"Okay everyone you better behave today. Thank goodness you have school. Hey get over here. Are you listening? Stop picking on your sister. No acting up while we have guests. No I don't know if they will still be here when you get home. Just plan on being good. Where's my straightening iron??? Oh there it is. Okay hurry everyone. They are on thier way! Remember what I said. Do I look okay?"
"Hey SITSta's! Welcome to my little corner of bloggy land. I hope you find everything to your liking. I'm headed out to go camping with the family tomorrow (That's good blog fodder) So if I don't get over to your place to say Thank You just remember I will as soon as possible. I hope you all enjoy your visit and your long weekend! Be safe and have fun. *MUAH* Help yourself to anything you find....just no long distance calls please."
Okay so I made brief mention that The Princess was born overseas in Turkey. Which wouldn't be "that" blog worthy expcept for the fact that she almost didn't get a birth certificate or passport issued. You're probably thinking those *darn* Turksih people but no no it was our wonderful US Embassy who refused to give her one.
Why???? It's a baby. The father is in the Air Force. The mother is American. Why????
Okay so to get these handy dandy documents we have to submit our marriage certificate, passports and birth certificates. No problem.
Problem. Mine. YEP ME. MOM. My Birth Certificate was in my "bio"maiden name and my marriage certificate was in my maiden name. See there was this little issue of my mother making me use my step fathers name (no biggie but she never made it LEGAL) while growing up.
So when I joined the AF they said I needed to go back to my bio-maiden name or change it to the other one. I decided I like to use my Maiden name instead of my Bio one (I had been using it since I was 5 soooo I was kind of use to it) So my recruiter took me to the SSN office and they just changed it. (come to find out later they weren't suppose to do this without a COURT ORDER saying I could change my name - UGH)
So why would the Embassy have issues with this? Well since they didn't know who *I* was they couldn't issue papers for my daughter to go to the US.
Want to know what their plan was? To send ME to the US to get it all straightened out. I'd need a Judge to issue a Court Order stating I was who I say I was and blah blah blah. (NEWS FLASH here - if you don't have any clue who a person is and you THINK they might be a terrorist you DO NOT I repeat DO NOT put them on a plane to the US!)
So in order to do this I would of had get into the Court (which could take 2-3mths mind you) meanwhile my daughter had to stay in Turkey....oh and Chef was due to PCS in less then 1 month.
THANKFULLY my mother (for once) came through and went to a local small town judge she knew and asked him to write a letter stating that all 3 of my names (bio-maiden, maiden and married) belonged to the same SSN therefore were in fact the same person. The judge accepted this based on the fact that my mother had a print out from the SSN office showing all 3 names with the same SSN. (which btw - the SSN office just GAVE it to her without any documentation saying she could have it!)
So she overnighted it to us. We rushed it to a LOVELY US Embassy and they rushed her Passport and Birth Certificates so we could all LEAVE Turkey as a family.
Key points:
1. The Princess was considered a terrorist at 3mths old.
2. I in fact was NOT considered one. (Although according to them they didn't know who I was)
3. The New York State Social Security Office just HANDS out name changes and SSN info to whoever asks them.
We so wanted to get her a ski mask for the trip through customs but alas we couldn't find one. Got to love Photo shop though. LOL Here is the Original picture on her flight (FINALLY) to the United States.
Monday, August 4, 2008
A 3mth old Terrorist
Posted by Party of 5 at 1:47 PM
Labels: The Princess
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
51 comments:
Um. Have you met her? Cause really? I think she MIGHT BE a terrorist!
Dude, I'm pretty sure I'm on some registry for terrorists. Why? I cannot, literally CANNOT go through customs without being heavily HEAVILY searched.
Wow....gotta love all the way our government works.....red tape and all. You have very nice photoshopping skills!!!
Glad you all made it back stateside!
Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
This is so cute! What a great story...
Woah, and you're even in the military! I've got some similarities with you there sister :) It's amazing how beauracratcally stupid the government can be some times.
very funny! (now, that is...I'm sure not then!) and dontcha just love small towns for reasons like that??? I miss my small home-town for stuff like that too. Perhaps your mom figured since she is the one that made you stop using the name, she had to help out. Also...we ARE talking about ehr granddaughter, here...
Glad you all made it home safely and together!
hehe..loving the picture!
*Happy SITS day!
Hey, when I have had to take babies to the local court house (for dna tests, court hearings (I am a foster parent)), they always wand the baby and the baby's diaper.
So, yeah that kid looks dangerous to me!
I've changed a nappy or two in my time - I recognise biological weapons when I see(smell) them!!!!!!!
Congratulations on you SITS day. There is no accounting for the red tape that snags us up when we try to do the simplest things!
I always cringe when I hear about these things with our government. Glad you made it here OK!
These would be the logistical horrors of my nightmares. The idea of traveling and getting stuck somewhere due to loss of paperwork terrifies and leaves me wandering aimlessly around the U.S. I couldn't EVEN imagine the anxiety if my child were involved. You must have had a few sleepless nights as a result.
Gotta love government efficiency!
Glad you made it out alright :)
Happy SITS day!!
What were they thinking....girls don't become terrorist until they turn 13...then THEY ARE ALL TERRORISTS!!! I know mine terrorized me! Glad the family is all together and legal.
How fun! Because, you know, as a new mother living overseas, you just need that extra stress.
And I must say that I *love* her earrings and bracelet in the photo. Of course, I'm too chicken to pierce Little Miss's ears. Maybe when she's 12 ;)
Wow What a mess! Glad you made it back finally :)
Happy SITS Day!
Nice. I've been to Turkey too!
Your Princess is ADORABLE! This post was hilarious...and slightly scary. I mean, the bureaucratic hoops you had to jump through...yet the idiosyncrasies of the SSN being handed out, etc. WILD. Crazy!
I've never been to Turkey. What a neat place to live for a while.
Loved the photo shopped baby terrorist picture. :o)
I always feel particularly apologetic when people have embassy issues ... so, I am so sorry! But glad that it all ended well.
It never ceases to amuse-and annoy- when laws and rules meant to do something totally miss the point by following said rules and laws. Did that make sense?
The photoshopping here is KILLING ME... that's the perfect final touch! All points of this story horrify me. Good thing your mom was able to get that letter!!
Congrats on your SITs day!
Nothing surprises anymore about this kind of stuff!
Congrats on being today's SITSTA!
That's quite a story! I love the photoshopping!
Happy SITS day!!!
SOunds like way too much drama to me!! But I guess it could have been worse.
Aren't mom's great when they step up and help?
I do not like dealing with all the legal paper things. I am still trying to correct my daughter's birth certificate and SS card to have the correct spelling of her name...she is 18 months old now! I'm glad it all worked out for you
Yikes, what a mess for you! Cute ski mask face to bring the drama to life though!!!!!
Congrats on being featured today!!!
Happy SITS Day!!!
Ok, that was kinda funny in a good way. But so asinine all the same. How dumb can those idiots be. Really people come on. So sad that they would let you into the US but not the baby!!! :-) Glad it all worked out though and you could go as a family.
She looks oddly suspicious. Hmmm.
Congrats on your day! Horrible time it sounds like... but makes a great story!
definitely blog worthy story!!!! thanks for making us feel so welcome in your little part of the blogosphere. cool, gotta go, and keep reading.
happy SITS day!!!!!
Oh wow. I knew it was hard to change names but not even get a birth certificate?!?! Geez. I'm so glad you got that all figured out and didn't have to leave your little bundle in Turkey.
And yet it's so easy to get a birth certificate for a Cabbage Patch Doll. Go figure.
What a crazy, funny, sorta scary story!!!
My sister in law didn't change her name and she had to go through all kinds of trouble when she had my brother's baby, because there names weren't the same.
Funny Picture! Happy SITS Day!
Happy SITS day to you and the terrorist!
Gotta love the government. I think they intentionally mess things up to make our lives more difficult.
Wow! What a story. Glad it worked out and everyone made it home together.
Happy SITS day!
Poor baby! and Poor Momma!!
Happy SITS day!
That's beaurocracy for you. We have to deal with the Brazilian embassy, and it's just insane. Gald you were finally able to work it out!
Oh you got to love the social security office, they can save you lots of court fee's!! When I got divorced, I kept my married name because three of my children had it. but then I changed my mind and I wanted my maiden name back. So I went to the SS office and asked them to change it for me, they said they couldn't without it on a drivers license. I told them I couldn't get it on a driver's license without it being on an SS card. So the lady at the SS office tells me to just tell them at the license place to go back and look up an old drivers license of mine with my maiden name so they would have proof it was my maiden name and change it on my new one. They did!! ha ha, no going back to court! Thanks SS office for the advice.
You know I'm a little slow...I read the entire post before you mentioned photoshop thinking, "wow, how did they get that mask on the baby without her freaking out!"
Yeah, for Mom saving the day and yeah for us having weird legal name changing/not changing/not legal policies...the loopholes at the SSN actually worked out for you!
Congrats on your SITS day! Bask in your comment love!!
Well, since I'm watching convention hype, it occurs to me that we know SHE won't be the first female US president. Funny!
Happy SITS Day!
Oh that is just plain nuts! And I complain about the SS Office never sending me my new cards when I changed my name!
LOL wait until she's 3, then you might rethink whether or not you consider her a terrorist.
Love your blog!
Wow! Now that was an adventure you probable could have lived without huh? Love your photshop skills:)
Happy SITS day
Unbelievable! I am so glad that you got it all straighten out quickly.
red tape = the trademark of government agencies!
Am glad your mom was resourceful and influential :) on this situation
Wow, did they seriously think you would just hop on a plane and leave your baby in another country? Red tape, ugh!!
Gotta love photoshop. She made a fierce terrorist!
I'm glad you got it sorted out quickly. What a PITA!
Since I've never officially changed my maiden name to my married name (mostly because I just assumed it was automatic and never looked into it...), I wonder if I'll have the same types of problems :[
Post a Comment