Letter from Jackie...

Hi Jeff,

If you would please post this on BLOG for me, that would be great! Thanks!
Jackie





Hello, my dear in-law family...

This is probably going to be quite long, so please bear with me! I wanted to write you all, and this is for everyone, Mom N, Randy's brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and all of their spouses, children, etc!

I wanted to let you all know about a process I have begun, and that is the step-parent adoption by Russell of Kristen and Karina. The thought process in doing this has been a long time in coming, and for that there are several reasons, but I want to include you all in this each step of the way as Kristen and Karina's daddy's family.

Russell and I have been married now for 10 years, and Kristen is now 17, about to turn 18 in September, and Karina will turn 16 this coming May. We have been talking for years about the probability that someday Russell will adopt the girls, but given their ages now has to be the time if we are going to do it. There is a very real practical reason for an adoption, and it has to do with citizenship and the USCIS-United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

As you may or may not know, when Russell and I became engaged and planned for the girls and I to move to the States, it began a very long and expensive process. It was a trail of red tape and paperwork that involved forms, consulate visits, medical exams, and waiting. The INS, as it was known back then, had to be very sure that we were not wanting to come into the States for any other reason other than for me to marry Russell and for us to become a family. Then, when we were approved, and we moved south of the border, we had to complete more paperwork immediately upon getting married to "adjust our status" and a few months later, again, after expense and paperwork, became conditional temporary residents. Two years later, the three of us became permanent residents, or legal "aliens", (boy do I love that term- NOT!), but that is the legal term by which they call us here, meaning that we have green cards. We have most of the rights and responsibilites of US Citizens, except for of course the fact that we cannot vote, or serve in the military or other positions that require US citizenship. The green card is issued every 10 years,and ours are up for renewal in 2013, for a fee of I believe $290 per person.

As most of you know about me, I was born in England, and apart from 5 years of my life, lived in Canada after my parents emmigrated in 1969, for most of my life until age 31. That whole time I was a permanent, legal resident of Canada but not a citizen. After I turned 18, I couldn't vote. I finally applied for and became a proud Canadian citizen right before I moved to the US! And now of course, I cannot vote here! It is very frustrating to live in a place where you cannot vote and have a say in the government! At some point in the future I may decide to apply for US Citizenship, as I have experienced living in a country where you are not a citizen twice now, and would like to vote at some point in my life! I would like my daughters to have that opportunity. Most people assume that after this long, the girls and I are automatically US Citizens simply because I married a US citizen, but I'm here to tell you that is not the case! As Kristen rapidly approaches turning 18, and Karina not far behind her, I want them both to have all the opportunities and chances available to them, and since they are probably going to live here for most of their lives now, like me, it will be so much easier for them to obtain their US citizenship this way, and become dual citizens of both Canada and the US.

If a child is adopted by a US citizen before they turn 18, that child automatically becomes a US citizen themselves, without having to go through all the red tape, paperwork and $675 naturalization fee per person. At some point in the future, we will have to still apply for a citizenship certificate for them, at a fee of $420 pp, but that's still a good bit less than the other fee!

Karina has expressed an interest in possibly joining the US National Guard, she is thinking of either going into pediatrics or dentistry, and they have a training program where they put their recruits through all their schooling, in return for a weekend a month of service. Of course, there is the possibility of them being deployed to any of the world's trouble spots,of which we are well aware. Kristen's boyfriend has just joined with them and has begun his journey to be a doctor with them. Karina would be eligible to join them if that's what she decides sometime during her 11th grade school year, as long as she is a US citizen by then.

The process which I have just begun of this step-parent adoption should be quite simple;we can file the paperwork ourselves at our local courthouse and then wait for a date with the judge. Because of the nature of our case and the unfortunate fact that their father has been deceased for some time, we don't forsee any problems, and we will only have a filing fee to pay versus hiring a lawyer to do it for us. It's supposed to take somewhere in the vicinity of 3-4 months to complete.

Kristen and Karina have asked us over the years if we were planning on Russell adopting them ever, and they are both agreeable and excited about it,both for the opportunities becoming able to be a US citizen will give them, and to officially be Russell's daughters as opposed to step-daughters. Although, that distinction has never been an issue or a problem, the girls have always regarded Russell as their dad and them as his daughters. It's just that officially being his daughters will give them citizenship in the easiest, quickest, most economical way. They have expressed however that they do want to keep the last name they have had all their lives, so their names will not be changing, they will still be Naylors, and both Russell and I are perfectly okay with that.In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way.

That being said, I want you all to know, and it is my deepest and most fervent prayer that you do, that Randy is not being dishonored by this process. First and foremost, God blessed Randy and I with Kristen and Karina, and it is through the two of them that he lives on. The three of us all lovingly and fondly remember our dear husband and daddy, and always will. Nobody will ever take his place. All of our 10 years together, Russell has been the most supportive and loving husband to me and daddy to the girls, and has loved them from the beginning of our marriage as his own. People that don't know our situation assume that the girls are his, and are very surprised if they find out , especially if they have known us for a while, because everyone acts and is family. He understands when we have bad days and understands on sad anniversaries when we are missing Randy, and wouldn't have it any other way. The girls love Randy, and he will always be with them, guiding them,and always hold a special place in their hearts. In fact, when Kristen gets married, she is going to carry pansies in her bouquet -she says that way her daddy will be with her, she remembers how those pansies grew wild for 2 or 3 years at the cemetery and how Mom N made those beautiful dried flower pictures with them!

Anyway, I felt like I owe you, as Randy's family, the respect and courtesy of the knowledge of the proceedings down here and the reasonings behind them. Most importantly, I hope you all understand that this step parent adoption in no way takes anything, the title of "daddy" , or the love, away from Randy. We loved him then, now, and forever. If any of you have any thoughts, comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me!
,
I'm so glad that Randy has a big family, I just wish we could see you all more often! Or at all! Maybe this summer... I am thinking of doing a driving holiday... but we'll see...

Love,
Jackie, Kristen and Karina