Where to start?

I want to start by thanking everone for their kind words and well wishes. I hope that you all had a blessed Ramadhan and Eid.

As you all probably expected, I haven't had much time for my dear little blog. What's new, right?

We are working hard to become a family again and meshing our lives together after such a long difficult time apart. It's not always easy, but this was expected. However, it sure does feel great when things go right. We're still ironing out all of the kinks.

Little things like smelling my husband's cologne when I walk in the door from work just grab me...it travels throughout the house. While my two men are still asleep in their beds, I inhale the cologne before crawling into a my not so big not so lonely bed. I find myself staring at him constantly, smothering him with hugs and kisses, asking him to look at recipes with me or test the food that I am cooking. Small everyday things that people take for granted that I had forcibly taken from my family over two and half years ago.

I find myself sitting on the sofa thinking about random things. When was that? Was he here when it happened? Was it before he left of after? It's all a blur. I have shed more tears in the two months since he has returned than I shed the entire time that he was gone. I cried for the loss of moments that we can never recapture. It's amazing how my husband left this little 3 year old baby and returned to a 6 year old man...he's a big boy now. He's loving having his baba back home. I have seen such positive changes in his attitude, behavior and demeanor in such a short period of time.

Please continue to pray for our family as we transition into this new chapter of our lives together.

I almost forgot to add that Abdu had his annual cardiology checkup a few weeks ago. Abdu's doctors played a huge part in the return of my husband, and the last appointment my husband attended was in 2006. The doctor was just so pleased to see my husband. She offered a congratulations and was happy that she could help. She noted many positive changes in Abdu's demeanor before giving us the great news ever. He had a CT scan and echocardiogram earlier in the day. She informed us that his heart has improved over last year in every possible way. All of his abnormal numbers have lessened. What this means is that although his aorta and valves are not normal, he is on the low end of abnormal....VERY MILD. Now instead of an annual check-up he can wait for two years. We couldn't be more happy!

I can't hold it in any longer

My husband is coming home tomorrow inshaAllah. I wanted to wait. I didn't want to spoil it. I just can't hold it in any longer though. I had to share our good news.

Alhamdulillah our family is finally being reunited after 27 long months of harship and suffering.

May Allah bring us safely together in love, peace, and happiness. May he never let us forget the suffering that we endured. May he reward us for our effforts and forgive us our shortcomings. Ameen.

Travelling

On a bus. 10 hours. Through the desert. Back to Algiers. More time with his family. Goodbyes. Tears. On a plane. Back to me. Finally!

He'll be home soon. I can't say when, but it will be within the next few weeks inshaAllah. We're not telling anyone here the exact day of his arrival because we need to spend some time together before Abdu comes home and before the visitors start. You know how the muslims are with their visiting and their congratulations...

I suppose I'll be back to update when he has landed. See you all soon :)

Takeoff

Visa FINALLY in hand. Tickets Purchased. Shopping underway. Landing on.....wouldn't you like to know?!?!

Quick Update

I just wanted to let everyone know that my husband is not here yet... He went to the U.S. Embassy in Algiers yesterday to turn in his passport. He will pick it up, with visa, in 8 days. InshaAllah he will be flying out the middle to end of July.

I have so many things to do to prepare for his arrival, but I'll let you know when I have an exact date. As always, please keep us in your prayers. Make duaa for him to have a safe trip and a relatively easy time getting through U.S. customs. I know they will let him in inshaAllah. I just don't want him to be there too long.

Almost forgot. Abdurrahman is spending an extended vacation with my parents. They will get to spend some quailty Abdu time while I rest and prepare for my husband's arrival. I'll be back soon with details. Thanks again for thinking about us.

The Reason

I've been on a sort of high all week, and I've barely slept. I find myself smiling for no reason at all. I still can't believe that in a few short months my husband will be home and we will be able to finally pick up where things left off two years ago. I had begun to lose hope in the last month or so. I reached a point of such desperation that I began telling everyone that I didn't think my husband would ever come home again. This approval came just when I needed it the most, and I'm so thankful for it.

Many people have asked me why my husband couldn't return to the U.S. or why was it taking so long. Others treated me as if I had done something wrong. I must have done something wrong if I, a U.S. citizen, couldn't get my spouse status in this country. Those words hurt the most because what people don't know is that I have been fighting for him for over six(6) years.

I cannot give you the entire history of what happened to him in Algeria, beginning in 1991, or what happened after he left in 1995. I can tell you that he entered the U.S. in 1999 with fraudulent documents in order to apply for political asylum. He applied for asylum within a number of months, was granted legal work authorization, and his case continued for 5 years.

We married in 2002 while his asylum was pending and I filed a petition for alien relative in February 2003. In June 2005 his asylum was denied and we appealed to the Bureau of Immigration Appeals. While that appeal was pending, our alien relative petition was approved 2.5 years after filing. Because of the type of visa he used to enter the country, he was not allowed to adjust status here to get his green card.

In late 2005 his appeal was denied, and we prepared for filing with the 8th circuit federal court of appeals. We went on with our lives. My husband continuted working legally and I graduated from college. I began working and three months later, while our 8th circuit appeal was pending, we received a notice to appear at the local immigration office. I'd written about this experience before so I will not go into details here, but that day my husband was taken into custody of immigration officials. He spent 106 days in a county jail before ultimately being sent back to Algeria.

This is where things really become complicated. Upon his departure from the U.S., he received a lifetime inadmissibility for his fraudulent entry. Had his asylum been approved, this would have been forgiven. It's a common form of entry for those who fear for their lives because they have no other way. This meant that he was banned from the U.S. for life.

In the first months of his detention/removal, we were preparing for our interview at the U.S. embassy in Algeria. For nearly a year our interview was not scheduled because he had difficulty obtaining a police clearance certificate. We finally received that certificate when I was in Algeria visiting him for the first time last year, and his interview was scheduled for July 12, 2008.

At his interview, when most intending immigrants would be issued a visa, he was denied because of his lifetime inadmissibility. We were already aware that this would happen and prepared to file to waive his inadmissibilities. One for the fraudulent entry/visa overstay and another for the deportation. We turned in a 100+ page packet prepared by our lawyer outlining the extreme hardship we would face if my husband were not allowed to re-enter the country. One would think it only makes sense that a married couple would need to live together but that is not the case.

The paperwork was turned in that day in July and forwarded over to the Department of Homeland Security in Rome. It took 3 months for his paperwork to be forwarded because of lengthy background checks. It was received in Rome in October 2008 and we began to wait again.

Finally, just his week, we were notified that we had been approved. Most people have absolutely no understanding of the complexities of immigration law in this country. A great injustice has been done to my family in the last two years, but thankfully this is almost behind us now. My husband can return to being a husband again. He can return to taking care of his son who needs him greatly. Abdu will never have to be in the hospital again without his father by his side. We will be a family again.

I urge you all to please consider supporting American families United to help others in similar situations.

The answer we've been waiting for

This past Saturday, I marked the two year anniversary of my husband's departure. My family and friends have faithfully stood by my side, and they held my hand that day to help me get through it.

All of our prayers have finally been answered. Today, I found out that my husband has been approved! I can't say anything. I've been screaming, crying, jumping, praying, and thanking Allah with every single breath.

I have happiness and a sense of peace inside of me that I haven't felt in a long time. I've had dreams about this day. How would we find out? How would my husband react? He was actually the one to call and tell me. I fell to the floor crying upon hearing the sweetest words, "Honey, we're approved." He sounds so relieved. I can hear it in his voice.

First and foremost, all praise and thanks to Allah for reuniting my family. Thanks to everyone, all of my brothers and sisters, in the real and blogging worlds. Your thoughts, prayes, and kind words have gotten me through this trial. May Allah reward you all greatly for what you have offered us. Ameen.