Final update on this freakin' permit!

Ok, we finally have our work permits in hand! We are at back and all is well and legal, and we have not been kicked out of this country we call home. It went incredibly well! First off, it was a gorgeous day, crystal clear blue skies with sparkley snow on the ground but spring in the air. I also made a few phone calls and found out we could go to a much closer border crossing only 45 minutes from here. There's no immigration officer there which is why we didn't think we could do it, but I found out we could go there and they would fax our info to the pertinent people and it worked out great.
In fact, even when we had to drive through the US border crossing in order to turn around to get to the Canadian crossing, the US border patrol officer was from Canada! She said she got this job offer but had been a permanent resident in Canada for 30 years previously. She welcomed us to Canada before we even got back to the other side. She was happy and excited for us, something we certainly hadn't expected from the US side of things! We knew after that, things would go smooth, which they did. I had phoned in the day before so everyone at the Canadian border was expecting us, and it was just smooth as can be.
I can't believe what a relief it is to be here legally and be able to go back to the US as much as we need to, to visit friends and family, to get our stuff, yippee!
So now some busy work. I have a giant list of things I need to get in order. Here it is (why I am writing this in my blog, I have no idea): Get our Social Insurance Numbers (this is like SSN in the US), Get our Health Insurance Cards, Apply for Child Tax Credits (we can get $150 monthly for Aloka from the Govt.), Get drivers licenses, get car registered and plated, get a medical exam so I can work in the childcare or health professions if I need to, etc etc.
How was that for boring? There's more on my to do list, but I'm refraining. I think I'm making this list just to get it organized in my head, ha! I need to write this down somewhere, I'm feeling some overwhelmed-ness in the air! But yay! I'll take it anyday over being an illegal alien!

Work permit update

We still haven't picked it up yet at the border, for those who have been wondering. We've been waiting for some decent weather to drive down as we have to go over a pass and would love for it to be as clear as possible. It has been dumping snow here!

Here's a few pics of Aloka, who made a couple snowmen the other day. By herself! I was so proud, I was kvelling! (yiddish for "oozing or swelling with delightedness", for you non-jews)
I had also taken on the semi-large-for-me task of shoveling our driveway and stairs, of which I gave up after an hour, and thankfully Josh finished up. Not that it made too much of a difference, because there was a 3 inch layer of ice under all the snow, and now I swear the steps are more treacherous than when there was a foot of snow on top of all of it. I give up! We're using the back stairs up to our car, so we don't have to drive down the icy driveway nor even glance at the piles of snow and ice that is our front yard.
A couple more things: we are taking care of a friends' kitty while she is in Mexico until March. The kitty's name is Tigger, and we love her! She is such a sweetie and a delight to have around. It has been a nice reminder of how much nice energy a cat brings to the home. And it really makes me miss our lost kitty Zooey too.
So, Tuesday we're finally driving down to the border to pick up said work permit. Wish us luck, that they don't deny it to us, and make us move back to the states. (worst case scenario), but that instead they issue it without any issues or problems and we get back to Nelson before nightfall (best case scenario). I'll keep y'all posted!

Woo Hoo!! Long awaited NEWS!

FINALLY! We got our work permit. I got a call from our lawyer Jeffrey last Friday saying that our approval letter just got faxed to him. What this means for us now is that we get the letter from our lawyer via email, take it down to the Port of Entry and the immigration officer there will issue it for us. Josh will be the main applicant, and I will get an "open" work permit, meaning I will be able to work anywhere I want.
It will be a big drive, because we are up to our eyeballs in snow here in the Kootenay's. SO much snow. But there doesn't seem to be much complaining, and more a feeling that Nelson celebrates the fact that it is a skiers paradise. There are so many people out playing in the snow. People are even out cross country skiing right downtown. This photo was from a day where the snowflakes were literally the size of feathers. You can't tell at all how huge these flakes were from this photo, but you can get an idea sort of. It started coming down so heavy at one point, it was crazy! Like a giant pillow leaking from the sky.
Our car isn't the best in this snow, but I've gotten a lot more confident driving in it than I was a couple months ago. I need to take some photos of our front yard and post them in the next couple days. It's hilarious how much snow there is.
So, I'll keep the blog updated as we get the permit, which should hopefully be this coming weekend, and then getting our giant load of possessions out of storage.
It's strange, but I'm not so excited to get our stuff anymore. We've been living without all this stuff for over a year, and it's funny how I can count on one hand the things that I miss: My bed, my pots and pans, my blender and food processor, Aloka's books... It will be so nice not sleeping on an air mattress anymore. Not that it's been that bad, but this is our third one now. They're not exactly meant for long term use. Here's a photo of Baker street from the other day, they keep it pretty well plowed.
And here are four photos of Aloka at Lakeside Park. She insisted we go there one evening. She loved it!

All done with chicken pox

I was actually fully recovered by last Friday, save for the remnants of little red bumps here and there. But I was feeling completely better and ready to cruise out of the house. Staying confined at home just isn't a happy thing for me. I love being at home, but I also really need to get out almost every day, even if it's just for a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery.
So, with that all pox stuff behind us, I'm trying to make some changes in my life. I'd like to find a job of sorts while waiting to start the toy store. I've contacted various places, and we'll see what comes up for me. It's exciting to thing about, actually being able to earn some money and contribute in some way.
We've had a few mbira nights at our house and Aloka played with Phoenix and Cypress, the daughters of my amazing belly dance instructor, Sarah. They all dressed up like little belly dancers and put a groove on! So cute!

An update from Pox-land

Well, it's a fact. I'm definitely not as cute as Aloka was with pox all over her face. No, my pox look more like some disastrous acne situation. Hers were nice and neat little red spots all over her. Mine look like some horror you'd see in a book at a dermatologists office. Or perhaps a "before" photo hanging on the wall.
BUT, due to the demand of all you friends and family, I'm humbly including some pictures anyway. Actually, this one just below here, I really like because A. my pox are somewhat hiding in the shadows, but especially because B. I think I look a whole lot like my Mama in this photo. Sorry about the cleavage to anyone who could possibly be offended.
This is my back, which got it the worst, I have no idea why.
So for the most part, things have been great, or at least as great as it can go having this type of thing. I never did get feverish or flu-like and overall feel pretty fine. I'm just itching to get out of the house though. HA. I'm making myself laugh tonight! It must be cabin fever.
Oh, and one more thing I forgot to post about, but the day before I got these dots all over me, I got my belly button pierced. Sort of unfortunate timing, because I can't take any soothing baths due to this piercing, but a shower is actually just fine anyway.
And I just love it. It celebrates my dance, my womb, my belly, my womanhood.

I spoke too soon.

Ok, I must not have knocked on wood or something. Yesterday I came down with the chicken pox. So far so good though, no fever, not feeling too sick. I just have lots of annoying and itchy red bumps mostly on my back, chest, and head. Fun!
The incubation time (they say) is 2-3 weeks, and this showed up on day 19! I really thought I was was out of the woods! So, I'm going to lay low for a bit and you'll hear from me again in a few. I'm throwing in a picture for fun. Aloka drew this, something with whiskers and the arms are sticking out the sides! And then just a cute picture of Aloka sleeping.

In itchy-ness,
Sabrina

Still no chicken pox!

I sort of can't believe it but I actually haven't gotten it yet. I didn't feel like I was going to, it's just so strange seeing as I got that antibody test showing that I definitely had never contracted it before. Maybe I'm one of those lucky immune folks. Anyway, Aloka did splendid as you could probably tell from the last post. She never did get itchy at all, and the pox are almost completely gone now. I'm so happy to have that behind us!
This week has been quite hectic. And I can't post any photos to this post because Josh's computer crashed and all the pics are on his computer, but stay tuned in the next day or so because I'll do another post soon since I haven't for over a week, and this one is so empty!
Oh, one very exciting thing to report (and I wish I had a photo, ha!), my very awesome friend Melissa went down to Spokane and got my vacuum cleaner out of storage!!!! Oh how happy I am to have it back. My dear White Star Miele, my dirt cleaning companion, my dust bunny sucking friend. We have been using a huge and really loud shop-vac, which I hope I never have to use again.
Another strange and surreal thing is that I accidentally sucked up one of Aloka's finger puppets forcing me to have to cut open the old bag to retrieve it. The bag was nearly full of lots of old Vashon dirt! It was so strange what I found in there. It was like looking through a really really gross scrapbook. One full of cat hair, old food chunks, and bits of things that I strangely recognized.
Unfortunately, I don't have any new Miele vacuum bags, and I'm not sure I can find them in Nelson. So, it might be a bit longer of the dreaded Shop-Vac.
Ah, well, I'm just so happy to know our stuff in storage really does exist, and it's not just a strange and far away dream. A dream of things we could have sworn we had, but now are starting to wonder, was it real?