Hello
family and friends!!!!! I am baaaaaaaack!!
After
an extended hiatus from writing about my time here in the States, I decided
last week that I needed to get back to my writing. It is crazy how time just
gets away from a person. This year I am going to try and make more of an effort
to get a post out each month, maybe even more often.
Reflecting
back on 2016 I realized that so much happened in the year and it was hard to
remember everything exactly. There were so many ups and downs this last year,
and I wish that I would have written about everything so that I would not have
forgotten so much.
Where
do I begin?!
Let’s
see….highlights of 2015 and 2016? nah, nobody wants to read about the past when
they know most of the good stuff from these last two years was posted on Facebook
or Instagram.
How
about the wedding? Only because I have a few things to share. Something I
wanted to do in the first couple weeks following the wedding was journal about
the day, and I just never got to that. Thankfully all of the pictures from that
day are able to help me remember so much, and will help me in the next few
weeks when I do journal about it. But, to share with all of you today, I have to
say that it was the BEST DAY EVER! We were so lucky to have the most amazing
weather for an outdoor wedding, and to be surrounded by all of those who have
supported us through the years. I am forever grateful to my family and best friend
who travelled from really far to be here to spend the day with us. We really
could not have asked for a better day. My immediate family stayed in town the
week following the wedding and we made a trip to Nashville for a few days. It
was great to be able to spend so much time with all of them, as I miss them so
much. You would think after all these years (16 to be exact) living away from
Winnipeg that it would get easier, but it does not. I keep telling myself that
I will make that home again one day. Guess we will just have to wait and see.
Three
days after the wedding Aaron started a new job, and he is loving it! He gets to
travel around and do financial audits with their stores in Denver, Phoenix, Albuquerque,
Indianapolis, and a few places in Florida. The company is also expanding, so
there will be new stores in other cities and states in the coming months and
years.
In
October, Aaron and I were lucky enough to be able to take a few days to drive
to Minneapolis to watch my brother’s girlfriend, Sam, receive her white coat
for Chiropractic school. Such a big accomplishment, and very proud of her! My
brother, mom and Aunt also came down for the ceremony, so it was great to see
them. We submitted my application for Permanent Residence only a few weeks
prior, and with that submission I cannot leave the country until my application
is completely processed. Therefore, any chance I get to see my family in the
States, wherever it is, I am going to make it happen. Why can’t I leave? It is
simple. I am here on a Student Visa, and have requested my status change to be
a Permanent Resident. If I leave and try to come back using my Student Visa
paperwork it will look like I am trying to enter the country under false
reasons. Even though I am still in school, does not matter since I have
requested a change in status, and have married an American citizen.
Status
update on Permanent Residence – I went for my bio-metrics fingerprinting appointment
near the end of November. As of December 5th, my case notice online
says they are ready to schedule me for an interview. I have to say that my
hopes got really high at that point, and I thought for sure I would have
received the notice of my interview date and time before Christmas. I am still
waiting…hopefully in the next week or two I receive something.
Christmas
Eve was a full day at the movies for Aaron and I. We saw Why Him?, Jackie, and
Collateral Beauty. We celebrated Christmas with his moms’ side in early
December and with her on the 21st. Christmas Day we went to his dad
and Sandy’s to open presents with them and our nephews. Later that afternoon we
came home to FaceTime with my family and open their gifts while we were live
with them. That night, we went and saw two more movies – Jack Reacher 2, and
The Accountant. We rarely get to movies throughout the year, and it has become
our Christmas tradition to cram in a whole bunch of movies in one day.
Aaron
celebrated his 30th birthday on the 19th, and his parents
joined us for dinner and trivia at Drake’s. On December 30th I
surprised him with dinner with our closest friends at a new restaurant –
Swampwater Grill. After dinner we all went to a nearby brewery, which just
opened in the last few months. We closed that place down and went to a nearby
bar where there was some great music and Karaoke. It was a great night!!
New
Years Eve we attended the Cyclones hockey game with Aaron’s dad and Sandy,
Josh, Erin, and Josh’s grandma and mom. Cyclones won! After the game, there was
a fantastic indoor firework show. We all parted ways at the end of the show, and
we headed to our friend Jamie and Lisa’s to bring in the New Year. Aaron spent
a few hours at work on New Years Day – part of being an accountant, month end
closing and year end closing. While most people are off today, he is at work.
Something we will have to get used to.
Which
brings me to today – January 2, 2017. Wow! Hard to believe we have started a
new year. I have to say that I am looking forward to this year and all it has
in store for Aaron and I. I will graduate with my Master’s Degree in just a few
short months, and plan on taking a lot of time off from school. I have been in
school my entire life, it’s time to not have that stress anymore. So far we
have trips planned to Gatlinburg, TN; Hilton Head, SC; Buffalo, Niagara Falls,
Toronto, Ottawa (to celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday), St. Louis
(ADG Convention), Winnipeg (for Christmas), and hopefully Montreal. There will be
some other adventures as well! I also look forward to writing again and sharing
my experiences with all of you this next year. Until next time…
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