How many Hondurans need to call the Consulate in one day??

This is Johan and Lale goofing off last week. It is rare to find a picture of Lale with a smile.

I looked at the list of things that I needed to do according to what I found online and at the embassy website. I am a little bit more informed in what I need to do, however I do have questions, so I decided to call the Consulate. Now having had to call before to get information and make an appointment for my husband to get his passport, I know that they are busy. However these past couple of days I have been calling (for my husbands nephew as well - he is leaving with my husband and needs his passport) and the phone never rings. It always is busy. If I didn't know any better I would bet my money that when they open up at 9:30AM, they take the phone off the hook, and only replace it for 2 minutes every 3 hours until 4:00PM when they replace it for the night as they walk out the door, LOL. I mean seriously, are there that many Hondurans in MD, DC, VA, West VA, and Delaware calling the Consulate all day long for multiple days? I find that very hard to believe. They have an email address listed on the website. However it is a non working email address. Of course - why would they need a working email address?

Today, not only did I try to call the Consulate, I also packed up most of the DVD's so that when Lale leaves (he is trying to get a car so that he can pack most stuff up to save money by not shipping it via Zuleta) he can take it with him. That gives me one less thing to worry about and one less thing I have to pack. And it makes me feel like I did something useful, and productive, LOL.

So this is my list of things that I need to do in regards to speaking with the Embassy.

• find out if I have to apply for a resident visa for my kids, who can claim double citizenship, or if the fact that they have a double citizenship means I don't have to apply for them at all, they can just go. (which will save me close to $4000 in fees)
• find out what it is that I need to bring with me to the consulate so that I can file the paperwork needed so that they can claim this double citizenship
• make an appointment to file the paperwork before my husband leaves
• find out what I can do about this new baby since my husband wont be here when he is born, so that this baby can have double citizenship as well.
• get birth certificates, police record, health certificate and certificate of income for me and Andre and Jordan (and for everyone else if it comes out that I need it)
• all of these things need to be notarized
• all of these things need to be authenticated by the Distric Office of MD
• all of these things need to be authenticated by the State Department of Maryland
• all of these things need to be authenticated by the State Department nearest to the Consulate of Honduras in DC (not sure why it has to be authenticated by two state departments, but whatever...why make things easy?)
• THEN... take all of these things to the Consualte of Honduras to be authenticated.
• and all of these things have their own fees attached to them. I am not sure what the fees are by the district office and the state departments, but for the Consulate, it is $50 per page.
• I then need to fill out the application for the resident visa and sign it in front of the Consul. ($150 for that)
• I have to swear that I am not nor ever have been a member of the Communist Party. (thats $50 to swear that I am not a Communist - couldn't it be cheaper to swear that?)
• and then I need to pay another $50 to swear that I will abide by the rules of Honduras.

I so want to get ahold of them so that I can have in writing what it is exactly that I need to do, and a timeline to do it all then. I also know that once in Honduras, I have to get a lawyer there to help finish filing the paperwork there. I am not even thinking about what it is that I have to do here at home to get ready - I don't think I can handle all of that right now, LOL.

I thought that I would share a couple of pictures of my family, so that you can get to know the characters in this play called life.

This is Andre, my oldest son, who will be 12 in December. He is such a smart child. I almost said boy, but he really isn't a boy. He is a young man. ..:::gasp:::.. he is a preteen. When did that happen?

This is Jordan, who will be 10 in December. She is my big helper with her brothers and sisters. And she does it because she wants to, she is so good.

This is Micaella, aka Mickey. She is 4.5 and thinks she is 18, LOL. She is a little miss know it all, but is also a big helper.

This is Victoria aka Isa, and she is the quiet pretty easy going one. She is sneaky though. She will start a fight, but in such a way that if you didn't know her, you would never have known that she was involved. She is my moms "perfect little princess who can do no wrong" LOL. She is 3, but will be 4 in December

This is Johan, my 2 yr old Evil Kinevil. He is such a sweet heart, and he is such a momma's boy. He loves to be by my side, doing whatever he is doing as long as he is near me. He will come by me, give me a big hug and kiss and say to me Mommy, I love you.

This is Jolani aka Lana. She is my 1 yr old miracle baby girl. She has two moods. Happy and smiling all the time, or throwing a temper tantrum because things aren't going her way. I much prefer the smiling Lana to the Temper Tantrum Lana. She likes to give kisses as well.

Soon to be added to our family, is the new baby boy, who as of now is due in about 8 weeks, but since Lale isn't going to be here, the baby should be making his appearance in about 7 weeks. His first name will be Arles, after his father - and we will call him Lalito. His middle name has yet to be decided, but we have narrowed it down to three names. Levi, Moises, or Gabriel.

My husband will leave in a month - I will follow in 9 months

The plane ticket has been bought, and the bags are just about packed. Right now Lale is just doing last minute stuff and finishing up the month working before he leaves. I still have nine months until we leave. By we, I mean, me and our gaggle of children. By gaggle I mean 7 kids.

• Andre - my almost 12 yr old son.
• Jordan - my almost 10 yr old daughter.
• Micaella (Mickey) - my 4.5 yr old daughter.
• Victoria (Isa) - my almost 4 yr old daughter. (yes I will have two 4 yr olds at the same time - Mickey and Isa are 10 months apart)
• Johan - my 2.5 yr old son.
• Jolani - my just turned 1 yr old daughter
• Lalito - my yet to be born (due in 8 weeks) son.

With the exception of last night, I have yet to cry over the fact that my husband is leaving. I don't know if it is just out of pure exhaustion from not being able to sleep, or being very good at putting it out of my mind. I know as the day gets closer, the tears will begin to fall. I don't want to have this baby and him not be there. I don't want the baby to be 7 - 8 months old the first time that Lale gets to meet him in person. But that is the way it has to be, and I understand it totally. My father in law, whom I love so much, is in Honduras taking care of all of our stuff, and buy stuff I mean, our land, and our animals, and overseeing our house being built - or being finished I should say, and fighting with the helpers that are supposed to be working on the land - but instead they spend all of their time complaining. And my father in law is just to old to be dealing with that. He isnt in that great of health, and its just time that Lale goes back. It is time for us to take care of him, and let him rest. So I am not complaining that he has to come back, it is just upsetting that we can't all go as a family. Thats all.

Meanwhile I have about 9 months to do what I need to do so that I will be ready to go, and it seems like it is so far away, but really, it will be here before you know it. I am a little nervouse about going. More so about leaving my mom I guess. I talk to my mom 4 or 5 times a day usually, but once we are there, it will be much less frequently. And I think I will be going through mom withdrawel, LOL.

My husband is worried that I am not going to go, that I will change my mind at the last minute. I had to laugh because he said to me I had to let him bring two of the kids as collateral, so that I HAVE to go, LOL. He is so silly. I so don't want to be away from him again. (He went to Honduras back in '03 for 10 months and it was hard for me.) I am going to miss him everyday. I am trying to show him how to use the internet so that I can send him emails, and post pictures of the kids online so that he can see them grow, without me spending so much money on mailing stuff down there. Or to tide him over in-between the picture shipments.

Things that I have to do before I leave -

• Call the consulado/embajada and get copies of all papers that I need.
• get enough money for everything that I need (which is LOTS of money, LOL).
• get Honduras passports for all the kids - this needs to be done before my husband leaves.
• get USA passports for all the kids - get the papers that need to be signed and notarized done before my husband leaves.
• get everyones paperwork and have it all notarized and certified and what not.
• find a reliable company to ship my stuff down there.
• pay off the van and ship it down.
• but the plane tickets.
• start weeding out things I don't need to take.
• there is a bunch more, but my brain is going blank right now.

Try to talk my mom into going down with me to help me get settled, and to help with everyone on the plane. (Can you imagine - me alone, with 5 kids ages 5 and under, plus the older two, on a plane for approx 6 hours, and a layover - which means I have to shepard them all to another plane. Sounds like fun to me! Not.)

How I almost wrecked my car

When I used to deliver newpapers, I used to love to listen to "Juan Leche" in the morning and when I heard this one I was laughing so hard that I seriously almost crashed.

Jay Leno's Thoughts on Unhappy Americans

"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.

Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes , an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. , yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have , and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here. I know, I know.

What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative."

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Jay Leno

Today I Will Make A Difference

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble... I will get up. It’s OK to fail... I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

Max Lucado; from: "Shaped by God"; source: "Weekly Inspiration from Max Lucado"; www.MaxLucado.com