One of the days in May, Brad and I had to make a quick day trip to NYC for a Czech Consulate appointment I had scheduled. Mama needed to renew her Czech passport as it was expiring in the Fall and at the same time I needed to update to my married name (thus, Brad needed to accompany me to sign off on paperwork in person). We left early morning Thursday and dropped the boys off at our friend's house in Bemus, and drove to Buffalo airport. Thanks to Josh, who is a JetBlue pilot, we flew standby to NYC to avoid having to make the drive and lucked out getting on the exact flights we planned on. We got into NYC a couple hours earlier which gave us time to walk around Central Park and have a beautiful brunch date at Sarabeth's. My interview appointment was not even an hour long because I came so well prepared (thanks to my mom.). We caught the next flight back to Buffalo and made it home just in time to tuck the boys into bed, by this point they were with their babysitter back at the house.
All this hoopla around my Czech passport renewal and the 3 month paperwork and Apostille process, that I simultaneously applied for my US citizenship. Took me all but 29 years to finally do this, LOL. I have never really had a reason to in the past because my permanent residence allowed me to go to college and work just like any other citizen, and I never felt I want to give up my CZ nationality. Fortunately, in 2014, because of new EU regulations, the Czech Republic finally allows dual nationalities. I saw this as an opportunity to get my US citizenship AND keep my Czech/ EU citizenship. So after a few appointments in Buffalo, in lightning speed, I was granted my US citizenship and passport--- the day before my 36th birthday! Leave it to Buffalo, NY to expedite this process so efficiently when in Los Angeles it can take a year to multiple years.
The best part is that at the airport our family is no longer split apart at Customs when we travel internationally, and because I'm still a Czech national, the boys automatically qualify for a Czech/ EU citizenship and passport!! It will take another year of paperwork and NYC Czech Consular appointments, but at the end of this, the boys will also be dual citizens and have both a US and EU passport. The kind of opportunities and doors this opens for them is endless- educationally, work-wise, and travel-wise they will be close to being world citizens and that is one of the best gifts I could pass down to my kids!
post- NYC morning snuggles….. the boys sure did miss us while we were gone for the day.
A Czech summer camp they offer in NYC every summer…. something to think about, so the boys can continue to practice the language and connection to the Czech culture
Summer came early in May, and we got to enjoy boating much earlier than expected!
Memorial Day parade!
Bemus gets really into the holiday, and for the first time, we participated in the parade and decorated our golf cart. It was a bast and we will definitely plan to do this every year! The boys loved waving at everyone and throwing candy into the crowd… we saw so may familiar faces. It almost felt like we were celebrities, ha!
The Glow Zumba and Glow in the dark yoga I attended one of the nights in May.
Farm-to-Table dinner at the Athenaeum Hotel in Chautauqua.
Lovely dinner event with our friends.
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