Fast Fingerprinting for the FBI last Friday

Last Friday (3/5/10), as we were hurriedly trying to get out of the house for a quick camping/dirtbiking weekend, we went and got our fingerprints done first. Now, this is quite the big deal for us because getting the six of us out of the house for a weekend is usually quite the ordeal, (we think we're doing good just getting to church before the first song ends on a Sunday morning. Once the new little ones arrive, I guess we'll just have to start the night before getting ready, oh wait, we already do that ;) so we never plan extras into those days that we're leaving town!! Doesn't make for a pleasant Mommy and Daddy if we are feeling time pressure along with the added pressure of a long drive ahead after an already long day. And, for this trip, we were both going to be driving so that Mark's fun 1947 JEEP WILLYS could come along, also. It doesn't fit on the trailer so it needs it's own tow-vehicle. Which, by the way, gives Mom a bit of a chance to catch up on my reading (currently on Autism) via audiobook since all the kiddos want to ride in the RV. WooHoo!!(Don't tell them I said that ;)
However, we'd chosen our agency, been accepted as clients, and knew that those fingerprints were going to take a loooooong time to get processed at the FBI so we really wanted them on their way before we were on our way. And, we did it!! We'd already lost 6-12 weeks processing time on this adoption while we were in discussions with another agency that we were hoping to use. They got cold feet and we had to move on and find another agency to get these girls home.

Mark and I met, children in tow, at the fingerprinting place, which also serves about a hundred other functions apparently, such as mail boxes, money orders, various shipping modes, local billboard and on & on and on & on... Our man Saul was very gracious with our small crowd in his small storefront on top of his normal business crowd for a Friday afternoon. And, as soon as we were done and had laid down our cash, the dash began. Mark and the children went home to finish the dirtbike trailer pack-up and I went over to UPS to try and ship our fingerprints.I did say, "TRY," right?? Of all the funny things, the main UPS hub in our area doesn't have the capability to print a pre-paid return envelope, which I was told to include with our prints in order to help with the return shipping timeline!! Both of the people that work there are friends of mine, one from church and one through Special Olympics and church. So, I always choose to go there if I have anything to ship so I can have a little catch-up time. We all agreed that it seemed a bit odd that they could not do something that a contracting location could do! So, we had a bit of a visit, a bit of a chuckle and back to my dash! Found a UPS Store, did my business, including writing
URGENT: ADOPTION on the outside of the envelope in big fat red pen! Hopefully that finds us mercy and puts us near the top of someone's pile!!

Ran home, having been gone longer than I'd hoped and realizing I needed to feed my family which has become a bit of a challenge, one I'm up to, Thank you, Jesus! Last time I did a massive dietary change was 20 years ago and I was the chronically ill one! This time we're attacking all the little critters that are disturbing my Autistic, ADD, ADHD, and prenatally exposed children! See: http://www.noharmfoundation.org/index.html

if you are curious. The evidence amazed us! And we are working the protocol as a family.