What We've Been Waiting For! - PPR

"OMG OMG. WE FINALLY GOT THE PPR!
Question though....why do they ask you to send photos with your passport when photos are sent along with your application?
As well, and ill search the forum for where I read it but...we are dealing with LA and my hubby is in Canada...it says not to include a return envelope? Doesn't sound safe for Passport.
Any input?"

This is what I posted on the Road to Canada Forum after I got the news. Trying to sort out how to take next steps.
Ok ok...let me slow down a bit. REWIND!

We went to our usual Wednesday evening Marrieds Class at church. Which was absolutely awesome by the way. Talked about Isaac, Rebekkah, Esau and Jacob. But I gotta skip that for now to get my news out. After class we were talking to a couple that had gone through our process already and I just got finished telling them how I was praying we'd get the PPR (passport request) before Christmas. Get home and while unwinding, I hit that little envelope on my iPhone that refreshes my email.
Well don't I see an email from Los Angeles with subject line saying "Request for Passport"!
I SCREAMED!
Oh Lord, I SCREAMED!
But not only did I scream...my ass hopped off the bed to run to Furman in the kitchen because he wasn't responding fast enough. Lmao. Now my back hurts.
                                                      
Anyways....as you can see from what I noted above, we have questions that need answers before we do anything. Just trying to understand a few things. Different offices do different things apparently. We got an office that wants Furmans original passport and not just a copy. But the letter also asked for photos that were already included with the application soooo. In efforts to not mess up and delay this whole thing any longer...trying to get ourselves sorted out. As I've said before, the forum is a wealth of information so it's the first place I'll turn.

Oh, but I had to break the news to Furman that we cannot ship his passport off to LA tomorrow. Lol His Christmas surprise is out of town and he will need his passport for next weekend. Couldn't tell him why exactly but...he'll have to trust me. He is in the system now though, and we have 60 days. Officers at the border will be able to see that and we will definitely take a copy of this letter with us.

December 24th....that Passport will be in the mail. I know Canada Post is busy with Christmas stuff so it should reach LA quickly. Hell...we are shipping Express with confirmation anyways!
New photos? No problem. Original Passport. Definitely no problem. Whatever you want LA. Sending back using regular mail? Don't like...but No Problem.

 
Let's do this!
Almost there!

WOO HOO!!

All Set

Soo...after an intense meeting to discuss some serious issues....the stage is all set.
And it all happened over an Eggnog Latte!

As recommended by my sister.

It's didn't taste too bad. Wasn't worth $6 though. lol

Now, my plans are coming together and I have an awesome surprise for my mom for her birthday this coming weekend. Hope it all works out as planned.
Look forward to seeing the smiles on her face.
She has a beautiful smile.
While her smile may not be the same as it used to be, this is the smile I remember:

                                              

Now don't pay attention to MY gummy smile....i'm trying to bring your attention to HERS! lol

I won't say anything about what we are upto this weekend because, while my mom doesn't read my blog (she is not a computer person),.....others that have contact with my mom do and have shared. While she enjoys my writing, i'm not trying to spoil something I want to be a surprise!! It'll be like adding the whipped cream to an already very tasty dessert. hahahaha  So mum's the word. She's going to love this one and it NEEDS to be a SURPRISE, a very SNEAKY surprise. lmao
Because my mom can be quite sneaky herself sometimes.
Payback!

Stay tuned for that update after the weekend.

What is almost also all set...are our Christmas plans.
Can't believe Christmas is only 2 weeks away. Oh boy!
I'll be taking my husband out of town right before Christmas for his surprise. Oh mannnn...can't wait for that too. And I know he reads my blog so I certainly wont give anything away about that. Sorry babes! lol
On our return we will be busy busy busy. Not a lot of time to prepare our own Christmas meal because of when we return, and then our presence is requested at my sisters house for Christmas Eve Dinner. She actually wants me to skip church! Smh. I dunno....I'm gonna have to talk to God about this. I tried to explain the importance of my getting to church for Christmas Eve service but she is thinking that God would understand and want me to miss it for her dinner. Again....Smh. lol
She even played on my love for mom and how happy mom would be.  Oh...she is good!! lmao
Bottom line, I think I've run out of excuses. (Not that I need any) Told her i'd have to try and convince my family to share me for the evening.  BAHAHAHA  I kill me sometimes!
Prayers requested for Gods direction on this one.


When would I cook my own Christmas Dinner?
I certainly can't have my family eating leftovers on Christmas Day! Now don't get me wrong...we did get an invite from some awesome friends for Christmas Day but I think I still need to have some of our own food cooked.

This Christmas is special.
I've started buying all the fixings.
Decisions, decisions!


I'll figure it out. I just want my husband to have a wonderful Christmas. I want us all to have a wonderful Christmas and will do whatever it takes to make it so. Which, is why I am doing a lot of thinking and praying on what to do and how to do it.
Making commitments that I am praying that I can keep.
All in the spirit of Christmas, Love and Family.
And then there is New Years!
What to do....What to do??


                                                       

One thing at a time.
Mom's birthday!!
My dad's birthday was yesterday. Mailed him a Birthday Card. Heard nothing. That's ok though. lol

Oh...and let me just say a special Thank You to all those workers that have started taking Christmas Holidays to free up Holiday traffic. It has been a real treat getting to work early enough to hit the gym. I'm trying to get a head start on my calorie burning. After all, I don't want to pack on the pounds this Christmas Season. I've blown up enough since I got married...my opinion anyways. lol
That's what love will do to ya. hahaha I know, I know....

What's Love Got To Do With It......Classic!!

12 Days of Eating

Today marks the first day of the 12 Days of Eating in my office. Oh boy!

Inspired by this song:

Oh yeah.....we know how to do it up here at work. What happens is....people sign up on the calendar board to bring a treat to share with co-workers on one of the 12 working days before Christmas. Potluck every day! With today being the kickoff, I decided to join a couple of my friends in today's feeding. lol.

Furman's First Apple Pie

Nooo...Furman didn't bake anything for the occasion. lol Although he did bake his first Apple Pie this weekend. It was good too! Made sure we got some Vanilla Ice Cream to go with it. I'll just have to make sure and try it with some cheddar cheese. Go figure! Yup...my friends on Facebook tell me that that's what I need to do. "An Apple Pie without cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze" i'm told. lmao Oh, and we realized why people often put their baked pies on the window sill. lol Duh! After, we I cut into the pie...I couldn't wait..I'm sorry...it was still warm and I like hot apple pie with Ice Cream. lol But when I cut into it and the Apples started running...I felt like a greedy fool. Won't happen again I tell ya! But it was still good. :)

As I was saying about the 12 Days of Eating...I bought a beautiful Red Velvet Coffee Cake for my co-workers, and me. I added this cake to the several dishes of cheese and crackers, spinach dip with pumpernickel bread, other homemade dips, chips, cookies, chocolates and other homemade treats. Now...I watch the clock for lunchtime so I can RUN downstairs to the gym and work off as much as possible. hahaha  I figured it was best for me to buy something because we had a very busy weekend planned. I wasn't sure if we'd have time to bake. Clearly, Furman found time. lol


Saturday morning I had my Ladies Prayer Breakfast followed by an early evening of Church in the City (Feeding the Homeless). We served the desserts this time. And for the first time in a long time, it was a hot mess. (Maybe it was because my good friend, who is a big part of keeping things running smoothly, was missing) People came out to help that haven't been there in a while or that haven't volunteered before and there were just too many Chiefs and not enough Indians. Well, there were enough Indians actually....but you know what I mean. (No insult intended by the saying) People were giving direction that had no business giving direction, wrong direction, which only created a bit of chaos. We got through it though. lol And for the first time, we split early.

Furman and I were looking forward to joining our church Marrieds Group for a few games of Bowling. We didn't want to get there too late. Furman was really looking forward to it. Apparently, he is quite the bowler and has been for years. Seriously! Even has his own bowling ball back home in Florida. WTH? lol He's a Lefty too...so it was quite funny watching him try to find the perfect ball from those available. He found one...and then it just disappeared somehow. Off he was...trying to find another ball that would work for him. Something about finger sizes or something...I dunno. I didn't get to play but that's ok, next time. When we got to the bowling alley the games had just started and there was only space on the board for one more...so Furman got it. After all, I knew he was dying to show off. hahaha He won the first game...and then I don't know what happened with the second. Must have been all the teen music they started playing making him lose focus, shaking his booty a bit. :)  We'll definitely be back. I gotta get in a game with or without the others.

Awe yes....it was an overall good weekend. My daughter had one of her friends sleep over so we had an extra body around. Had them both at church with us on Sunday (I won), and then we all just kind of hung out as football took over the day. lol Yes...I am actually watching football. Like I said before...after watching that first live game In Advance of your Birthday....I get it!

Now....to prepare to give my mother a wonderful birthday weekend this coming weekend. Co-ordination required. Have a meeting tomorrow that is very important to my birthday preparations. lol Looking forward to it and praying that God will lead.

Anyways......I've got to get back to the snacking....things are disappearing too quick and it's not even lunchtime yet. When I eat chocolate it gives me headaches but I really need to go back to the table and get a hold of the Brandy filled Chocolates, headache or not.
I know, I know...no drinking on the job.
But they are sooo good. lol

Happy Monday!
   

Immigration Update

Well, I am happy to update that we have finally received the GCMS Notes that we requested.
Access to Information and Privacy. It looks just like the photo shared in the blog post.

Confused!!!

And let me tell you...just as expected, they are a bit difficult to understand. Naturally, I was able to go back to the helpful Road to Canada Forum for some assistance. It appears the fellow Floridian tlynn406 has also received hers today too. Surprise, surprise...she is doing no better than I in figuring out this mess. Where are we now? I did find a useful link in another forum that helped me a bit, so I shared it to help her too. Now, i'll share it here also for anyone caught in this Immigration Process that is reading my blog and trying to understand their own GCMS Notes. lol Guide to Understanding GCMS.

In the words of Forum Administrator "computergeek":

They can be a bit tricky to read - they are basically dumps of database records.

Some of the information relates to the creation of things unrelated to your specific application. They are also organized in reverse chronological order (newest to oldest) in each section, which makes it a bit more complicated as well.

Usually the most interesting stuff is at the end (in the "notes" section), but the material at the beginning usually summarizes where your application is (e.g., the various evaluation components).

ASSESSMENTS tells you what has been done thus far from a high level:

ASSESSMENTS
Eligibility: Passed
Security:
HIRV:
Criminality: Passed
Org Crime:
Medical: Passed
Misrepresentation:
Other Reqs:
Final:

Well, me....I didn't skip to the notes for the good stuff. (And they were good..lol. A basic summary of our relationship and that we weren't trying to fraud the system. In other words, ELIGIBLE!) No....I printed and went over every page with a fine tooth comb. Using the Guide I shared above of course. Confused as heck but I got through it and can say....I understand now where our delays were (not on us) and that it really shouldn't be too much longer. Really....it shouldn't!! They got their fees and their documents, all our ducks are lined up in a row...lol

                                     
Summary:
Although our application was received by Immigration January 31st, 2012,.....they really didn't start doing anything until May 7th, 2012. Unbelievable!! In fact, that was when I received confirmation that I was an eligible sponsor Sponsorship Approved... It looks like they were trying to do stuff since that date but our problem, Medicals. I don't know if the Dr sent the medicals late to Immigration or if Immigration in Ottawa that handles the results just had them filed somewhere. As a result....our Medical were not logged as "Received"...causing our delay. Ugh!! But August 31st was a good day for our application....they PASSED Furman on a few of the required criteria, but still had no medicals. On October 16th, it looks like when they went to review our file again and saw that we still didn't have any medicals updated, the officer sent for a medical follow up according to the notes. Probably because they had on file already that the exam was done November 2011. The results are only supposed to be valid for 1 yr!
Although I sent the request for the GCMS Notes around November 9th, the notes received today indicate that the request date is actually November 20th. I guess that is the date the notes were pulled for us. Subsequently, Immigration - Medicals Received. Oh yeah baby!! So, while on these notes received today they are indicating that they are waiting on Medicals, I know they have since been received (probably thanks to that officer sending for a follow up - That helped!!). Now, they can complete Finalization of our application. Just hope that doesn't take much longer. Looks like there are a few more things for them to do. According to the Guide: The normal reasons for delays after Medical/RPRF are Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) security checks or processing errors. I can't imagine Furman having any issues here!

Answer before Christmas? Who knows!! But it definitely would make a wonderful Christmas gift to us both to receive the PPR (Passport Request). That's when they have made their Final Decision and request your passport so they can complete the Permanent Residency Documents. Now I'm not sure why they request the passports because if my memory serves me correctly, he had to send in a copy of his passport with the initial application. Smh. Then again, who knows how they do things. Like I said, our App seemed to have sit around for 4 months before anyone even looked at it!! I'm just saying!!

Have a Blessed Weekend.
We sure will.
Oh...and please continue with your prayers.
Much Appreciated.

Snoring at Work?

Ok....so I'm back with another office complaint. Go figure! lol
But, I just have to after reading a recent post on Facebook by a colleague. lmao

Now...you can't tell me that's not funny! Piece of paper moving every time she inhaled? haha And what makes it even funnier is the fact that others started to comment because they knew exactly who the office snoozer is. Oh boy! That's crazy. Clearly...this lady makes a habit of it. Same spot? Same time? I dunno. But I will say, I've come across her. So, I too also know who is being referred to here. hahahaha   Here is a helpful tip though......LMAO

                                            

Problem is...this lady has no clue that she is being caught to even use this helpful tip. Why? Because she is out for the count. Knocked out like a TKO. God bless her. She clearly isn't getting enough sleep at home. Maybe she is one of those people that is Moonlighting. You know, working another job that is stealing the sleep she needs. You never know what peoples situations are.

Noooo...this isn't her!!  lol

I wonder....when people fall asleep at work, do they have an internal alarm clock that wakes them up when their break is over? lol Do they use the alarms on their cellphones to wake them? I'm thinking they do. I've never heard anyone's alarm go off at work though. Lots of people take small snoozes at work...they just don't snore like this lady. Some, go to their cars and chill out so that they can have privacy. (Now, they might be snoring people...we just don't know..lol) And yes, they use the alarms on their phone to get back to their desks on time. Hell...I've even done it on occasion because yes, I was in desperate need of some extra sleep. And, if 15-30 minutes was gonna do it...I was gonna take it. lol Now...we certainly can't take it like George did in this funny Seinfeld clip. It seemed fitting to my topic so I thought I'd share it for old times and Seinfeld fans.

Maybe this lady that likes to sleep at work takes the bus? Hmm? Falling asleep on the bus is no fun. I've done that before too.....many moons ago..and never did it again. Why? Because I missed my damn stop and had to backtrack that's why!! Really and truly though...it's clear that her sleeping is not really the issue because many of us might steal a quick snooze from time to time. But, it's her snoring!! hahaha That, is what has everyone in hysterics. This lady goes to a common area we have with several lounge chairs. A nice spot away from the desks. If you go there and this lady is there, you clearly can't enjoy your own quick snooze. And, if you are there to read, she makes it hard for you to focus. Ever read the same paragraph several times? Smh. I wonder too, has anyone ever had to wake this lady up and tell her to get her butt back to work? Oh boy. I mean if I snored like her and didn't have a car to go to, maybe i'd try and empty boardroom out of sight. lol Then again, can you imagine someone walking in to use the boardroom and catch you passed out on the floor snoring? Ummm..yeah, maybe that wasn't a good thought. Good thing she didn't hear it. Would hate to get her in trouble.

The dilemma...what to do? Frankly, I don't think we can do anything but laugh. Nooo...we cannot put a pillow over her face to drown out the snoring. hahaha Poor thing! On that note, I guess all we can do is adjust ourselves and let her be. Since we take different breaks we wouldn't know when her break started and finished, so you can't really wake her up and tell her she has slept too long...unless you really know she has. Hey...that's where my noise cancelling headphones come in handy. Wouldn't really hear the snoring too too much. I'm not used to snoring....Thank God. I don't know how i'd deal with it if Furman was a snorer. lol Then again, he'll be the first to say that I am the one that is always knocked out first. Mind you, I catch him falling asleep from time to time but he wakes right back up. When i'm out, i'm out. Trust me on that one!! For the most part...I gets my sleep! And, I certainly don't snore!! Right Furman?  lol

Anyways...just thought i'd share. Always got some funny stuff that goes on here at work. Just wanted to make someone else smile...you know, in case you also got one or two of those in your workplace. lol And it it's you? Check your snoring buddy...people are just gonna talk about you!!  lol

Have a great night.
                                         

Something Fishy

Oh Dear....

Scratch and Sniff....jk jk

It is not pleasant working near the office servery!!  Oh nooooo!
And, I sit right behind it. That means that when people decide to warm up their lunches, I get hit with the smell and let me tell you..sometimes, I have to gag! Today, was one of those days. I need to vent so here I go. (Actually, I needed a vent....get it? lol) Gotta love blogging. lol Our building has a cafeteria on the main floor away from where everyone works. But, each floor has a servery on each end to save people the trip. You know, make a quick cup of something hot, warm up something quick...including the stinky stuff. Unfortunately, our servery's are not enclosed. The walls do not reach the ceilings, and there are no doors. Makes the travel of smell that much quicker and the noise that much louder. Usually, after we get over the shock of what we are smelling, the laughter starts because we are in disbelief that we have to work in these conditions. Lmao One lady today said she deserves disaster pay because the smell was soo bad. Then the joke became what she did to save herself. She took her outdoor scarf and wrapped it around her face leaving space to see as she worked at her computer. She looked hilarious...yet, understood. Naturally, the culprit of this stinky food gets the hell out of dodge. lol You can't tell me you don't know your food is going to stink! Really?

And to think, in our office we are scent free. Nobody is allowed to wear scented products because of people's allergies. (We couldn't even spray something to mask the odor). When they implemented this rule, everybody was in an uproar. Rumor had it that the change was implemented for one person. We couldn't understand why one person fosters a change that affects soo many. Why couldn't this person just work from home, or give her an office, or move her to a remote section of the office less affected by others? lol Oh nooooo...can't do that, that would be discrimination. So, we all have to suffer. The building wasn't made scent free though, just our work areas. Like this person wouldn't encounter scents from anywhere else in the building. Oh, and people were getting spoken to about their breaking of the new rules. Trust me....this is serious. Just not serious for the food smells. Don't like the smell of popcorn? Fish? Burnt toast? lol Deal with it!

Now let me finish off about the noise. I have probably complained about this before in a previous post, I don't remember. lol But with our open servery, if your desk is close, you hear everything. Especially if you are the type of person who naturally has a loud voice that carries. Well, almost the same time every day, I get to listen to the same people talk about their family dramas, recipes, etc....oh, and my soap opera that is sitting at home on the PVR waiting for me to watch. By the time I get to watch it, these ladies have already discussed everything that's happened!! Grrr. That alone should justify them moving. lol Make them go downstairs to the cafeteria for lunch!


I got so frustrated with the noise that I started wearing noise cancelling headphones as I work. lol Which actually works out great because I listen to my music and different stuff on the computer as I plug away. And...sometimes I just wear them listening to nothing. But, my co-workers don't know that. hahaha  I think I get interrupted less because people think i'm listening to something. I could be wrong. Nose plugs wont work though.                                                        


Well, after several complaints about noise level and food smells, management looked into options to close up the servery. That came off the table pretty quick. Too much money! Not in the budget. So, we continue to complain about the noise and the smells. Signs have been posted asking people to keep it down and to warm up their smelly foods downstairs instead. But you know that in this day and age, people really don't give a crap about others often enough. Today...was absolutely horrid. Wish I could put a face to a food smell. While the horrid smells don't happen all the time, the noise is much more frequent. Then again, sometimes a lot of the noise I listen to in the day doesn't even come from the servery, but from people's work areas letting others know that they are just taking a break. Again, some people are much louder than others. Trust me...this has caused issues with people hearing conversations over the baffles and complaining about things said that have nothing to do with them. Oh, and when people nearby have customers on the phone...they really get cheesed. The joy of office work. I love my job though. That being said, I'll deal with the noise and the various attacks on my senses even when It Stinks. Especially after having survived another round of cuts. But whoy....sometimes the smells and the noise have to determine when you take a break and walk away. Seriously! It's not like we can open a window.

Ok...I've vented. lol Thanks for reading. The smell is gone...and so is the noise for that matter.
Till tomorrow!!!