ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
CanadaThe Way We Were
I have been thinking the same thing for a little while. I know people get busy and have lives, but it seems like almost everyone who was a regular poster when I joined is now gone. :(
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-18 16:41:00
CanadaWhat do you like best about Tim Hortons?
I am not a coffee drinker, but I used to love their bacon breakfast sandwiches and their BLT's. Where I worked in Canada, there was an onsite Timmies, so it was really easy access!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2012-03-27 19:41:00
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Wow I had to go back 15 pages to find Off Topics hehe

Ok well I'm not sure if this would be a vent I think its more of annoyance then anything else. I am to chicken to cut my hair it's been like this for ever. Now don't get me wrong I have cut it over the last umm way to many years to say, two feet here, 3 feet there and few inches here that sorta thing. So it is always about the same and I'm tired of it but I'm scare to death to change it. i don't know what I want I don't think I want to cut it all off and have it real short, I had it that way before for a lot of years. So anyways I'm just frustrated with myself cause I can't make up my mind. Anyone else get stuck like this?

I say go for it....if you don't like it, it grows back!! And you could donate to locks of love (or some place similar) and provide someone with a much needed wig....how great of a christmas present would that be for someone!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-11-30 03:12:00
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Speaking of cookies.....I just saw a neat idea the other day. You take your cookie dough and roll it out, cut it in circles and then form it over the bottom side of a muffin tin, then bake the cookies.

It makes a little cookie bowl!! I am going to try this for Thanksgiving dinner desert and serve them with some ice cream, chocolate sauce whip cream and of course a cherry on top!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-10-05 02:39:00
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we went to Tim Hortons once when we were back in Canada.. It was not very good.. the donuts I have not liked there for awhile and they were still not good but I used to really like their sandwiches from there but now those are not very good anymore either :(

Also I was astonished by the prices of the produce and meat at the stores there... I can't remember if the prices always were like that or maybe I just have grown accustomed to the cheaper prices here... A pack of 12 chicken thighs cost 10 bucks up there and that was on sale even.. yesterday at Food4Less we bought a pack of 16 thighs for around 7 bucks, regular price... We did buy some pork ribs up there for about 9 bucks a rack.. it was so good with our homemade BBQ sauce and there was a tonne of meat on the bones..

oh and don't get me started on beer.. my husband was astonished at the prices... around 50 bucks for 24 cans of Budlight and around 15 bucks for a 6 pack of Coronas :o

The corn on the cob up there is so good but it is majorly expensive too but it is worth it though.. :thumbs: we were paying about 7 bucks for a dozen... the corn here in the LA area is not nearly as good even though you can sometimes get 4 to 6 cobs for $1...

I find most foods a lot more expensive in Canada. Chicken is soooo much cheaper here in the US...I can usually get boneless skinless breasts for about $1.97 a lb and you pay 3x that in Canada on sale. I do find that pork is usually cheaper in Canada. I used to be able to buy pork tenderloins at Loblaws for about $4-$5 a piece and here they are double that.

As for produce, I find that it is more expensive here (at least in the summer). I found in the summer the produce in Ontario was quite cheap. I am surprised by the cost and lack of local produce here...especially with the warm climate and long growing season.

Alcohol is definitely a lot more expensive anywhere you go in Canada since there is sooooo much tax on it.
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-09-25 19:52:00
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our trip to Canada and back was awesome.. well, the saying goodbye to my family part was not awesome :crying: ... We spent about 2 weeks there and had a great visit.. my little bros and sis have grown up so much.. I have missed out on a lot :(

I picked up a few food items that I had been missing, like alphagetti, all dressed chips and coffee crisps..

I showed just my green card both going into Canada and coming back into the US and I was let in with no problems... We drove across the border..

I might might might fly up there by myself around Christmas time.. depends on our finances..

Glad you had a great trip. I agree, leaving family and friends really sucks, but at least you had some good comfort food to help you through!!!

I lost my old account because my email shut down so I can't recover it. Kind of lame, oh well. :D

Hey Bern, nice to see you back....how is your little boy doing. It is hard to believe that they are almost 1 already!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-09-23 02:32:00
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so we are leaving for Canada today or tomorrow.. still have to get hubby to nail down a time :P.. we are going to be driving ...

Yeah...drive safe and enjoy your visit. :star:
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-09-04 20:18:00
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That was quick - nice work on getting a new job quickly! Get those gel insoles - your feeties will thank you!

I actually have foot issues so all my shoes have custom made orthotics so there is no room for the gel inserts :(. I think it is mostly because I have been at home really not doing too much of anything and then going right to standing for so long. There is usually a fair bit of moving around with what I am doing, but our line was down for most of the night last night so we just stood there waiting for it to be fixed.
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-09-01 11:01:00
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So my job with the roofing company wasn't working out, so I went and registered with a temp agency last week. I had an interview on Monday and started a new job today. It is working at a factory that makes the K-Cups for the Keurig coffee machines. It is not a very glamorous job ( it is a machine operator) but it pays pretty well, and it will get our heads above water. I will continue to look for something in my field, but in the meantime....this will do. They are expanding like crazy, so pretty much every temp that they hire gets hired on full time within 2-3 months. They have really great benefits, stock purchase plans and many other things (including big discounts on the coffee makers and free K-Cups!!) Now if I only drank coffee....lol (they do have chai latte and several different tea's and hot chocolates as well....YUM!)

I work a 10hr shift from 4pm to 2:30am , and I must say I am pretty sore right now. I went from 2 years of pretty much sitting around not doing to much of anything to standing for 10hrs straigth!! My poor feet!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-09-01 02:27:00
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Quite the adventure Flames. You could have been one of the people I see on the hgtv show International House Hunters :lol:
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-27 16:24:00
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In a few days our new adventure in a new country begins! Sound exotic, but its a very poor country, but should be very interesting. Will have a nice house, maid/cook and lucky enough to have a small pool. Will have to learn a new language as well, sucks to be me,lol but have known for awhile that I had to,and what have I done?? Not much,lol. I figure once there, will be forced to learn it. Which I will, as the onus is on me to learn their language, not them trying to understand me,lol

If your moving to another country and want to know their regulations in bringing in animals, check out http://www.aphis.usd.../iregs/animals/ Scroll down and find the country!! As well, as I found out, its best to contact that countries Consulate in the USA and see if the requirements have changed!! I was told that NO, our country that we are going to, does NOT require to be stamped by their embassy/consulate!! WRONG, yes it did! Beauty of living in the DC area, could catch the metro and walk down and get it stamped! Otherwise one has to mail it in and include return postage envelope

The biggest pain in our moving as been with the animals!! Ones vet has to give them a Physical! Send paperwork to the head vet of your State (and return postage paid envelope)and then to the host countries embassy!! All that costs $$$$ for the physical, fees and mailings. Plus one has to book the animals on flights, and they are separate, so 1 has to call he dog people and to ensure dates are available,then the regular booking line,lol And of course they only allow so many dogs and cats on a flight, AND only so many can book well in advance! Good times!

Life is an adventure and looking forward to it!! Getting further and further away from Tim hortons! lol


Good luck Flames....I hope you enjoy your new adventure :thumbs:
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-05 12:56:00
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My husband is going away for 3 days to a work convention thing in Indiana...he hasn't even left yet, but i have this tight knot in my stomach like i used to get after vacations when i was a kid..you know that feeling you get when you wont see your best friend til next year and you just wanna cry? :(

It will be the first time we have been away from each other since i came down on my k1 visa. Thank god i have my dogs with me. I already miss him.

Awwww..that sucks Kimbear. I have been away from Si a few times, but fortunately I have never been alone. It would suck. It is good you have to dogs to keep you company/busy! Go out and treat yourself to something like a pedicure and give yourself some 'me' time!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-06-09 06:33:00
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Haha. I bet they are thanking you for their great day at the doggy spa. :lol:

This morning I dropped my husband at the airport. His flight was at 9:37am. At 7:10am he was in his office working.... with nothing packed and not even showered. I told him he was going to be late. Actually, I said "Has your trip been cancelled?" :hehe: He said he had all kinds of time. Uh huh.

We got on the highway and hit a traffic jam. Even the commuter lane was at a standstill. So he missed his flight. (Qu'elle surprise.) They put him on the next flight at 10:00am. Then they postponed it to 2:00pm. Then they postponed it to 4:30pm. Then they told them the flight crew was calling it a day and to come back tomorrow since the 7:00pm flight was fully booked. He spoke with them and they've put him on the 7:00pm flight. I'm expecting a call telling me to come pick him up after a full day at the airport. :lol:

I have spent a full day in an airport before and it sucked. It was when I was visiting Si and they were over booked and looking for volunteers to give up their seat and you would get a free flight out of the deal. So I thought it would be a great way of getting an extra free visit and since the next flight was only a few hours later (and the airport had a little mini spa where I could go get a pedicure done) I thought it wouldn't be too bad. However there were some pretty big storms going on in the Chicago area that I didn't know about and this of course cause TONS of delays. I didn't get on a flight till 8pm (my original one was at 10am). And when I got to Atlanta, my luggage never made it there. And with all the delays lots of people were in the same boat so the line up at the luggage office was long and took me 2hrs to get through that. By the time I made it to Si's place I had been travelling for over 24hrs. I got about 4hrs sleep and we got in the truck to go visit his family...a nice additional 5hr drive!! I was so exhausted when I got back from that trip.

I bet next time your hubby will be a little better prepared!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-05-25 17:59:00
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My poor dogs have been shedding like crazy the past few weeks with the arrival of the hot weather....I have to vacuum sometimes twice a day because of all the clumps of fur that are laying around, and I hate Emma being around that. I don't have a lot of spare time to give them a really good thorough brushing and Si is working 10-12hrs a day 7 days a week so he has no free time either. So I took them to the groomers today (I found a grooming school right near where I live) so for $80 they both got bathed, furminated, their fur trimmed and had their nails clipped. And they got cute new bandana's :thumbs: They look like new dogs...our sheppard mix looks at least 10 lbs lighter. They were there from 9 this morning until just about 4, so it was a long day for them and they are laying on their pillows passed right out!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-05-25 16:09:00
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Thanks for the site, I actually have been researching about heart murmurs all day long, The problem I am having is that there is really no way to tell till the puppy is much older 16 weeks-25 weeks is roughly when they will say it is not going to go away.

I am pretty sure she will say no to me about lowering the price due to her having a few puppies in the past with heart murmur's and as she says the owners never called to say they did not go away.
I dont care I will pay full price for her but It would be nice :)

Ok.. Thanks for your help, I am actually more calmed down now. I too am a AVID animal lover so much that it is hard at times lol

My dog had a grade 4 murmur for about 6 years. It was detected by more than one vet so I doubt it was a misdiagnosis. She had to go into get some surgery to have a couple of teeth removed, and at that time, it had changed to only a grade 2 (and this was checked by 3 vets at that practice).

Even when she had the grade 4 mumrmur we would gor for runs together...sometimes up to 15kms. It never seemed to affect her at all. She just turned 12 in Feb and is still going strong!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-04-29 20:56:00
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Congrats!! I hope you feel better soon. Try taking some sinutab or some sort of antihistimine before flying (provided they don't interfere with your antibiotics) as it may help during the flight.
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-04-28 11:24:00
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Colleens, there are no farmers markets around where you live?

I have been to a couple, but they are pretty small and are about the same price as what the grocery store is (although I would much rather support local farmers than big corporations). They have some co-ops as well, where you buy shares and get a certain amount of fresh veg each week and you get what ever is in season that week, so I may look into that as well. I definitely want to make the majority of our baby food when the time comes...it would just be a lot easier to go out and pick what ever I want/need!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-03-24 20:07:00
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I wish I could find a place where you could rent a garden plot area. In a couple of months Emma will be starting solids and I would love to be able to give her stuff that is fresh grown. I would have thought that living in a warmer climate that fruit and veggie would be a lot cheaper than they are. I find that the prices are the same or in some cases even more for produce here :(
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-03-22 14:47:00
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I consider myself very lucky...I rarely ever get sick....knock on wood! I can't remember the last time I had a cold, and I think it has been close to 15yrs since I have last had the flu. I have never needed to take any sick time at work, so when I met Si and was travelling back and forth for visits, I had a lot of extra time that my boss let me use as vacation time :)
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-02-22 12:44:00
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My husband and baby girl are all snuggled up on the couch sleeping together....it is the sweetest thing! (L)
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-02-12 23:03:00
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:crying: we didn't get the place.. he rented it out to a couple who came to see it after we did, I guess they were better prepared then us, they gave him a deposit on the spot plus they had their own credit report, copies of thier SSN, DLs etc.. (although the guy had told us he doesn't real depend on credit reports)... which makes it seem like they knew they wanted the place before they saw it.... I still feel like the guy should have given us a chance.. but oh well.. he said he was going to keep our info in case it doesn't work out with these people..

I just feel really bummed out now because I had already pictured myself living there... :(

We just had something similar happen. We were looking to move to a place that was a bit cheaper, and had washer and dryer hook-ups in the apartment. But because of my lack of credit we were denied :angry: And the worst part was that they didn't even call us to tell us we had been denied...good thing we checked back and didn't just show up there on moving day with all our stuff!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-02-07 19:01:00
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I booked a trip home to Alberta last night so that I can take Emma home to meet all of her Canadian family :) My Dad had a ton of areoplan miles so we were able to use those for the trip. It sucks that you have to call aeroplan to book when travelling with an infant and they charge you a $30 booking fee to do so (where doing it on-line is free :angry:) But it only cost $130 for the trip so I can't complain about that. It sucks that Si doesn't have any vacation time and can't come with me because other than my immediate family, no one else has met him yet either!! But on the upside, our lease expires while I am in Canada and we decided to move somewhere a bit cheaper to save some $$, so Si will be doing the majority of the moving for us! We have about a week of overlap between the 2 places so he will be able to a little bit every night after work. :thumbs:
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-02-02 11:02:00
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One of the members on here has a fabulous container garden on her balcony. Perhaps you could do that! Unless you don't have a balcony. lol. How about a sunny window?

I did containers on my patio this past summer with some herbs and a few cherry tomato plants and also some planters with some flowers. However when I went to Canada in Aug I came home to everything a lovely shade of brown. Hubby "forgot" to water everything for over 2 weeks :angry:
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-01-28 21:12:00
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My flowers are waking up. Well the tulips and daffodil's are, I think I will go out and do some weeding. :dance:

I soooo miss my gardens. We were hoping to be able to buy a house this spring, but we will have to put it off till at least late summer/early fall :( But as soon as we get one....there will be flowers and fresh veg!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-01-27 19:25:00
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Tristan returned to spirit shortly after 6 pm today, Monday, January 17, 2010 at 17 years old. He was diagnosed with cancer December 30 and after the first rough week, seemed to rally for a while, although spent most of his time comfortably sleeping. He has not been able to eat for a few days now and today started having trouble drinking. Over the last week especially, he had become very frail and weak. For the last day and a half he became very restless and seemed unable to find comfort or to sleep for very long. He kept trying to cry at the door to go outside. He enjoyed 2 short trips outside yesterday but I think he really just wanted to find a secluded spot to die as he is an indoor cat. We thought he might not make it through the night but he did and had another restless day. Tonight he started to have difficulty swallowing, almost choking at times and seemed to have a difficult time catching his breath so I made the hard decision that it was time to help him go. He rode on my lap to the vets, didn’t seem to be upset or distressed, and he slipped away quietly and quickly, re-affirming that his body was indeed ready to let go.



He was just a unique and wonderful cat and I will miss him very much. :( (F)

Sorry to hear that Kathryn (F)
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-01-18 08:06:00
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The good news is that the calico stray cat who showed up in our yard early November and who I have been keeping in the garage overnight because she was obviously an indoor cat and not used to being outdoors - and who was probably abandoned by her owners when they moved away - has a really nice new home and a name! Ginger was taken to join 2 small dogs as the only cat by a really nice guy referred by my vet - his own kitty had recently died and he was missing a kitty cat to snuggle. I am so pleased!

The sad news is that my 17 year old cat Tristan is dying. A little over 2 weeks ago he started to regurgitate food. I figured it was his kidneys getting worse and took him into the vets. It turns out his kidneys are doing fine - but he has a tumour in his throat :( . It is constricting his esophagus and his trachea and slowly making it impossible for him to eat. He also had pulmonary edema, fluid through out his chest and was having a hard time breathing. We put him on diuretics to deal with the fluid and I took him home. That Saturday he stopped being able to eat so I started to syringe feed him pureed food every three hours. By Wednesday - less than a week after his diagnosis he appeared to be going down hill very quickly. I honestly didn't expect him to last overnight.

On the same Wednesday, I received a new herbal medication I had ordered in - a palliative liquid that is supposed to help keep cats dealing with cancer comfortable and out of pain. It had good reviews but I wondered if I had started him on it too late. Remarkably, he definitely improved the next day. He is alert, and aware, still very weak and unable to eat but looks like he is feeling better and more comfortable. He isn't able to keep down meat or catfood, but he is able to keep down yogurt, so I have been spoonfeeding him Activia vanilla yogurt ever since. He was originally able to get enough daily calories from the yogurt (about 300) but he is eating less and less now and is down to about half of that . He is beginning to have problems even swallowing that . He is still bright eyed and relatively interested in what is going on around him, and purring when I pet him, though, and even though he spends a lot of time sleeping, he still rotates through the different cat beds at different times in the day, or sleeps on the couch, and joins us on the bed at night.

Still, it is only a matter of time. The vet thought it would be days but he has already outlasted her prognosis. I am letting him set the pace. As long as he isn't in distress and uncomfortable I will keep on with what we are doing. When he starts being in pain or distress, though, then yes, I will take him into the vet.

It's tough. He is my eldest cat, and I find that I don't have much patience for anything else these days although I have stopped crying every day. I don't know when it will happen but it really is just a matter of days. Poor Tristan :(.

I am sorry to hear this Kathryn. I hope that Tristan has a comfotable and pain free end to his journey. It was about this time last year that my cat squeaker went through something very similar. He had a tumor in his chest and his chest cavity was full of fluid as well. I made the choice to have him put down, and while that was difficult I was able to take comfort in the fact that he was no longer suffering, and that did help ease the pain. I still miss him....having him come running to meet me when I got home from somewhere, snuggling up to me in bed, and ever so gently tapping my nose with his paw in the morning to tell me to get up and feed him, but it is the memories of these things that always make me smile.
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-01-11 13:55:00
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Mmmm. Good good whole wheat Shreddies! I brought some back. I hope my husband doesn't discover them. He loves them too. He already found my Aero bars. I should have hidden them. :ph34r:

I brought Shreddies back with me last time as well!!! They were one of my many pregnancy cravings!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-01-05 12:16:00
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I keep saying that too... I have no friends here.. :(

We are the same way. Hubby has made some friends through work, and I have met a few girls through a Mommy fourm. We have been invited to one of his friends places, but won't be staying too long since we won't bring the little one because his friends smoke. I kinda don't want to go because of that, but it will be nice to get out with some other people.
ColleensFemaleCanada2010-12-28 11:02:00
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Thats what I told him, that maybe it wasn't the job for him. He graduated from ETS in Montreal in the top 10% of his class, and CAE gave him outstanding reviews, so he's a great engineer. He re-read over the job description that he's interviewing for tomorrow and he says that this is a much better job and that he's way more qualified for this new job than the other one. I know my man will do awesome, it's just keeping his confidence up that's the hard part. He's a perfectionist and always super hard on himself.

Fingers crossed, everybody! :dance:

Good luck!!! If he can go in looking confident, that can make a huge difference. If he feels more qualified for this job, hopefully that will show through!
ColleensFemaleCanada2010-12-19 20:15:00
CanadaCanadian tax returns?
Yes, you are still entitled to your tax return...it is excess money that you paid into the tax pot, so it is your money.

Just be aware that sometimes when you do your return from the US it can take much longer than it does in Canada. I filed mine in early May, and I called today to find out why I have not recieved it, and they have just started processing it. They told me it can take up to another 5 weeks, so that can be up to 16 weeks. You have to mail your return in, you will not be able to e-file with at US address and they will not be able to do a direct deposit, so you will get a cheque from the canadian govt in canadian funds.....which can be a pain in the a$$ to deposit in the US. I have a RBC and RBC usa account and I can transfer between the 2 on-line and I find that has helped me a lot. I added my sister as a joint account holder to my canadian account and then I just send her any cheques and she is able to deposit them for me. The only thing that sucks is that there is not a RBC USA branch near me so there have been a couple of things that have been inconvienent but generally it has worked quite well.
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-07-27 18:12:00
CanadaCurrency Exchange - larger sums
Have your wife open an RBC and an RBC US dollar account. You can deposit US dollars into the US dollar account and then transfer them to the Canadian RBC account. She can also open up a RBC USA account and that way if she collects unemployment while looking for a job in the US it can be direct deposited into the canadian account and then she can transfer it on-line to the US account and you get no fees charged at all.

It is a bit of a pain that there are not a lot of RBC branches in the US (mostly in the south eastern states) but it has really worked well for me.
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-07-31 20:10:00
Canadaoption for a friend...

Thank You to everyone else also for the help, its the middle of the night and i've been reading for hours, good things and bad things and i'm terrified at some of the things i've read (being banned for 10 yrs, huge fines and being deported) after being here 2 yrs its quite clear to me that my life is meant to be the way it is, i do want to marry my bf and i know he feels the same but we have no clue how to go about it and again my fear of being deported for having over stayed the 180 days keeps me from moving forward.I miss my family and friends terribly, hell i miss working! I feel like i'm always having to look over my shoulder like a criminal, its not a life! What i want the most is to be called Mrs*****, be able to go back to Canada and come back without any fears, be able to drive without the "what if's" and just feel like i'm home! I will def check into what i've read here and any other info you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You All

Many people have gone the route that you have....it is not the ideal route, but it happens. Follow the guides, and ask questions when you need some help along the way and you will be fine.

It really is overwhelming in the beginning, but in the end it really isn't all that bad. You have to be patient, as the process takes time, but it will be worth it in the end!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-07 08:19:00
Canadaoption for a friend...

Thank you for your help. Im doing the K1 also, and dont know anything about the I-130 too. But anyone willing to send info my way would be awesome...

If you click on the Guides tab at the top of the page there is a guide for if both spouses are living in the US Link

This should get them started, and if they run into any bumps along the way there are a lot of members here that are willing to help!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-06 20:54:00
Canadaoption for a friend...

yes she did enter legaly. But usualy as a visitor you have 90 days to stay (after that you are considered ilegal) Thats why my stay in the US was less then 90 days. i didnt want to mess anything up with my status. Even if she gets married and applies for AOS... wouldnt she have to do the whole I-130 form? or the K3 Visa for spouse. which would mean she has to come back to canada and do the waiting game like we all are? (btw, yes she is canadian, she contacted me because we were born in the same home town, and a friend told her my story, so she contacted me) how could she prove she didnt intend to stay ilegaly?

As a Canadian you are allowed 180 days of legal presence in the US, but it is up to the CBP if they allow you to enter for that amount of time. I THINK that she has to fill out the I-130 and the I-485 and I am pretty sure she will still need to have a medical....again if I am incorrect another member will correct me. (I did the K1 route so I am not 100% familiar with the process). Her husband will have to ensure that he has enough income to sponser her or have a co-sponser lined up.
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-06 20:33:00
Canadaoption for a friend...

Hello Again! If anyone has seen my posts, you will know i filed for K1 Visa yesterday... but im not writing this for me. im writing this for a friend...

I was on facebook the other day and a friend of a friend added me on there. She asked me about the process im going threw. and i told her the steps and all that. I then asked her if she was thinking of filing it also, and this is what she told me....
she's been in the US for 2 years now (i wont say where) but shes basicaly there ilegaly. no visa nothing. just flew in and stayed. she then asked me what her option was.... and i told her from what ive heard. she would have to come back to canada (of course) but since shes been there so long without a visa, and that she would probably wont be able to return to the US for at least 10 years.. (this is what ive read on sites)... but basically, i didnt really know what to tell her... she is basically screwed isnt she ?? I told her not to take my word on what i said, but that i would look around for her. Anyone know what is the rule for being there ilegaly for so long? and what she would have to do? or anything?
thank you to whom ever responds :P

Good luck to all August filers!! We are in the same boat ! Waiting for my NOA1 right now !!! So excited !!!!
ANyone that filed near my date and would like to keep in touch during the journey, send me a message! :)


If she entered the US legally WITHOUT any original intent to stay and immigrate, she could get married in the US and then file for AOS. When it comes to the AOS interview she will have to prove that she didn't have any intent on immigrating when she originally entered. If she did have intent, then she entered illegally and she will have to return to Canada and wait out her ban.

If she chooses to go the marriage and AOS route it is extremely important that she does not leave the US until she gets her green card.

People have been successful going this route. I can not think of a member off hand who went this way, but I am sure someone else can chime in and provide a member to you that your friend would be able to ask some further questions.

Good Luck to you and your friend.

Edit to add...I am assuming that your friend is Canadian as well and therefore would not need a visa to enter legally. As long as she was inspected at the border, either land or at the airport, she entered legally.

Edited by Colleens, 06 August 2011 - 08:17 PM.

ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-06 20:14:00
CanadaMoving/Shipping Company Recommendations

Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations or reviews on shipping/moving companies to have my personal goods shipped. Any idea on the least expensive (slow ok) service/companies? Any recommendations on the best way and/or what to use to pack everything?
Thanks in advance.
:luv:

I used ABF and it was not cheap but it was reasonable. I can't remember the price, but I used them for storage as well. I sold my house and went to visit my fiancee for about 4 months while I waited for my interview, so needed several months of storage prior to my POE.
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-16 06:17:00
CanadaTD Bank/RBC, switching from Canada to USA
I have had my RBC/Centura account now for about 2 years. I have not really had any issues with it, and it has been so easy to transfer money back and forth. I had the proceeds from my home sale, my EI payments and some investmenst that I cashed in deposited directly into my Canadian account. I could transfer over any amount with just a few clicks on-line. I would wait until I thought the exchange rate was most favorable to do the transfer, so I got the best bang for my buck!!

The only thing to be aware of is how the US debit system works. It is not completly like Canada, where the money comes out of your account immediately. It can take several days for a transaction to clear your account, so if you don't keep very good track of how much is in your account, it is easy to become overdrawn. I didn't realize this when I first moved, and was used to a transaction being declined if there was not sufficient funds in the account. But here, you can make several purchases in a day that could over draw your account, but you will not find out until several days later when all the payments clear and you get hit with an overdraft fee (It was $35 per transaction!!) This happened to me once...I had gone out shopping and I didn't realize that my husband had made some payment from the account. Since nothing was being declined and I knew I had more then enough money in the account for the purchases I was making, I didn't think anything was wrong until 2 days later I got notifications in the mail for 4 overdraft fees ($140)!!!! I know that they changed some regulations that you have to now choose if you want the overdraft or not, but it is only on certain transactions that it takes effect. I have definitely paid closer attention to my balance, and my automatic bill payments now!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-17 13:38:00
CanadaTD Bank/RBC, switching from Canada to USA

I live in North Dakota and my Centura branch is in Florida! I use it mostly for bill payments as I can easily transfer from my Royal Bank (I get paid in Canada) when I get paid and transfer my money to my Centura account. The transfer is immediate for me. I then pay my US bills online or via my checks and I have a Centura bank card that I use at any bank machine to withdraw my cash when needed. I don't really do much "branch" banking other than my husband and I have a joint bank account at a local bank. I just write a check from my centura bank and deposit it to my local branch when I need to put money in the joint account.

I am really really pleased with how easy it is for me with the Royal and Centura accounts. My greatest fear is that some day they split and that option is no longer available.

I don't pay any fees with Royal/Centura to transfer money back and forth between them.

I do this as well it works well for paying bills and such. I put money in my Canadian account for when I am in Canada, and use my Canadian bank card (this way there are no exchange fees etc), then use my US account here. I think my US account costs me $4 a month. There was a branch close when I lived in GA, but now that I have moved the nearest one is about 60mi away. If I REALLY needed something at a branch, then there is one available...it is just a bit of a drive!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-14 06:13:00
CanadaFirst day back to work
I am liking my new job for the most part, but the sales part of it is not going so well for me. We have to do some door to door stuff and I really really hate doing that, and I didn't get one appointment set from doing it. So I talked to my boss today and since I was able to pick up the paperwork side of it, he is going to talk to one of the sales guys in the office that is super busy and doesn't have enough time to get all his paperwork done. So hopefully I can pick up doing that for him a few days a week for a cut of his commission. And then if I get any referals for jobs, I can still do those....but no door to door stuff!!

Most of the stuff I can also do from home if I want so I can potentially be making full-time wages while working part-time from home!!

Wish me luck...we could really use something going our way for a change!!
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-18 21:21:00
CanadaFirst day back to work

Aww - it will be great for you guys all the way around. You get to talk to adults!!! Your daughter gets out and about and socializes without you and your hubster has alone time with her while you're at work!

sounds really great - try not to speed home from work too fast!

I try not too, but I live about 1/2 a mile from where I work, so it is hard to not get home too quickly...lol
ColleensFemaleCanada2011-08-08 15:15:00