Think Happy Thoughts

It's about time I embrace.the good in my life. As frustrating as life can be, there's always some sort of good somewhere.

1. The person I got my straightener from emailed me back and said she.will replace it. Woot!

2. A humidifier, Vicks Vaprorub and Netflix to help me manage with this nasty cold that's been kicking my butt the last few days.

3. My little brother who's serving his mission. He's a huge example to me and seems to provide me with the perfect amount of brotherly love, spiritual advice and direction. New obviously done a lot of growing while he's been gone.

4. I got to spend almost all of today with my husband. I love him.

5. Going through pictures I've taken of my little man. And also getting to spend everyday with him and watch in awe as he figures new things out everyday. He is currently working on different sounds and I love hearing him talk to himself and laugh at almost everything. That kid is so adorable I can't even handle it.

So I do have many things to be gratefully for. Now I just gotta remember that when I start getting frustrated again.

Here's the latest of Warren though.

Last Straw...

I'm sorry for mainly using my blog to vent these days. I really should be posting more happy things.. I dunno why I'm not. Maybe its because the things that bother me keep festering until I get everything off my chest and then have people validate it that I'm not crazy for getting so upset. I dunno... At any rate, my apologies for the following angry rant.

Where I last left off, my immigration woes had reached a climax. Here's the update. I've been able to figure out exactly what happened to my green card.

I was raking my brain trying to pinpoint where everything went wrong. Then it was like a giant light bulb went on in my head. The stupid zip code... When I first got here received a letter stating that everything was approved and to expect my card in this amount of time, blah blah blah. However, on that paper, they had the zip code of my address all wrong. They had flip flopped two numbers. I called them immediately and for that corrected. I received another letter confirming the correction.

Once I remembered all this, I went through my stack of immigration papers and realized that by the time I had caught that error it was too late. The green card had already been created and sent out with the wrong zip code. After talking to the people at the post office and waiting an extra day for the tracking number information to be retrieved from 'the archives' I was told that the package with my card was sent to this podunk little town an hour away from Colorado Springs because that's where this incorrect zip code told them to go to. Since my address clearly didn't exist there, they sent it back to where it came from and was received on January 3.

This whole ordeal was doomed before it even started. It was clearly immigration's fault since they entered five little numbers in the wrong order. I have all the papers to prove I gave them the correct information in the first place so they couldn't place the blame on me.

With renewed hope, I called the blasted immigration "Customer Service" line again to explain the situation that I figured out all by my lonesome.

It was like talking to a brick wall.

"Please file form I-90 to replace your lost green card as our records clearly indicate we have not received your card back in the mail."

I told them that I had the proof from the postal service that it was returned on Jan 3 but I got the same response. They have no record of it coming back to them. But I know the postal service isn't bs-ing me because I can pull up the tracking information online myself. But none of that mattered. They stood by what they said. Their computers didn't tell them what I was telling them.

I eventually got transferred to the unreliable tracking number people because I was told there might be a second tracking number issued if in fact it was received and remailed.....

NOPE.

After being dismissed by the immigration people I called back all fired up and this time wasted no time talking to the initial customer service person and ask for the tracking number people again. I explain everything all over again. This time, the person said he'd have people look for it and I should have it by April 10... Skeptically I said thank you and ended the call. April 10 came and went and guess what. Nothing but lies.

I've asked people what to do because clearly taking to someone about it does jack squat. I know exactly what happened and nobody is willing to own up to it and actually help me. I've been too frustrated to even think about this these last few days. However... Lately things seem to happen where everything that could go wrong does, and I can only take so much before I snap. I think I'm pretty much at that point now and its not because of anything that happened with immigration. I haven't reached out to them since this last guy bold face lied to me. I'm at my breaking point because of a stupid hair straightener.

A couple years ago I got a fancy CHI straightener from my parents for Christmas. It had lived its life and it was time to replace it. I checked on Amazon.com and found a brand new replacement for a huge discount. I ordered it and received it in a really short amount of time so I was very happy. I've had it for less than two weeks and it already crapped out on me. Some connection inside came.loose because now the only way it stays on is if I jam the cord into it. The thing doesn't stay on on its own. Less than two weeks. Seriously??? It took all the self control I had to not throw that thing into the wall... I emailed the person I got it from and I'm hoping with all I have left that I won't have to buy another one. Otherwise I'd end up spending more than one costs at a beauty supply store. Ugh...

But because of this, I'm spent. I'm tired of fighting. Part of me wants to just throw in the towel. Don't right the supplier for the straightener. Just fork up the money. Don't fight for the green card. Just fork up the money. I don't have any fight left in me. It's obvious nobody at immigration gives a crap to actually assist anyone. Even if I were to photocopy 30 or 40 pages worth of paperwork and send it to them, who's to say it'll amount to anything because who knows if they'll actually even look at it. It'll probably get tossed into some pile not any different from the pile that my returned green card got thrown into. So I'm stuck. I don't feel strong enough to fight anymore. Or do I just fork out the cash and forever hold a grudge against this whole process. I couldn't even get my social security card without having to reapply for it because it didn't get sent the first time.

But then, if you're like my mom, you'll be saying that I should just go back to Canada. They're not any better. I'm getting ripped off of two months worth of parental benefits because they forgot to switch me over from my maternity benefits when those ended. Apparently I can only be in their system for how ever many weeks. So because I was in their system and it took them that long to fix it once I noticed I wasn't getting paid and it wasn't just because they were late, the consequence is that I'm losing out on a significant chuck of change that I was otherwise entitled to.

So its obvious that nobody is perfect, but come on... This is beyond ridiculous. I must have a target on my back or something. I feel like the only thing I can do now is cave..

Four Month Run-Around...

Oh boy... you know when you call customer service lines and they just give you the run around?? Well... Story of my life... Except this time it's not just a matter of inconvenience, it's a matter hundreds of dollars and legal status in this country...

I entered the US in the end of November and was told I would automatically be issued an actual permanent resident card within 60 days of my arrival. 60 days came and went, and all I got was a letter saying that they had registered my arrival and to anticipate the permanent resident card soon. Well it never came, so I called the immigration people to ask what was up, and all they told me was that as far as they could tell it had been sent to me and since they never had it returned to them that they would report it lost in the mail. Then I was to wait another two weeks to get further instruction in the mail. Eventually I got a letter that was the exact same as the one I first got shortly after I arrived here. It said the same thing. Wait 60 days and your card will come in the mail. Great. That same day I got an email from them stating the complete opposite thing. It said that since my card was lost in the mail, I had to fill out another form to get it replaced. I went to do that only to find out that it would cost me $450. NO FREAKING WAY. So I called immigration up again and I asked them what's what because I had two separate communications on the same day telling me to do completely contradictory things. Whoever I talked to said that I should just wait the 60 days. So the waiting begun. That would take me into April.

A couple days ago, I decided that enough was enough and I called immigration again to see if there was any progress on the card being sent. What I was told was that one was sent to me on December 6, and that if I hadn't already gotten it, since they never received it back, that it was up to me to file that form that cost me $450. So whoever told me to wait the 60 days was totally wrong. I've been waiting and checking the mailbox for nothing for the past 3 months. I told the person that I really can't just fork up the money to replace a card I never got and asked for her to help me figure out what happened. She ended up transferring me to another department to get a tracking number. Up until this point, I didn't even know a tracking number was available. Thanks people beforehand for leaving out that important tidbit of information... So I got this tracking number, checked it on the US Postal Service website. Invalid tracking number... Blood = boiling... I called immigration back, told them this supposed tracking number was bogus and what do I get in reply??? "Sometimes the Postal Service doesn't actually scan their mail. I've seen it happen before. So you're going to have to file that form. There's no other way." Oh. My. Gosh... I asked the guy if he understood why it makes me so upset that I'm being asked to pay all this money to replace a card that was never in my possession and that the Postal Service clearly never had it. His response was that it's all a matter of speculation whether or not it made it to the mail. So I repeat myself. I don't have $450 laying around that I can just whip out to replace a card I never got in the first place. He tells me that if I print out the form and submit it through the mail, I won't have to pay the fee. I'm sceptical, but I give in and hang up. I look up the form, read the instructions, and guess what. He was lying. He just wanted to say something to get me off the phone apparently. I'm totally expected to pay the fee because according to them, they sent the card, it's out of their hands, the Postal Service never returned it to them, it's not their fault.

Now my energy is focused on the Postal Service. I call their customer service line and after spending 10 minutes trying to navigate through their automated system to get to an agent, I'm told that the tracking number I was given isn't even a valid format. Blood = curdling... Now I have to call immigration back, find out if there's an actual tracking number or not. Finally I find out that whoever gave me that tracking number in the first place was way off base, and now I actually had something to work with. When I checked the tracking number online, it basically said that it was received in the Colorado Springs sorting facility on December 13 and nothing beyond that. To me that meant it got dropped on the floor or something because I DEFINITELY never got it in the mail. I spend another 10 minutes trying to get the blasted automated Postal Service lady to let me talk to a REAL person and they tell me that they opened an investigation to find out what happened. They'd call me back the next day to let me know what they figured out.

I get a call this afternoon from the Postal Service here in town. They call me to ask for a correct tracking number. I tell them they HAVE the correct tracking number, it's just really old. "Well why have you let it sit around for so long? Our system gets rid of that information after 30 days." Thanks... I only found out this stupid tracking number existed yesterday. I end up being told that since it's so old, there's nothing they can do. I have to ask for the card to be reissued. NOT ACCEPTABLE. I told them that to reissue the card is a significant chunk of change and I asked as politely as possible for their help. Then they said that they can request for the information to be retrieved but it takes another day so I have to call the Post Office tomorrow morning. Again... Thanks for being so willing of offer a solution before I have to beg for one... Yeah right... Then he started hassling me because I moved and I didn't put in a forwarding request. Give me a break here!!!! If the postal service has had my card in their possession since BEFORE CHRISTMAS and I moved IN FEBRUARY, it shouldn't have taken that long to get to me in the first place!

Ugh... I just feel like I'm being bullied around. Neither the immigration people or the Postal Service people are really willing to help me. I feel like they won't point me in the right direction unless I come up with the initial thought. All this could have been avoided if when I called the very first time after the initial 60 days was up and instead of telling me that they'll report it as lost, they COULD have asked me if I had a tracking number and checked it. But no. That was just the beginning of a long pointless wait that is making things a bazillion times more difficult now.

I really hope I wasn't this useless when I worked in customer service.......

Let The Business Adventure Begin!!!

That's right folks... We're taking things into our own hands and we've taken over a Lawn Care company from our friend who moved out of town. So far it's looking good. We've got equipment, we've got a list of previous clients, and we've got a full weekend booked already! Things are looking good. Ray's the muscle, and I'm the brains. haha.. Well... I'm the secretary at least. It works out pretty good though. Both of us are doing things that we're good at so I think this will work out pretty well.

Wish us luck!!!!!

Family

So my mom just left for her journey home after being with me and my family in Colorado this past month. To say the least... it was hard to say goodbye. I think I've been struggling to find some familiarly here just because it seems that everything and everyone works so differently. I don't have the people around me that I grew up with anymore. It sucks and its hard. So to have my mom here, the ultimate in familiarity, I finally felt at ease and I started feeling more comfortable and willing to call this place home. I don't know if I can make that make any sense, but that's how I felt. When she left, she kept on telling me to keep busy and to try harder to make more friends. I think she helped me feel more empowered to do those things. So as much as it sucks that she's gone and we're apart again, I'm thankful for her example and trust in me to do what I need for myself to be happy. My mom and I have grown really close this past year and I cherished this last month with her. It also was really awesome to have a live in babysitter. Haha. She loves my little man so much. Needless to say, this time was good for us all. Precious memories have been made and I will cherish them forever. Next time I see her will be in 6 months for my little brothers homecoming. There will be a bunch of joyous reunions!

Doppleganger

I stumbled upon this baby picture of myself today. Mom says I was around 6 months-ish, which is conveniently the same age as Warren is now. The resemblance he has to me is nutso!!!!!

Me (Not Warren)

Warren. (Not Me)

Photo Shoot: Part 1

Before I left Canada, one of my good friends came over to take pictures of Warren. He was 2 months old and SOOO little!!!

So. Much. Fun. Thank you Jessie!!!!!