Well, I am 26 years old today. I was actually able to take off work for my birthday. I realized when I'm on vacation using my vacation leave I will still get 2 more paychecks and will accrue 12 more hours of vacation leave. So that allowed me to take today off. I was already scheduled off for the whole week so I was able to sleep in today until 12pm. Yay! I am always up at 5:30am on workdays.

Just spent a quiet day at home. My parents called from the shore to wish me a happy birthday. And F.B. called me and we chatted for 20 min. Then we got to spend time online with each other for a few hours. Saturday I'm going out with the family for a "birthday" lunch. And next weekend I get to go out with my cousins for a "birthday" dinner. Back to work tomorrow... but thank goodness the weekend is here!

The ratties really enjoyed the ice cream cake I had for my birthday. Here's some pictures:

P.S. I found out yesterday Fall Out Boy's new album is coming out November! Whoo hoo! I saw them in concert last October. They are so good live! The new single 'I don't care' is good too. I hope it's out in the Philippines when I'm over there so I can buy it! They are my favorite band. :-)

Happy Labor Day everyone! Hope everyone had a nice holiday. Just 34 days until I am off to the Philippines. Wow... just a little over 4 more weeks to go! I still have to get things straightened out with work. I submitted my vacation request, still waiting for it to be approved. I wish they would just furlough us... it's been a long season. I've never worked past Labor Day before... only when hurricane Katrina hit. And that was only because FEMA needed extra people on the phones, so work asked employees that were furloughed to come back to work for that. I'm only seasonal, so it's surprising to be working this long in the year. I am usually furloughed in August and go back to work in January.

Anyhow... I have to pick up last minute items. Snacks for the plane, batteries, aspirin, sleeping pills, stuff like that. Mostly just stuff for my carry on. I'll probably pack that Friday night before I leave. F.B. & I want to visit the zoo and the aquarium when I'm there this time. That will be something new & fun to do. And of course we get to spend 5 days in Makati City again.

I was really sick last week. I had a nasty head cold which ended up aggravating my asthma. My asthma was worse when I was younger. Now it only seems to bother me in extreme heat/cold or when I get a bad cold. I wasn't able to breathe right last week and my lungs were hurting because of the head/stomach virus. I ended up staying home from work last Tuesday & Wednesday.

My parents & 2 younger brothers went down to the shore for the week. I have to work this week, so my 20 year old brother & I have just been home. I've been being "domestic". Lol. Sunday I spent the day scrubbing, mopping & cleaning the kitchen & bathroom. Also baked some chocolate chip cookies & made some rice crispy squares. I can cook & bake when I try. Hehe. I woke up this morning aching all over though from all the cleaning I did on Sunday. Ow.

My 26th birthday is Thursday. I have to work. Blech. But I'm going to pick up Starbucks after work! I've been trying to cut back on Starbucks. I used to go every Friday. But that was becoming expensive. So I finally decided to break myself of that habit by saying I wouldn't have any until my birthday. After that I'm only going to have Starbucks once a month. There's also a lovely little chocolate carvel ice cream cake waiting in the freezer for Thursday, haha. And my brother is going to take me out to the Chinese buffet for lunch this Saturday.

I didn't really ask for much for my birthday this year. (Last year because it was my 25th my parents gave me an 80GB Video Ipod. Whoo!) This year I received the game Scattergories; which I asked for so F.B. & I can play together when I'm in the Philippines. Our other favorite game is Scrabble! I'm a word game kind of girl. If any of you guys have a video ipod download the game Scrabble from Itunes... so addictive! The best game for ipod, ever!

F.B. will be also be calling me on my birthday. Yay! So looks like I will have a nice birthday. I just wish I didn't have to work... yuck. What sucks is... I was actually scheduled off all this week... but because we are not being furloughed any time soon and I have an 8 week trip coming up they want me to save my vacation time for my trip... so I have to work. Blah. I've only got enough leave saved up for 4 weeks. After that they want me to take leave without pay... yay... oh well... just 34 more days left until I get to be with my boy!!!!

I forgot my bracelet arrived on Wednesday! (My early birthday gift to myself, hehe.) I ordered it from Esquivel & Fees. They do amazing work. Every piece is custom made. My bracelet also has a lifetime guarantee and I can send it back to them for repairs if needed. Yay for Ratties! I took a picture with the flash & without.

Since F.B. & I are getting married December 2009 in the Philippines, I've decided I need to start looking up Immigration Lawyers in my area. I've already contacted about 5. I emailed 3 more tonight and am waiting for replies. 2 lawyers got back to me and I need to call the one back tomorrow. I want to compare fee's to see who is easiest to work with and who will really help me through the confusing process of filing all of the paperwork. Several have gotten back to me, but a few were too expensive, didn't explain the process, and one told me I needed to come in for a paid consultation before he would discuss anything!

The one lawyer I emailed in Center City Philadelphia, called my cell phone the last night but I missed his call. I called his office today but he was in a meeting. Then I ended up missing his call this evening by 15 minutes or so. But he left his cell phone number for me instead so I would be sure of getting ahold of him. He was so incredibly nice! We spoke for about 30 minutes and he went through all the processes/scenarios.

Here is the email I sent F.B. tonight about the immigration lawyer:

Hi Baby, I just got off the phone with the nicest immigration lawyer ever! All week I've been looking lawyers up online and in the phone book. I've emailed a few but they were either too expensive, or not helpful or wanted me to come in for a paid consultation before they would explain anything, even fees. A few were nice but were way too expensive. This lawyer in Center City Philadelphia called me last night after I emailed him but I missed his call. I called him at work today but he was in a meeting. Then I missed his call again when I took a shower, lol. Buttt.... he said he was leaving the office and would give me his cell phone number instead so I would be sure to get a hold of him.

So I called him around 6pm and he was sooo nice! He was actually driving home from the office but talked with me for 30 minutes. He went through each scenario with each visa, told me the processes, the costs, etc. He said his father has an office up around where I live and if I didn't want to travel all the way to center city- he would even come up to where I lived for consulatations, etc. He said they can do monthly payments with the fees and he usually requests half, but he could do a smaller percentage of that and then monthly fees over the course of the entire application process.

He actually told me a better way to go about the entire process! What I was thinking of doing. Was filing for a K-3 visa. That would get you into the USA. But then we would also have to apply for employment authorization. And then within 90 days we would need to file to change your status to a permanent immigrant resident. But those are 3 different forms, each with their own costs.

He says, we don't even have to file for a K-3 visa. If you just file the I-130 Petition for Alien Relative, once you file that paperwork you can at the same time apply for permanent immigrant status. Which means instead of going through 3 different processes we can go through 1 process. Which means when you finally step into the USA, you would already be a permanent immigrant resident. You could apply for a job as soon as you stepped off the plane, because you would be a USA resident. He says filing the I-130 starts off with mailing our marriage certificate, copies of our birth certificates, application, etc in. Then they mail you back a packet for the next step, where I mail in income tax copies, bank statements, etc. Which would cost around $355.

He says that first process takes around 3-7 months. Once that is finished Immigration will mail all of our paperwork to the US consulate in Manila Philippines. From there they would call you in for an interview for permanent resident status. You would have paperwork prepared with medical clearance, affidavits from our family and friends proving our relationship, etc. There would be a fee for the interview of a couple hundred dollars. This is the longest step because it can take 12-16 months for a decision. The lawyer would help us through each step and help us to prepare our applications, the packet you would need to take for your interview at the USA consulate, etc. All together it is an estimate of about $4,000. Really he said just $3,000 for the lawyer fees- the rest is the immigration fees.

If we went the other way that I was thinking we could actually be spending around $6,000 because it is 3 different processes. This way we work through one process you enter the USA a permanent resident, you can get a job and we are together. $4,000 is not a bad price at all, compared to the other lawyers I've been contacting. And none of them helped me through each scenario/situation like this lawyer. He is so nice F.B. we are definitely using him for our immigration lawyer. Even besides chatting about the legal stuff, he talked about how he grew up in Jenkintown, his father has a lawyer office in Feasterville near me. He asked me where I went to school, where I grew up, even said he looked at my myspace page and blog so he knew even more about our situation when I called.

He also said it's great I've kept copies of my plane tickets, itineraries from the past trips. That I have lot's of letters from you, etc. Because we can use that to document and prove our relationship. He advised me to start making copies of those things and getting them in order. I'll have to start doing that!

This is great! And the fact he does monthly payment plans is even better, that he will work with us with the payments and help us through the entire process is just wonderful. Aaah! So much stress is gone! With the time-frames for processing everything, you wouldn't be able to come to the USA until around 2011 at some point. So that's good for us too, since you said you still wanted to find a job over there and save money. This buys us at least another year and a half. What do you think of everything? I think we will definitely work with this lawyer and go the process he says. It will great that you would already be a permanent resident and be able to work as soon as you stepped off the plane! Yay!

I'm so excited that I finally found a great lawyer who will work with us and who takes the time to explain the processes, costs, etc. What he thinks is best and more cost effective. We are definitely going to choose him for our immigration lawyer!

NOTE: Our lawyers Peter J. Gonzales & Shanna Stanton have changed firms. They are no longer with Kahiga Tiagha. They are now with Green and Spiegel LLC, but still located in Philadelphia.

Some Links:

I-130 (Initial Form Filed)

IR1 (This explains what he was talking about.)

Extra Info ( On what the lawyer is suggesting.)

Yay! So just 6 weeks until I am off to the Philippines! F.B. finally let me book our hotel for Makati City! We always stay in Makati City for a few days whenever I visit. F.B. was actually born in Makati City & it is just special to us, we have alot of memories there. We always stay at the Best Western Astor Hotel. I love that hotel. It's much nicer than the Best Western hotel's in the USA and the buffet breakfast/lunch is amazing! Plus it is within walking distance to Greenbelt & Glorietta Mall. And not such a far ride to Mall of Asia. We will be staying in Makati City October 13th-October 17th. 5 days 4 nights.



















Breakfast Buffet at the Best Western Astor:














Hotel Lobby:


















I booked the Best Western Astor hotel through Agoda.com. It was $100 less than Orbitz.com where I usually book our hotel. Whoo hoo! Only $55 a night instead of $80!

Thought I would share the interesting photos I got yesterday of a lady bug & wasp:






















































I keep the macro setting on when taking close up shots. The camera I use is a: Sony Cybershot DSC-W55

F.B.'s cat Pusa passed away today. I got F.B.'s text message about him this morning when I woke up. (Pusa means cat in Tagalog.) Pusa was a stray cat that hung around my fiance's house. He started coming by about a year and a half ago and became F.B.'s cat. I got to meet Pusa in January. He had a funny meow. He would always meow when we were eating meals, come into the dining room walk under the table and rub up against our feet or hands. He was a boy's cat. He just loved when F.B. would play "rough" with him, by "mopping" him on the floor with his hand or foot. Pusa would get right back up and love up against F.B. It cracked us up. Pusa just loved F.B.

I remember the one night when we were taking Coco his dog out back to put him in the yard. We walked all the way behind the house to put Coco away. Coco started barking up a storm. Pusa decided to stroll on out and steps around the back corner of the house, looks at us and goes, "MEOW?" Like, 'What is all the racket? What are you guys doing?" He was such a silly cat. I also remember F.B. told me one time Pusa snuck in the house and made himself comfortable on his sister's bed. hehe.

He was a stray cat, but F.B. would bathe him sometimes (though he's pretty dirty in the pictures below.) He would always get into fights with the other neighborhood strays. He always ate all the leftover food and he even liked Pringles chips.

I didn't get to say goodbye to Pusa when I left in January, he wasn't around that morning... so I'll really miss him when I go back in October... he was such a friendly kitty. Goodbye Pusa....

F.B.'s email: Got up early to drive today. I saw Pusa just laying around and he really didn't seem like he had much energy. I haven't seen him eat in about 2 days or so too. I just patted him a bit and I actually said "goodbye" to him, cuz somehow I felt that he'd be going soon. Got the news about Pusa through text from Ate Malou after lunch. That feeling I had was correct, unfortunately. And it is sad. I know I've only had Pusa for about a year or so, but I love that cat. haha. I'm gonna miss him. Even though he was filthy and not so pretty, and he had a weird "meow" too. There was just something special about him. hehe. I don't quite recall when Pusa came around here. He was just some street cat looking for food, then he'd hang around more and we'd use him to take care of the mice in the house. haha. Eventually, he became a pet and I got share my food with him and also gave him a few baths lately. haha. I know it's sad that he's gone. But I'm also glad in a way that I got to take care of him cuz no one seemed to care about him before.

I thought I would share some pictures of the girls enjoying corn on the cob and yogurt peanuts. Hehe. They just love corn on the cob occasionally. Spice especially LOVES it as you can see from the pictures, hehe! (They clean the cob better than a human!) They love yogurt peanuts for a treat too. Though they all have different ways of eating them. Cinnamon will eat the yogurt off and leave the peanut. Spice will eat the yogurt, take the skin off the peanut & then eat the peanut. And Sugar eats the whole thing! Cinnamon is my chunky monkey. Ever since she had her emergency spay she's really chunked up. She weighs 1 pound 2 ounces, while Sugar & Spice weigh 15 ounces each.

Spice:

Okay so I got in touch with the Philippine Consulate this morning and this is what they said....

They said even though the expiration date on my visa is October 24th, because I'm arriving before that date on October 6th the visa will still be valid when I enter the Philippines. My 59 days for the visa start counting on the day I enter the country. If I was to arrive after the 24th the visa would not be valid anymore. It sounds sooo confusing. But she explained it like 6 times to me because I didn't get it. And my visa does say the 59 days thing on it... so I hope I will be okay. I'm still going to contact the USA Embassy in Manila Philippines to ask them about it... but I guess the Philippine Consulate knows what they are talking about since they issues visas all the time...

I'm sure most of you have read about my visa issue: Here.

Back in March I mailed my visa application in prematurely. But a lady from the Philippine New York Consulate called me and said they would hold my passport for me and issue the visa in September- so it would expire around the end of December. I was going to call the Philippine Consulate in New York on Friday to check in with them and make sure it was being mailed in September.

Well today when I arrived home I found my passport/visa waiting for me... and they issued my visa wrong!!!

The issue date is: July 25th, 2008.

Expiration date: October 24th, 2008.

My trip dates on my visa application are:
October 6th-December 4th, 2008!!!

Ohhhh they issued my visa wrong and I only have 2 months to get this straightened out! I called their office and no one was there so I had to leave a detailed message and I also just emailed them. I'm going to call them again in the morning. This needs to be fixed.

I had to send them my passport, notarized visa application, passport photo, bank statement, income tax copy, flight itinerary, copy of my plane ticket & a money order for the visa. So they had all of my information to issue the visa. I really hope they can get this straightened out. I'm hoping they let me express mail my passport back to them and they can fix my visa. I have the receipt they sent me. Someone really messed up and I want to cry!

Thought I would do a flash back today. Here are some baby/kid pictures of F.B. & I! (Click on the photos to enlarge.)

Me















F.B.

F.B. & I