Please help

This was posted on American Families United Facebook page. For those of you who can donate it would directly help me and others like me in our fight to return home. This is a great organization that has already done so much for so many. They could make all the difference in having our bans included in comprehensive immigration reform. Thank you in advance if you can donate, and if you can't please share this information with as many people as you can.

To all our facebook supporters!! It's fundraising week for American Families United members. We are trying to fundraise for the next 6 months worth of action that will be happening in DC that will ensure that immigration reform includes waiver reform for the various bars of inadmissibility. Unfortunately the lobbying done by our lobbyists (Bruce Morrison and Paul Donnely) is not free. Having a former Congressman/immigration subcommittee chair is a great benefit, so we would like to continue this relationship and try and get Bruce into more of these meetings going on in DC to make sure our efforts in the past few months was not for nothing. We are asking all of our supporters here to please consider either joining as a member OR donating. Also if you can or can't do either of those, you can still help with the fundraising process by messaging all of your family and friends, calling them up, or emailing them and asking them to donate. Explain why they should donate, who we are as an organization, what we are about, how it directly affects you, what we have accomplished with our DC trip and all the local meetings. Share with them our pictures, press articles, etc. Show them proof that any funding raised is being put to good use. All 100% of it goes towards this effort. You yourself, or anyone you refer can donate at the following link:

https://americanfamiliesunited.wildapricot.org/donate

Thank you so much for all of your support!

Maybe??

So I have I guess good news but I'm already bummed out. I have been writing to Congressman, Representatives, President Obama, General Attorney, I mean just tons of people. Today I received a response from my Congressman's staff saying they think they can help me out and saying I could file my I-601 waiver now and not after the 10 yrs are up! I got so excited that I just forgot about everything and was like ya, maybe it will work. Today my sister did me the huge favor of taking all of my paperwork to her and I was on the phone. I mean she sounds super nice and I know has good intentions but when I explained the specifics of my ban she was like oh, I didn't know that. She is going to call a few people and see what she can do which I greatly appreciate. I just feel like I already got my hopes up with that phone call. Realty set in and it just bummed me out. I mean, ya I've accepted this ban but just seeing that tiny light of hope go out again sucks! I pray that a miracle happens and this works. If not I just hope that CIR really happens. I want to go back home so badly. Rarely a day goes by that my daughter does not say we should go home to Utah. My hubby has had a few things come up at work and I just hope he lasts there because finding a job close to Mexicali is not easy. Worst case we would go to Tijuana and I really really don't want that. Okay now I'm just going over board with the what ifs. Today started out with hope and is now with just sadness. Hopefully my next post will be about a miracle happening. If not I have my family and our health. Just needed to vent...

Forgiveness

Today I got a Skype call from one of my dear cousins who is going through a hard time and needed someone to talk to. One thing she said that is now stuck in my head, was how did you forgive your parents? I want to say enough but not too much which is a bit hard for me. I had a difficult childhood but filled with so many good times as well. I can honestly say the good outweighs the bad but there was bad, and plenty of it. We had every problem you could think of, from being illegal, to moving every month because we couldn't pay the rent, to drugs, alcohol and physical abuse along with a lot of emotional abuse as well. I moved out when I was 15 and not by choice, and became the sole income and both "parents" to my siblings. Even now, the 10 year ban that I have is because of a decision they made. I'm not trying to make myself a victim but if I ever wrote a tell all, you would be stunned to hear everything that I have survived and with a smile on my face. But back to the forgiveness. My parents were and still are to some extent two sick people who need help. Not in the sick, I have the flu kind of way. But in the, they are emotionally unstable and extremely scared by their own past kind of way. How could I hold a gurgle against the people who brought me into this world? Who have tried, in their own way, to provide us with everything they could when we did live together. I have forgiven them for everything and pray that they can learn from their mistakes and be better people. In the Bible it talks about how we need to forgive others in order for God to forgive us. That alone has helped me a lot in overcoming all of this. One thing I want to make very clear is that my parents are both good people, who just never got past their own demons. Anger is a horrible thing to hold onto, it's like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. I am grateful for where I am today emotionally. I have had a lot of great family and friends to help guide me along the way. One thing my amazing friend Dina once told me after I told her about my 10 year ban was that this is just a pebble compared to all of the other obstacles I have overcome. And when I take a step back I feel like it really is. Then I begin to think of all the blessings I do have and how fortunate I am. And how my suffering is nothing compared to others. I also know that God is amazing and has blessed me with an incredible husband and daughter to get me through anything. I want to end on a happy note. Forgive others and don't let that hurt or anger overcome you. God has much better things planned for you so free yourself from all of that and be happy. Be happy that you woke up today, that the sun is shinning and you have a roof over your head and food to eat every day. Life is good, you only need to take a moment to look around to realize it.

Weight loss update

So I have been really good with my workouts and eating. I think I might switch up the workouts a bit but I've had good results so far. I just hope I can keep this up! Here are some pictures of my progress. I haven't weighed myself yet but hopefully soon. Either way I feel great! :) 

 

Life Lately

Life lately has been very good to us. My hubby just finished taking a 3 day class with a couple of engineers and some college students. He told me he felt out of place and after the test he felt like he wasn't going to pass. But to his surprise he got the highest score in the class!! I am very proud of him for that and he is just doing everything he can to give us a better life. I have been pretty busy lately with immigration stuff. I'm trying to get as many people as possible to sign the petitions and am writing to several Senators and Representatives. As well as writing President Obama on a regular basis. I just get so excited just thinking about going home. I mean, I like it here in Mexicali. We have what we need and we are together but if we are able to go home I know we would be able to do so much more. Last weekend was really nice. We finally found a church that has an afternoon service and we are thrilled! Then on Sunday we just cruised around Mexicali trying to get to know it a little better. We also went to the mall here 2 weeks ago and it's pretty big! The food court looked so good, but we had just ate before we went so we didn't try anything. I am excited to go try the Chinese Food they had there, it looked and smelled SO good! As far as working out I have been doing pretty good. This week I started a workout regimen that I made for myself and I am loving it. Its all workouts I can actually do and I rotate, one day upper body, one day lower body. I just need to keep it up. It's also starting to get hot outside and it feels really nice. Yesterday was 77 degrees F and with a cool breeze it was a perfect day for me. I'm not looking forward to the 120 degree F summers but I think I can make it. Well that's my update for now. Please continue to write and keep pushing immigration reform. God bless and keep smiling because life is amazing! :)

Show Obama we support immigration reform

Speak out to show your support!

Please click on the link above and enter your name, email, and zip code to show your support for immigration reform. The link is to the whitehouse.gov webpage so it make a difference. We need to let Obama know this is a very important matter that needs immediate action! Immigration reform doesn't happen everyday. We are in a position right now where our voice needs to be heard and can make all the difference between reuniting thousands of families, or continuing to make thousands more continue to go through extreme hardship. The time is now! :)

Sign this petition please!!!!

The petition below is something that will directly help me go home sooner but we need all the help we can get! Please share this on your Facebook and post it on your blog if possible.

I have still had a few people ask me what they can do to help and it's simple really. I am asking to write letters to your Senator and Representatives, even the President if you'd like. Tell them how you feel and your view on immigration reform. Feel free to put me as an example of how the broken immigration system needs to be fixed and now! Try to make it as personal as possible.

Most of them just see laws as laws, and most don't even know these type of bans exist! The specific ban I have is the 212 (a)(9)(II) . The ban itself says has been ordered removed under section 235(b)(1), section 240, or any other provision of law, and who enters or attempts to reenter the United States without being admitted is inadmissible. 

Basically, I was deported when I was 14 years old because of several bad decisions made by my parents. 20 days later my parents brought me back into the US. The ban came into play the moment I crossed back and they do not care that I was a minor.

If you don't know who your Senator or Representatives are please go to:

whoismyrepresentative.com 

senate.gov

President Obama: The time is NOW for immigration reform

Action For Family Unity Petition

Please Take action now, we may not get another chance!! Thank you! :)