Love, Hope and Borders

It’s the little things you don’t think about. Normal things that I feel like we shouldn’t have to worry about at such a young age and as a couple who recently celebrated their one year anniversary.

Tonight is the eve of Jose’s birthday, and I will soon be prepping his breakfast strata that I make him every year.

There’s a possibility that by next year if things don’t go our way, we won’t be able to spend his birthday together. And then, we wouldn’t be able to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas, or any of the other holidays that year together. Next weekend, we will be sending in our application and documentation for Jose to get his visa. We will get a letter in the mail stating when he will be interviewed in Juarez around this time next year. Once interviewed, we pray that he will be granted his visa. If he is not approved for his visa, there is a chance that he may have to stay in Mexico for a year until we can try to apply for him again.

The thought of him being away from me, my family and our friends for one entire year is unfathomable, but if it has to happen, I know we will fight through it just like we have been fighting things up until this point. Jose and I are fierce warriors especially when it comes to our relationship and the love we have for each other.

It’s the little things you take for granted that I normally didn’t bat an eye about before falling in love with Jose.

We are blessed, but we live differently than the average middle-class U.S. citizens.

For instance, when elections roll around, local or national, Jose can’t vote. We discuss our opinions together and I often consider my votes both of our votes.

Jose can’t travel internationally. When I went to Mexico to visit his parents earlier this month many people didn’t understand why he couldn’t come with me. If he flies out of the U.S., he wouldn’t be able to come back in unless he does so illegally which would be a huge mistake, and would reflect negatively on his record. There were many times when I was in Mexico that I would get tears in my eyes, just frustrated that he couldn’t enjoy it with me.

When we purchased our first home, it was an uphill battle because they couldn’t put Jose’s name on the loan application. Our loan was solely based on my income which didn’t make things easy. I had to explain to our agent that Jose was not a U.S. citizen. Although I fully trusted her, it’s always tough to talk with someone about especially if you don’t know them well. Major struggles with trying to get a car loan, too–Ugh! Don’t get me started!

Through the struggles we have had, I have learned to be grateful for the things I used to take for granted.

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We are excited for you to join us on our path towards getting Jose’s citizenship. Welcome to our story. Ask questions. Be supportive if/when things get tough for us. For the longest time, we have been wanting to put together a blog. We want this to be a place for you to learn about us and others going through a similar battle. We are not experts, but we know our story well, and we will always do the best we can to answer any questions you may have.

More to come!

Welcome to Love, Hope and Borders.

Much love,

Haley