The Crying Game

Today was finally fingerprint day at the USCIS.  We’ve been looking forward to this because *hopefully* that is the last thing they need to give us our approval to put with our dossier to get the ball rolling over in Ethiopia.  We had been told that there may have been a chance that we could’ve gone into their office earlier than the date on our notice because some offices will take walk ins.  I had tried to get a hold of someone but of course their offices are like most other government offices these days and you can only call an 800 number and barely ever get a real person on the phone and definitely not someone in the specific location you’re looking at.  So after I did a little research I decided to put it aside for a few days and come back to it.  But that never happen.

A little over two weeks ago my Grandma was admitted to the hospital and has been there ever since.  She had an infection that turned into sepsis and we have been struggling with this every day.  Every extra moment I get when I’m not playing bus driver to the kids for school I take to go and be with her and try to have her not feel alone.  We’re praying for God’s will in this situation and for a miracle and I ask that you would pray along with us.  So anyway, needless to say we’ve been a little busy.

Today as Jack and I are on our way to this appointment my sister calls me to tell me that Grandma’s lung has collapsed again.  The third time in the past two weeks and each time has required surgery which requires a ventilator and she already hasn’t been out of bed at all this whole time.  Just so devastating and disappointing and we’ve been really looking for a light through this dark tunnel.  She’s sad and sleepy and when she’s on the ventilator or even the CPAP we can’t even talk to her which is so hard.  Thus starts the morning of crying.  I’m just having a rough time with this for many reasons right now.

We get to the USCIS office, thankful that we did not follow the GPS because it was wrong and we were running only a few minutes late.  We got to the counter and the man asks me where my appointment notification is.  I tell him Jack’s is the only one we received and I assumed because he was the primary applicant and since I never received my own notice that this was one for both of us.  Wrong.  NEVER assume something when you’re in the middle of this ridiculous paperwork.  I’m learning this the hard way.  Then the man asks me if I brought the receipt we received from our application because if I had that he may be able to look me up by that to try to get me in.  Nope, didn’t bring that either.  Why, I have no idea.  I have been carrying this stupid file with me everywhere just in case and this morning is the day I choose to just follow the directions given to me and only bring the materials stated in the instructions.   Stupid, stupid (my kids would be yelling at me for typing a bad word right now).  So now enters the tears.  I look at him with my big tear filled eyes and miraculously he goes and finds his boss and they are able to print our my notification and get me in today too :)  I have never been the girl to cry my way out of a ticket or tough situation.  Heck, I can barely turn the tears on when I truly am sad.  There’s something wrong with me!  But today, the tears came and they worked and I’m thankful that we’re not put behind another month in this waiting for another appointment.  Turns out my name got put in the system wrong on the application and they had input my last name as my first name.  I’m not sure why the notice wouldn’t have still come to me but we were able to get it all straightened out at their office today…….I hope!

One more step closer to Judah.  No one has really been able to give me a straight answer as to this 600A process and if there are more steps or how long it will be now that we have this done.  I’ve only ever hear 60-75 days from their receipt of our application and they processed that Jan 3 so we’ll see.  And the waiting game continues……