s) of absence here's what's happened. As you know on April 25 Eduardo was denied his visa. To sum it up I didn't prove enough "extreme" hardship if I had to move to Mexico and Eduardo colorful criminal past. So the day I got the noticed I emailed, faxed and mailed requests for a new appointment. We were just going to refile versus trying to appeal.

About two weeks later I got a letter from the Consulate General and they scheduled Eduardo's new appointment! I was in complete shock (well everyone was) that the appointment arrived so fast. His new appointment is Ciudad Juarez is July 8, 2008.

The next thing for me to do was to call to schedule the wavier appointment. Are you confused now? Ya I'm not surprised. Ok Eduardo's 1st appointment is to make sure he is eligible to file the wavier (aka the pardon). Once he is found eligible to file the wavier he can proceed to the 2nd appointment (aka The Wavier appointment). At the wavier appointment (August 7, 2008), Eduardo package is reviewed within the next 15-20 minutes he will either be 1. approved! or 2. sent to the "backlog" for further review.

Where do I stand with our whole impending move? Well I'm planning for both outcomes. If Eduardo's wavier/pardon is approved then I won't move to Mexico. However, if it sent to the backlog then I'll will move to Mexico in December. Waivers that have been backlogged can be approved (or denied) within 5 months or even a year. I would hate to tell Eduardo "let's just wait until a decision is made" before I move out there. The truth is that's exactly what I did last year. We wasted nearly a year and half just "waiting". I can't do that again.

So that's where we're at! In other non-immigration news... Aaron has lost his 4th baby tooth and he's currently enrolled in summer camp with the local park district. What's new with me? Aside from the "turning 30 in the next 6 months" nothing much.

Making tracks to Mexico City...

So many things have gone on within the last few days it's been like whirlwind you know. Ok so as most of you read, Eduardo's visa was denied. Here's the deal, our previous attorney mentioned that there was a mistake in the denial and therefore we could file a Motion to Reconsider.

We can’t do a Motion to Reconsider. According to Laurel (the new attorney) the Immigration Officer was correct when they rendered the denial judgment. Eduardo’s waiver packet should have been about his rehabilitation (in fact 90% of the packet should have been about that). And that’s all because of his 5 arrests back in the days of him acting like a crazy gang banger. Which is hard to be the Pastor of Santa Rosa church was ever that. So we have do the entire process again. Sigh.

But in the meantime there something that is working to our benefit. His arrest are 13+ old. By the time it’s hits 15 years they really can’t say someone ISN’T rehabilitated. There are some arrests that Eduardo has that say something like “leave to reinstate” meaning that he can be arrested and tried for them. Laurel has recommended that I go find a criminal lawyer and get those cases closed. Currently it’s taking 3-5 months to get a new appointment with the Consulate. Under the new Pilot program (which allows for instantaneous approval) we will be referred to the backlog aka no instant approval. So that means I’m going to stay in the states to try to get Eduardo’s old criminal cases closed (with hopes they can be closed because of statue of limitations). After some thinking… by the time the appointment eventually comes Aaron will be in school. Which Eduardo and I discussed that we would/do not want to take him out until the school year was done. That may change...

My next obstacle is paying for Laurel. Normally she charges $6,000 for these cases, but Eduardo’s is “way to complicated” and therefore will be $7,900. And that doesn’t include the government filing fees. Maybe I’ll make some tamales or something but seriously it’s a lot of money that I have to pay off in 5 months. And I’m not even thinking about the other criminal lawyer. So that’s the news.

Does that mean Eduardo will get approved… nope she said it was 30-40% change of an approval. But we have to try.

I am moving to Mexico...Eduardo's Visa was DENIED

Yesterday I received the official letter from Immigration informing me that Eduardo's pardon was denied. I don't want to go into too much details because I don't even know myself exactly what happened. I have requested a new appointment but I don't know how long that's going to take.
We're devestated and extremely sad for what has happened. I'll make the move with Aaron to Mexico on or before September of this year. Please keep us in your prayers. There's so much to get done before we go.

Take care... I wish I was telling more about our family vacation but I just don't have very much energy..

Learning Life's Lessons...

So these last few days I've been preparing for our family vacation to Mexico. We leave on Friday (yaaaa!). I find that this time around things are running smoothly and gasp I almost done packing and it's only Wednesday! But here's my 1st Life Lesson: If it's too good to be true it probably is: So I'm doubling checking my bank account and I find that I have written checks that still haven't cleared. Needless to say I'm scrambling to deposit money today. Sigh. I really hate when that happens.

My second life lesson was something I learned last week. LL#2: Just because you think you're right doesn't mean you are: I wrote an email that was started off with good intentions but didn't end that way. I was very critical of someone and some things that while I was learning LL2, LL3 was also learned. LL3# THINK before you say (and do)! I really regretted sending that email. I went up and apologized to the person it was sent to. Do you want details? Too bad, you're not getting any. I've been mortified enough already...ha!

Enough with lessons learned on to funnier things. Last week Aaron started a swim class. It's once a week on Tuesdays. The first day of class I felt my heart in my throat. Yesterday's class was no better. Aaron has been told to hold onto the wall while he's in the pool of course he doesn't listen.

He decided to let go of the wall and proceeds to drown. At this point Yoly (my sister) and I are screaming "MY KID/NEPHEW is drowning!". Thank God another kid manage to grab him and pull him back to the wall. Does this stop Aaron from doing it again? Nope he tries it 2 more times with the last two times he manages to float on his own. I think I gnawed of my nails to my knuckles. My mom said she was not coming anymore and Yoly agreed. Shoot, I don't feel like coming anymore because I get scared too easily! There are three trainers in the pool and Yoly's who are all trained in CPR. So God forbid somethings happens Aaron, he will be fine.

I certainly do not want to instill a fear of swimming in Aaron. But he's just like Eduardo, a little daredevil. The boy was ready to do a cannonball in the pool... he didn't even care that he did not know how to swim. Well I hope during our vacation Eduardo teaches him to swim and so when Aaron does go back to his swim class he's already a pro. I've decided that I have to learn how to swim. I'll get in the pool and walk around without any problems but *shiver* ...

1 day and 1/2 to go until Mexicooooooo!

We made it to April!

In Florida, an atheist became incensed over the preparation of Easter and Passover holidays. He decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays while atheist had no holiday to celebrate. The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the long passionate present ation by the lawyer, the Judge banged his gavel and declared, 'Case dismissed!'

The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances. Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah... yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!" The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said, "Obviously, your client is too confused to even know about, much less celebrate his own atheists' holiday!"

The lawyer pompously said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any such holiday for atheists. Just when might that holiday be, your Honor?"

The judge said, "Well it comes every year on exactly the same date - April 1st! Since our calendar sets April 1st as 'April Fools Day," consider that Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, in my opinion, if your client says there is no God, then by scripture, he is a fool, and April 1st is his holiday! Now have a good day and get out of my courtroom!!"

Now how did April Fool's get started? WikiAnswers... well answers:

There are several explanations for the origin of the April fool's Day. But here is the most plausible one. April 1st was once New Year's Day in France. In 1582 Pope Gregory declared the adoption of his Gregorian calendar to replace the Julian calendar and new year's day was officially chance to January. First it took awhile for everyone in France to head the new of this major change and other obstinately refused to accept the new calendar so a lot of people continued to celebrate new year's day on the first of the April earning them the name April fools.

10 Days To Go...

Until our vacation to Mexico City, Ixtapa and who knows where else in between. Eduardo has it all planned out so I just go with the flow. Last time I was out there I went solo because Aaron didn't have his passport. Most of the time I take a few weeks planning out my visit to Mexico City since it offers so much to see. During my last visit I didn't really plan much instead I mentioned to Eduardo that he was going to be in charge of planning out the visits.

Eduardo is very considerate. He'll always ask where I want to go, where I want to, what I want to eat, etc. "Do you want to here or there? Do you want this or that? Do you, do you, do you". While I'm grateful because I know there are NOT many husbands who as considerate as he is, it worked on my last nerve. Maybe I stressed out, burnt out, I don't know ... ok so I'm trying to justify myself here but I gently reminded him of a few things.

Because I:

• take care of Aaron
• work with Aaron with his homework
• work full time -- dealing with 30 people and numerous requests
• was a Sunday School teacher (at the time, not anymore)
• was the new secretary for the Dorcas group
• worked on his immigration stuff
• try to keep up with my household duties (try being the keyword)

I had a "few" things on my mind. Now I wasn't throwing it in his face or anything like that but I just wanted him to see that my mind was here and there and everywhere. Ever seen that email about a woman's brain? It's my favorite!

Therefore I asked that when I get to Mexico for him to pretend that I'm sheep that can be lead anywhere. This might be my most relaxing vacation! On an unrelated note I've been catching my regular bus (5:10 pm) and my Road Rage Driver hasn't been on.... yes it's still crowded but I can focus on my book!

Ah Spring...

Ok so the weather in Chicago hasn't improved but I have faith I'll see Spring for 2 weeks before the blistering heat arrives!

Spring Assembly...

My Aaron is such a ham. Today was his Spring Assembly for school and I enjoyed every minute of it. What cracked me up was their song "The Weather Song". There was 5 different weather scenarios that they were supposed to sing about. It was "rainy, coldy, sunny, windy and foggy". As they sang they needed to spell out the weather "it was Rainy... R A I N Y" of course by the third weather change (Sunny) they ended spelling sunny for the remainder of the song.

I'm grateful to God how well Aaron is doing in school. He thrives in school and was not a happy camper during Spring Break. Which further emphasizes the need of some type of summer school.

Don't forget to check out the pictures of his assembly here:

The Bohorquez Family Pictures

Both mom and Aaron's teacher have been telling me that he needs to know before he graduates:
Addition
Subtraction
Fractions (FRACTIONS IN KINDERGARTEN!?)
How to read the Clock
Reading

And there's probably more but isn't that a bit daunting for a 6 year old? Sheesh, when we're in Mexico (we leave in about 2 weeks) I'm going to have to continue to teaching him so he's ready to roll when he comes back. I got the order form for his graduation pictures and yes, I got all emotional about it. It's just terrible how Eduardo is missing so much :(

So I added a new element to my blog. When you subscribe to either my blog or to my picture blog you will be instantly notified via email. I encourage you to sign-up and don't be shy leave me some comments. Half the time I feel like I'm talking to myself even though I'm addressing an audience!

Hey props to Amy G. because I can always count on you to leave me a comment!

What a way to unwind...

As some of you know I am an avid user of the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority). I enjoy my bus ride home because it’s just a nice time to unwind. You sit next to a complete stranger and yes there are times they occasionally smell but like anything in life you just roll with the punches. You have no obligation to talk to anyone. So I can sit on the bus either enjoying music or games on my iPod or reading a book. Lately I can’t do any of those things. I haven’t had a problem with any particular person on the bus because the problem is my bus driver.

I often wondered what would possess a person to become a bus driver for the CTA. There are so many things you have to consider. Do you want to deal with the aggravation of driving, dealing with unruly people and the occasional bus breakdown? If you can deal with that then you are ready to become a CTA bus driver. Don’t get me start on their personal safety. Anyway, for the past 3 days I have deal with Road Rage Regina (RRR for short and no I don’t think that’s her real name but I like the way the title flows). Many members of my family often comment on my road rage but there is no comparison to RRR. This driver will scream at fellow drivers, scream at those who board the bus and scream at those who exit the bus. I almost forgot…she’ll scream at the cyclists.

Seriously, I can’t deal with her. It doesn’t matter how loud you play your iPod or how far back you sit on the bus you just can’t tune her out! Wanna read a book? Forget it there’s no way. Yesterday was especially bad with Road Rage Regina and the Giggle Girls. There was a group of 4 girls (middle school age with a baby) who would giggle loudly anytime Road Rage Regina would cuss anything or anyone out. I probably had more stress in that 45 minute ride then I did all day at work.

So today I wanted to make it a point of avoiding that particular driver. However I don’t think that’s going to happen because the weather is TERRIBLE today. We have rain, snow and sleet so I would like to avoid waiting too long for the bus. So we’ll see how the ride home is today.

Some news is better then bad news...

So last Tuesday, I took a 1/2 day from work to head over to my state senator's office for a meeting. And the only reason for our meeting was to have the State Senator push my US Senator's office into getting information about Eduardo's case.

At the meeting I feel like I'm well prepared. I honestly didn't know what to expect to come from the meeting but nonetheless I was hopeful. Well throughout the meeting I just wanted to cut to the chase. Call Durbin's office and ask them to get information on the Eduardo's case because I haven't heard from Durbin's office in about 2.5 months. My State Senator (William Delgado) told me flat out that there wasn't anything he could do. Because immigration is on a Federal as a State Senator he couldn't do anything. Which is why I reiterated the point of my visit ... just call Durbin's office. Well as I was in the office (with my mom and Aaron in tot) State Senator Delgado did make the call.

The next day, I get a letter in the mail from US Senator Dick Durbin. Hooray! Do I believe it was because of my visit with State Senator Delgado? Probably not. Only because the letter came regular US mail and there was no way they would have responded to any inquiry from my State Senator. So back to the letter...the gist of it was that "the file is on the Reviewer's desk and about to be reviewed. You should hear about a decision shortly." So in the end I'm glad I heard something.

I made another call to the Department of State National Visa Center today and the case is still pending. Next call is to Ciudad Juarez.

I'm Back From the Seminar...

Wow.... all I can say is wow! I'll post my thoughts later but here's a link to the pictures.

Dorcas Seminar 2008

Here we are in a nutshell

Eduardo
So far we're still waiting. I waited until I called the NVC before I posted here. Right now it's been about 13 months and we're still waiting for an approval or denial on my husband's waiver. Tomorrow I have an appointment with my congressman to get some help. I've tried the Senator's route and haven't heard anything from them (surprised? Not me). Usually I get more help out of my congressman then I do my Senator. So that's where we're at. We're not stressing as much about it because we're going to see each other in about 3 weeks. Both Aaron and I are SO excited about our trip. I'm sure it's going to be adventure. Aaron's been asking Eduardo where we were going and what we're going to eat haha!

Dorcas Seminar
So this weekend our church (Apostolic Assembly in the Faith of Christ Jesus, Inc.!) is having our yearly ladies seminar this weekend. That's over 500 women getting together for some good church! Here's our website: http://www.dorcasmediooeste.com/ This year's theme is Un Encuentro Transformador, John 4:14. Lets see if I can translate that correctly... A Transforming Encounter? Perhaps. It is based on the scripture John 4:14 which talks about Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the well. One element to the seminar is that they ask each of us to answer a question..."what hinders you from serving God?".

According to Dictionary.com here is the definition of the word "hinder"

hin·der1
verb (used with object)

1.	to cause delay, interruption, or difficulty in; hamper; impede: The storm hindered our progress.

2.	to prevent from doing, acting, or happening; stop: to hinder a man from committing a crime.

–verb (used without object)

3.	to be an obstacle or impediment.

When I reflect on that question I understood it immediately. When something hinders you it means that it's taken control over you, your life. This thing, this person, this object it has captured you that you really can't focus on anything else. What suffers? You, your family, your job, your home... So when I think about that question and I honestly say that this whole immigration process hinders me from serving God. My focus daily, almost hourly, is solely immigration. I start thinking what I could do, who I can call when in reality the Creator has been in complete and total control. I need to be release from this bondage and give over to God.

We wrote down what was hindering us. And we placed them all in a water jug. Our pastor said a special prayer and we're taking it to the seminar. Each church will bring in their water jugs and another special prayer will be said for them.

It's going to be a truly transforming encounter!

Am I The Only One?

So for the past few weeks I have been search, solely, at Target for some mousse to style my hair. I can alternate between Dove or Pantane because both can get the job done. However, during those trips to store I couldn't find any... from any brand. So yesterday after searching for quite some time I found some Pantane mousse at a Target in Melrose Park, IL.

According to my sister I'm probably the only one who still uses mousse. Here's the thing, I can't use anything else in my hair to help style it. It's a lot easier to use that versus hair gel or pommade. If I don't use it my hair is fro that I just can't stand. So I started to wonder if mousse really is going out of style. It lasts a long time and I use everyday so I almost feel as though I need to stock up to advert catastrophe!

Ok enough on my hair (which is in a serious need of a MAJOR trimming). So as most of you know I am a frequent visitor to www.immigrate2us.net and they have these lists that show where members are during their immigrate journey. Right now I'm on the "Approvals List" for those waiting for a denial or an approval for the I-601 Waiver. Perhaps they should change the name to "I-601 Approvals and Denials List" but anyway.

So far a fellow member (2004mms) and I were the last two whose husband had their 1st interview for Ciudad Juarez during the month January 2007... well now I'm the only left waiting to hear a result for our waiver. I'm sad to say that the other member (2004mms) received a denial this past weekend. Its terrible, because she has two small children and she's going to try to get a new interview.

Deep inside, I fighting with myself not to worry. But its taken such a long that that it's hard not to get discouraged.

I'm going to stop saying "I'm SURE I'll get a reponse this week". At this point I have to be satisfied that it gets here when it gets here.

What's that yellow ball in the sky?

This week has really been a pick-me-up for me. I'll admit that the that few months have been extremely hard on me. I won't go into too much details, but I've struggled so much that I almost thought I wasn't going to make it through. Enough about that....

Seeing has how Sunday is the first day of the week, it was only fitting that my mood changed that day. I went to church and service was really really good. The songs were great and so was the sermon. Ever since then the days have been brighter for me. Of course the sun wasn't always cooperating with my mood, since I've seen the sun about 3 times this week. Today is another beautiful day. Yes its freezing but it's the sun that really lifts my spirits ... give me vitamin D please!

I got some WONDERFUL news yesterday (via email)...Aaron's passport has been approved and is being mailed to me. That was cutting pretty close. I'm glad we moved our vacation to Mexico to another month. Originally I was supposed to leave on March 7th, but the tickets were way too much (we're talking about $500 for each one). So we moved it to April 11th and tickets were $200 each. Much better deals for airline tickets and hotels. So we're all set... well I'm still waiting for the passport. But I've got some clothes and we're on our way to Mexico City and Ixtapa. Should be a lot of fun. Aaron keeps telling me (and everyone else) that his Papi is taking him to the beach. He's never been to a real beach so this should be great for him.

By the way, I've added a few new links to my blog and my favorite a link is our family pictures.

Take a peek when you get a chance.