SO, back to why I begin this blog. Alan is now married with a most fabulously fun and beautiful wife and little daughter. SO after being in Canada 25 years he has decided to apply for his Canadian Citizenship. We are thrilled for him and I thank Saskatchewan for embracing all of his 6'7" Being!
As you probably suspect there are FORMS to fill out. Not just any kind of forms....GOVERNMENT FORMS...you know the kind . Need I say more???????......... Pages and Pages with instructions and NO ONE at the other end of the phone to answer them unless you can wait on hold until your next birthday!
A few months ago Alan asked if I would be willing to fill out the forms for him. He actually was opining how he wished there was a Broker one could pay to fill out such forms. (hmmm I'm now a Broker of sorts...perhaps?) I suppose there is I say if you want to fork out the dough to pay a legal fee to find you the broker to also collect a fee to fill out the forms for you. You see, being a cattlebuyer by trade, Alan is familiar with brokers and like his father also values his time and if at all possible would rather pay someone to do what he just doesn't want to do or doesn't feel he does as well as the person he can pay to do the job. This isn't a lazy person, this is a person who if he has the funds knows his limits and knows where his time is best spent! I believe it is valuable when you can admit what you do well and what you don't do well and hire the 'don't do well stuff' out to someone who "does it well". Guess when the Application is completed and sent in I will find out how good I am at filling out forms correctly!
In a way, it was music to my ears to hear Alan say "Mom, you do these form things so well, would you fill out the Citizenship Forms for me?" But I also recall several 'not so fun' experiences in the past.........I have been involved with filling forms out for everyone in my family and I actually retired from that in 2008. Why I know the year is it was the year we needed to renew our Canadian Landed Immigrant Cards. To get anyone to sit down with me and do the answering on the forms/go get their photos required for the application (which I cannot do FOR THEM, much as they would LOVE for me to I think), was beyond a calm experience. So I retired..I think they were in shock! This time, I did agree to taking on this task for Alan as he is paying me (not what I'm worth of course ) and he promises to answer any questions I have and do any tasks I tell him to do regarding this application w/out delay. WELL, so far HE has lived up to his part of the bargain.....he got the photo done within a week of when I asked him to AND now THAT makes ME have to get on top of filling out the rest of the Forms before the Photos expire! Ha!
The internet is a huge help in printing out the forms.. I also know after printing off duplicate copies of the forms and the pages upon pages of instructions around the forms.........I've killed off a forest! (sigh).
As I read the Instructions, I note that Alan has to prove he speaks English. I would like to just tell someone he's from the U. S., has lived in Canada since the age of 4 and he only knows ENGLISH! (one of the reasons he and his dad went into the cattle business is there was not a foreign language requirement in school for this job! Though let me tell ya, cattlebuyers DO have their OWN Language!
There are several ways one can show this English speaking ability to the Govt. of Canada (school transcripts) AND I also noted that we had to come up with the original Landed Immigrant Document from 1989! SO, HI HO HI HO, It's OFF to the SECRET LOCATION WHERE IMPORTANT PAPERS ARE KEPT... I GO!
OK, haven't messed with a combination protocol in quite a while. Didn't have my glasses/had to come back for glasses to SEE the combination numbers. After seriously 5 attempts to 'get the spinning and number of times to spin each number in the right direction and STOP at the right spot, I GOT THE DOOR OPENED. YES I cheered outloud!
OK, I'm on a mission to get documents for filling out the forms right? Well, as Joe will attest and he often says I'm ADHD (I'm a bit willing to admit to a slight tendency for this) OK back to retrieving the papers.......I find the folder I think has the papers I need in it..........BUT I also find TREASURES!!!!!!!!!! childhood photos of the kids, OLD family photos from both our families and before I know it I've spent 45 minutes sitting on a red toolbox just enjoying the treasures I have found. I bring the folders of photos to the cabin and continue the 'down memory lane' experience!
I celebrated locating the two important documents I needed for the Citizenship Application. My family knows I'm the one who can find most anything........IF I remember where I've put it.....and if I can't remember........well, I create my own little 'treasure hunt' experience! I'm easily entertained and quite often as a matter of fact!
NOW for a few of the treasures I found that have NOTHING to do with the Application.........but gave me some smiles as I REMEMBERED...........................
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| My Great Aunt Cornelia and Gr. Uncle Jack AND Great Aunt Virginia "Gin" the Matriarch of the Family. (she had no children..perhaps due to her desire to raise the rest of us...?) Wish I had her financial /investment savy and of course that HAT! :) As I looked at this photo it crossed my mind that Aunt Gin had told her younger brother to Smile and so he did NOT! |
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| Ahhh the handmade clown suit mom made me for Halloween that I still have and HOPE Pepper can adorn it one day. Flannel NEVER wears out! |
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| still one of my favorite memories of Tulsa, life at the courthouse and lunch with dad |
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| 6 months old and NO I don't remember a thing about it but recall this picture of mums over the piano I played for 12 years! |
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| THIS was my lifesaver....my little blue bike in Pawhuska and look how dressed up I am riding it! What's up with that? |
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| My mom in college in New Orleans....all girls school. I see why my dad chased her once he saw her at OU! |
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| Glen Nelson's wedding package included a "love photo" as they called it. OMG........trust me Joe was NOT a happy camper and even I thought these were ridiculous once I saw them. Taken in Woodward Park.....dogwoods. and an empty bottle of wine in the basket was a bummer! ............and I am not sure Joe was feeling too well having had his stag the night before! NO correction. I know Joe wasn't feeling too well! |
SOOOOOOOOOOO Thank you ALAN for asking me to do this Task for you because the treasures I am finding along the way are The BEST! AS is my Family who loves me in spite of my detours!
Who knows, I may decide not to charge you a dime! I am 'The Mom' after all....what Mom charges their child for anything when it is for a good venture!
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