Saturday, April 13, 2013

An American

5 years ago, we landed at Atlanta International Airport, got off the plane, claimed our luggage, and went on to Customs and Immigration.  Scan, stamp stamp, and we were home.  Except then we had to go to another area to have Aidan processed in. 

At this immigration desk, I handed over our passports, Aidan's Russian passport and the super secret sealed envelope.  The Immigration official looked at our passports, set them aside.  Then he opened Aidan's passport, reviewed closely the Immigration Visa stamped in there from the US Embassy in Moscow, scanned the passports and then set them all aside.  Then he opened the super secret sealed envelope.  Looked through all of the secret documents therin and . . .

stamp stamp

we were in!

Or I should say, Aidan was in! 

The official then looked at us and said, "Congratulations.  Welcome home."

That was it.

There were no balloons.  No confetti.  No marching band playing patriotic music.

You gotta understand.  After having been in Russia for a month, I needed something!  Hail to the Chief!  Or Yankee Doodle!  Come on here!!

Nada.

Ah well.  But, we did get one over on those officials. 

There was a sign that said NO PHOTOGRAPHS. 

But, guess what???  They didn't know about the Lori Jerger offensive.

Lori Jerger, one of our travelling partners, very sweetly cajoled one of the younger officials into taking a photo of the six of us just after our children became citizens.

And here you have the newest American citizens on April 13, 2008!!!

Ellie Jerger and Aidan Harrison!!!!!  Oh, and Adam and Lori and Pat and Stacy are there too.


And then an older official started yelling at us. . .one picture is what we got.  Thank goodness it was okay!  : )

Five years!

Time sure does fly.

1 comment:

Randy, Denise, Camden and Dasha Denson said...

Happy Day! I broke the rules also and was on my phone because my cousin had just been in a horrible accident and broke her neck! I was trying to find out if she was alive and crying and the left me alone real quick!