antda

Ziia-I understand where you are coming from too, and by all means, you have every right to say what you have to say here. True, I was not at your ceremony, and I realize that in your situation you felt that your ceremony was not as expected with this happening. Nevertheless, just because one child is disrputive, doesn't mean that all children are this way.
Just make sure the children are well behaved and under control, then all should go well there.
And with that, I ENCOURAGE everyone to bring their families and friends to their oath ceremony, regardless, as...
"This only happens once in a lifetime"...and one should be able to bring their loved ones to celebrate with them at all parts of the ceremony.
If the ceremony was only about the people taking the oath, then why are family, friends, and others invited?
So by having it in a group ceremony, the USCIS is encouraging everyone that is is a family event and that "all are invited"!....
If it is only about the oath takers, then they should forget about the group ceremony and just say "no one else is invited, only oath takers".....
By inviting all guests, then they know that oath takers will bring their children, or whoever else...And those people may cause disruptions.....
Lol..The USCIS as the host assumes responsibility there....
Then assume that there are irresponsible people too...
And assume that there even more people who are responsible too...
They want to invite abd be welcoming everyone....And one should feel welcomed into the country as a US Citizen and with their loved ones...
You welcome me, you welcome my family too! After all...Children are future citizens of the country too!
My point is: Keep the ceremony open and welcome to all, or to none at all.....
And parents...please be responsible with your children.....
Ant

Sorry to butt-in on this thread...but....
To the OP-Yes, you are allowed to bring your family and friends to the oath ceremony! And by all means, bring them along with you! But bear in mind that they might have to wait awhile, they might not all be seated, and that you might be limited to the amount of guests that you can bring. Nevertheless, I believe that a special occasion such as this should be celebrated, with the ones that you love and care about....
As for children/babies at the oath ceremony....
As much as I like children and don't mind them being in public, I understand that others might not agree with me about this issue. So I understand it from that point of view, as well.
It's a personal decision as to whether or not one brings their children to the oath ceremony or not. It helps that the children are there with him to celebrate such a joyous family occasion. I do think that this is an important event and feel that it is important for family members to attend. And just because a child is there, that doesn't mean that they should be excluded from such. True, they might not remember the event and/or might cause a fuss there. But the one who is being naturalized will remember the event, and with their child them not being there, it wouldn't be the same experience for their family. How would one feel if their child was excluded from every other family and/or special event?
So if you or any of your guests have children, by all means, I encourage you to bring them along too. Just make sure they are well-behaved and under control, and you should be ok there. I brought my then 3month old son to my oath ceremony (though it was a priavte oath ceremony, for various other reasons), and I wouldn't have it any other way! He's part of my family, and why should he be excluded?...
Sure, it is easy to say that one should hire a sitter for the day. But some people can't make such arrangements. Or some people choose to have their children there with them, regardless, for sentimental reasons. Children are members of society, and should not be discriminated against, just because of those who don't like children.
If the USCIS is adamant about children being in the ceremony, then don't have ceremonies at all, where one is allowed to bring their family and friends.
Or better yet, (I'm joking here)....Provide babysitting services....$675 paid in the application fee...I'm sure one can throw in a sitter or two..lol......
To that judge mentioned in another post....
You don't yell at kids and/or their parents like that! And you don't kick a person out of a ceremony just because they have a child.
I'm sorry..I think the judge went way out of line here....
If the child is being distuptive, then kindly ask the parent to take the child out, and then come back in when the child is behaved.
The person who is being naturalized paid for that privillege to be naturalized, and not to be yelled at!
Hmm..I wonder if that guy ever did get naturalized? If not...He should ask for a refund...And file a complaint against the judge
Nevertheless, good luck to Jules67 with your oath ceremony coming up! Congratulations! Good luck!
And yes, do post about your oath ceremony experience on VJ too!
Ant

Hi Everyone,
Here’s the long-awaited update to let all you VJers know that....
(Note: there might be some grammar/spelling errors in the story, as I didn’t have time to fully edit it. As long as you can get the gist of it, so be it, I guess….Happy Reading!)
On 11/18/09, I went to the Buffalo, NY, local USCIS office for my citizenship interview, and this is what happened that day:
10:00-10:30-I woke up later this morning, feeling nauseous, anxious, and excited about the interview in the afternoon today. I ate breakfast, fed the baby, and was in the midst of checking my e-mail, when all of a sudden the electricity went out. I then took a quick shower, and luckily had enough water, before that ran out too (our water pump is run by electricity). “Oh this is not a good start to the day, despite it being warm and sunny outside!” I think to myself, as my husband telephones the electric company to get the electric fixed. I then got dressed and got the baby dressed for the day. For the interview, I dressed in a red velvet hoodie jacket, dark blue velvet pants, white shirt with three heart-shaped American flags on them (like my online avator), American/Canadian flags lapel pin on my shirt, dark blue socks, black sneakers. My husband dressed in a red and blue striped shirt, tan/brown pants, white socks, and black dress shoes. My baby son dressed in a Buffalo Bills patriotic red/white/blue onesie shirt, dark blue elastic pants, a diaper, a thank-heavens-for-boys white/blue bib (he drools too much..lol..), and matching thank-heavens-for-boys light blue booties (the ones he got when he was born and came home from the hospital with). “Let’s get out of here, before something else goes wrong!”, I say to everyone, as I gather my documents to bring with me for the interview, and we all decide to leave the house early for our long distance drive to Buffalo, NY…
10:30-1:45-We stopped to the local grocery store to pick up some extra bottled water, in case we needed it later, and bought two sub sandwiches for lunch. We also had to pull over a couple of times, as I had to feed the baby in the car and my husband and I ate our lunch there too. For the next few hours, while we drove to Buffalo, we listened to the “Learn About the United States” CD a couple of times (we went through the entire CD 3-4 times…it was a long drive..), for me to study/refresh last-minute for the test. I admit, the CD made us all sleepy, so we had to stop listening to it for the last hour, and listened to Christmas/Holiday music on the radio for the rest of the way instead. “Lol…Well, now we have a new way of putting our baby to sleep. Just play the immigration CD!”, I joked.
1:45-2:30-We got to the city at 1:45 or so, parked about one block away on the side of the street next to a meter (about $1.25 or so, as we paid for 1hr+ of parking), as that was the closest parking space in front of the building. I fed and changed the baby, for the next few minutes in the car, so that he wouldn’t get fussy when we went inside. We decided to bring the carseat and baby bag in this time, instead of carrying him in as we didn’t know how long that it would take for the interview. When we got inside the USCIS building at 2:10pm, we were the only ones going through the metal detectors/scanners at the entrance. When it was our turn, the same guard as last time at the door asked, “What are you here for?” So I gave the guard my interview letter, and my driver’s license, and my husband gives his driver’s license when asked for. They then ask us to put our keys and wallets in the tray, and I put my black baby bag (which had baby diapers, baby wipes, my original documents, other documents, and the naturalization study booklet in it) on the conveyer belt to go through the x-ray machines. The guard was friendly and then asked the standard “Do you have any cameras, cell phones, guns, weapons, knives, sharp objects, razors, staplers (huh), etc.?”, to which we said “no”, and didn’t question us any further. As well, the guard asked if the baby bag had any baby food, such as baby formula, in it, to which I said “No” and said “My baby doesn’t take formula, and he is too young for baby food”, which confuses the guard even more. Oh well. I then walk through the metal detectors with no problems; my husband then walks through the metal detectors with no problems, while leaving the baby behind as he walks through. “Bring the baby with you,” another guard says. My husband apologizes, and I explain that in our county government building we have to walk through metal detectors too, but was always told to walk through first and then bring the baby after. “Well, make sure you take the baby, as we’re not here for babysitting”, the guard jokes around again. So we take the baby in the carseat, the baby bag, and the rest of our belongings, after going through the detectors. The guard then told us to walk straight ahead to the waiting room area and go up to window 6 to sign in for the interview. When we get to window 6, I gave the Infopass letter to the Immigration Officer behind the glass. He then tells us to have a seat and wait, until my name is called. So we wait for a few minutes, and as we wait, I quickly go over some more questions in the booklet and some other questions that I thought that they would ask me.
2:30-2:45- Interview Time!
A lady immigration officer steps out of the door marked “employees only” and calls my name. My husband says “good luck”, and waits with the baby, while I follow the immigration officer behind the door, bringing my folder of documents and my wallet with me. I was led a couple of doors down to her office, where she introduced herself, on a first and last name basis, and made me raise my right hand and asks me to “Swear to tell the truth, and that anything that you don’t tell the truth to is against the law….”, to which afterwards I said “I do”. She tells me to have a seat behind desk, where she seats on one side behind a computer, I sit on the other side near the door while I put my folder and wallet on her desk, and she tells me to be careful not to accidentally bang my feet on the edge of her desk as the edge of it juts out a bit. She then tells me that “you could leave at any time, and feel free to ask any questions throughout the interview process”. She starts the interview, wanting to see my green card and Canadian passport. I put my green card and expired and current Canadian passports on her desk, and say to her, “Umm..there are no passport stamps in my passport (no stamps are needed for travel between Canada and the USA on a Canadian passport), but if you want, you can have a look at it anyways”, to which she doesn’t even bother looking at the passports. She searches for my file behind a huge locked black metal filing cabinet, marked “locked and secured” in big red letters, and finds my entire immigration file, which is literally 3-4 inches thick, from all of my immigration cases over the past 3 years. On the top of the file, are the papers for my N-400 citizenship case, neatly in order and held together in a big folder with an acco clip. She then takes out the application form, and goes through all of the questions on the form with me, verbally asking me the answer to most of the questions on it, and paraphrasing and summarizing some of the questions on it, while marking it with a red pen as I confirmed the answers with her.
Some key questions that she asked and confirmed, regarding my N-400 application form:
IO: Is this your name? Do you want a name change?
Ant: Yes. And no, I don’t want to change my name.
IO: (looks at my green card, to confirm my name on it). It looks like you just barely reached your 3 year residency mark today. You’re good to go though. (my green card says ‘residence since 11-14-2006, and today was 11-18-2009, 4 days after the 3yr mark)
IO: Is this your address? (reads my addresses)
Ant: The first address is where my house is located, the physical address. The second address is my mailing address. If you want to visit me, use the first address. If you want to send me mail, send it to my mailing address. My mailbox is literally a mile away, and its something to do with small-town/country zoning rules…it’s complicated…
IO: It must be quiet where you are in the rural area. All you hear is the wind.
Ant: Yes, it’s very quiet around where I live. Very peaceful and nothing but wind and animals (lol…and the neighbours with their guns out during hunting season…).
IO: What is your country of birth? What is your country of citizenship?
Ant: Well, I was born in (insert birth country here), but my country of citizenship is Canada, and that’s where I grew up in too. I wrote an attachment explaining about this.
IO: (Searches for the attachment for awhile, as it is lodged in between the 95 pages of evidence that I submitted and uses a silver ‘pokey-stick’ metal pen with a rubber thimble attached to the end of it to thumb through the pages).
Ant: Umm…Do you need my cover letter to locate where it is?
IO: No, that’s ok, I’ll find it. You sure do have a lot of evidence here…
Ant: Well, “better safe than sorry here”, as I don’t want to get an RFE (request for additional evidence) or anything like that.
IO: Yes, good to be overly prepared…(finds the attachment, and reads it….)
IO: (Also finds my 2 passport-sized photos that I submitted for citizenship application, and hands them to me, along with a black felt tip marker, and points out exactly where to sign). Can you sign on the front side of the photos, going upwards from the bottom left corner to the top left corner?
Ant: Like this? (I sign my name). I guess these photos are ok, as I had bought other ones just in case these ones were not acceptable. I’ll just use these other photos that I have for passport purposes later on then.
IO: Yes, those are fine. (I give her the back the signed photos, and she puts them back in a small clear plastic sandwich bag).
IO: (looks at the ‘race’ section of the application form, sort of perplexed that I have checked of multiple boxes, and included my own box that says ‘prefer not to answer’ (they did not have such a box, so I drew one up...lol..), but checkmarks those sections anyways...lol…”I’m multicultural”, I like to say…)
IO: (confirms my previous addresses) (confirms my employment boxes, but only checkmarks the homemaker/stay-at-home sections I had written down...ummm….I guess she didn’t care about the volunteer/unpaid jobs that I had written down too…)
IO: (turns to the next page of the application…looks confused as to why I crossed out five years and wrote three years, for trips acquired since permanent residency as I’m applying under the three year marriage rule instead, but figures it out eventually…)
Ant: There are too many trips to list them all there, as I go back to Canada for visits pretty often. See the additional attachment for more details about those trips.
IO: (uses the ‘pokey stick’ and finds the additional attachment, and then marks off 15-16 days with her red pen on the attachment and on the application).
IO: Are you married? Is your husband D? How many times has he been married?
Ant: Yes, my husband is D, married once. He’s just married to me.
IO: And you?
Ant: Just once, to D. In fact, he and my son are in the waiting room, if ever you want to see them.
IO: And you have one child, from what I see here?
Ant: Yes. Baby Aaron. He was born in July and is only 3-4 months old now, and was born in America, and is an American Citizen already.
IO: Congratulations for the baby.
Ant: Thanks. He sure is quite a handful though.
IO: (goes over the check marked “yes” and “no” portions of the application form, which I have no problems answering and confirming).
IO: Have you ever claimed to be a US Citizen?
Ant: No. that would be against the law. I’ll wait until after I get US Citizenship for such.
IO: Have you ever failed to file a required tax return?
Ant: I wasn’t required to file a tax return, and legally don’t have to do such, as a homemaker with no income. But if I ever have to file taxes, I will legally do such.
IO: And how about your husband? Does he have a tax return?
Ant: No. (and I explain further about my husband’s income situation, which she seemed ok about). There is additional attachment explaining about that too.
IO: (uses the ‘pokey stick’ and finds the additional attachment, and then marks it off with her red pen on the attachment and on the application).
IO: Have you ever harmed someone because they were different from you?
Ant: No, of course not. (as she was referring to the groups against the US part…)
IO: (going over the ‘good moral character’ portion of the form…)
Ant: (explains a bit further about that…and yup, you guessed it…another attachment and other court-related documents…and out with the ‘pokey stick’…). Umm…that happened such a long time ago; I was very young and stupid back then (the case resulted in being settled in court, but with no jail and/or convictions for that, and I’ve had no other problems since then either…)
IO: (check over the attachment and the court documents, making sure too that the court documents were genuine, with the raised seal on them…). Ok, no problem there. I see that you also submitted and disclosed about this for your previous immigration cases too. (then moves on to more “yes” and “no” questions)
IO: Do you support the government of the United States?
Ant: Sure, I support democracy..(and gives her a thumbs up for that…)
IO: Yes, we like democracy here in America.
IO: (reads the oath, and I agree to it)
Ant: (signs the application form on the ‘signature at interview’ portion of the form, and prints and signs my name on the ‘oath of allegiance’ portion of the form)
IO: Congratulations, you passed the speaking portion of the test!
Ant: That was easy.
We then continue on with the reading and writing portion of the test…
IO: (places a piece of paper in front of me). Can you read the first sentence (there were three sentences in all) on the paper?
Ant: Reads: “The White House is in Washington, D.C.”
IO: (places another piece of paper in front of me, and give me a black pen). Can you write the following: “The White House is in Washington, DC.”
Ant: Writes: “The White House is in Washington, D.C.” I hope you can read my writing.
IO: Take your time, no need to rush.
Ant: Ok, I’m done. (gives the papers back to her). One of these days, maybe I should take a trip down there to see the White House. I heard that it is quite nice and historical there.
IO: It’s busy, like Toronto (where I used to be from), but with cherry trees on the street. I just went there on a vacation recently.
Ant: Nah, Toronto, Canada is a lot busier, I’m sure of that.
IO: The population of Toronto is quite big…Guess you’re right there..
We then continue on with the civics/history portion of the test, as these questions are asked verbally to me, and she writes down the answers with her red pen on her paperwork on the desk:
IO: Question 1: 1) What is the supreme law of the land?
Ant: The constitution.
IO: Question 2: 34) Who vetoes bills?
Ant: The president vetoes bills.
IO: Question 3: 44) What is the capital of your state (New York State)?
Ant: Albany, NY. Hmm…maybe I should go there sometime.
IO: Well, actually I went there recently with my family. Next to the governor’s mansion is not a nice area. I wouldn’t like seeing that if I were living there.
Ant: Yeah, you would think they would do something about that to clean up the city. Someone should have protested about that. It doesn’t seem fair there, especially if they have the means to improve such to make the community better.
IO: Question 4: 52) What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?
Ant: The Flag and to the United States of America. (the IO writes down both answers)
IO: Questions 5: 81) Who did the United States fight in World War II?
Ant: Japan. Germany. Italy. (the IO writes down all three answers)
IO: Question 6: 83) During the Cold War, what was the concern of the United States?
Ant: Communism. And yes we love our democracy here in the USA! (lol…thinking that she chose this question especially for me, as I mentioned something about communism in one of my other attachments…)
IO: (she stops at 6 questions, as I got all 6 right, so she didn’t need to ask anymore…)
IO: Congratulations, you passed your citizenship interview!
We then talk about scheduling an oath ceremony….BUT……
IO: Let’s see if we can schedule you for an oath date here (looks on her computer).
IO: The next date in Buffalo is in January…(and then I cut her off mid-sentence)
Ant: Ummm..before you continue, can you read over this letter? (I take a letter out of my folder that I had typed up beforehand, to give after I pass, explaining in detail with some good reasons as to why I would need this accommodation for me and my family…)
IO: (reads the letter, that I hand to her)….We’ll see what we can do to help you with this oath ceremony accommodation. Meanwhile, I have to talk to the district officer upstairs about this. Can you wait outside in the waiting room, while I discuss such?
Ant: (gets up to leave, gathers up my folder and other documents, and waits in the waiting room with my husband and son)…..
2:45-3:00: I wait in the waiting room and tell D, “I passed, but she is going to talk to her supervisor about the accommodations”. Meanwhile, I take out my civics/history test study booklet, and quickly circle/write down the questions that they asked me during the test (so that I don’t forget..lol..and remember what to report to all of you here online). I also see the ‘fingerprint lady’ (the immigration officer that did my biometrics/fingerprints for my immigration cases) while I am waiting, to which she says to me, “Good luck on your interview”. “Umm..thanks…but I already passed, I’m just waiting for her to get back to me about something.” “That was quick. It seems that you were just out here waiting a few minutes ago,” she says. She looks at my baby, and says “Oh my, he’s grown since I last saw him when you did your fingerprints”, and then goes back to doing her job, as more people start streaming into the waiting room to get their fingerprints done. I then ask D if the baby has been cranky while I was in there, and as soon as I say that, the baby starts loudly crying at me. I try to burp him, but that doesn’t help, nor does he have a dirty/wet diaper either. “See, that’s what I was afraid, was going to happen when we came here, and sure enough it did. I guess I have to feed him again now, even though I just fed him before we came in”. So we pick up our belongings, and move to the other side of the big waiting room. I grab my coat to cover up and breastfeed/nurse the baby while we are waiting. I was in the midst of the feeding, when I see the immigration officer from the other side of the room come out the door….
IO: There you are, I was just looking for you.
Ant: I’m here, just on the other side of the room. As you can see, I’m feeding him (points to the baby), so sorry that I can’t get up and greet you now (continues nursing/breastfeeding the baby, while the IO looks on, but hey, the baby has to be fed, can’t do much else about it….awkward moment, indeed….)
IO: That’s ok.. I see that your husband and baby are here too. Also, just to let you know that the accommodation request in on their desk. They are going to have to contact the judge about this, so we’ll contact you further by telephone and mail about your oath date.
Ant: That’s fine. Thanks for taking my request into consideration too.
IO: Which district would you like to have your ceremony in? Buffalo or Rochester? (I live in both districts, oddly enough, as my physical address is in one district, and my mailbox is in another district…). Which one is more convenient for you?
Ant: Whichever one is the fastest oath date, really, as both Buffalo and Rochester are the same distance away for us.
IO: (explains a bit further about what will happen for the oath for me for my accommodations). You’ll get further instructions in writing as to what happens next. And we’ll accommodate you and your family as best as we can.
IO: Here is the form to say that you passed the interview. (hands over the piece of paper to my husband, D, as my hands were full with the baby)… Again, congratulations on passing your interview.
The IO returns back to her office, while I continue feeding the baby for a few more minutes in the waiting room. A few more people walk in and out of the waiting area (including the cleaning crew/janitors..), and then we gather our belongings and head back to the car, with just enough time left on the parking meter.
Ant: D, what does that form say?
D: (gives me the piece of paper)
Ant: (reads the paper): “N-652: Naturalization Interview Results:
(checkmarked box) You passed the tests of English and US history and government
(checkmarked box) A) Congratulations! Your application has been recommended for approval. At this time it appears that you have established your eligibility for naturalization. If final approval is granted, you will be notified when and where to report for the Oath Ceremony.”
Ant: Well, I passed all right. Now I just have to obsessively check the mail and wait for that telephone call, regarding the oath. Let’s just hope that all goes well there….
And so Part 1 of my Citizenship interview ends here, with us driving for the next 2-3 hours into the sunset and darkness on the way home. We come home to the electricity already fixed, and celebrate in the evening, with a homemade pizza and some rocket (red, white and blue) festive popsicles (lol…will save the rest of the patriotic treats for later.)
Overall, I was happy about my interview experience, and am happy with how the USCIS staff in Buffalo, NY was on that day. And yes, it is especially nice too see too, that they are accommodating to applicants and friendly to children too.
I hope you found this story interesting and helpful to read. Thanks for reading about my citizenship interview story!
Good luck with the rest of your journeys too.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the rest of my Citizenship Interview story….
Will I get that letter and phone call for the oath? The waiting continues…
Ant (Passed the Interview…But still waiting for oath ceremony details….)

Hi Bullwinkle,
Lol...As a Canadian and have "been there, done that"....let me take a crack at answering this question...
Once your AOS is complete you will have a US 2yr Green Card. And then 2 years later you will do a ROC (removal of conditions) and will have a US 10yr Green Card. Throughout this time, you will still be a Canadian citizen and a US permanent resident, and will travel with a Canadian passport and a US green card. Travelling with both of these documents, you should have no problems.
You can then choose to apply for US Citizenship, based on the 3yr or 5 yr rule (see VJ guides and USCIS website for more info). But this is optional, and you will have to carefully consider such a decision. When you apply for US Citizenship, you will get a certificate of citizenship and will become a US Citizen. And from there, you can apply for a US Passport, as US passports are only available for US Citizens..
Now, as far as Canada is concerned, you are still a Canadian citizen, as Canada allows dual/multiple citizenships and as a Canadian citizen you can still carry a Canadian passport (lol..I still do)...You are still a Canadian, unless you formally renounce such. And rest assured, once you have US Citizenship, you can still keep your Canadian citizenship, with no problems.
However, when entering the USA, you are considered an American citizen only, and will have to travel back to the USA with a US passport.
In other words..
Canada = Canadian citizen and American citizen
America = American citizen only
And like Just Bob said earlier...
"Luckily for you, for Canadian citizens it's no problem to hold two citizenships, so you will always have to use your US passport when leaving or entering the US, and have to use your Canadian passport when entering or leaving Canada. Outside those two countries you have a choice on what passport to use."
Hope this helps. Good luck on your journey too.
Ant
P.S. Feel free to join us on the "Canada" VJ forum to discuss more Canadian related issues too....VJ Canada Forum: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/93-canada/

Hi everyone!
I'm finally ready to update, though this will be brief as I have to head to bed soon.
I had a baby *girl* on Sunday, October 17--7lbs, 4oz, 21.25 inches, very healthy. She's pretty much bald, but in a cute way. I had a c-section in the end, and I wasn't very happy about that (6 nights in the hospital really messed with my mind), but 2 weeks later it no longer seems important.
I did have to reschedule my immigration interview It had been set for October 28, but that was impossible once surgery (and recovery, etc) was in the mix. So it's now rescheduled for January 19, 2011. I could feel bad about this delay, but I feel like I can't afford to do so: I have to focus on the baby.
C.

hahaha I guess I should have been more specific..*the guy up the street* ... I meant a lawyer up the street from the lawyer who quoted me $100.00 so to sum it up..it was a lawyer for $30.00

Yes, they can do better. As FireKari says, it costs zero dollars at the town hall. ANY town hall. And that means that you can avoid all those lawyers who know your "ex family".

I originially posted this in the off-topic thread, but the wise and mighty krikit assured me it was okay to make my own thread about it!
Please vote for my youth center in the refresh everything contest (http://www.refresheverything.com/nwyouthcenter or text 102945 to 73774). We run on ~40K/yr and provide services to 400+ kids in grades K-12. I'll give more details if anyone wants them, please just ask. We're going to be adding a quiet study area (have you ever tried to do homework with 50 kids running around you? ), making a bathroom handicap accessible, adding a summer learning program for middle/high school age group, and a whooole bunch of other stuff.
Please please please please vote if you're in the US (or get your sweetie to vote, if they're the USC!). We're in 84th place and need to get into the top 10.
Oh, and the kids get to dye my hair whatever color(s) they want if we win. I promise pictureeeeesssss!
Actually, there are three ways to vote:
Online: http://www.refresheverything.com/nwyouthcenter
By Text: 102945 to 73774
On facebook: Install the "pepsi refresh voting app" and search for "Northwestern" - we'll be the first one that pops up!
Thanks in advance for anyone willing to help!! This means a lot to the kids and the community!

Yeah, I found out about that after having paid 50$ to get something notarized... But townhalls will do it or a notary, just got to shop around I guess!

TOWN/CITY HALL will notarize anything for you for FREE.
Just make sure you call ahead.

I had a lawyer notarize a letter..just call around I had one office tell me 100$(gasp) and the guy up the street did it for 30! good luck

I should have put this with my other comment, I literally walked into a random lawyers office and asked if they did it, the reception looked at the three lawyers talking and the one guy was like I'll take this one, he was funny at the end of it he said that will be 20 bucks made a joke about people how easy it was, I handed him a 20 and off I went.

Agreed - I had 2 get my FOIA request notarized and I had 2 get it done with a lawyer

I am pretty sure i got one last year at a lawyers office....downtown toronto

I know in Nova Scotia, you have to go to the courthouse to get something notarized; at least, that's what I was told. A guy I worked with in the summer would have to leave work early to get a statement notarized that his daughter could leave Canada on vacation with his ex. I asked why he didn't get it done somewhere more convenient, that didn't close at 4 pm or whenever, and apparently, in NS, notaries are really only at courthouses... I think it was the municipal court house.
I don't know how much that helped, but you could try a courthouse nearby. I don't remember him mentioning a cost, so I'm not sure.
you could also google "Toronto, Canada notary" or something along those lines

Hello ladies! Hope you all are doing well! Love the baby pics on this thread--so adorable!
Sorry for the late post. I'm finally caught up in my sleep (sort of) and things are slowing down. My baby is dozing in her bouncy chair so I have time to catch up on VJ. Better late than never!
PHOTOS:
1) Unhappy baby just after birth
2) Baby after her first bath a day after birth
3) Baby on my Breast Friend pillow on my lap at home
4) Dad changing baby's diaper
5) Dad dries her bum with a hair dryer
6) Baby in a basket after a professional newborn photo session
BABY ANGEL'S BIRTH STORY:
Sat, Sep 4 4:00 AM - Woke up due to tummy pains, took a long shower to help ease the pain. Hubby sleepily called out from bed wondering if I'm OK. I suspect I'm in early labour, didn't worry about it since I could still walk and talk. Called the midwife to give her the heads up.
Spent the rest of Saturday running errands with hubby.
Sun, Sep 5 10:00 PM - Contractions unbearable. Called midwife for some guidance. She told me to keep labouring at home and try to get some sleep. I couldn't sleep--too painful, so I surfed the net.
12:20 AM - Water broke as I got up from the chair. I scrambled to the bathroom to slap on a maxi pad. Called the midwife who gave me the OK to head to the hospital. Hubby and I packed and headed out. Ride to the hospital was brutal.
1:46 AM - Checked into the hospital, met the midwife there and was assessed. 5 cm dilated. I was in so much pain they gave me laughing gas. Did nothing for me--still in pain and light-headed from the gas.
3:20 AM - Midwife ran the water in the jacuzzi tub and told me it might help with the labor pain. I got in for about 5 mins, got back out and asked for an epidural. She checked me again--6 cm dilated. Prep work started for the epidural. IV put in.
6:00 AM - Anesthiologist gives epidural. 30 mins later...HEAVEN! 8 cm dilated. Midwife told me to get a couple hours of sleep, which hubby and I happily obliged.
8:00 AM - Still at 8 cm.
10:00 AM - Still at 8 cm. Midwife was concerned at the lack of progress.
10:30 AM - Midwife instructed to push despite of only being at 8 cm. She said this was a very unorthodox practice but we did it to see if I can get to 10 cm. I did.
11:00 AM - Active labour for the next 3.5 hours. Baby crowned with lots of hair. Got stuck in the birth canal with little progress. I got very tired and OK'd assisted birth (vacuum or forceps).
2:00 PM - OB-Gyn showed up with team & vacuum. Pulls baby out @ 2:26 PM.
ANGELINE, born in Vancouver, BC on the 5th of September, 2010, weighing 8 lbs 5 oz, measuring 21 inches long, bloodied, with one nasty conehead for being stuck in the birth canal for so long.
Hubby was going to stay at my head and not watch the events happening down there--but he ended up seeing everything, being part of the the birthing activities, even touching the baby's head as she crowned. He was also adamant about not cutting the umbilical cord--but ended up cutting the cord. OB-gyn said it's just like cutting through calamari, lol. He said it wasn't as bad or traumatic as he thought, lol.
Yah, I think this will be our only child. The labour and birth was pretty brutal--don't ever want to go through that again.

Hi Renata1984,
Sorry for you loss of your husband... My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this itme.
In answer to your question:
Unfortunately, one of the requirements of US citizenship, under the 3-year rule is to still be married and living with the same US citizen spouse. And since your husband is deceased, you cannot apply under this rule anymore. However, you can still apply for citizenship under the 5-year general rule or anytime after that....
As for US citizenship (or any other citizenship), you seriously have to think about this. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, especially in the recent events of your life. Having citizenship can have both positive and negative consequences in your life. So think it over....
The questions right now you should ask are: Now that my husband has passed away, do I see myself happier living in and belonging in the USA? Or do I see myself happier and belonging in my former country? Do I see myself having allegiance to the USA? Or do I see myself having allegiance to another country?
As for finances...There is no income requirement to apply for US Citizenship...
And now that your husband is deceased (assuming they were your sponsor), then he is no longer obligated to fulfill the requirements of the I-864 (affidavit of support) that he signed...
However, as a US citizen, you will be required to file an income tax return, regardless of your income, and regardless of where you live in the world
As well, you might be subjected to US taxes, in terms of your husband's estate (someone else can explain this further...)
There are people that live in the USA as permanent residents, which is ok to do.....Just renew your green card every 10 years...
There is no deadline and/or obligation to be a US citizen...As it is completely optional...
So think it over...And good luck with whatever you decide...
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Ant

Hi Renata1984,
Sorry for you loss of your husband... My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this itme.
In answer to your question:
Unfortunately, one of the requirements of US citizenship, under the 3-year rule is to still be married and living with the same US citizen spouse. And since your husband is deceased, you cannot apply under this rule anymore. However, you can still apply for citizenship under the 5-year general rule or anytime after that....
As for US citizenship (or any other citizenship), you seriously have to think about this. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, especially in the recent events of your life. Having citizenship can have both positive and negative consequences in your life. So think it over....
The questions right now you should ask are: Now that my husband has passed away, do I see myself happier living in and belonging in the USA? Or do I see myself happier and belonging in my former country? Do I see myself having allegiance to the USA? Or do I see myself having allegiance to another country?
As for finances...There is no income requirement to apply for US Citizenship...
And now that your husband is deceased (assuming they were your sponsor), then he is no longer obligated to fulfill the requirements of the I-864 (affidavit of support) that he signed...
However, as a US citizen, you will be required to file an income tax return, regardless of your income, and regardless of where you live in the world
As well, you might be subjected to US taxes, in terms of your husband's estate (someone else can explain this further...)
There are people that live in the USA as permanent residents, which is ok to do.....Just renew your green card every 10 years...
There is no deadline and/or obligation to be a US citizen...As it is completely optional...
So think it over...And good luck with whatever you decide...
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Ant

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v257/belldandy18/47869_464465338823_514618823_6537032_605483_n.jpg
Sorry Ant, this should work D:

We had our 3D/4D ultrasound today...it was pretty amazing to see her moving around sucking her hands, rubbing her eyes, sticking her tongue out and lots of other stuff!! Here is one of the pics we got today!

((ANT))
Yes, I had to make my brother paint the Dylans room yet again, this time a light blue which was what I shoulod have done in the first place lol But it did teach me for the next one to go with neutrul colours. (which we hope to make one day soon just taking some time ) Yeah I remember being in the hospital and the "photo" nurse came around and asked if we wanted pictures of him. (first off they were way too expensive and second of all He had high jaundice levels) So we waited till he was 4 weeks old, we took him to Sears with his Favorite teddy bear at the time. They were nice pictures, although I wish I had taken more.Time flys by too quickly! I have a picture of him at 6 months old when he was at his "roundest" he was a porkster, I will add it just so youll can see the change! we once took a picture of him sitting in a tire as he was our little michelin man. haha wish I could find it

My little man at 4 weeeks old..what a monkey hehe

Took me a few tries to get the picture to work

Hi Everyone,
My experience with sending things to the USCIS....
(I've sent stuff to Vermont, Kentucky, Texas, etc....in regards to the USCIS...)
I've always sent it with "priority mail" and "delivery confirmation" with the "USPS"....
And I sent it to the regular/non-courier/USPS address specified.....
It costs $5-6 or so to anywhere in the USA...For about 1-150 pages of paperwork in a 'flat rate' priority mail envelope.....
And I always track it online, with the delivery confirmation option...
So I make sure it gets there.....
And it usually got there in 3-5 days.....
I never did signature confirmation...
As I figured it would slow things down with them having to find someone for a signature...
Nor did I bother with extra insurance...It's not worth insurancing paperwork like this....
And I never bothered with a courier...
As I don't want to spend the extra money in sending it that way...(lol..I'm broke enough paying for application fees)...
I figure too, if the USCIS uses USPS...
Then I use USPS too..
What goes around comes around....
Hope this helps. Good luck, with whatever delivery method you decide to use....
Ant