No. 3

Before I ramble on and get too occupied with the daily posts of my life, I want to take a second to write (briefly) about why I'm starting this blog.

First, someone I met very recently made a joke that my opinions would be helpful for many people I may or may not know and encounter in my life. Namely, my very recent transactions with the US Customs & Border Patrol at the Vancouver, BC border.

I am currently (and have been) in the US as a TN Nafta Visa Holder. I have legally, and proudly, held this position with no problems in the past. However, this summer, in July/August 2018, I dealt with some extreme hardship trying to re-enter the US while renewing my visa under the duress of my new employer, City of Hope National Medical Center. I think I'm going to need more wine to write about this experience in further detail... but long story short, it was a nightmare trying to reach my "home" and get back to the United States this time around. 99% of the people I spoke to who were authorities on the subject and were guides/sources of legal support were baffled with how much hardship and true horror I encountered. I have never been exposed to such harsh rejection (as a woman? as a Canadian/non-US Citizen? Who knows...) and I felt it crush me to a new extreme. I would not will this on my worst enemy in life. Ever.

Suffice to say, after much sweat & tears (of not just me, but the many people involved, including family), I as stamped through the border and I was able to fly back "home".

tI am happy to discuss or answer any questions you may have about this subject, but for the purposes of this post... I'm going to move on.

See the black and white photo below? Those are my people! This is a photo of my generation of my mom's side of the family. We're tight. And we always will be. These are the people that keep me smiling. These are people who I can 110% count on. Every day. With these people, I have unconditional love. It's a pretty incredible thing.

Who do you embrace with unconditional love?