Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Happy New Year


Hi there...!!

Yes. I know, I know. Here I am wishing you a happy new year when January is practically over. But -- this is only the first post of the year.  ;-)  I also know that it's been way too long since my last blog entry. Although, I have been working on some recipe cards that I plan to share on the site as well as making music videos for some of my favorite songs that include lyrics. I have actually made quite a few changes to the page since my last post. We now have several tabs with cool new stuff and lots more things to look at.

Anyways... How about a little update of the Hadleys' lives since last time...?! B and G got married in a cute little park in downtown Wichita, KS, called Naftzger Park (City, 2013). We had a judge come out and perform the ceremony for us on a wet Friday morning in late August. The park has pretty waterfalls and other likable scenery for photos and it ended up being the perfect spot for us. Considering that we had not even been by there beforehand to check it out, we were very content with the outcome.  <3

A few photos from our wedding day:





2012.08.24 @ The Hadleys' Wedding Ceremony
Description: These three photos are taken at our wedding ceremony at Naftzger Memorial Park in downtown Wichita, KS, USA. The first photo is of G and her father, approaching the gazebo in the park where the actual ceremony took place. The second photo is one of G and B sitting on a waterfall inside the park after the ceremony. And the third photo is one of the first photos of the new-found Hadley Family with little A included. It was a beautiful day and we had great fun. Thanks to everyone who made it up there and shared in our special day!

In the week following our wedding, I finally got to start my new job. I now work at a local hospital with my sister-in-law M on an Orthopedic floor. M is a nurse there and I am currently working as a nurse technician. I hope to go back to school to finally get my nursing degree. And now that I already have a Bachelor's degree I should be able to enroll directly into a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program at a university. But our biggest problem right now is funding this new expedition so, unfortunately, it may have to wait a little while longer. Not to worry... It will happen. Oh, believe me, it will happen!

Not long after our wedding last year, B's grandmother passed away. She was a wonderful woman full of life and love and she will be dearly missed. Grandma Bee was severely ill and fought hard for a long time. Although the Bee is no longer with us, she will forever be in our hearts as we continue to think about her and share in her memory. Rest in peace, Grandma Bee.  <3  In honor of her memory, I have chosen a special reminder for today's post.

The Thought for the Day:


A also turned five years old in September. Five years old -- I can hardly believe it! Now how old does that make me...?! *HAHA* B and I started by taking A out to lunch on his birthday, then we visited Chuck E. Cheese's. Who doesn't love Chuck E. Cheese?!  After spending all of our tokens at Chuck E. Cheese's, we headed to Braum's for ice cream cones, and then we ended our fun-filled day at this super cute pumpkin patch (Pumpkin, 2012) right across the street from our apartment complex.  ;-)

Photos from A's birthday:




2012.09.23 @ A's 5th Birthday Celebration
Description: Up there at the top you can see B and A playing Guitar Hero at Chuck E. Cheese's. I think the funniest part about that picture is that they are both wearing black pants and blue plaited shirts. Too cute! Then we have A chowin' down on his yummy ice cream cone he got at Braum's. Last but not least, Mommy's little man posing for a photo at the pumpkin patch. Isn't he handsome?!  :-) 

Shortly thereafter, B's sister K and her fiance got married. This was in October. They also married in Wichita and had a lovely ceremony at their church. Family flew in from all around to come and be at their wedding and it was great fun meeting all of these people. There are many of them that I had not gotten a chance to meet before. Another great day of memory-making with the Boyle family.  :-)

After K's wedding came Halloween and then, of course, came Christmas. Christmas is no doubt the most fun time of year. A got so many cool toys that he had been wanting and, although I had to work Christmas Eve, we got to spend Christmas day together with Uncle G and Auntie M. The two came over to our place for dinner and presents. It was great. 

Ever since the new year, I have been working on immigration papers for myself and A. I am currently applying for a change of status for the two of us which should -- if all goes well, which I'm sure it will -- grant us permanent residence (USCIS, 2011). The last thing that we have left to do is to get A to his doctor's appointment on Friday so that he may get a quick check-up and receive three vaccinations that I have not yet taken him in for. Once that is done, the packet is off and the dreadful wait for a response begins. I'm just kidding. It can't possibly be that bad.  ;-)  If I end up getting a response stating that my packet was completed correctly and all that good stuff, I will probably go ahead and put up a little tutorial on here that will lead people through the various steps of getting this done. But like I said, I won't do that until I know for sure that I have completed my own paperwork correctly. At that point, I can create a Green Card Application Process Tutorial of some sort.

Wow. I have blabbered on for too long today. I'll write some more tomorrow, maybe. Make the most of your afternoons and evenings and have a happy hump day!

-- Gigi


References:
City of Wichita. (2013). Naftzger Memorial Park. Retrieved from:
          http://www.wichita.gov/CityOffices/Park/Parks/Naftzger
Pumpkin Town. (2012). Pumpkin Town now open. Retrieved from:
          http://www.pumpkintownok.com
USCIS. (2011). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Green Card (permanent 
          residence). U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved from:
          http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a
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