Immigration - No Problem!

Well...we're home safe and sound. I've just been too lazy to blog. Soo much to say so I'll have to do my best to cut it short.

Had an awesome week with my mother in law. Love her! So much like my own mom in many ways. lol I know she was soo happy to have us there. At one point in the week we all hit Walmart and I did what I promised to do for one of my friends/co-workers....took a photo of a Walmart shopper. I sure did. It kills me how people leave the house. I once thought that Walmart shopper photos I saw on the internet were doctored until I had my first experience seeing a Walmart shopper in Indiana. Yup...people really leave their homes to go shopping dressed like fools. Miami...was no exception. In fact, a popular thing I saw in Miami were people wearing silk bonnets over their hair. You know, the ones you would normally wear to bed to protect your hair. lol Oh yeah...people wore those out shopping too. The woman in this photo had a bonnet and I can't even tell you what else she was wearing so here is the photo. hahahahahaha


Our Drive Home:
We left Miami on Friday morning and headed for Fayetteville, North Carolina. I don't know how Furman packed up that car trunk like he did. lol On our way there we stopped in Walterboro, SC for gas and just happened to notice signs directing us to the Walterboro Army Air Field where there was a monument honoring the Tuskegee Airmen. You know we had to stop and check that out! I haven't even seen the movie Red Tails yet.



Then...as we continued heading to North Carolina we starting running into all these signs for South of the Border. They sure had enough. So you know we had to stop there too! What a nice tourist spot. They had everything and I had never even heard of the place. Love the sombrero. lol

With a good night sleep in Fayetteville after having a nice dinner with family and watching the boring olympic opening ceremonies, we were on our way home on the second leg of our return. (Thanks for the love to my new family members) First stop on the way home, Washington, DC. We planned a different route home from our way down purposely so we could stop in DC and visit the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial and another state rest stop. lol Took some great photos. Here are a few.

Oh..and we also learned that GPS' get confused too. hahaha I don't know if there was interference because of the Pentagon and the White House or what...but our GPS had no issues the entire trip with the exception of DC. I'd say she got right confused and we couldn't wait to get out after driving in circles a few times. lol Driving is crazy out there and the heat. OMG! I have to tell you about the damn heat. It was soo hott that the sweat just literally dripped from your body as you walked. Everyone was trying to steal shade. Furman figures its because of the materials the monuments are made of that were reflecting the heat.





The Maryland Welcome Center at South Mountain that we stopped at didn't have a proper sign like the other centers so we got a photo from this. lol Tried to find any marker that said Maryland.





Crossing The Border/Immigration:
After the GPS brought us home through what seemed like no mans land, (No seriously..we actually drove through the Allegheny National Forest) we finally reached the American/Canadian Border. We decided we'd cross at the Rainbow Bridge instead of the Peace Bridge specifically because our previous interactions had been with the agents in Niagara. Thank God, we didn't have any trouble. I think Furman's Visitor Record in his passport really helped. They asked the standard questions while leaving out a few that we were used to. How long have you been gone and where? When will the American be going home? What are you bringing back to Canada? But they almost threw us off with the question about what we had in the car that might be staying in Canada? Huh? We told them nothing. Seemed the best answer to give without getting into trouble. After all, we really didn't bring a whole lot of Furmans things back, Yet! So..she let us go! Woo hoo...back in Canada with no stress.

On Sunday before dropping off the rental car we finally got our butts back in church. It had been a while. It was sooo nice to be home with our usual seats vacant and waiting for us. Our church family let us know right away that we were missed and were happy to see us return. Thanks to the ladies of my prayer group I didn't have a lot of questions to answer, they already knew and had been praying. Lots of hugs came our way. I love my church family. Service was lovely as usual with selected songs and messages that seemed to be meant specifically for me. Amazing how God works. Even Furmans mom said her church service on Sunday seemed to be meant for me. lol "Read Psalms 68 & 70" she says for me to do. I sure will.

After dropping off the rental car we headed directly to Canada's Wonderland. Furman had bought us all seasons passes a while ago that we hadn't yet used. Anyone need a seasons pass? We went in and went straight for our chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich. Then we tried the new ride...Leviathan. OMG! I swear I had a concussion from the rollercoaster. And, of course, we had our funnel cake. It was nice that a good friend of mine met us at Wonderland with her family to have some fun for a few hours too. Her son had us getting back on the rides just when we thought we were done. lol Love you girl! Thank you guys for coming out.

                    

Sooo...back at work tomorrow. Can't say yay. Today was definitely a chill out day that has gone wayy too fast. We spent the time getting caught up on our shows and watching some olympics. Now...I'm trying to blog before I have wayy too many things to say that I have to simplify. hahaha  Overall, I had an awesome week and look forward to my next vacation already. Haven't heard anything from Immigration yet but hopefully it will be soon, like before Furman heads back to Miami for an extended vacation.

Miami Heat

Ok... I'm blogging because it's too Hott outside. Lol. This is Miami heat and I'm not referring to any basketball either. Lol

Yeah.... The heat is different than at home. Something Furman has been saying to me all along. He's right. Who was I to doubt him? Lol. As soon as you open the door you get a big ass bear hug from the heat. I won't say slap because the heat just sticks to you lol. So bear hug it is. All in all I am enjoying my stay. Never doubted. My motherinlaw can cook like there is no tomorrow. Reminds me of my Aunt Bonnie. I need to get back into my training for MUD HERO (We Are At It Again) when I return anyways, so I'm going to enjoy the food. I just won't get ridiculous. Lol Trust me on that one.

The drive from Charlotte to Miami was nice. Furman did it all by himself. Oh yeah...to him it was nothing so I let him be. But since we were on a roll with our first leg of the trip making our stops at the Welcome Centers, we went ahead and stopped at the others just to get our pics.



We made a quick stop in Georgia too....to buy some Georgia Peaches from a stand at a gas station. Mmmm.
 
                                                             

Within the first hour of arriving, Furman got right to work. Lol

But he'll be back in Miami in another month after we finish our MUD HERO so that he can handle some business and help mom out with some stuff.



Overall we haven't done too much. Too damn Hott. But, mom knew I wanted some mangos so we picked some mangos from the mango tree. Seriously.





I'm enjoying my stay very much. Feeling the love. (My son even checked up on me to make sure i'm ok) I thought I would feel a bit awkward staying in the house with her but I don't. After all we're married now. But seriously, she is making me feel right at home. Furman is an only child so I am definitely feeling like the daughter she never had. Oh...and she loves to feed you. Feed everyone actually. lol I couldn't live here, i'd be big as a house. And she does that Southern cooking too!! One morning she made salmon croquettes (this is not her recipe) especially for me because they had come up in conversation and I had never had them. Wasn't that sweet? In fact, Mom is reminding me very much of my own mother...pulling things out here and there for me to take home with us when we leave. lol Our car is going to be packed up when we leave. Good thing, is that Furman can always bring more stuff back when he returns from his next trip. We're going to make some Red Velvet cake before I leave too...because she knows I love it. Love her.

But yeah....I love Miami...because it gave me my husband!! I'm not the typical tourist to go hang out at South Beach and spend the day shopping for stuff I don't really need. lol Nope...that's not me. So, we've watched several movies on Netflix while hanging out at home with mom...away from the heat. Did I mention it's hot down here? Now I really understand why Miami Heat is the perfect name for a basketball team although I'm sure the heat they are referring to is the heat from the players. lol

Anyways, I am ready to start another day and I smell food!! lol (It comes through the vent and smacks you in your nose) Hope to visit a few special people before we leave but we'll see if they are available. Then, we'll head out on Friday since mom has to head back to work. Yup....we'll do our drive back up in a few legs just like we did coming down. We'll pick a place to stop for the night (Hmmm..where should that be?) and maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to see some special people on our way back up too, since we didn't make any special stops on our way down.

Hope everyone is having an awesome week.

Charlotte Y'all!

Ya ya.... I know I just posted a blog not too long ago but we're in North Carolina y'all! Lol. Charlotte to be exact.

The drive wasn't too bad. I made it all the way to West Virginia before Furman took over the driving. That was completely fine with me because the speed limit increased. (70m/120km) You know people generally drive faster than the speed limit and on these winding roads? Soo many. Yeah... I'll admit it, I was getting a tad tired but was pushing myself. Furman knew it. I would have gone all the way but that probably wouldn't have been a good idea anyways. So, I played passenger for the last stretch of our first leg.

The drive was absolutely awesome.  I've never seen soo many trees in my life. Very hilly and very green. I swear the mountains of trees reminded me of broccoli heads/crowns. lol They really did. Neither of us got any speeding tickets although we came across many police cars in the West Virginia, Virginia stretch. The funny thing is that CAA actually warned us ahead of time to watch our speed in certain areas. They included an insert with our Triptix that we never really used because our GPS came in more handy than we thought. The GPS actually helped us not get any tickets. In one of the corners of the GPS it actually shows you the speed limit and highlights your driving speed in RED if you are speeding. Even Furman admitted that he spent more time watching his speed on the GPS than he did watching the speedometer. lol Cruise control is always handy too!! I thought it was interesting how the highway was prepared for runaway trucks too. Yup! Because the highway was soo hilly there were sections where the highway had designated areas for runaway trucks near the bottom of the hills. You know, in case they couldn't stop properly. Great planning i'll say.  Oh...and we even got to drive through two tunnels, Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel (I believe) that took us actually through two mountains. It was awesome. 

                                                

                       

Well, we are here in Charlotte safe and sound. All checked in to our room at La Quinta. I've already sent my son a text message and called my mom to let her know that we've reached safely. After we checked in we immediately went out for a bite to eat. We ended up at Chili's for an awesome dinner. You know..the home of the baby back ribs. Remember their commercials? Furman reminded me which resulted in me trying out the baby back ribs and shrimp. Mmmm. Started off with the Platinum Presidente Margarita of course. OMG! What a drink. Love it. We had an awesome server names Shanice that recommended everything I got. She ended up mentioning to her manager that it was my first time at Chili's which resulted in the manager coming to our table and offering us a free desert. A very chocolaty lava cake. Paid off for Shanice. Her excellent service resulted in her getting a $15 tip on a $40 bill. Yes..my husband is a great tipper. Where on earth was he in my waitressing days? lmao  

Anyways....i'm finishing off because this is actually the second time I've written this same post. The first one didn't save properly or something...I'm tired. So, I might have missed stuff in my re-write. Sorry. Furman and I are going to attempt to watch a movie on Netflix. My husband is always prepared with his connections so that anywhere he goes he can actually either connect his cellphone or his laptop to the tv so we can watch a movie. lol Not sure how our movie watching will go but we'll try. Just want to unwind. Then....we are off in the morning to finish the second leg of our trip to Miami. We will be surprising his mom because she is actually expecting us to arrive on Monday I am told. lol Can't wait to see her. Will be a great week.

On The Road....Toronto To Miami

Sayonara!!

We are OFF (just about)...on our Road Trip....so I thought I would share one more blog post because i'm not sure when i'll next get the chance. I'll certainly try though...as long as I can find a wi-fi connection and if the thought of blogging actually comes to mind. hahahaha So, before I have some food, watch Young and the Restless and catch some shut eye....I'm saying goodbye...sayonara!

Now, i'm not sure exactly what route we will be taking...my hubby will have to navigate, as we may be making some pit stops along the way to see some family. Maybe, we'll see. But, to give you an idea, this is what we are looking at.

	My Location (Toronto, ON)
	Florida, USA

22 hours 47 mins

2,184.7 km - I-95 S

I'm excited for this adventure.This will be my longest road trip. Longest I've taken thus far was a drive I once took, when I was much younger, of 18 hours to Nova Scotia FOR A WEEKEND - straight. Dumb. I know. I slept one night in Nova Scotia and then I was off again. lol But, I did it. I don't remember why. Think it was for a wedding. Don't have any clue at this point who was so important. haha All about the experience though. All about the experience. We've planned this trip to Florida for quite some time now. It was supposed to be Furman, myself and my our daughter, with a stop at Disney. Furman has always wanted to take my our daughter to Disney. Theme parks...that's their thing. Unfortunately, she decided against the trip. She had better things to do than hang with parents. Go figure! That's teenagers for you. But...the show must go on and on it will. We got this!  Miami....here we come!!

                                           


So, we will get up real early in the morning and hit the road with our rental car. Always gotta get a rental car with unlimited mileage. Thank you AVIS. Why would anyone want to put that much mileage on their own vehicle? lol We got a brand new Ford Taurus that has keyless entry and touch screen everything. Of course I can't forget to mention the Sirius Satellite Radio. Yeah baby! I enjoyed that immensely when we last rented a car to drive to Indiana. Let me tell you that Ford has come a long way! Oh...and we can't forget our GPS. Not going to pay $9.95 a day with the rental. Hell no! Going to bring my own Garmin. That's a Bible for a roadtrip. I'm already a CAA/AAA member so we are good there. We got our Triptix and tour books. And Furman...well he's American remember. So, he's got an American cellphone so we're good. Because you know that Roaming charges would totally rape me! Most importantly....we are together. Whatever we experience on this adventure will be together. It's going to be soo fun.

                

First stop...Charlotte NC (that's about half way, 12hrs), for a good meal and some shut eye. 
(And a call to mom to let her know we're ok)

                                                        

 Saw this cartoon and laughed. Soo true...but we are going anyways!
Ready or not....here we come!!

We're going to Miami!!

If you don't hear from me on this blog within two weeks.....call somebody!! lol jk jk

Here's praying for safe travels, or in Christian jargon....Traveling Mercies.

Have an awesome week everyone!

Above Some Heads For Mom

3-1-1

That's who I had to call.
Not sure where they fit in the chain of command but I expect they will be a huge help in getting some action.
                                                         

I had a conversation with the lady that's been my lookout for mom these days. After all, i'm heading out of town and always need to make sure mom is looked after. This lady is a wonderful lady much like my mom. Seeing as how I don't live in the city, it's very reassuring to know that I have someone close by keeping an eye on my mom and her needs for me. (Other than my Auntie of course) We are blessed. This lady even helps to remind my mom about getting her required needles. Now how awesome is that? She reports to me about everything and anything that I need to look into and take care of for my mom's continued improving care. Why? Because when my mom is well, everyone takes notice of what an awesome person she is. (I'm like her in a lot of ways I might add..lol) Something, that I've known all along. lol When she is not well...everyone pretty much stays the hell away. lol Except for me and my Auntie of course. I take the abuse sometimes that results from her illness, and Auntie..well Auntie is just a tough cookie and gets mom in check when she is well or not. Some people think she is too harsh with mom. But, these are also critics that sit on the sidelines and avoid mom until she is...good. Mom knows who is there for her. Did I tell you that we're blessed? Between this lady, myself & my hubby and my Auntie...we got mom covered.
Everything is going to be all right.

Anyways....we talked about the recent cleanup of my mom's balcony My Momma Love Us...More, concerns about certain individuals that my mom needs to avoid and about some home improvements that I have been trying to get taken care of since like forever. Now that my moms health has been awesome for many many months, the possibility of getting these things taken care of once and for all is improving. My mom has lived in the same place for like 25-30 years. So, they know her. They also don't pay her any mind because they know that she has been off and on for so many years. That's where I come in, again! Always the advocate for my mom, and proud to be. I feel sorry for those who don't have loved ones who care. I've called Public Health before. But, sometimes when I get things done she goes off the rails again. This time, i'm holding out hope that we've got her meds under control for a very long time to come. So far, everybody is enjoying and benefiting from the awesome person that my mom is when she is well. That makes me happy because my mom deserves all the love she can get. I've had many tell me how pleased they are to be in her company, while too many others are just taking advantage. Snakes I tell ya! I'll deal with them one way or another. 

Back to what I was saying....I called 3-1-1 to report the condition of my mom's apartment that has been in terrible disrepair for some time now. Oh yeah. Told them all about the moldy kitchen walls that had been previously repaired by painting over them. Told them about the actual holes in the kitchen walls that the building recently took care of by screwing drywall squares over the openings. Holes made by the deterioration of the wall and not by my mother. I don't know if the pipes previously had leaks or what.  It's just horrendous. (The building has promised to return and gut the kitchen and provide new cabinetry but they haven't returned). I even told them about rodent droppings I recently noticed that I didn't remember being there before. She's not on the main floor of a building you know. These critters must be crawling up the pipes quite a distance. It makes my skin crawl. But, one thing I will say is thank God she doesn't have to deal with cockroaches. Fighting with bed bugs on one occasion was bad enough but we got through it. Roaches? Good Lord....Thank God. But yeah... conditions have just gotten worse and worse while she is now getting better and better. Yup...time to take serious action. Nobody needs to fear my mom now. Access can be granted to get things done. Reports were made with 311 and now they've arranged for about three different inspectors to visit the home and have a look for themselves. Thank God! Anyone who sees what I am talking about would say that nobody should live in those conditions. Something needs to be done. My mom deserves so much better. Now, there is a fighting chance.  Did I mention we got that horrible balcony cleaned? lol

After speaking with 311, I contacted my moms dear friend and arranged for her to be there with my mom in my absence. Told you she is a wonderful lady. By the time I return from my trip I should hopefully have some answers. The lady even told the building superintendant that I called the Public Health department too! Ouch! But, he was cool. She said that his response was "good for her!" lol

Mom has always been a big time Al Green fan so this one's dedicated to her!!

I'm just about ready to go enjoy my vacation (2 more sleeps) and then I can review the services of 3-1-1. lol

I won't talk about Toronto Housing because I won't have much good to say....but 3-1-1...that's new for me. Wish us luck!

 

Gotta keep making mom happy.  First order of business - I have to remember to call her and let her know when we've reached our destination safely. I promised!! After all, it will be a long drive. But, looks like we will be getting some shut eye in Charlotte, NC before we continue our travels. Mom will be happy with that.

Flushed

A funny thing happened to me yesterday.

I thought about blogging about it...then I decided against it (this happened after I had already published a post), then I figured why not, then I figured nahhh. Then this morning when I was telling a colleague (one of my readers) about what happened, she suggested I write a blog about it. So...that's what I'm doing. Giving my readers what they want. After all, it was hilarious.

What happened?

Well...yesterday afternoon when I made a trip to the ladies room, as I turned around to flush the toilet my office badge AND parking pass committed suicide. lol What I mean by that is, that it literally unclipped and hopped into the toilet as it was already flushing. I heard the click. Not before the water flushed, where i'd be able to fish it out....but while the flush was happening. How smart of the clip! lol I couldn't save it. It happened so darn fast. I swear, I was shocked that the thing actually fit through the hole. A quick thought made me think that the flush would stop or the badges would get stuck and I could reach my hand in for it. But, like I said...it was a quick thought that left as fast as it came. Flushed with the badges.

It kind of looked like this. (My photo was better of course..lol)

It was a small ID clip and not one attached to a pully. I used to have a couple of those but then the pully quit on me so I went back to the clip. One pully string broke and another actually just stopped retracting. This morning I was reminded exactly why I hate wearing the badges around my neck on a lanyard. When you walk all you hear is the clacking of the badges hitting your stomach. In my case, there were two badges together. One, had my photo ID on it and the other was a blank access card to get into and out of our office parking lot. Both of them, left together. It was a joint effort. I cursed a few words under my breath quietly in the stall, I wont even lie. But, not loud enough for anyone to know I had a problem.  My first course of action following that incident was to follow someone I didn't know through the doors that I no longer had access to. How is that for security? After all, that lady had no clue who I was. lol But, I got in and went right to my Managers desk. Embarrassed, I had to explain to her what just transpired in the bathroom stall. She had a good laugh. She said she had dropped hers in the toilet before, which made me feel better, just not when it was flushing. hahaha My luck. 

Not me...but trying to show you SHOCK!  hahaha

                                                   

My manager made a few calls and arranged for me to get a new office pass. My photo is already on file so it wont be too hard to get. Luckily, she had a temporary pass in her drawer that she was able to get instantly programmed for access while I wait delivery of a new pass. Then, we headed downstairs to speak to building security to arrange a new parking pass. I had to repeat my ordeal. lmao After security laughed, they said "It happens". Really? That was reassuring, because I had felt like a total loser. lol It has never happened to me before and one thing i'll say...I AM SOO HAPPY IT WASN'T MY IPHONE!! Anyways, I was fully expecting to be charged for a new parking pass, but I wasn't. Thank God. One of the security guards asked me for the location of the incident too, in case there are any reports of blockages in the pipes. hahaha Yeah....I can see someone having to check the pipes and coming out with my photo! Full of....Yuck! My friend Mags said i've been hanging around her too much. Too funny.

Well, Furman was waiting for me when I got home. lol Wanting to know how on earth this happened because you know I had to text him. So, I told him. All he could do was shake his head and laugh. 

This morning...he hooked me up to prevent it from happening again. "Now where are you going to clip that?" he wanted to know. "On my purse". Yeah, my new clip makes it easy to clip onto the ends of my purse. And, for those days when I am not wearing an outfit that I can clip it to, I now have a lanyard that I hate but can keep at my desk. After all, I don't go everywhere in the office with my purse, so I need a backup plan for my badge. Once I get to work, I hang the purse till it's time to go. But, I need to have my ID with me at all times.. Trust me...it sucks being locked out. I've done that a few times when going to the ladies room or downstairs to get breakfast. Having to wait by the glass doors for someone to notice you and let you in makes you feel like an idiot for forgetting your badge. (When you clearly didn't take your cellphone to call someone.lol) Yep...need to have my badge with me at all times. So, here is my new hookup!!  Thanks baby!

                                                 

And, like I said,...on those odd occasions...a lanyard will have to do.

       Lesson learned!

It's Going To Take A Few More....

Well, my husband has found a creative way of occupying his time in Canada. You know..since he is not able to work yet.  What is he doing you might wonder?  Well, these days.....you would never guess.

First...let me just say for the record that his cooking is definitely improving. When I get home from work, he always has dinner ready for me. I'm going to miss that when he is able to work. It's so nice to have someone do something for you for a change. Still takes some getting used to though.  Well, when I came home Friday he was quite excited to show me what he had been upto. Had me turn around almost instantly and close my eyes. When I was positioned at the entrance to the kitchen he allowed me to open them only for me to spot the containers of leftovers lined across the counter. Dinner. So...I went over to them and started taking the lids off. "That's not it" he kept saying as he laughed. lmao  So, I turned another direction and look what I found.....


                   Oh yeah... My baby made this.  My Cake Boss intern.
                                             Baked and decorated!                       

I knew it was coming...just didn't know when. He had this idea of making cupcakes in his head for some time now. Several times when we were in Walmart he was in the crafts section checking out icing tips, food coloring and all kinds of stuff so he could make his own icing and well.....this. We almost bought a kit one weekend but had to take it back because the case had a crack in it. lol Not bad for his first. The cake itself was a mix and he did the rest. All I could do was smile and shake my head.  Gotta love it. So proud of him. Google and Youtube. That's what it's there for. Looked good and tasted good too. It's only a matter of time before he does everything from scratch. I'm really going to have to make sure I burn more calories than I eat.

Now, before you might snicker....Hey....my man could be getting into worse things with all his time. Even he says that learning how to do something new will keep him out of trouble. I agree. And...he is a cake guy. He loves cake! So what better for him to get into? Can't wait to see his second attempt. It's going to take a few more.....to get rid of the title of Intern. lol

It's amazing how fast things change sometimes.

Head Lake

We went from being unsure of how to manage our time this weekend to changing course for a plan where we didnt need to manage anything. Literally. All we had to do was chill. So....we dropped everything and headed out of town...back to the Cottage. Always love enjoying God's creation and spending time to think with great company. It's soo different from the thinking time to and from work. And, I promised mom that I wouldn't be going into any woods or anything by myself! She was serious about that instruction. She didn't want anything to happen to me after a story that someone told her about a girl that went camping.
So unfortunately, we didn't get to hang out with the ladies from the Prayer Breakfast Group and didn't make it to church after all. Now, they're really going to wonder if i'm ok.  I'll have to send an email to reassure someone since now I know that Sometimes Strangers Care.

But....we did get a chance to get to Mom's house and work on the balcony. My Momma Loves us...More I won't say that we finished because it was a lesson that it's going to a few more trips before we can get it the way we want it. After all, shit stains...it really does. We washed the balcony floors and walls with bleach and cleanser (Furman did really, although I helped with the walls). It looks much much better than it did but it's still not there quite yet.  Mind you...that with the pouring rainfall we had yesterday it certainly helped to avoid complaints of dirty crap dripping from the balcony. lmao  Our bird crappy water kind of blended in with the falling rain as it poured below, with the exception of any residue that landed on the netting of the lower balcony. We couldn't do anything about that. lol Sorry! We'll have to google what else we might be able to use to help us get the balcony the way we want it. Otherwise, I'm thinking we might need to find some kind of spray to kind of give the balcony floor a fresh look.  We'll see!  No photos yet....It's going to take a few more....visits.

Now...it's a new week. 5 days before I am officially on vacation!  Woo Hoo! Can't wait. OMG can't wait. I'm not sure how much i'll be able to blog while out of town....but I certainly have enough posts for people to get caught up on, if they haven't read them all already. lol My countdown has started.

                                 

                                         Ok...not quite yet....it's going to take a few more.....days!

Sometimes Strangers Care

Always love Fridays!
Looking forward to my last weekend before heading off on our Rooooaaaddd Trriiipppp! lol

Got a variety of things to do...it's just what to choose.  One thing I know for sure...it might be a good idea to make an appearance at church. lol  Especially after last night.

I hate missing church. I really do. It took me years to find a church that I absolutely love. A church that welcomed me and my family and made us a part of their family. I've grown up. I realized that when I started thinking about moving and my main concern was wanting to be somewhere accessible to my church Cedarview Community Church. Really? Yeah. Who would have imagined? Like I said, I tried to find a home church for years. There was one church I went to that was quite a distance from my house but that I really enjoyed, Rhema Christian Ministries This church was growing very fast. Probably too fast. I had submitted the welcome card a few times to request a follow up call to provide me with more info on their services, programs, etc for myself and my kids. Both times, got no word. I wondered, why give people a card to fill out for more information if you aren't going to give it to them? So....at the suggestion of a dear friend...I moved right along. He figured that I needed to find a home church in my vicinity and gave me a name. So I checked it out and the rest is history. Thank you dear friend. I love it. I love the people. I love the programs. They are family. That, was very evident last evening when I got a banging at my door that almost sounded like police. lmao

In the middle of a wonderful meal (my husband is getting very very good) and watching our Young and the Restless, the knocking came. Instantly we hit pause and looked at each other wondering WTH? When I went to answer, a spanish lady from my church and Ladies Prayer Group was at the door. She had been looking for my car in the driveway for days she told me, so she could check up on me and make sure everything was ok. This, is because we haven't been seen for weeks. Now don't get me wrong...we weren't just skipping church....we actually had things planned as you can probably gather from my previous blogs about what we had been doing. But this weekend, is ours. So, we gotta make an appearance and let everyone know all is well. It's a wonderful feeling to be missed. Sometimes strangers care. Now let me point out that my hubby and I usually sit in the same seats every week at church which is right in the front. lmao So, it's pretty hard not to notice that we aren't there. And, we are of color where our church is primarily not. That's a factor too. Either way...I felt very blessed that this lady took time out of her evening to let us know that we were missed and make sure that everything is ok. That's how God works. He knows exactly how to give you a message. I'm sure he put it in her heart to do what she did and she listened. Thank you.

Well, aside from church we have our Ladies Prayer Breakfast Group BBQ that I hadn't officially confirmed that we were going to attend. I'm thinking...after this unexpected visit, that we should definitely be there on Saturday. What do you think? Of course, we can't forget that we have to finish off mom's balcony sometime this weekend too.

Anyways, before I close I wanted to bring mention to a new blogger LQQKING AT MYSELF. Like I mentioned on Facebook when I shared the link, I'm taking a bit of credit for inspiring this person, one of my readers. This is exactly what blogs are for, to help someone else by sharing. Clearly from what I read in her first post, she has plenty to share that can inspire others while helping herself during her weight loss journey. Much love and encouragement sent your way as you share the good, bad and the ugly my dear. Prayers out to you for continued success and much congratulations for what you have accomplished thus far.

One of my favorite songs. RIP Michael Jackson. I shared this song for different reasons that I will not elaborate on. It always brings a tear to my eye. Seriously. lol I'm a bit overly sensitive at times. I can cry at a commercial. hahahaha  But I love this song. Hope it means something to you even if its just a small reminder that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Something that a simple visit from a stranger reminded me.

Sometimes strangers care!
My family and I are blessed.

God Bless and have an awesome weekend.

My Momma Loves Us....More

Is it possible?
Momma loves us more than ever now? Lol
She sure does.

We finally got down to deal with the pigeons. Lol. They are not happy. Let me tell you!

Went to moms building and first I had to speak to an individual I saw that I felt had been using my mom. Gave her an I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE UP TO kinda talk. Not gonna stand for it! Gotta look out for moms. If not me then who? lol Then, we went upstairs and got right to business. Reimbursed my mom for her travels to Niagara a few weekends ago. After all, she should not have had to pay her own way. I told her I would pay for her to go when I found out she was being charged. Love my mom. She always gives me a huge smile when I give her money. She is so cute. Lol Then, we changed our clothes, since Hazmat suits weren't an option, and got right to the balcony. Oh, but after we bagged our shoes to avoid getting them dirty. We had latex gloves too and bandanas instead of masks to cover our faces. I know, I know...I should have been wearing a longer sleeve and had something covering my head too. hahaha

Furman got right to it! He wasn't playin! Thank God cause I couldn't have done it without him. Hell naw! Lol. Years of pigeon feces with buried carcasses, etc. Yuck! It was soo thick and hard like concrete. The metal shovel was our tool. Thank God it didn't break.

We didn't finish. It's done for the most part but it got dark before we got to the bleaching and scrubbing of the floors and walls. But, the crap got cleaned up (you can see the floor) and the balcony got netted. Furman did an awesome job! Pigeons can't chill on the railing anymore. OMG.... You should have seen how many pigeons were circling while we worked. It's like they called their friends too. Almost like a swarm. Ok ok not quite. But, at the end of the day we got it dealt with despite our pigeon fan club. Looks amazing compared to what we started with. Furman did most of the work naturally. Like I said...an awesome job!  Love my husband. I was on the garbage chute run lol. 5 garbage bags full back and forth. Those bags were heavy. Like concrete I said! We didn't end up working with the suggested owls. We figured we'd start with what we did and see how that works out. Looking at the owls the thought was how to mount them and concern about them falling over the balcony onto someone's head or something. lol

When we were all done we sat and chatted with my mom and a couple of her friends for a bit. I don't remember how it came up but mom ended up showing me a printout of the bottom part of my So Special-Winning blog that someone gave her to read. Hmmm? Wonder who? Why? I guess they wanted my mom to know how special she made me feel on a particular day. That was nice of them. But, I'm pretty sure I told her. I tell her all the time. She asked me if I wrote it and when I told her "yes" she said "you should be a writer". All she said. Bahahahaha Love my mom. She loves my writing! What a compliment. But gheez...I never considered giving my mom some reading material. Lmao I mean I can, because I got a bunch. She would be shocked. Then again, maybe not. Guess I figured she should be focussing on other things. Maybe another time, when she has been well for a longer period of time. I save everything anyways. "I should be a writer!". Gotta love it. Too funny. I'm not sure if that was the response I was supposed to get. Womp womp. So... If the person that shared my writing with my mom is reading my blog... Thank you kindly. That was dirty nice of you. Something else my mom now loves. I got another fan. She never knew her baby was so talented. Now, she does.

Anyways, like Arnold Schwarzenegger says "I'll be back!". Lol. We will. We gotta finish the scrubbing and bleaching of the balcony so mom can hang out there if she chooses and leave the windows open when she smokes. Yup...trying to encourage her new hangout spot. That way, when I come to visit I can breathe. So, mom sent us on our way with the usual bag of gifts. I swear I cannot leave my moms house without her giving me something. I took it and ran...it was late, and we still had to stop by Auntie on the way up. Opened my bag when I got home. What did she give me? No clothes this time. Thank God. Haha. Little stuff. Hand sanitizer (Boy did we need that after today's job with the pigeons), lotion, some metal plant thing that I can probably use for something other than it was probably intended for. And, some little flower pot with a piece of planting paper wrapped in tulle. Smh. Looking at it in more detail...Is there something missing? Did she dig out all the candy or something? She said she brought it for me. Oh mom! I'm not much of a planter even if its just a piece of paper that you cover with soil (not included). Mom ALWAYS thinks of me. So much so that she wrote my name on a gift card just like she writes my name on her lottery tickets. Go figure. Oh.....and she even sent me home with a bottle of coke. Yup! She loves her coke so to part with a bottle because she is giving one to me is special. Lol. I'll have to remember to bring her some back in cans or something when we go to finish the balcony. Lol I'll take an after picture then because it was too dark to take a photo of our almost finished product.

We had a great evening. The cleanup wasn't as bad as we thought. Furman is my Hero! Mom is my Star! And Auntie...she fed us after all of our hard work. Gotta love my Auntie! We filled our bellies and then rushed home to watch Young and the Restless. hahahaha  Seriously!! We are all caught up in Phyllis' demise. She had it coming. Karma I tell you! People always forget about Karma!

Word On The Forum - OHIP?

Sooo.....The word on the street forum I have been reading is that Furman may already be eligible to apply for OHIP. (Ontario Health Insurance Plan)

Yup...sounds exciting if true.  My American husband may finally be covered by our supposedly terrible FREE Health Care Coverage. Terrible according to what Americans are made to believe anyways. After all, it's FREE right? (Not Free exactly since I pay a lot of taxes lol, but you know what I mean) They figure that since it's free to us that it's not as good as theirs. I saw the movie SICKO. hahahaha (Which was an awesome movie I might add. Quite an eye opener.  Pick a finger?) I count my blessings and I wouldn't trade our health care coverage for theirs ever. Proud to be a Canadian!
You know I had to post a clip from the movie about our Canadian Healthcare System. haha  If you haven't seen the movie...trust me, a good watch.

                                                 

Anyways....I'm doing the research to confirm. But, from what others have shared on the forum (Road to Canada), they have gotten theirs while they are in Canada as a visitor waiting on their Permanent Residency application. I'm like really? Because I had no clue. I knew you had to be in Ontario for at least 3 months, but I thought that he wouldn't be able to apply until AFTER he received his Permanent Residency. So, I went to the OHIP website to browse further.  From what I am reading it seems that 3 months after the date that Furman has deemed he started LIVING HERE, he can apply and must bring as documentation the letter from CIC (in our case, the email) that shows I was approved as a sponsor, a monthly bank statement showing his residence and his American Passport.  That's it! Someone else on the forum was going to make some phone calls today and give an update. So, I'll look out for what she posts. But...all in all, it looks like we can do this! Wont know till we try.  Question is...what date did Furman really start living here? That might not even matter either because someone else commented on the forum that when they went they dated his OHIP to be effective 3 months from the date of the CIC letter that approved sponsorship.  In our case, that would be August. Sponsorship Approved.

Furman arrived here on March 2nd, Being Delivered. At that time, his intention was for an extended visit. However, when we went to Buffalo and got harassed by the Border Crossing Agent on our return Run In With Immigration, that was in April. I think that is significant because he was accused at that point of LIVING HERE when he wasn't really. At least that was not how we looked at it at the time. But, they insisted. Then, when we had to return to the border with our documentation for him to complete his visit (or maybe I should just say for him to stay), that's when he got permission to stay till 2013. Immigrations Unexpected Surprise. Now, he is living here! He's home! My daughter would certainly agree that he is living here and not visiting anymore. lol So....when exactly does the 3 months start? When should he apply for this wonderful health card?

                                Clearly a fake copy taken from Google.

                                                                                                     (Fraudsters, don't get excited!)

I'm thinking we should go ahead and do it before we head off for vacation in Florida. Hmmm? Then again, maybe we should wait until we return. After all, I'm still a bit confident that his Permanent Residency is just around the corner. And...if they date the effective date in August anyways. We'll talk about it and decide and then take action. You know i'll let you know when he gets it. All in all I am confident that my hubby will have OHIP before the end of the year. Yay! Not that he really needs it and stuff...cause he is very healthy. But i'm just saying....always good to know you are covered. 

I just wanted to share for many others who had no clue just like me. Thank God for the Internet.

We might celebrate just by doing something risky. hahaha You know, to test out the coverage and make his first doctor visit. Jk Jk.  I'm not trying to make a morgue visit although deep down a part of me would be interested in doing a skydive one day with my hubby. He is an experienced diver. That would be another post. lol

To be updated.....