Celebrations & Normalcy

Do you ever feel like you have so much going on, yet so little to talk about? I'd like to make a promise to myself to blog at least one a week, yet feel like my life happenings are so irrelevant and boring. Who in the hell would want to read about them? I'm not sure, but I have to attempt to keep my promise.

This week I passed my CA exam for the State of Texas. It was a big deal for me as it was the hardest test I have ever taken and I swore up and down I had failed it. Without getting into details about my career (because trust me, it will bore you), the test was on entomology, biology and Texas agricultural laws.

Gordo had been promising me that if I passed he would take me to Las Alitas to celebrate. I would love to go out to dinner all the time, but financially, we just can't swing it. We had only been out once since we moved to Mexico last August. It was very nice. Las Alitas is about 2 minutes from our house and boasts an online menu of US style burgers, wings and ribs in both English and Spanish, which impressed me. They are a national chain, a la Chili's or Applebees.

I was very impressed with the food, the service, and the price. For $26.50 US we got an appetizer, 2 entrees and a pitcher of beer, with plenty of leftovers to take home. The manager came by our table twice to ask how the service had been. It's only a few minutes North of the US consulate, on the same street, so those visiting should totally stop in. It was so nice to get out with my husband. We are super simple people, not the type to have fancy dates. Dinner and a movie is a big treat for us.

I appreciate our simplicity and I touched on this in my Valentine's Day blog... but I think there is something special about your spouse being your best friend. I wouldn't say I had such a great impression of marriage in my lifetime. Divorce is always an option. As an adult, the concept of actually liking my husband, and not just loving him, is seriously amazing. The fact that if I could go dinner with anyone, I would choose him, is something I never planned on.

We had a great time and finished the night off with movie marathon, fueled by the woman on the corner who sells 3 new releases for 50 pesos. Good times. Normal times. A normal life is something I thought we could never obtain. But as soon as I could adjust my view of normalcy, we were living it! So for everyone out there that is pissed off about the United States and whether they can or cannot live there, try to remember, life goes on. You can still move forward. Marriage isn't about where you live, or what your job is, or about legal status. It's just about being together, wherever that may be, and loving each other for who you are. I'm not trying to make it seem easy, because it's not. It never is. But it is always in the realm of possibility, regardless of your situation... And once you cross into that reality, well, there's no going back. And who would want to anyway?

Salud!

Crossroads

So much has happened in the last 2 months that has deserved a blog. Or maybe 2. Or 3.

My mom came to visit. We had a wonderful time. I feel so blessed that she even had the nerve to come to Juarez. A place that is known for... well, you know. We talked and laughed and she met my husband for the very first time. Although Gordo and I have been together for about 6 years now, many things had prevented my family from meeting him. She loved him, as I had expected, and I was more than thrilled to share his... greatness... with my family. Can you imagine meeting and loving and marrying your soul mate and not having the chance to introduce them to your family for 6 years? Yeah. Brutal. But the end result was everything I could have hoped it would be.

I have also been more than preoccupied with work. Transferring my license to Texas has been no small feat and last week I took "the test." I have yet to get the results to what could honestly determine the future of my entire career. Melodramatic? Slightly. When you live in Mexico and work in the US, it is imperative that you put your all into your career, whatever that may be. After seeing my husband work his ass off for $50 US a week, I cannot expect anything less than the best from myself. Seeing so many go without makes anyone suddenly grateful for US minimum wage.

The real reason I haven't blogged? Well... I've moved on. Not from this blog, but from the former Emily; The Emily that worried incessantly about immigration, and moving to Mexico, and cultural differences, and meeting my in-laws, and finding work. In the last 2 months I have accepted our hand in life. I have accepted that we can't live in the US. I have embraced border crossing and my work and our home and our life. What now? I have spent the last 6 years planning how we could be together legally. And here we are. Now what? In this time of planning all of our dreams were put on hold. All we thought about was USCIS, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, protest rallies, ifs/ands/buts. And now that have we left the United States... what are we to think about? What does one worry about or pine for?

It's time to redirect my thoughts and worries and hopes to what really matters in life; Our health, starting a family, educating ourselves, staying safe, and prospering. And so here I am, at a crossroad.