Since Monday, the day Alonso asked me to spend the rest of my life as his wife, many of you have
asked a lot of the same questions. So I thought it would be easy for me to
answer all of them here so you can hear all of the juicy parts ;) Just kidding,
I’ll have to write a whole blog series on our story but for now, here are some
FAQs about Alonso and I:
Frequently Asked Questions
No. For one, we’ve only been engaged three days. I need to
soak this in a little more and savor the moment. But also, we have to go
through the legal process of getting a fiancé visa. Until that ball has been
rolling for a few months, we won’t know a general season to start planning for.
Because Alonso is a citizen of Costa Rica, he needs a visa
in order to enter the United States. There are several different types of visas
including tourism, fiancé, and spouse. The fiancé, or K-1, visa allows us
access to get married on US soil which, for many reasons, will be better for us
in the long run.
*** Our plan, as of now, is to MOVE TO, MARRY IN, and LIVE IN the States for a season. We want to do whatever God says. So for now, the idea is to move (to my) home and set a foundation there. Grow some roots and whatnot. Maybe have a kid or two, who knows?? Maybe God calls us out - maybe He doesn't. We shall see. ***
*** Our plan, as of now, is to MOVE TO, MARRY IN, and LIVE IN the States for a season. We want to do whatever God says. So for now, the idea is to move (to my) home and set a foundation there. Grow some roots and whatnot. Maybe have a kid or two, who knows?? Maybe God calls us out - maybe He doesn't. We shall see. ***
If only. It’s piles and piles of paperwork, a lot of red
tape cutting, vaccinations, medical physicals, document copying, interviews,
and more. (The hand of our sovereign Lord is with us. HIS time is more perfect
that we can fathom). Here’s how the process works – We mail in an application
along with a big fat filing fee and documents upon documents. That begins the
process. After that, the tape cutting, copying, shots, etc. happens and then,
around 5-6 months later, a final interview. On the day of the interview we will
find out if we’re approved or denied. In Jesus name, we will be approved. From
that point, Alonso's visa will be valid for 6 months to enter the US. Once he lands on US soil, we
have 90 days to tie the knot.
To say the least, yes. We have mixed emotions. It’s an
exciting time and we know we are working toward an end goal of becoming ONE.
But we know from experience with governments and immigration as well as from
other couples we’ve talked to that this is a rollercoaster ride of big ups and
big downs. However, we’re ready for the ride because we know WHO determines the
route of the rollercoaster.
Well, it’s not that simple. For many reasons, it will be
better for us to marry in the US. For one, if we marry here first, we will need
to apply for a “Spouse Visa” in order for us to come back to the US. It’s a
much longer, more expensive, grueling process. We prefer the shorter, less
expensive one. For two, his US residency
is much more valuable to us than my Costa Rica residency. Because I’m a US
citizen, I can come and go from from Costa Rica whenever. It’s not that easy
for him to go in and out of the US.
Hmmm. More than we care to think about. The number one advice
we’ve received from other couples who have gone through this was: HIRE AN
IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY. Anyone can do this on their own but having an immigration
attorney has endless benefits. One slip of the pen on paperwork and your case
can be set back months. Therefore we intend to retain and attorney. (No, my dad
cannot do it because he does not specialize in immigration and therefore knows very little about it. Thanks anyway, Daddy!)
So to hire an attorney is about $2000 before filing fees and
those little bad boys can total about $1000. So we’re looking at 3K just to get
Alonso to the States. Once we’re married we’ll need to apply for residency.
That’s about a two-year process in which will cost us a sold 3K more.
So by the end of this thing, we’ll be spending about $6,000
on attorneys and fees.
We’re both missionaries. So yes, donations are welcomed.
Yes and no. My mom has had the pleasure of meeting him in
person when she helped me move here. My dad and sister have met him over
FaceTime. Praise God for technology. We FaceTime my parents and sister all the
time.
WHEN the visa process runs smoothly (keep the faith), we should be able to
start everything around mid-May. That
would put us in the States this fall, having 90 days to get married. So yeah,
we would love to get married this fall/winter but again, we have a process to
get through. As far as the location, we are EXTREMELY excited about an AMAZING new venue that shall remain nameless for now. Mostly because
they are still building and want us to be the FIRST WEDDING in the venue so I
can’t very well give away all my secrets, now can I? ;) Stay tuned to hear
about the awesome new partnership we’re starting with this venue.
9. What is this #ashlonso thing I'm seeing everywhere?
Well, Ashlonso is obviously a combination of our names. But when someone posts a picture or anything with the hashtag #ashlonso, it saves all those posts together. So anytime I want, I can click on the hashtag and see all the pictures and posts with that has tag. If you're going to post about us - be it a photo or words or anything - we ask that you join the hashhtag club and stick an #ashlonso on it! ;)
10. Do you and Alonso speak English or Spanish to each other?
Both. While Alonso speaks perfect English, I do not speak perfect Spanish. So naturally, English comes out more. We speak Spanish to Ticos and English to Gringos. :)
Well, I think that about covers it. What am I missing? What
questions do you have that I have not answered here?
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