Bonnie...WAIT!!! Don't leave yet...what's an Apostille???

Melissa- An apostille is a legal document from Secretary of State it is the proof that the bc or whatever other document filed under that state is authentic and it has the state seal on it. In Mexico and some other countries gov't and local agencies accept it along with the original document for their records under the Hague Convention. I think, that's correct??? but, you can get it at the secretary of state for the state you were born in, try searching for the website.

not really sure but I think it might have had to have been every page.

an apostille is just a seal on your BC saying its real, actually I think it was a letter accompanyi8ng a newly solicited bc. the letter had the seal

oh great...how do you get one of those???

you can just call the state records agency,. you can find the number online

I was born in DC!!!! No state......... (this is funny too-the form i was filling out asks for county, hehe DC has no counties!!!)

WASHINGTON, DC ( D)
Hon. Patricia Elwood
Acting Secretary of the District -A
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. , Suite 1130
Washington, DC 20004
(202) 727-6306
Fax (202) 727-3582
Patricia.Elwood@dc.gov

I am so lucky you all are smarter than me...all these terms and things and I get confused!!!!!!!!

So is anyone doing anything for cinco de mayo?

Bonnie, I'm going to have to give you a buzz later on...it's like I just told Charity, I don't know if I'm slow or if it's really that complicated!

I called to get you a correct address but did not get anyone the lady who answered on the phone above transferred me. All I found out by the recording was the cost is $10.00 payable to DC Treasury, you can leave a message for them to return your call. Hope, this helps.

Bonnie, do you think if my birth certificate comes with a seal on it (it will) that I still need an additional thing??? THANKS for calling them!

MissLiss- sorry to say but you will still need the apostille. The bc alone means nothing to them.

This whole thing makes no sense to me...the birth certificate with seal got me my passport plus into and out of Mexico once. Now all of a sudden it means nothing?? I mean it has a seal on it-what do they think I faked it??????????????????????????????????????? ARGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

And thanks again Bonnie for coming to my aide...I still might need to call you!!!

I found the following to explain better at:

http://www.missnotary.com/apostille.html

What is an Apostille?

In 1961, the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of
Legalization for Foreign Documents resulted in many nations
adopting a simplified method of legalizing documents for
universal recognition. These nations are referred to as
member nations of the Hague Legalization Convention.

An Apostille is a seal which, when affixed to a document,
certifies it has undergone specific procedures established by
the Hague Legalization Convention to prove the document¹s
legality and authenticity for use in a foreign country.

An Apostille is internationally recognized by all member
nations and documents sent between Hague Convention
countries may be submitted to the member nation without
further action.

Documents sent to non-member nations require a
Certification of the officials signature rather than an Apostille.
This is performed at the state level. The document may then
need to be transmitted to the U.S. Department of State in
Washington D.C., and then on to the specific embassy. This
process is referred to as Legalization of the documents.
Requirements for preparing international documents

Overall, the Apostille is a certification issued by the State
Government, a page attached on top of your original
document, to verify that your document (such as a Birth
Certificate for example), and the signature of the
County Official who signed the certificate, are legitimate, and
therefore it can be accepted internationally by governments
of foreign countries.

Who issues an Apostille?

The Apostille certification is from the office of the Secretary
of State, after reviewing the document's signature. It is an
official state government certificate.

Is an Apostille different for different countries or
different documents?

All Apostille certificates will look the same for all the
countries you send the Apostille to. There is no difference
between an Apostille which will be used for Mexico and an
Apostille for Russia. Similarly, there is no difference between
an Apostille for a Birth Certificate and an Apostille for a
Marriage Certificate, or a Power of Attorney or a Court
Divorce Decree. The Apostille will look the same. However,
a few countries have a different requirement other than an
Apostille, and your document would receive a Legalization
Certificate instead.

What are the steps involved?

For Hague Convention Nations:

The document must be acknowledged before a notary public

The notary¹s signature and seal must be authenticated by the
clerk of the county
in which the notary is commissioned.

The apostille is affixed to the document by the Secretary of
State of the state in which the document is executed.

Non-Hague Nations.
The document must be acknowledged before a notary public.
The notary¹s signature and seal must be
authenticated by the clerk of the county in which the notary is
commissioned. The certification is affixed to the document by
the Secretary of State of the state
in which the document is executed. The U.S. Department of
State may need to authenticate the document. The document
must be legalized by the appropriate embassy.

Aaaaahhhhhhh....so has someone actually done this???

You can also check out this website, it has an example of an apostille,
http://www.dcmobilenotaryservice.com/apostille.html

For cinco de Mayo I will probably stay home but tomorrow I'm going to the fiesta with the kids and tommorow night I'm watching the paid per view fight featuring Goldenboy Oscar de la Joya

I sent my bc in with a check for $10 to Texas Secretary of State and about 2 weeks later I got the Apostille. I printed and filled out the form requesting it and that was it. They sent the bc with Apostille attached and a reciept for the payment. I was surprised it was so easy especially since a lawyer was charging me $50.00 to get it for me and she said it would take about a month.

Hi Girls. I have killed 2 computers at work and then was out of town.

I just snuck in a quick peek at what was going on with all of you. sorry I missed you Charity. I think for your Cinco question you asked it a little late. I did the partying on the 3rd and had a huge headache the next day. So today I caught up on some sleep and did really nothing. I hope all of you guys have a wonderful weekend.

Stephanie.... en donde te has metido que ya no me escribes

AQUI ESTOY!! AQUI ESTOY!!! Since Monday I decided I might want to go to nursing school so I've been running around like a chicken without a head trying to figure out which school I could go to, what it'll cost, how long it'll take, blah, blah, blah. Plus the receptionist at my work quit her job so we've all had to take on her duties...which include answering the phones. ICK! I hate that.

Well cinco de mayo is here and I haven't had a helote yet...something is seriously wrong. My mouth is watering thinking about it. hmmmm, where can I go at 10:15pm to get one....maybe tomorrow.

Oh, and tomorrow night, I'll be glued in front of the tube just like Bonnie rooting on our golden boy Oscar de la Hoya. DOWN WITH MAYORGA!! Yes, I like boxing.

I hope you all have a great weekend and talk to you soon!!

Whoa Melissa you sure have a lot of work to do. I hope all goes well for you. I still havent went back to work yet cause i have been having physical therapy three times a week but next week is my last week. I guess Ill have to go back to work soon. Financial advisor elvia is there any way to get paid for being lazy????

Bonnie....Wasn't that awesome how Oscar de la Hoya was wearing the headband that said "NO TO HR 4437" along with his whole team having that saying on thier shirts, etc.?! He rocks for that...and cuz he beat the
%*&# out of Mayorga.

Hola Stephanie!!! ya mero y no vienes .

well.... I just went to IM2US and Marta wrote that after 2 years her husband told her he doesn't love her anymore . I pm'd her and told her that we are all still here for her.
Please write to her and let her know how much we've missed her. She's really going through some rough times. Gracias Muchachas.

Oscar De La Hoyas HR Statement was awesome. I was hitting tacho when i saw it :LOOK" . It was an awesome time for them to make that statement!

Elvia: That's absolutely terrible about Marta. I guess the whole Ophelia thing was more than we thought. I had been wondering about her. I will definitely pm her and let her know we are thinking about her.

I am hoping she comes in tomorrow and talks to us about it. Remember that I killed my computer at work so I might just pop in and out. Hopefully she comes and you guys can help her through this bump.

On another Note..... I can't sleep and that makes me mad. Hopefully I will be wide awake tomorrow at work.... plus I have to go to court YUCK!!! I might need to take me some red bull or something to keep me awake. Have a good day girls.

I was wondering what in the heck you were doing on at 2 in the morning. You need to get some sleep girl. I hope you can come in and see us today. Good luck in court.

I hope everyone is having a great day. It's nasty weather here again. Hopefully summer will be here soon. I'm tired of rain and cold weather. It's supposed to be warm and sunny so we can wear those cute little sandals.

Stephanie: Oscar, was awesome! Even he knows waz up!

Well girls I will be in and out this week, like always but I'm flying this evening to OKC and I will be staying over there until Friday but I will try to check in once in awhile to see how everyone is doing.

I hope everthing turns out okay for Marta. Sometimes these seperations do take it's toll on a relationship. I know it has made me question ours but like I told my fiance, one thing I am sure of is that we love each other and the rest we can work out. I'm sorry you have to be going thru this, Marta. Hang in there, we know you are strong enough to get through it.

Hey Everyone: We had a good weekend. Hope everyone else did.

Marta: Sorry about what is going on with you. Hope you know we are all here for you. I will be thinking about you.

Charity: What are you and Javier going to do for your anniversary. You don't have to tell me here if it is going to cost a lot of money. (Elvia may be watching). Heck go out buy some strawberries, chocolate sauce and get creative at home. I am sure you have a coupon for Hershey's chocolate. Save some money and make your own entertainment.

Benita: We don't have any plans for the actual anniversary. That's the day we go to the doctor so we may go out for dinner afterwards. Then we are going to Hilton Head, SC. We are staying in my mom and dad's camper so we won't have to spend any money for that. We will just need money to eat on. I already okayed it with Elvia.

Exellent Idea!!! Thanks Benita!!
I might just have to use that for my anniversary that is coming up on the 23rd

Morning ladies!!

I hope you all have a good day. Things are going pretty good here. Still thinking about buying a house but not sure if it'll be this summer. It is a big commitment. Freaky.

I hope both Charity and Elvia have awesome anniversaries! Ours is coming up in August. 4 years...GULP! Wonder how he has stayed alive so long. We'll have to use Benita's good idea too. Lord knows we are broke.

Hope everyone has a good day!!

Good morning ladies! Did anyone else watch David Blaine last night? I was rooting for him but he just didn't pull it off. Poor guy. I hope he is doing well this morning. I couldn't imagine being in water for 7 days. So Javier isn't working again today. That's two days he's missed on this pay check. I really wish he would find a new job. He gets paid really good but it's just not consistent. Plus, his pay check bounced last time. What a nightmare. Thank goodness none of our checks bounced but we had a hold on our account all weekend so we had no money. They forgot to take it off on Friday when we took them the cash to replace the check. Well enough of my soapbox. I hope everyone has a good day.

I had a grimace on my face the whole time I saw David Blaine. I had heard about it all week and saw it when I was flipping channels. I kept on saying out loud “that guy is crazy” and I got freaked out when he started almost convulsing right before they brought him out. I don’t know why anyone would do that. A fear of mine is going off a bridge in a car into water and not being able to get the windows down fast enough (which is why I wish my car had manual window-roller-downers v. electric ones) so I don’t get why anyone would put themselves in that position….except, of course, if that isn’t a fear of theirs.

Hope the check stuff gets worked out Charity. I am with you about Miguel finding a new job at times too. Hard to live when you have to depend on the weather to get a paycheck. But I can’t see Miguel indoors. So we depend on the weather and pray it is nice.

fighting with fiance=no fun!

Stephanie: Normally they have work even when it's raining or snowing. I can't tell you how many times I have begged Javier not to work when it was a snowstorm outside. It's just his boss isn't very responsible. He is trying to finish his house and has spent all the money so he has none to pay Javier and the other guy. He has work for them to do but doesn't have the money to pay them. He's trying to do the work himself so the owner of the house will give him more money. It's just absolutely ridiculous. Javier can't do anything else, rock or what have you, because of the stupid weather. It's just aggravating. I can't see Javier doing an inside job either. I just wish he would find something a little more stable.

Melissa: What's going on with you and Javier?

Melissa: I am glad to see things are looking up for you. I like smiles much more than frowns. I have been searching flights but so far have come up empty. They all get back at 10:55 p.m. I know you said it needed to be early, so I will keep searching.

Thank ya my dear, I didn't think you'd remember the dates! August 12-20. Thanks for checking for me, I just know you'll find the best deal!

I actually did remember the dates! Aren't you proud of me?!? I will search and search till I find something. They aren't unreasonably priced they just don't have good return times. Your welcome!

WORK ----WORK ----WORK


Bet you are wondering why my smilie is dancing when I am taking about work. Well I checked the USCIS case status page to find out that Alex's EAD (Employment Authorization Document) was APPROVED. Now we just have to wait for it to arrive, get him out of the house and let him start making some money.


David Blaine is LOCO.
This smile is for you Melissa. I was so glad that you posted with some happy after seeing your sad faces.
This is for all you girls who are going to take my chocolate suggestion to heart. P.S. Don't wait for your anniversary.

This is hoping that the sun stays out and that everyone that works outside has good weather, so they can bring home good paychecks.

Thanks Benita! For the chocolate suggestion and the well wishes for the weather. It's supposed to rain here everyday this week. So I hope that doesn't mean Javier won't work all week.

Congratulations on the EAD! Now get his butt out working. No, really, I am so happy it was approved. I know it takes a load off your mind to know he will be working now.

Yay Benita! Congrats on the EAD. It's about time something happened!

Have you all tried this website

http://www.cheap-airfare.com/

it checks many sites for you from the same page

Thanks Tabta. I will check it out. I have become quite the expert on finding flights since Javier was in Mexico for 6 months. I didn't know about that site though.

i have tons of sites saved on my computer, so if you tell me the info, i can search also.

CONGRATS BENITA!! I was wondering about the AOS and EAD and how long that stuff usually takes. So when he gets his card he can work right away? Does he already have a social? (sorry for being clueless).

Does that mean your interview will come up soon? (there is an interview for the immigrant visa, right?)

Glad to hear things are moving.

Hola Comadres,
I must say eventhough I am staying here in Oklahoma City I would rather much be at home. I am here on business all expenses paid and I would rather be home, than on the road again. I was hoping to hear something about our case by now, I wonder wats up, are they going to be out again anyday this week?
I'm just miserable here, I wanna go home and be miserable there.

When we get the EAD we will go to the SSA to turn in the paperwork to get his SSN, then he can work. When we submitted the AOS and EAD applications we were told the EAD takes between 30-90 days. The AOS takes between 120-180 days. The only question I have is our district office is New Orleans and I was wondering if they were still recovering from the hurricane. I guess they are doing OK, since we have been approved for the EAD within their projected timeframe.
There is a interview for the AOS (this is the adjustment from K-3 to permanent residency; aka green card), you have to provide all kinds of supporting evidence of valid relationship. I would think Emily and this baby would be enough supporting evidence that this is definitely a valid marriage.

Benita: I think you are correct in your thinking about Emily and the baby. I can't imagine they would need more evidence than that.

Tabta: My travel dates are Dec. 15-27. Leaving Charlotte, NC and going to Mexico City. We wouldn't want to get back to Charlotte too late as it's a 2 hour drive home. The earlier we get to Mexico City the better since it's a 3 hour drive to Huauchinango from there. The cheapest thing I have found so far is on Delta, around $700. I guess I should just go ahead and buy them as the price probably won't get any cheaper. I'm just holding out hope that maybe they will put them on sale or something. I will let Melissa decide if she wants to tell you her dates. She may have already in a pm or whatever. Thanks for checking on that for me.

I hope everyone else has a great day today. Javier's not working, again. I don't know how we are going to make it. It's supposed to rain the rest of the week and the first two days of next week. This is starting to become more than I can handle.