uscis frequent flyer

We made the trip to the Nashville USCIS office yesterday for our third fingerprinting. . . our second ones expired in January.  We've made the several hour trip to this USCIS office 5 times for this adoption process.  This time, their office had been moved 8 miles away to a temporary location until they will finally set up office near the airport.  The women that fingerprinted us remembered us from previous trips and talked about those during this visit.  

It has been perplexing as to why or how fingerprints can 'expire'.  When Ed asked this question, they said the reason for the re-fingerprinting is so our prints would be run through the system (in Memphis) again (for a background check in the case we have committed any offences and were wanted for any crimes in the past 18 months or so). 

It was all good. This time, we just showed up - no attempt to call in advance or get any appointment.  When we finally found the new location and made sure we had no cell phones on us (they won't let you in the place - even if they are off), we rifled through the notebook of all our papers to find our expired forms and said we needed to renew our prints. The man at the front desk was not sure if they would be able to take our prints that day or not but with a quick check with the women in the back, he proceeded.  From that point on it was all fast, fast, fast and we were in and out! Oh, and this time there was no charge!!

The fingerprinting - another tangible reminder of our dossier prep days and that we are still in this (waiting) process. A very hopeful process (still), I will add. 

From there we went to visit my aunt and uncle who live near Nashville. I have very happy memories of visiting this aunt and uncle (at this very house) from the time I was a baby. The memories come in floods all around their house: their garden and berries, the first time I saw a cow being milked, the first time I ever rode a horse, the sound of whippoorwills, banana 'ice-cream', maple syrup, my grandmother and I 'sneaking' candy, music, deer and birds, stories. . . We stayed the night (yeah!!)! 

I brought a new bread book and my aunt and I talked about breadmaking (she was, afterall, one who inspired me to bake bread in the first place) and we shared our recipes and experiences with baking bread (proofing it, how many rises we use for this or that recipe. . . maybe this all sounds like such a bore to some but that's why it's cool to visit my aunt!). I recently tried some new things - as has she with different wheat (of course, she has SO many more years of experience than I). She gave me some of the wheat she is using now (Prairie Gold White Wheat - I've been using Bronze Chief Hard Red Spring Wheat). At my request, she showed me the slicer (for her bread) that she uses and the kind of mill she has.

We shared a few memories of my beloved grandmother (her mother, my grandmother).  In many ways, they share the same spirit for life. I wish I could have known my grandmother and my aunt when they were growing up - they could / can be absolutely hysterical. My aunt and uncle are excited about meeting our baby (hopefully we are closer now) and have been a great encouragement to me.