INS Part 4

Okay, just when I thought everything was under control...

Apparently, my fingerprints on the high tech wonderful INS fingerprinting machine that I had to drive 2 hours to use are unreadable. (oddly enough, when I had my fingerprints done the old fashioned way with ink a few months ago for FBI clearance, they were just fine) The good news is that someone from INS actually was working on our I-171H. She was trying to get it in the mail so we could bring it with us when we leave on Saturday. The bad news is that due to my rejected fingerprints, she wasn't able to complete it and I'm traipsing back to Jackson, MS tomorrow to get my fingerprints re-done by the high tech piece of junk that didn't do such a good job on them last time. Unfortunately, just in case my fingerprints will no longer work (could be a plus if I decide to become a criminal), because some people's fingerprints apparently "wear off" if they do a lot of manual labor (really shouldn't be a problem) or a lot of paperwork (that could be a problem after 2 international adoptions), I also need to get a letter from my local police department stating that I am not a criminal. Or at least that I haven't been a criminal for the last ten years. But, even though this letter will work if they can't get my fingerprints again, I can't skip straight to this step because that would be way too easy. So I need to do both so that they have the letter if my prints are worn off (from the adoption paperwork). Oh, well, at least she caught it while I was still in the country, a fact which I' pretty sure is due to her getting an email from Kristen at AWAA yesterday reminding her that Sen. Landrieu asked them to hurry and that she (Officer Hines) hadn't returned any of my emails in the last week. So she sat down to do it today and couldn't because of the fingerprint issue.

I feel the need to say...
I will leave Saturday morning. I will get my children soon. I will be in Kazakhstan next week. I will complete this adoption. I will have all of my children home with me by the end of the summer!!!!

Ok, I feel better. I just needed to make a statement to myself that this is not such a big deal and it won't stop the important things from happening. It'll be ok!