No ifs, ands, or buts

I have officially completed,professionally assembled, and mailed in the additional evidence packet for Chucho's case!

I feel nervous..No, I'm anxious!

My mind is running rampant with What ifs?.. What if the packet gets lost in the mail? What if I forgot to include one important letter? What if I wrote his case number wrong on the front? What if, What if, What if? (And obviously there's too many to even continue past the arrival of the documents..There's a million that just include the mailing process.)

Geez. I sure will be glad when he's back and all the paperwork is completed.

However, it is a comfort to know I'm not alone as there are thousands of others in our situation with the immigration process..Thousands (TO THINK!) who are also anxiously awaiting the return of a loved one and the relief that comes at the end of the journey and re-unification...and definitely not alone as I'm sure every single one of us spouse petitioners is anxiously awaiting the end of the immigration-related ifs, ands, or buts.

I suppose at the end of the day all I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best...Here goes....

(Goodbye ifs,ands,buts and HELLO bright possibilities!)

New Year, New Beginning

2010. What a crazy, exciting, adventurous year. Just to recap- Chucho and I began the year in a new place, Oklahoma! After months of nagging from Joe, my brother, we decided to pack up the baby, ourselves, and a little belongings and make the journey from Washington down to Okie. As we all knew Chucho would soon need to return to Mexico for awhile, this would enable Joe, April, and all the kiddos to spend time with us as we had no idea what the future would hold with the immigration papers. Re-location seemed inevitable anyway so why not use our time wisely?!

My Story Pt.3

However, on November 10, we received a major disappointment as when we got word that his I-601 hardship waiver which we had worked so hard to compile was not immediately accepted. With this being said, rather than receiving a much longed-for Visa, we received a letter stating additional evidence should be submitted and his appeal would be reviewed in approximately 10 months.

My husband is currently staying with his parent’s and working on his dad’s Coffee farm as there is no availability for employment and minimum wage in the local area is five dollars a day. He is staying busy working but barely making enough money to even survive. In the meantime, I am attempting to stay strong and keep my sanity as I am giving full-time care to my Grandmother (who has Alzeheimer’s), give full-time care to my two young children, and remain a full-time student!

I fear for the future our children if we have to relocate our dreams. We are just barely beginning to build a family and as a new mother and father we are trying our hardest to build a strong foundation for our children. Jose is such a wonderful husband, provider and father. My husband and I would just like to have the chance to live the American dream of having children and owning a home of our own someday.

My Story Pt.2

On September 2, 2011 my husband took a Greyhound to Mexico in order to attend a scheduled appointment at the United States Consulate in Ciudad Juarez. As Jose was in the United States illegal for over 365 days, he was up for a 10-year ban that would need to be appealed by the filing of an I-601 Hardship Waiver.

Throughout this whole process and the inevitable return of my husband to Mexico, we had a couple blessing that kept our minds positive as dreams for a more fulfilling and pleasing life seemed possible. In March 2009 we had our first child, Orlando, who definitely changed our lives for the better. In May 2010 we had our second child, a beautiful baby girl that we named Dyana Isabel. Our hopes for a bright future with great opportunity for our children have kept us pushing for Jose’s residency as we feel like these dreams can only be provided by our United States.

My Story Pt.1

On December 28, 2008 I married the man of my dreams, Jose Hernandez Flores. He proved to be one of the most loyal, hard-working, caring individual I had ever met. Jose was born in Mexico to a very poverty stricken area with a population of around 700 people. As the opportunities in re-locating to the United States far outnumbered those in his town, at age 18 he had made the dangerous walk across the dessert in order to enter the United States illegally. In February 2009, we decided to hire an immigration attorney and began our journey on a long hard road to him obtaining United States residency.