Shower me with your love...

This past weekend, my mom, sister and I headed to the Chicago area for the joint bridal shower Jim's mom and sister were throwing me and Jim's brother's fiance. We had a great time! This was just the distraction I needed. You see, the medical fiasco is still ongoing. I need to go back to Toronto in a week for EVEN MORE chest x-rays. I am still worried that this could ruin our wedding, but this weekend I chose not to dwell on that.

After some shopping along the way, we arrived at our hotel late Friday night. We were all tired, but awoke on Saturday ready for a full day. Jim drove down from Minnesota Friday as well, and he came to pick us up to go and pick out the tuxes for the wedding. This process was pretty easy. We quickly decided what we wanted and I am confident all the guys in our wedding party (and Jim too!) will look great on our wedding day.

Next, we went to the hotel where we will be holding our reception to meet with the new wedding coordinator they have. We picked chair covers, and got any last minute questions we had for her taken care of. Then, it was on to lunch. We ate at the restaurant where we will be having our rehearsal dinner. We will be having some great deep dish pizza so we needed to sample it, of course.

After that, we headed to church. Jim and I had to get all of our forms taken care of for the wedding. We also needed witnesses to attest to our competancy to be married. My mom and sister were my witnesses and Jim's parents were his. The priest led us all into a 'holding room' and called each of our witnesses in one by one. Then, Jim and I got to go together but of course were seperated for the big questions. After we were done with all the paperwork, we headed for dinner. We went to the Olive Garden. It was yummy!

After a long day, we were all exhausted so we made sure to get some good rest for the events of the following day. I awoke Sunday morning very early to head to my hair and makeup trial. I was excited about this! I wanted to see what they would do with both of these. I know that my hair is going to continue to grow, so the hairstyle I had that day, was not necessarily the same hairstyle I would have on my wedding day. This was actually a good thing, since besides the shower, we had arranged to get our engagement photos done on Sunday as well. My hair and makeup was actually done pretty quickly. Both took just a little over an hour. I headed back to the hotel and got ready for the shower, then my mom, sis and I headed to the restaurant where the shower was to take place.

I loved the shower! This was my first ever shower! It was so much fun and so much thought was put into it. It was so nice of Jim's mom and sister to put so much time and effort into the shower. It was great to be able to share this shower with Hedda, as well. It was also great that my friend Claudia from Catholic Match was able to come. I hadn't seen her in awhile so it was great to catch up. Jim and I received so many wonderful gifts and it was so overwhelming to know how many people love and support us.

After the shower, we got ready for our engagement photos. Our photographer was supposed to meet us at 6 p.m. and even though we waited for over an hour she never showed up. I was really upset. Luckily once we returned to Jim's parents house, Jim's brother mentioned he has a great camera and would snap some photographs if we wanted.  They ended up looking really good. We decided instead of trying to find another photographer at a later date to just go with these pics. Here are a few of them:

All in all, even despite the little snafu with the photographer, we had a great weekend! Stay tuned for even better pics taken at this photo shoot in the near future! :)

Doctor, Doctor....

 Last weekend I headed to Toronto for my medical that is required for immigration. I still find it crazy that I had to go all the way to Toronto for a medical, but c'est la vie. My mom and I headed up to Toronto Sunday afternoon. My appointment was scheduled for anytime between 7:30 and 9 a.m. on Monday. We got a hotel that was about a 10 minute walk to the medical building. We had a pretty uneventful drive to Toronto and the traffic was manageable and we made great time. We got there in less than 4 hours. We ate dinner at the Pickle Barrel restaurant (my mom loves this place!) and then we checked into our hotel. The hotel was not a 5 star by any means, but it served its purpose.

Once we were settled, we took the 10 minute walk to go and find the building where I needed to go early the next morning. We found it easily. We relaxed in the hotel room and aside from a toilet overflowing and having to move to a new room, it was a nice uneventful evening. I set my alarm for 6:15 a.m. Thanks to the visajourney site I belong to, I knew that if you get there before 7:30 they will process you early. I was up and ready to walk out the door by 6:55 a.m. After the short 10 minute walk, I arrived at the building. Almost immediately a woman came up to the door and asked what I was there for. I told her my medical for immigration. A guy walked up as she was talking and she asked him the same question. She is the receptionist for the doctors office and told us to follow her upstairs. We went in and since I was the first one at the door she started processing me. I handed over my passport, my passport photos my 350 bucks (300 for medical and 50 for them to courier it to me!!) signed some forms and then she brought me to an exam room. She told me the nurse would be in soon to take my vitals (height, weight, blood pressure etc.) Almost immediately the nurse arrived. She was really nice. She had me sign another form. She then told me the doctor would be in shortly. At 7:30 the doctor came in and he was very nice. He had me sign some more forms, looked over my vaccination records to make sure they were up to date (they were!) and gave me back my passport that I gave the receptionist. He asked me some basic questions like "Do have any chronic illnesses?", "Do you smoke?", "Do you take any medications on a regular  basis?", "Have you had any major surgery?", "How is your mental health?" etc. Then he checked my throat, glands, and breathing. He made small talk while he was doing all this asking me where I was moving to in the US and why I was moving there (they do medicals for people doing many different types of visas). He congraulated me on my upcoming nuptials and told me the nurse would be back in shortly. She came back in and told me to go back to the waiting room where they would call me shortly for blood work.

The blood work is to make sure I don't have any STD's I think. I got called in fairly quickly and the lady had no trouble finding a vein. I then had to sign another form. After that, I had to go check in with the front desk and they gave me a map to the place I had to go for the chest x-ray. It was literally around the corner. I got there at 7:55 a.m. and they don't open until 8:00a.m. I waited the 5 minutes and was called in shortly thereafter. It was an easy x-ray and I was done and walking back to the hotel by 8:20 a.m. I stopped at Starbucks on the way back and was still back in the hotel by 8:30!

My mom and I then checked out, went for breakfast then headed to IKEA! :) While we didn't buy much, I managed to mentally purchase all the items that I thought would look nice in Jim's house. It is going to look great when I am done with it! :)We then headed back home. After a quick stop at a little country store my mom wanted to stop at, we were home by 4:30. I was glad my mom was able to come with me. It felt more like a vacation than a chore. We had a great time!

Unfortunately, the very next day, they doctors office called me. They told me that I need to repeat some chest x-rays before they could sign off on the medical. Even more unfortunately, I have to go back to Toronto to do them. So, this Monday I am heading back. I am not going to lie. I am worried. They won't sign off on the medical unless everything is ok with the medical. They are mostly looking for TB, but if they were to find something else I would need to prove it was nothing before they could sign off. My big worry now is that if it is something else, then all of that proving could take months! Months that I don't have to the wedding! So in essence, our wedding timeline could be in jeopardy. I am praying they will take these new views, see nothing and I will get the medical in the mail by the end of the week. I would appreciate some prayers if you could spare them, that all will be well. I will keep you all posted.

You're Still the One....

This weekend, I was finally able to spend some much needed face to face time with Jim. It had been 7 weeks since we had seen each other, and we were both excited to spend this time together. The purpose of the visit was to go to a wedding of a good friend's daughter. The wedding was fabulous!! The bride looked amazing (as did Caroline, the mother of the bride!) We had a great time and I always love an excuse to get all dressed up! Here we are at the wedding:

This weekend was also my nephew Matthew's piano recital. Coincidentally, Jim was down last year for Matthew's piano recital as well. We were both able to see the improvement he has made in a year. He is getting to be a great little musician! We were also able to spend some time visiting with my family Friday night.

Saturday pretty much consisted of getting ready for the wedding and attending the wedding. We were lucky that we got to sit with some great friends and we had a wonderful time! The food was fabulous and the atmosphere was great!

Today, we went to mass and afterward, we had a chance to meet with Fr. Rick who will be coming to Illinois to marry us. Father Rick is the Pastor at the parishes I work for, and has graciously agreed to come to Illinois to marry us. We are so happy that he is willing to do this. We were able to work out the details of the wedding with Father. We had our meeting over lunch so it was really relaxed and he was able to get to know Jim a bit better, which was nice.

After that, we headed to meet up with my friend Kortney and her boyfriend for a quick visit. Kortney is standing up in the wedding, and she has moved to Kitchener this past year so I don't get to see her as much as I used to. It just so happened that she and her boyfriend were going to be in town this weekend, so we managed to fit in a quick visit. It was lots of fun. After the visit, we headed to get a quick lesson on Natural Family Planning. One of the parishioners in my parish is a certified instructor so we were able to get a private lesson from her.

After that, we headed to Windsor to an Italian restaurant to celebrate! Not only is it 5 months until the wedding, but tomorrow will be one year that we have been officially dating. I say 'officially' because anyone who knows us knows that we have been 'sort of' dating for much longer than that. (If you are unsure of what I am talking about, feel free to look back in the blog to Jim's epic saga of the events of our relationship lol)

It is hard to believe that a year has gone by already. It seems like yesterday! This has truly been a magical year for both of us and we are so blessed by God to have been able to have all the events of this year take place. I pray that the next year (and those to come) will continue to  be as wonderful and grace-filled.

Come together....

In the past month, things have really been coming together with the wedding and visa planning. When it comes to the visa, I have my medical in Toronto on May 7th and my interview July 5th in Montreal. It is exciting to think that soon this will all be done, but I am still a bit nervous. I will feel much better once I get approved for the visa and it is in my hand!

As for the wedding plans, they are going great. In the past month, we have booked the hotel for our honeymoon. (Yes, it was the place that we were discussing in a previous blog). We are excited!
We have also booked transportation for the day of the wedding and received our invitations! Dare I say that all of the big stuff is done??

Now it is just all the little things that add up along with finalizing the logistics of my move to the USA. It is not cheap to move stuff from one country to another. Thankfully, when Jim and I were planning the expenses of the wedding, we remembered the amount of money we would have to add on for moving, and visa expenses. Along with the trips to Toronto and Montreal (which are not cheap!) filing for the adjustment of status (where I can actually apply for a green card) will be another 1000 bucks!  The United States government sure doesn't make it easy for one to move to their country on a fiance visa!

Next weekend, it will be 5 months to the wedding! I can't believe it! Also, next weekend, Jim will be coming down to visit. This is the first time I have seen him in 7 weeks! Even though we talk everyday on skype, it is not the same thing. It is a good alternative to being together, but we really have to work at our relationship and talk a lot because we aren't together all the time. This is one of the longest stretches we have gone without seeing each other. I am not going to lie and say it has been easy, because it hasn't. Long distance relationships are not for the faint of heart. I am so happy that soon we will be together all the time!

Loving You....

Seven years ago today, my dad died. I remember one of the first thoughts that went through my mind as I began to process things was, "He's not going to be here to walk me down the aisle one day." As the years passed and there didn't seem to be a groom to marry, I didn't think much more about that fact. I still missed my dad everyday but it was beginning to look like their wasn't going to be a marriage in the cards for me ever. Then I met Jim.

The realization that my dad won't be there physically on that special day is a hard one. I know that he will be there in spirit, but on that day his absence will be felt. My Godson/nephew Alex will be stepping in to fill the role of walking me down the aisle. My mom informed me long ago it would be too hard for her to do it.

They say that when you find the guy you are going to marry often times you end up marrying someone just like your dad. Jim is so much like my dad in so many ways. Not only is he kind, sweet, caring and loving but he goes out of his way to talk to people and make them feel special. He has a strong faith and loves God and his family with his whole heart. My dad was the same way.

I know that if my dad and Jim would have gotten to meet they would have loved each other. While my wedding day will be bittersweet without my dad there, I know that he will be looking down happy that I found someone who is perfect for me. Someone who is a good and honourable man. Someone like him.

Whoo Hoo!!!

So for the past month or so, I have been eligible to get an interview for my visa. At first, there was none available when I tried. Then for awhile they had 3 days available: April 23-25th. This was way to soon for me to even entertain the idea of taking it. I had a few very good reasons why I couldn't. First, I had to renew my passport since it was up for renewal in February 2013 and I need a passport valid for 6 months once I enter the US, which God-willing will be in September. Second, Jim's mom is having a shower for me (and Jim's brother's fiance) in May. Third, Jim's brother and his fiance will be getting married in mid-June and I really want to go.

So, everyday I had a routine to check the website several times a day to see if there were any interviews available. Today, once I got to work I quickly checked like I always do, and was shocked to see that there were many interviews available in May, June and July. I immediately called Jim at home and didn't get an answer. I called a few more times and go ahold of him. Then the task began to figure out which date would work best for us.

We finally settled on one: July 5th! We chose this date because it falls right after the American holiday and therefore Jim will have to take less time off. Also, we realized later, that on this date we have been together in person every year we have known each other! (Also, I think we went to the U2 show last year on this date so it has to be lucky right?)

I am so excited that it means that I will get to do everything I want to do before the interview and still have plenty of time to get the passport back with the visa on it. It generally takes 2 weeks or so to come back but very rarely it can take up to 2 months. Also, I went online to look at flights tonight and all flights on the two major Canadian airlines are 50% off if you book by tomorrow! I will be taking advantage of that for sure! What great timing! Also, it looks like Jim and I could actually travel together for once. We may take the same airline and both have connections in Toronto. That would mean from Toronto to Montreal we would fly together! :)

Getting an interview time means I can now book a medical which has to be done before the interview. I called at lunch and left my information  at the doctors office in Toronto who does medicals for the consulate. At around 3p.m. today they called me on my cell phone and when I told them I wanted a date in June the lady replied "JUNE? I don't even have the calendar ready for June! Can you call back in May please?" My first reaction was to think "Seriously lady? I didn't say December! June is only 2 months away!" But I guess I will call back in May and see when I can get into the medical.

I am so happy that everything looks like it is going to work out. Keep praying that everything goes well with the medical and the interview! :)

Looking back on the things I've done...

As Jim and I approach the 6 month mark to the wedding tomorrow, it is interesting to see how far we have come. Technically, we have not even been officially dating for a year yet. We reach that milestone next month. But those of us who know our story, know that we have been 'together' on and off for a lot longer than that.

Recently, I have been reflecting on not only how far Jim and I have come as a couple, but how far each of us has come individually. I will let Jim guest blog one day to explain just how much his life has changed, but for now, I thought I would look back on mine. I look back on my life 3-4 years ago and realize just how drastically it has changed. About 4 years ago, I decided to enter the world of online dating. I was too cheap to pay for a site at first so I spent some time on plenty of fish. I quickly realized that you had to really search on this site, because lets just say most of the men were not my type.

I did manage to go on some coffee dates with men I met on plenty of fish. Almost all of them were horrible. One guy, when he asked me to explain exactly what I did for a living told me, "Yeah, I have had enough of that religious crap shoved down my throat for 12 years in school." I wasn't really sure what to say to that. Needless to say I didn't see that guy again.

Another guy on paper was totally my type and really should have been a match for me, but I ended up doing 95% of the talking. I gave him a chance and went on a few dates with him, but when it didn't get better I realized that it was pointless.

It was around this time I got serious about Catholic Match. I was ready to meet someone who shared my faith and my beliefs. I realized quickly, while Catholic Match was a great site, it didn't really have a ton of local guys. I foolishly though I would go online and a plethora of men would be waiting for me from the Windsor area. Well, what actually happened was there were probably 10 guys from the Windsor area, and most of them were not paying members. I participated in the forums and made friends so I stayed for the good discussions and nice people. I was definitely not looking for a long distance relationship. But, when I met Jim, I was at the point where I was at least willing to give it a try.

I never thought I would be one who could make a long distance relationship work. How wrong I was. While it has been challenging not to be together all the time, we have grown so much as a couple. If you would have told me 4 years ago that I would be moving away from not only home, but from my country for love, I would have laughed at you. But, now I could not imagine my life without Jim in it.

I can't believe in 6 short months, I will be embarking on a new life. A new husband, a new country and new experiences. I can't wait!