Halloween

I don't do Halloween like I used to when I was growing up, when my kids were growing up. They're grown up enough now that I don't even really need to think about it. So, I crawl into my cave and turn off my outside lights so I don't have to be bothered with the door knocking. I hate to break the hearts of the neighborhood kids with nothing to give them. Nope...I don't even give out candies and definitely don't decorate. Call me a Halloween Scrooge...I don't care. lol Halloween just doesn't happen anymore. But, I do have some very fond memories of my own trick or treating days. lol And, some great memories of when I used to take my children out to do the same. You know....when it was safer!




Seems like it was only yesterday when my daughter was dressing up as a yellow "M & M". She was the cutest thing, especially since she has a beautiful chocolate complexion. I don't remember what my son used to dress as since that was much longer ago than my daughters trick or treating days. I do remember one neighborhood we lived in, in particular, where my kids would go out and come back with a green garbage bag full of stuff for me to sort through. (Making sure no idiot tampered with anything). Seems kind of greedy now that I think about it. lol Oh, but they didn't go door to door with a green garbage bag. Oh no....they had the traditional pillow case or regular plastic garbage bag. lol Those little jack o lantern buckets just weren't cutting it. Sometimes in the middle of trick or treating they would come home and empty their bags only to go back out again. It was all about hanging out with the friends and being silly. (I did it too) Oh yes, and trying to fill those UNICEF boxes. Remember those? Do they even still do those?

Gheez, I also remember when my being a chaperone was no longer necessary. Naw...it wasn't cool to have mom hanging around as they hit junior high school age. No way. I always made sure they were safe though, and with a group. Sometimes I got to take my daughter out alone while my son went with his friends since there was an age difference there. At the end of the day, they had enough candy to last them till the next Halloween. I never really allowed my kids to eat a lot of candy to begin with. But, they had their stash. I used to have to hide the candies in the house too after finding candy wrappers in unsuspecting places. lmao Kids! One year I think we even gave out Halloween candy for a change because we had so much left over from the previous year. After all, it's not all about the candy! It was about the experience and memories being created. We made those. We did the pumpkin carving and roasting of pumpkin seeds too. (sigh) Memories!

Anyways...in keeping with the theme of Halloween I thought I would share a Classic that I also shared on Facebook for the day. Michael Jackson's THRILLER!  RIP Michael.

Man, I remember when this video made its debut on television. My cousin and I couldn't wait to see it and sat anxiously in front of the tv with excitement. Captivated by each dance move and the morphing of Michael Jackson from a good looking young man into a nicely designed werewolf. lol Even tried to copy a few of the moves. Funny thinking about it. Yup...those were the days!

Happy Halloween to all you trick or treaters and chaperones as you create your own memories that last a lifetime...and some cavities too! lol

Oh, and by the way....I haven't heard anything from Immigration yet on my Status Request email. However, an update yesterday from tlynn406 who also sent an email indicated that she received the "don't call us we'll call you" emailed response. hahaha In other words, bugger off! So, I'll take my hearing nothing as a good sign. Always trying to stay positive. As always, when and if I hear something new....you'll know!! You sure will!!

Take care and God Bless

Status Request

I did it!

My impatience gave way and I sent Immigration an email today. Not sure if they'll respond but I did it anyways. Lol. I figure at the very least it would prompt someone to pull up our file even if just to see if my impatient behind should be emailing them yet. Their website indicates that you shouldn't contact them until after the application processing time on the schedule has passed. In our case, that's 10 months for step 2. I just don't know if they start step 2 from when they approved step 1 or when they indicated our application was In Process which was August 31st. Today, I didn't care. I was reading the Road to Canada Forum and corresponding with frustrated applicants as I often do sometimes. Comparing notes. Lol. In one thread I read this message and got excited:

Also, a number of people have reported sending e-mail to Ottawa saying "what's the status of our application" and getting a PPR back within a very short period of time (in one case, four hours!) Of course, other's get an e-mail that says "we're busy, go away, we'll be in touch".

So, I figured I had nothing to lose and decided to send my own Status Request.

Now, important to know that I did send them an email on August 19th. That was after I got a new passport with my new name. After I did that my name no longer matched what was on the sponsorship application, so I figured I had to send them an email to let them know. I never received a response to that Aug 19th email. The website was never updated with the new information. (Because you know I check! Almost daily in fact.) However, as I mentioned above, August 31st our application was updated to In Process on the website. So, I can't help but wonder now if my email helped in any way. You know, maybe it got them to look at our application. Lol. You never know. Could be a coincidence.

Sooo, lets see what happens now!

There is a girl that I've been corresponding with on the forum that is also from Miami, tlynn406. Her application process is right behind ours so we've been keeping in touch to share information and stuff. She decided that she would send an email today also. Both of us will check in with each other to see if we've heard anything as a result of our emails.

Ohhhh...but I check back this evening on the forum only to get an update from someone I hadn't seen on the forum before. Guess what I got to read!
I just received an e-mail from Ottawa requesting a copy of my passport today, mere 12 days after they started processing my application!
Their timeline supposedly:                                 Ours:
Application submitted to Mississauga - 4/3/12   Application submitted to Mississauga - 1/27/12
Application received by Mississauga - 4/4/12     Application received by Mississauga - 1/31/12
Sponsorship approved - 7/6/12                          Sponsorship approved - 5/7/12
Application "In Process" - 10/17/12                    Application "In Process" - 8/31/12
Copy of passport requested - 10/29/12             WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR PPR!

Unreal!! What is wrong with this picture? 

It's depressing to see our timeline alongside someone else's timeline whose application was received almost 3 months AFTER ours. Are they lying? Naw...why would they. Can I say jealous! Hell yeah!! I just wish I knew how on earth Immigration is doing things over there. How some applications get processed faster than others. Someone suggested that I order something called GCMS Notes. From what I've been reading I guess it's some breakdown of how they are processing each part of the application, so you can get an idea of what they are waiting on or stuck at. Apparently, those notes take about 30 days to receive. Not sure if I want to go that route yet. I'm still holding out hope that this will all be over real soon. Please God!!

Like I said already....let's watch over the next week to see if anything happens with my email.

                                                 

Keep praying for us.

It's not over till it's over.

Here's a Classic...Just because the title fits. lol

I'm NOT A Stalker

                           

I saw this post on Facebook the other day and had to laugh. It reminds me of the times when my husband and I get that oh so familiar question, "How did you guys meet?"  Furman's popular answer is that I stalked him. lmao

Seriously, he tells people that! I didn't though. But I can see why he might think that I did. lol Noooo, like the quote says, I was conducting "Intense Research" of Bammtyme69 on Blackplanet. 

When I started using my computer in 2000, after I got out of a lengthy relationship, someone referred me to this social networking site. So, I joined. And yes, that is where I first met my husband oh so long ago. However, after we broke up, I deleted my page. Figured I didn't have success with online dating so I was going to leave it alone. And, I didn't want to torture myself by being tempted to creep his page. hahaha You know, become a "stalker". My Intense Research days were done!

Why does he say I was a "stalker"? Well, when I was surfing the site after joining and creating a profile, I came across his page. This photo to the right is one of the many photos that caught my eye. Me, I didn't have any photos posted. hahaha Had no clue how to do it. That's all. But, after I enjoyed all of his photos (not in the stalker kind of way, lol...ok maybe), I sent him a private message to let him know I existed. I have no clue what kind of corny message I first sent him. lol And yes, I knew he was living somewhere in the US that I had never been. Whatever I wrote, he nicely responded. I do remember though, that he kept it short. I guess with my having no photo available he really had no clue who he was dealing with. Even though I could have shared a fake photo like clearly many people do. lol But I kept sending him messages anyways. You know, just to keep saying Hello. Maybe a tad bit stalker-ish. lol

(Now Lionel Richie looks like a stalker in this video. lol After all, she can't even see him)

At some point Bamm (Furman's nickname as I met him) told me why he was being short with me and what I needed to do. So, I got someone to show me how to share a photo. Don't remember what photo. But, I remember his first reaction was a pleasant one. I was pleased.

We continued to communicate online and via the telephone and eventually I took an opportunity to visit him in person at the same time a friend was travelling to his city. After all, what if he really was a nut? I had to make sure I had somewhere to go. lol He was a nut....but a good time. So, I kept him as long as I could.

2001 - Our favorite photo from the early days.

                                             
To make a long story short...we dated, broke up, got back together 6-7 years later. It was fate! Do you believe in Fate? I've told this story before but it never gets old. It just reminds me of how blessed I really am. And, if my husband wants to believe that I "stalked" him then he can go right ahead. lmao At least it means he believes that I am a woman with determination. I knew what I wanted and went after it, in a healthy way. Seriously though. 

When we caught up with each other in 2009, it was because of ME, again! hahaha  Doing my Intense Research when I came across his profile on another social networking site, MySpace. We hadn't been in touch with each other for years, so I was curious. What was he upto? Was he dating? Yeah...he was dating. So, I tried to be a friend when my Intense Research indicated that he might need one. lol Really though. I was just trying to be a friend. I had come to terms many years prior that we weren't going to be a couple although I always held a torch for him. After all, he was the one that dumped me. Poor communication he says. Me!! lol So, I showed him that my communication skills had improved and offered him great advice if I might say so myself. lol Never thought I had a chance other than that. 

Moving right along....I got my Furman back. My soulmate. Best thing that has happened in my life other than having my children. My Intense Research paid off! After all, I have a University Degree, I know how to research, study and get my homework done. lol At the end of the day, I passed with flying colors. Graduated from stalker, to long distance girlfriend....to WIFE and life partner!!

So ladies...if your man wants to call you a stalker...as long as it's a healthy kind of "Intense Research"....OWN IT! It does have it's rewards. lol

Have an awesome weekend everyone!
God Bless

                                                    

Fly On The Wall

I was taking a break from work and thinking about some things that made me say to myself,
"Gheez, if only I could be a fly on the wall". lmao   (hence, the Miley Cyrus..:))

Oh man..... Have you ever wished you could be? Seriously though!



Yup....that's what i'm wishing I could be these days.
A big ole dirty fly. hahaha

Or, like Miley sang, "a creepy little sneaky little fly on the wall." lol
Just like in this silly picture. Just sitting there, chillin' out, watching and listening to all that goes on in different places. A spy!
As many would call it...being NOSY.
I'm really not a nosy parker and tend to keep to myself generally. But i'll admit when I'm faced with a situation that really has my curiosity peaked to HIGH levels. lol


Like I mentioned in my previous post, The Battle..., my hubby was hanging out for the day with some friends and their kids yesterday while I was at work wishing I could be there. He had a great time by the way. Such a great time that they kidnapped him for dinner. I was too exhausted to join him. But that was a fly moment. lol Just curious how his day was going is all.

When my hubby and I were still doing the Long Distance dating thing...Oh boy....talk about wishing I could be a fly on the wall. Not that I didn't trust him or anything....he was just wayyyyy too far. I wanted to be with him! I had to live through whatever he told me was happening on his end of the planet. lol That's tough. But hey, we are together now. That's over! And pretty soon it will be for good, if Immigration can just hurry their butts up.

But, fellow parents, haven't there been occasions where you wish you could be a fly on the wall? Oh boy.
Like I mentioned already with people dating, what about you? Haven't there been times where you've been curious about things soo much that you've wished you could be a fly on the wall, to find out what your bf or gf was upto? lol  Ok, rewind...being that fly just might not be a good thing in that situation. lol
In any situation actually. You just never know.

Sometimes the things we want to know are things we shouldn't know. When we find out certain things we weren't ready for, we don't know what to do with it. Then again, sometimes we need that info so that we can know how to handle situations that need help. If only.....

Perfect example, when I was younger I dated a guy that I was 90% sure was cheating on me. I was seeing things that made me question. Don't even ask! lol But you know us girls sometimes, we need proof (even if we have it) and never follow our gut or things that should be plain as day. lol Well, I went ahead one day and just asked the guy flat out if he was cheating on me. Probably not in those words though. Women, do we really expect guys to tell us the truth? I mean really. lol People doing things that they shouldn't be doing aren't trying to get caught and certainly don't plan to admit it unless they are just tired. That's just my opinion. The excitement comes from them not getting caught. Anyways, the guy answered me truthfully and told me HE WAS. Like WTH? He wasn't supposed to tell me the truth! It was like I had been hit by a Mack Truck. I do remember that much. lmao I didn't know what to say or do next because I wasn't expecting the answer I got, even though my heart knew the truth before I asked. Hey...I gotta give that guy some credit though. He had balls nerve!
Anyways....to make a sad story short....his answer didn't change anything. hahahaha Young and Dumb! That was me. I was a regular door mat I tell ya! I stuck around because aside from his cheating on me, he treated me good. lol  But eventually I got there (a few different times)....yup, this song is appropriate. hahaha
Soo sooo true.

Well, I was just rambling. Sharing some thoughts...so I decided to write. 

I still wanna be a fly on the wall though. lol

Some people I know have some interesting things going on that I'd love to know how they handle it. 

Maybe it would shed some light on some things. A lot of things.

Hell, for all I know, somebody is out there wishing they could be a fly on MY wall.  hahahaha

Ya never know!

The Battle...

Needed this one today! - along with a few others.
You know...to get the head right. lol
After an absolutely awesome weekend.  (with sarcasm)
What can I say? I went through a tornado of emotion this weekend and now......
I'm going to walk away.
Or was it an earthquake?
Whatever it was, it sure felt like a natural disaster. Things really got shook up. Devastation. WTH?
For someone else, it's probably more of a tsunami as they seem to be swept away and don't want to hold on to what they should be. At least that is my interpretation.
But, how can you help people that don't want your help?
Me, I'm walking away. Yes I am! (I'm gonna be where i'm at!..lol)
Will not insert myself where I am not wanted.
But I will be here when the crap hits the fan. And, it will.
I have a strong foundation....and I will not crumble.
The words of this song will tell you why.
The Battle Is Not Mine!

How can I not be strong when I have such a loving and supportive husband too? That, with my faith in God!!  Powerful!
Oh yeah.....


I came to work this morning with my head held high. I didn't sleep well last evening, but the time I lay awake I was able to gain acceptance of what was going on around me.
God granted me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
He sure did.

That being said....I'm moving forward.

Yes....I'm loving Yolanda Adams.

Had an awesome dinner experience with my daughter on Friday. lol We went to a Korean BBQ place called Chako. It was pure jokes watching her squirm over the raw shrimp that still had their heads attached. Then, we hung out again on Saturday to visit an auntie in the hospital. I know auntie was happy to see her.  But it's amazing how stuff that happens on one day can tarnish your view of the entire weekend. lol Just saying!

Checked the immigration website this morning hoping for some awesome news. It didn't come. Yet.

That's ok though. I know it will, I just have to continue to exercise patience. Lord knows, I'm constantly having mine tested. lol 

My hubby....he is off being Uncle Furman today. lmao

Everyone just loves him. What can I say? 5 kids from church have adopted him as their uncle. My friends children. So, since they have no school today, he is off hanging out with them. A wonderful family. 

Wonder what they are doing? Hmmm? lol

I'm just waiting to go home and relax. It's debate night. Yes, I'm all caught up in the Presidential Election. I've watched the last two debates and the Vice Presidential debate. Couldn't tell you a thing about Canadian Politics though. lol To avoid nasty messages, I'll reserve my opinions on either party. hahahaha

Anyways, I pray that everyone has an awesome week and that I certainly have a better week than the ones I've been having lately. If it's up to Furman....I'll be smiling every day.

So, I'm thinking...that I will.

I've made a decision...and i'm gonna stick to it.

You know why?

  Sometimes....you just have to! lol

I'm seeing that some people just need to learn to do the same. Love themselves, that is.

Keeping several people in my prayers.

Because God answers them...in his own time.

Petition

I started a Petition today.
No lie!
Feeling a bit like a Rebel now. lmao Oh yeah...a real bad ass! hahahaha Jk Jk
Hope my ass doesn't get handed to me.  Right? lol

But seriously....When I got to work this morning I was told the news that our little neighborhood Gateways Newstand was being forced out of our office building. His lease was not being renewed. Like WTH?

This guy has been in our building operating his little storefront for years. I can't even tell you how long. I just know that's its before my time at this current location which has been about 6 years now. Anyways...word has it that our cafeteria must have been making complaints about losing business to him. I'd think that with all the years that he's been around that they'd be used to it by now. lol But...somebody made the decision to make him leave. Not renew his lease. Crazy!
This place can't even compare to our cafeteria. It's a small storefront that sells everything from: newspapers, magazines, snacks, cigarettes, bus tokens, emergency supplies, greeting cards, fresh coffee and even patties. Stuff...that you cannot get in the cafeteria. But I certainly understand why they might complain. Just not sure why they are doing it now. And...the man has developed relationships with soo many people who are in and out of his store daily. Myself included. Who is going to ask me how my training is going for my runs? lol  Oh, and I've even witnessed him allowing people to run a tab. I mean seriously! They show up at the end of the week or something to pay for all the purchases they've made within the week. How awesome is that? (Ok..if that's a secret, don't tell anybody) I'm sure he doesn't do it with everybody though. But, that just goes to show you. That, would NEVER happen in the cafeteria. And besides....where our office is located, it's about a 10 minute walk to the nearest store which is actually a gas station. You can't do that on a 15 minute break! Oh...and let me not forget to mention that this store has hours outside of cafeteria hours, which is awesome for the call center employees that work in the same building. I'm just saying!!

So...after congregating with several fellow employees about the issue, I decided to put my resourcefulness to work. Started an online petition at Change.org. This is new for me. I'm great at writing awesome professional emails and stuff, but i've never done a petition. lol I just figured a petition would be a great idea. It can't hurt anybody. It may not give us what we are asking in the long run, but it will at least let the powers that be know that we have an issue and are doing what we can to be heard. We need to identify the value in keeping this man's business the way it always has been for years. If we can do that, then maybe the powers that be will take a moment to read the comments and make a better decision. After all, sometimes it takes one person to kick up a bunch of fuss that fosters changes that affect all. I'm not sure if this is the case that resulted in this man's lease not being renewed. But..if we can present several, and I mean several, signatures of people that are satisfied with the status quo and why.....hmmmm? Maybe, just maybe. Like I was telling a few people already....at the very least, this man will see that we've tried and appreciate all the support he probably never knew he even had. Small business owners always get a bad rap!

Office Petition so I wont include link.

Word is getting out though. We've gotten just over 50 signatures already. Impressed. Problem that we're having is that our browsers are outdated which creates problems for people opening the link to the petition. Some are using an old version of Internet Explorer while others have taken it upon themselves to download Chrome. Guess which one works? lol Option...people either have to download Chrome or send the link home so they can open the link and sign the petition from their own personal browser. We may lose some signatures because of this issue. (I've used my Facebook privacy settings to post the link to my co-worker group of friends only. lol How genius is that?) Next thought though....create a paper copy of the petition for people to sign who haven't gotten onto the online copy. Either way, I'm thinking we'll be ok with a good number of people noting their support for the cause. Will keep you updated.

I just hope we can do some good and keep things the way they always have been for 2013.
A Petition for Change?  Naw.....we are petitioning to keep things the same. Go figure!!
And I don't want to hear how change is good. Keep it. lol That's not helping the cause right now. lmao

Actually, It's a movement!  :)
Like Obama said in 2008 - YES WE CAN!  haha
I'm FIRED UP and READY TO GO!  lol  Ok Ok..i'll stop.

Signed: A Friend

God knows exactly what I need and when I need it.
Today....so did A Friend.
It was just left for me to find.

Thank you for the Rainbow dear friend.

Took me a while to figure out who left the message after my assumption turned out to be incorrect. I was pleasantly surprised, and very thankful. Reminds me of a blog I wrote a long time ago, Sometimes Strangers Care, that was an earlier example of God touching someone to do something nice for someone else.

Amazing isn't it?

Little things mean a lot.

My husband always says I'm easy to read. He ain't lyin! I do my best to be strong and keep a straight face in the midst of adversity...but it can be hard sometimes. I'm sure many of you know all about that yourselves. I've gotten away with it before though. I guess the people I was around were just caught up in their own lives at the time to notice (nothing wrong with that), or noticed and never said anything...or I was just 'that good' at playing 'the role'. After getting through what I was going through, I was able to share. I don't mind doing that sometimes with some things, with hopes that someone can learn from my experiences. I was told by one of my closest friends that I deserve an Oscar. lmao Sometimes...you can play 'the role' soo well. In reality, your pain comes through one way or another. It's just a matter of who really takes notice I think. Some people are better at others in knowing when things are off kilter. My hubby...is definitely one of those people. It's gotta be his military training. He notices so much its ridiculous. lol 

At the same time, sometimes some things are soo obvious. lol

Anyways, after figuring out who left the awesome note, I confirmed and then expressed gratitude for making my day that much better. Then, she said something else that was equally awesome that I want to share.

"i'm glad, i read your blog and hear the sorrow in your writing, i just wanted you to know how much you inspire me to be a better person"  

Now how about that for bringing a tear to my eye? My 'utter nonsense' has a positive effect on someone. How about that for inspiration to continue what I do? Now if that doesn't encourage me to continue to be strong and persevere...to continue to BE ME, I don't know what will. What I do know, is that God only gives me what he knows that I can bear. It's true, for all of us. And, he plants people in our lives to either help us get through things or for us to help them get through things. That was soo evident when I learned last week that someone I know was dealing with a situation similar to mine. It felt great to know that I was able to help them in a small way because they now know I am on the boat just ahead of them, and I'm not sinking.

And...There is only one reason why.

Philippians 4:13

Thanks to A Friend...for being A Friend.

Words cannot express how you've touched my heart today.

Things WILL get better....because, I DO HAVE FAITH and HOPE for everyone!

And, because I have people that Love me like you.

There Are No Words

My apologies for not having blogged on my usual schedule. Since Thanksgiving my week had gone completely downhill. Absolutely horrible. Oh, with the exception of a wonderful dinner at the CN Tower 360 Restaurant on Wednesday with my hubby for our First Wedding Anniversary. But I really had no clue how bad things were going to get. Do we ever? There are no words to share the horrifying news I received at weeks end. A complete joke. Can someone pinch me now? Where are my prayer warriors? God give me strength!

But you know what.... I'm going to focus on the positive and what is in my own control. I'll laugh about the rest of this in the future. For now, I'm going to continue to be happy because that is what God wants for me. Irregardless of how people may try to hurt me or even themselves. That being said, let me get back to telling you about my dinner.

CN Tower is obviously the best view in town. Rotating view of the city from the sky. Absolutely magnificent! (Said so in my Trip Adviser Review) The food was pretty good too. I could almost picture a Gordon Ramsey in the kitchen checking out the plated dishes for perfection before sending them out. Our jokes came with Furmans first course that we thought we were going to share. Lmao. I swear we should have taken a picture. But what he received was so small you might not have been able to make out what it was anyways. He picked something that was supposed to be a Chili Tuna. I'm not sure if he tasted any tuna because I didn't get to try it. It literally was one tortilla chip with, I guess, the chili tuna in it. Seriously. That was the pre appetizer course or more correctly stated, the "amuse-bouche". Yeah...ok. I guess you can say it was a teaser, and it definitely was amusing. Lol The rest of the courses though... Lovely. Small, but filling.


For me, the kicker was dessert. When they brought dessert it came with a candle and a lovely white chocolate sign with "Happy Anniversary" written in dark chocolate on it. Ok.... 360 just got brownie points from me! I didn't plan that. That was a complete pleasant surprise. I mean I had mentioned we were celebrating our anniversary when I made the reservation because I wanted to make sure that we got a window seat. That was my request. So when the waiter came to our table with the peach & sour cherry cobbler I had ordered.... The presentation blew me away. Loved it. Thank you 360! Definitely a wonderful start to a beautiful tradition. After all, we gotta start some ya know!

We commemorated our evening by purchasing the always taken CN Tower dinner photo. I wont share it here because I don't think it's a nice as our one last year. lol Just my opinion. But man... Could they get more expensive for a souvenir photo? $25 just for the photo. Lol. That's ok though. That just rounded our evening off to a $220 night out, which included parking and a generous tip. After having an experience as a waitress several years ago, I make sure I tip right and am not a cheap ass. Plus, my hubby is big on being a good tipper. He's American. I've always found Americans in general to be good tippers. At least the ones I've come across.


Friday evening, we went to a pre-season basketball game courtesy of my daughter. Toronto Raptors vs. Detroit Pistons. Furmans first Toronto basketball game. Lol. Thank goodness we won.  Saturday...Church in the City. Always rewarding to feed the homeless with our church family. Just a reminder that in life, things can be worse. We had a great time and of course, everyone was happy to see Furman back home. Today, back in church with my hubby by my side. But we separated for our discipleship classes because while he was away I started going to a Women's class. lol He enjoyed the class he went to without me though.

Anyways, like I said, the rest of the week was shot to hell but i'm going to turn it around for next week. Sure am. All I can ask for is prayer to get through these trying times, and to maintain my sanity as I go through it. Like I mentioned before, I have a few individuals trying to make me lose it! lol. Not going to happen. I can say though, I don't know what I would do without Furman. Love my hubby to no end.

So, till I get back to ya....I'm just going to sit back and continue to BE BLESSED.

There are no other words....

Thanksgiving

Home...just in time for Thanksgiving! I have sooo much to be thankful for. God is good.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.. It is a beautiful drive through West Virginia.
A much different return home than our previous. Immigration - No Problem

I had an awesome vacation (even though I was in bed sick for a few days) and soo happy to be reunited with my husband. He is back home with me again while we continue to wait on the processing of his Permanent Residency application. This time, he brought back his car. Farthest it's ever been driven. :) I guess we broke it in, in a way. Welcome to Canada BMW. Let's see how you handle the cold after being spoiled by the heat. Furman spent the last several weeks getting his car ready for it's travels. Taking on a lot of DIY (do it yourself) projects. So proud of him for the results he got. For example, the law requires cars here to have daytime running lights. Well, my Furman ordered a bunch of different things from eBay including Angel Eyes and installed them himself. Now, he has daytime running lights. Is my man good or is my man good? And....this is only one of the things he was messing around with on his car.

I think they look soo cool. Gotta love YouTube and whoever made the video and posted it so others would know how to do it themselves.



Anyways, the drive home was nice. He did it ALL this time. I was passenger all the way. We didn't kill each other so you know we got nothing but love for each other...lol Oh....and check this out....At one point he popped something in the CD player that took me way way back. He kept it all these years. Another sign that we were destined to be together. :) A CD I made for him the first time we dated. I couldn't believe it. As I listened, I tried to think back and wonder what was on my mind at the time? Why did I choose each song? :) But gheez...the person who made the CD was pretty good if I must say so myself. lol

Back to what I was saying...lol....we did as we did previously...stopped in Fayetteville, NC and visited some family. How could we not? Had some awesome lasagna and a good nights sleep before hitting the road again. Yes...we were on the road for our Anniversary AND my birthday...that's why we celebrated our anniversary a bit early with the cruise. Cruisin

Oh...but about halfway in our travels (Pittsburgh actually), Furman decided to surprise me with another gift.
(It was our Anniversary AND my Birthday remember?) lol Hubby decided to go all out this year.
Love him!

 Jareds must love him too! lol

I now have a set of Diamond Earrings to match my wedding ring. Woo Hoo!

   

What did I get him you might wonder? Well, since he is a runner...I got him what I think every serious runner must have....a Garmin Running Watch. Will he use it? Yep! Does he like it? Oh yeah!  I did good this year.

Crossing the Border/Immigration - Like the Jamaicans like to say, "No Problem!". Lol I wasn't that worried anyways. I had read on the Forum that Furman would need to get a new visitor record because he left Canada. But I knew that wasn't right. Whoever wrote that had just misinterpreted the line at the bottom of the visitor record  that says, "Does not guarantee re-entry". This does not mean a new VR needs to be issued. We already crossed and returned with the visitor record in July with no issues and no new VR, so we knew that wasn't true and this crossing confirmed that once again. It really is up to the discretion of the border agent on if he is going to hassle you and send you in to deal with Immigration again. If they did, we were ready anyways with the same documents we gave them last time. Really and truly, anyone waiting on their PR application needs to travel with the documents I previously indicated you needed to have.
They asked us the standard questions and reviewed Furman's visitor record. For a minute I think the guy was thinking about maybe giving us a hard time. At least that's what Furman figured from looking at the guys expression. So, Furman decided to give him a breakdown of our situation. lol Me...as soon as Furman started telling him the story i'm thinking "here we go!" Why? Because I've always learned that you just answer the questions that they ask without volunteering more information than you need to. That's always asking for trouble. However, the guy listened to Furman and then let us go. That's it...homeward bound! We were free! lol

So now...we get back into the swing of things.
Furman is home!!!

May 15, 2011

Oh....and I have a romantic dinner planned on Wednesday at the CN Tower 360 revolving Restaurant.  The place we went for dinner the night Furman proposed to me. Thought it would be a nice trip down memory lane of an awesome evening that brought us to this day.

After all, celebrating ones anniversary shouldn't just be a day...it should be at least a week! lol

Hope everyone has an awesome week.
God Bless

Love this song, ANNIVERSARY by Tony, Toni, Tone....
and now I can sing it with meaning!

Oh....but.....
I dedicate this song to my husband for our very First Wedding Anniversary.   

A birthday gift to me like no other!

To have our Wedding Anniversary be the day before my Birthday was a great idea.

Glad I thought of it. lol

No excuses..lol...it will never be forgotten.

And, I will forever have the greatest gift.

God is good.

Look forward to a year even better than our first.

And nooo, we haven't heard from Immigration yet so we haven't gotten that as an anniversary gift as I had hoped. Lol.

Cruisin'

Where have I been you might wonder? I've been with my husband...finally.... Cruisin'. A few days after I arrived in Miami my hubby took me away for a wonderful weekend aboard the Carnival Imagination. Celebrating our first wedding anniversary a bit early since next weekend we'll be headed back to Canada with another road trip. He'll be driving his own car back this time.

On the cruise, we had a great time and met some nice people.

When we arrived in our cabin M-64, it was beautifully decorated. Took me a minute to notice that the decorations actually said "Happy Anniversary". Lol The sign over the window made me realize the decorations were for me. Gotta love my hubby for his pre-planning. That's my baby! Always knows how to make me feel special.


Oh... And there was a cake too! Oh yeah...he made sure to mark the occasion. What a great start to an awesome weekend.

Where were we off to you might wonder?


"It's Better In The Bahamas" with the one you love!

Had to share....this was on ship entertainment before we even set sail on the first day. This was absolutely hilarious! This guy was definitely great at getting the party started and what better way to do it than having everybody learn to Wobble Baby. After all, I think everybody already knows how to do the Electric Slide and the Cupid Shuffle. lol Oh but I absolutely love how soo many people were getting involved. Then again, after a few drinks things always seem to get more interesting.

Yup...that's me!

In the Bahamas, Furman had us go on a Sail and Snorkel excursion. That was soo much fun. Naturally, Furman was prepared with his GoPro camera to video tape the beautiful colors of the underwater as we snorkeled. What I loved was that as we were snorkeling we were surrounded by a school of fish that were just curious little things. Have no clue what kind of fish they were but it was funny swimming amongst them trying to touch them. A few people got stung by jelly fish though. Thank God it wasn't me. Those things scare me...I don't care how small the ones I saw were.


Oh...and on the ride back to the ship they served us complimentary rum  punch. I had enough for both of us since Furman doesn't drink. lol They weren't cheap on the punch either. OMG! Furman laughed as he noticed a few women take a sip and screw up their faces at the strength of the drink. I told him it was strong! They were very generous, so I took advantage. lol

Between the ship comedy shows, mock game show, karaoke, food everywhere and so much more...Cruising overall is always a blast. This wasn't our first cruise together and definitely wont be our last. And for anyone who has never been on one...I strongly recommend.

Thank you soo much for an awesome time Furman!

 Love you soo much. 

Well, we are back on land now which is why I am able to blog. We are hanging out with his mom for several days before we start our road trip back to Canada. After all, I do have to get back to work unfortunately.  At least this trip, the time is not flying which is great. Home away from home. So, i'll get back to my vacation now. Just wanted to let everybody know that i'm in good hands. lol Like you really didn't know. hahaha

Hope everyone is having a blessed week.

Thanks for reading.

Oh..and by the way, I've been checking the immigration website for any updates....you know, just in case we get an anniversary or birthday surprise. lol Nothing yet.