Emigrating is a selfish decision. Yep I’m allowed to say it, I’m the one who emigrated after all. I made my decision knowing that leaving would upset a lot of people and it made me feel like a horrible, awful person. So I done a Q&A with my Mum, to find out the true effect on the family that’s left behind. Hopefully this will be a useful insight for other parents/’grown up’ children who are in the same situation!
Continue reading “When a Child Emigrates – The Effect on the Family Left Behind”
One of the hardest things about emigrating is that I can’t help but feel I’m losing out on the precious time I should be spending with my Grandparents (and Parents). I’m in my late 20’s and I feel lucky to still have 2 out of 4 living, they were able to see their oldest Grandchild get married, they even witnessed the proposal (even though it did nearly give my Grandad a heart attack!) and I’m proud to have been able to let them have that experience. They’ve watched me grow up, but have you ever wondered what it was like when they were growing up? ASK them! LEARN from them! It’s amazing and you won’t regret it.
Continue reading “Time With Grandparents Is Precious, Don’t Waste It”
One of the strangest things about the visa process, is that you have to PROVE you are in a real relationship. Even though you know it’s real, when you send the package off to USCIS, you can’t help but wonder ‘what if they think it’s fake?’. How can you prove that you love someone when it’s how you feel in your heart? You have to get that feeling onto paper and in an official way. The i130 visa application requires you to provide ‘Evidence of a Bonafide Marriage’. Our pack has since been accepted, so what I included was obviously satisfactory and I also share with you a copy of my i-130 affidavit sample! I’m not an immigration specialist, I’m just sharing my experience, please check against official websites in case of changes.
Continue reading “i-130 Visa: Evidence of a Bonafide Marriage.”
For anyone not aware of my situation, me and my husband are currently still living 4000 miles apart from each other. It’s been this way for over 2 years now and we’re going through a year long visa process so I can go and join him in America as a permanent resident (read more about how our story began HERE). So I’m no stranger to solo travel. I met the other half while travelling solo in Jamaica, we spend hours alone on flights, we only see each other in person a few times a year and he’s lovely enough to not hold me back from travelling when we can’t be together. But being married has changed my view on solo travel.
Continue reading “How Being Married Has Changed my View on Solo Travel”
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. When you’re in a long distance relationship, Valentine’s Day isn’t really any different from any other day! Me and my other half aren’t bothered about celebrating it. It holds no real relevance to us (it’s not a day where we met, got engaged and it’s not our wedding anniversary), we’ve spent the last 3 apart and don’t need a certain day to let each other know that we love them. Distance makes us feel a bit like a power couple. If we can get through this temporary situation, surely we can get through anything that life throws at us. Here are 5 qualities that make long distance couples the strongest in the world!
Because of our situation, it was easier for us to get married in a registry office. We were allowed to choose two readings for during our ceremony BUT they weren’t allowed to contain any mention of religion. I had no idea where to start so randomly searched for quotes in Pinterest and Google that would suit a marriage of a long distance couple. The ‘Apache Wedding Blessing’ was on the short list, but these were the two that turned out perfect for us!
Continue reading “Our Alternative Wedding Readings”
I had never been one for the whole ‘girliness’ of a wedding, so rather than do what was expected, I scrapped everything and done it in a way that stayed true to who I am. I’m proud of our story, the fact that we didn’t let the 4000 miles that separated us, get between us, so I almost wanted our wedding to be a celebration of that because it is such a HUGE part of our relationship. So here’s how we created our multi-national travel themed wedding.
Continue reading “20 DIY Travel Themed Wedding Ideas (For International/Long Distance Couples)”
