And so it begins...

         I never thought I would be the type of person to start a blog, but here I am. In a new chapter in my life and I am ready to begin living it. My name is Gaby and I started this blog in hopes that it will bring comfort and hope to others as other blogs have done for me. I was born in Mexico and left just before I turned 3. I lived in the United States for a year and then we moved to Canada for 7 yrs. We then returned to the States and I lived there for 11 years until I was deported on December 2, 2010. I have been happily married for almost 4 years, we have been together for 6 years but we have known each other since we were 5. Together we have our beautiful daughter who will be 3 next month.

         Since I have been in Mexico it has been a very long and hard immigration process that we began in 2009 and ended abruptly on June 4, 2012 the day of my visa interview. I was not only denied my visa but given a 10 year ban which will be up December 3, 2020! Ya, talk about devastating. We were definitely not prepared for that but I truly believe everything happens for a reason and I know that God is never wrong and everything happens as it should. God is so great that the very next day after receiving such terrible news we had found the solution to our problems. It began in our hotel we stayed at in Ciudad Juarez, that's where we meet a family from Mexicali. They told us to not give up and that if we were thinking of border living then Mexicali is the way to go. They made it sound amazing and the fact that my husband could continue to work in the States was a huge plus!

       Since I have been here we have struggled a lot financially and we were so worried that if we lived in Mexico and both worked, we would work crazy long hours, never have enough money or time for anything and would not be able to provide our daughter with a life she deserves. The couple told us that it is common in Mexicali for a family member to cross the border daily for work and that on an American salary they live very comfortably. I quickly began to do research and the more I found the more I began to fall in love with the place. Everyone we have asked about Mexicali has had nothing but great things to say about there, except for the heat of course. Well in a few short months my family will be making the move out there. Some think we are crazy because neither of us have ever even been to Mexicali before but after almost 2 years of living apart we are ready to be a family again. I miss my daughter and my husband more than words can say. And after reading so many other blogs with stories similar to mine it gives me hope and lets me know that there is life after this 10 year ban.


      I am so excited to start living again because since I have been in Mexico our lives have been frozen, time passes but we remain the same. I can't wait to wake up to my family again and start making new memories! To anyone who is going through a similar situation, just know that life goes on and it can still be as happy and fulfilling as ever. Its all on how you choose to view things. I see this ban not as a bad thing but as a new opportunity. God has other plans for me than the ones I seem to be making all the time and I'm okay with that. Home is where the heart is and soon I shall be home!! :)