Heather - 8-18-2008 at 11:19 AM
One more week and then back to school/work, but just wanted to share some of my good summer news. We spent most of July down in Cabo at our camper,
but made it back at the beginning of August for a little side-trip to Ciudad Juarez. I had applied for immigrant visas for my step-sons last July,
and the day of the visa appointment finally arrived.
The boys and I went to Ciudad Juarez on the 3rd of August and their visas were approved on the 5th. They are now official US resident immigrants and
will be receiving their "green cards" soon. Needless to say our family was pretty happy about this! We've been doing the SoCal vacation experience
for the last couple of weeks or so, but sent them back to La Paz yesterday. The 17 year old starts school today in Todos Santos, and the 20 year old
will (he better be...) starting University in Cabo in Sept.
I gave them both the option of staying up here and either finishing high school (at the high school where I work), or taking a year of English classes
at the adult school and then going on to a Jr. College close by. They both have girlfriends in Todos Santos, so I think that was the main reason that
they wanted to go back home!!
Anyway, we are all excited about Christmas, and the boys return stateside. The immigration process is a year-long, expensive process (about $2000 US
each), but the results were worth it. My husband was just so happy to have his sons at his house!! He was showing them all his tools, they were out
cutting wood, hanging out in the garage, etc. The boys even had fun using the lawnmower!! Not too mention the fun at Disneyland, the zoo, the
circus, the harbor cruise, etc.
Just wanted to share with all you nomads. When I first started using these boards (Baja Amigo) I was working on my husband's immigration papers. He
has now had his green card for 6 years. At that time the boys were happily living with their mom, and had no plans to come north, but when I found
out that I could apply for them, we figured we better get it done before the older one hits 21 and then we couldn't do anything.
Oh yea, I'll be adding a picture soon, that was another thing we did last week, the family portrait for the Christmas card, came out very nice, too!
Saludos, Heather
woody with a view - 8-18-2008 at 12:04 PM
good for you and your boys. in three years they can apply for citizenship!!!!
rpleger - 8-18-2008 at 12:12 PM
What good news, so much negative stuff on this board, Good news is always welcome.
shari - 8-18-2008 at 05:05 PM
congratulations Heather...I can imagine how happy you all are to have the opportunity to be together more often now and have more options open to
your sons....well done amigos! Look forward to the pictures of them.
jeans - 8-18-2008 at 07:12 PM
Hi Heather,
So good to hear from you! There may not be a lot of us left that remember when you first started posting. Gosh..how many years ago?
You first came to my attention when you were asking questions about how to tow a large travel trailer that you needed to take to Cabo San Lucas 
The other readers had you "practice driving" around town until you were
comfortable with it. There was no shortage of good advice. Then, just before you were to leave there was some problem with it...(I don't remember
what)...then you were off!
You had no idea how worried 
we were until you finally checked in at the end of
your adventure. We had yet to meet you, but we were all concerned!
You & your hubby have had more than your fair share of legal challenges to be together and I have admired how you handled all that. (3 years of
living in Las Playas and commuting to San Diego!)
I can't recall his name right now but I remember his terrific smile when he helped us with a project in El Cajon 4 years ago.
Best wishes for your family!
Sallysouth - 8-18-2008 at 07:48 PM
Yes Heather! Congrats on this monumental undertaking! So great that the boys and Dad had that time together and now many changes for your
family.I,too, like Jeans, remember what you were going thru back then(Amigos days).What are the chances of us meeting this year? I will be in BCS in
November, December, maybe more.You know Mija and familia are there still but no longer(thankfully) in CSL.Will you be there then?U2U me?
fdt - 8-18-2008 at 08:39 PM
Thanks for posting this good report Heather and I'm sure the kids will be ok in school down in Baja California Sur. I'm sure that you beeing a Pato
fan would tell them to GWARN.
Saludos
Kell-Baja - 8-20-2008 at 02:34 PM
Thats Great!!!
Heather - 8-20-2008 at 02:43 PM
Thanks for the replies guys! Jeans, Sallysouth, fdt, Shari... how well you know me!! The trailer is still in Cabo, positioned squarely on our little
parcel of land in 4 de Marzo. I think my oldest son will be living there full-time as he prepares to start school in Cabo. We've had a renter, but
my hubby and I would rather have our son there.
Sally, we will have to meet sometime, not in Cabo, though? I didn't realize your daughter had moved on. We've only made it down in the summer time
the last few years, and while we're there for a month, the time goes so fast. We do a lot of visiting with family and friends, and never see
everyone! I wanted to go down and meet the "Cabo Magic" family, and did see their office, but never had a chance to stop in.
Jeans, I used to volunteer my hubby, Antonio, for all sorts of stuff, huh? He does have a nice smile, and getting better with his US dental work! I
thought of you as we drove through Santiago this summer. We didn't stop at the zoo, but drove past to the Aguas Thermales (hot springs). Nice green
water out there, and a few cases of swimmers' ears for the girls! The trailer adventure was in 2001, and like I said, it's still there. We were very
pleased to see that the mural we'd painted on our front wall last year was still there, without being grafittied!
If anyone's in Cabo, 4 de Marzo neighborhood, and you see a fish mural on the cement wall and a trailer behind, that's our place. No it's not a
kinder (as the locals think), but we are right down from Keiko's pre-school!!
Shari, good luck with your daughter in University. My son started out in La Paz last year at UABCS, but the teachers went on strike after about 2
weeks of classes, so he went back to Pescadero and to work. He's planning to go to a private university in Cabo, so hope it works out better for him.
More expensive thatn UABCS, but free rent, and a lot cheaper than he'd pay up here!
Fernando, the boys listen to Pato, too, they don't understand too much of him, but hope they get some of the message! One of Bob Marley's son (not
Ziggy or Stephen, another one) played in Pescadero a few months ago, so the boys went to that. We're raising all the kids to be reggae fans. My
hubby, my girls, and I all went to see Pato in San Diego last May, actually. My 5 year old was up and dancing with mommy, but the 8 year old thought
we were embarassing her!!
I will get photos up sometime, maybe next week when I'm back at work. I don't have internet set up at my house, so use my sister's when I get a
chance, and no scanner, here!
Hey Woody, I thought it was 5 years to apply for citizenship? My hubby has been looking into it, he's been here 6. There are classes at the adult
school in our neighborhood, so maybe he'll enroll this fall!
Saludos and thanks for all the kind thoughts, amigos! Heather and family
fdt - 8-20-2008 at 02:55 PM
I promoted a surf contest in Los Cabos and had a reggae concert "free" with Pato Banton and the Reggaae Revolution, the sound people I hired did not
come thru so I go them to do the concert at the Cabo Wabo Cantina, Wow it was great. Amlak Tafari from the band stayed here at our house in Tijuana a
couple of times.
Heather - 8-20-2008 at 03:01 PM
Oscar, the captain of one of the Pez Gatos sailboats talks about that concert!! We went sailing with him this summer and he started singing, "Go
Pato"! He'd told my before about the Cabo Wabo concert, when was that?
fdt - 8-20-2008 at 03:44 PM
1991