The Immigration Process

We have been trying to get Miguel's FOIA for a little over 2 years now. For some reason, CBP never responds. The most I have seen is "under agency review." We are going to file FBI fingerprints soon, and go ahead and get started on the I-130. I didn't want to get started until we were sure that his CBP record had no expedited deportations, but 2 years is too long.

I plan to file the I-130 in August, and hope things go fast. I have seen online that it is moving faster than before.

Now we are stuck in another dilemma, whether to stay here, put the kids in school in Texas, or us go back to GA and put the kids in school in GA so they won't have to change schools again when he gets his visa. 

The kids prefer GA, but I don't really like the idea of being a 1000 miles away from Miguel for 9 months at a time. We will be renting my grandmother's basement, and she has said that she will get the kids to school and take care of them so I can come visit Miguel, but I am not so sure about this. I need to figure it out. I really need to think about the pros and cons of being there. Everything was fine before, but Miguel and I fought a lot. It was usually me who was fighting too, so I need to work on that. I have a great support system in GA with my grandmother, her husband, and my sister. My sister and I don't see eye to eye most times, but she really likes Miguel and loves the kids, so she tends to help out a lot when I am there and need help. I just need to get an online job again, and all will be good. 

If we stay here, we will be with Miguel daily, of course. The kids will go to school in Texas, but I will have to rent an apartment or something in Texas too. Plus, we would stay in Matamoros with Miguel most nights so that would mean getting the kids up at 4am so they would be ready to leave by 5:30 to avoid waiting in line for 2-3 hours at the border. I can't find a job here, I have been here almost 3 months and nothing. Miguel is working out-of-town so we never see each other anyway. I love our home here, but I don't know what to do.

Update: I started writing this post 3 days ago. We have more or less decided to stay here, and apply. I will be renting a house in Brownsville in August. We will be staying in Brownsville Monday night through Friday morning, and in Matamoros Friday afternoon until Monday morning. Miguel will continue to work out of town, so we will be in Matamoros at the same time. I will just have to cross some during the week to take care of our pitbull who will stay at our Matamoros house. The good thing is she won't be lonely, Miguel's cousin lives right down the street from us, so he will visit and care for her the days we aren't here.

Still Alive!

We are still alive. Just super busy with life. I really want to get back to posting again regularly. I just can't seem to find the time anymore.

We now live in Matamoros. My job with Open English is everything, but over. Our hours dropped drasticaly at the beginning of the year, which is normal for January and February. However, our hours dropped even more in March. I went from 20 hours a week to 7 hours a week! It only lookd like it is getting worse. We have no contact with management as to why this is happening or when things wil get better. So we made the decision to move to the border so I can find a job in Texas. We have been here since April and I have yet to find a job. I am very stressed out and feel like I will never find a job. I have applied and applied to companies. I have been to interview after interview. The only job offer I got was working from 4pm-12midnight at a place that is almost an hour from the border. Imagine crossing into Matamoros at 1AM every night and driving through downtown with the situation here! I can't do it, and no matter how much I need a job, I need my life more.

I have decided to advertise house cleaning in Brownsville and McAllen on Craigslistand pass out flyers in hopes that I will get some houses to clean. Also, I have always wanted to be an event planner so I am going to start advertising event planning here in Matamoros. I have plenty of experience, I have planned plenty o weddings and quinceaneras. Miguel has started a furniture building business here. Hopefully, it will really take off and we will start making a real profit, not a just getting by profit. He is also going to advertise painting jobs.

I plan on renting a house in Texas so the kids can go to school there, but I need a job first.

Friday was the anniversary of my brother's death. It was the first anniversary so it was horribly hard. We miss him constantly, but it gets a little easier each day.

As for TTC, it is basically on hold right now. If a miracle happens, great! We just don't have the funds to do treatment right now and the stress level is too high so it more than likely wouldn't work. I am almost 36 so getting close to stopping. We have decided that e wil do IVF next year and if nothing, adopt a baby. I just need to find out how to do a private adoption in Mexico. I have read that adoption through DIF is next to impossible fi you have children so that is out. We have agreed that f no baby either way by 40, we are stopping completely. I don't want to risk bringing a baby in to this world with birth defects, plus I really don't want to be having a teenage when I am in my late fifties or older. Just imagine! I want to enjoy that age. My kids are 12 and 10 now. I am already starting over, but having a child in 3-4 years would really be starting over. Not my idea of fun. I want another baby really bad, but I want him or her now or in the next 2 years, not in 3+ years.

I will post pics of my house later next week. It is HUGE compared to typical Mexican houses. We have a living room, diningroom, kitchen, full bathrom, and laundry area downstairs, and 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a living area, and a terrace upstairs. It has a gate and an enclose parking area. The only thing I hate is the ever so often smell of sewer from the drain area and the lack of a grassed area.

I think I have rambled enough. If you read through and didn't get lost, you are wonderful!! I know I rambled and went in all kinds of directions.