USCIS/ Happy 4th

Today was our government scheduled appointments for our immigration finger prints. I would like to say that everything went just fine, but instead there were a few minor bumps in the process. Our appointments were at 11:00 and 12:00 and we figured we would need about 45 min of travel time. Well the kids were focused on everything else except getting ready to leave in the morning. Then in the middle of the hustle and bustle my sweet little daughter spills her bowl of cereal and milk all over the carpet. I sent my son up stairs for the second time to change out of his pj’s, and my wonderful wife began to clean up the cereal mess. I felt my shirt looked like a wrinkled mess so I ran down to the basement to through it into the dryer for a few turns. As I was in the basement I reached up over my head in the motion of removing my shirt and sliced the back of my ring figure on something in the rafters. I through the shirt in the dryer and then looked at my hand. Well blood was streaming off of the end of my finger, so I ran up stairs and put my hand under cold water for a few minutes and then bandaged up my finger. The slice was not huge but it just didn’t want to stop bleeding.

Finally everyone was ready to leave. We took the kids to the sitters and we were off and running about 10 min behind schedule. As we were driving my wife took out the USCIS paperwork and read it aloud to me “You cannot have any open wounds or bandages on your hands or you may be forced to reschedule your finger prints”. I thought to myself well isn’t this just wonderful my vanity may cause our process to be prolonged and how would I find another date that would work. As we were getting closer to town and my speed was raising just a little higher my wife asks “Are we going to be late?”. I told her I hope not but since her appointment was first I would drop her off at the door. For some reason I was thinking East Broad and the place was on West Broad. So, I dropped her off right at 11:00 and left to find a parking spot, well… It is the day of the big fireworks celebration and every lot was either full or closed. Finally I did find a spot in a back alley way (later my wife asked “how did you find this place?”). I called my wife to find out what floor the office was on… I thought she said 3rd. As I get to the elevator in the building I decided to remove my bandage and my finger starts bleeding again just as the doors open for the elevator. I got on and ask the other gentlemen to push floor 3 please. The doors open and I exited. I looked around and saw a snack food shop, so I walked in and grabbed some napkins for my finger. I looked around further on the floor and didn’t see anything about immigration. Then I thought for a moment… the ride in the elevator was short and I bet I’m on the wrong floor and sure enough I was (2nd). So I pushed the button and took the elevator up to floor 3. As I exited the elevator and armed guard jumped up out of her seat with a metal detector in her hand and asked where I was headed I said “my wife should have just came through here with my paperwork for finger prints”. The lady said “No, you are on the wrong floor. You need floor 6, but you need to go down to the lobby and they will give you a special code for the elevator to take you to floor 6.” I turn around and push the elevator down button and rode it back down to the lobby. I asked the gentlemen at the front desk in the lobby for a special code to go to floor 6. They gave me a strange look and said that I didn’t need a code I just need to push the button that says “6” on it. “Thanks!” Back to the elevator I go. By this time I have gotten the bleeding under control and used a piece of the adhesive strip from the band-aid to tape the wound shut. I finally arrived at the correct floor and entered the office and my wife gives me the look of, where have you been. I just smiled and said don’t ask. I filled out the paperwork and they looked at my hand and said....


“Everything looks fine, come on back for your prints”. The people in the office were super nice and asked questions about what country we were adopting from and were just so supportive. As we were walking out of the office my wife asked where were you, to which I replied “I thought you said the 3rd floor” and she said “Nope, I said 6th floor”. I don’t always hear that good so I’m sure she was right and I was wrong. The parking only cost us two dollars (Sweeeeet!).

We then drove straight home to get the kids from the sitters. We took them to watch Toys Story 3, to Build a Bear, to Champs for dinner and then to Graeters for ice cream. We have more fun planned for tomorrow. Happy 4th everyone!
Tony