FB-Ironic

Those of you who have been following along know at least somewhat about our FBI background check trauma. In the long run, it really turned out not to be a problem, but there was definitely trauma along the way. Long story short, we sent our requests for FBI background checks (well, technically, my mother did for us) the Monday we were in Russia in mid-December. When no news came, I called the FBI and was led to believe that our requests had been lost in the mail and had not been received. The real answer was that the FBI was (and is) very, very backlogged in entering requests and ours wasn't lost - it just hadn't even been logged yet for processing.

But, because we didn't know that and had been led to believe our requests were lost, we each sent in another request for background checks - which required another fee, new fingerprints (which in our city also have a fee), etc.

When we initially thought there was a chance for us to return to Russia in February for court, we begged and pleaded for our FBI background checks to be completed. Our senator's office made a request on our behalf, and we eventually received our clearances (about a week earlier than the stated 8-10 week processing time). Those clearances have since been filed with the judge in Tver.

Guess what arrived today? That second set of clearances. So, once we were dismayed we didn't have one set...and now we have two. Ah, the irony.

I nearly had a meltdown in the candy aisle at WalMart today. I volunteered to help stuff Easter eggs for our church (because I know I cannot handle actually helping at the Easter egg hunt, but figured I could at least stuff eggs) and also decided to donate some candy to put in the eggs. I thought it would be no big deal to quickly step into the aisle and get the candy. Um, not so much. It's yet another holiday without our girls. Each holiday that passes, people say, "Oh, that will be the last one without them," and it's not. The holidays just keep passing without them and our hearts break a little more. Then I heard "You are My Sunshine" on a TV show and did lose it, because that's "our song" for my sweet Mama and me. Then I thought of our girls, who I sometimes think of in terms of flowers - the younger seems to be a bright sunflower and the older a sweet daisy - and how they need sunshine, and, well...

So...we'll see how much candy gets stuffed in the eggs versus how much gets stuffed in my mouth! :)