Ok, see this kid... she's mine. I tend not to talk too much about her on my blog because she is 15 AND 1/2 and I try to respect her privacy and all that - blah, blah, blah. But I love her, she is indeed perfect, and was the first of my gifts to engulf my heart! Our firstborn, only child for 4 years, that somehow still thinks she is an only child. So, if you see her, believe me when I say that it is quite useless to inform her that she is actually one of five!
ANYWAYS, she is being all grown-up-like and traveling SOLO (bestill my heart) to visit her grandparents in Floida for spring break. This is a first for me. She's a smart cookie and fiesty to boot so I am confident that she will be fine. Just one of those steps toward clipping the apron strings...
A little background info:
We spent forever choosing her name when I was pregnant with her. We played the "name game" for hours, made all the lists, bought all these name books, made more lists and finally chose
ALLISON NICOLE
(lovely isn't it?!)
Being our first you can be assured her paperwork was filled out impeccably, checked and checked again. However, some lady down at the Birth Certificate place hit an extra key and her Birth Certificate actually arrived in the mail as
Allison Nichole.
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! See that "h" in her middle name? It is not suppose to be there! Seems pretty harmless though, doesn't it?
Let me tell you, I was completely freaking out, at the time, because back then I really did sweat the small stuff. :) Called that office and they assured me it was a clerical error done by a woman covering for their usual lady (she had called in sick), her name was still what we chose and had filled out on the paperwork, and reissued a new birth certificate. Only thing was that her first Birth Certificate with the spelling error triggered her Social Security Card to be issued and... guess what... it arrived with the wrong spelling of the middle name. UGH! So, being young and not really on top of things, I just threw that incorrect social security card into our filing cabinet and haven't needed it since. Oh, we've needed the number off of it for all kinds of things, but never actually the card itself. So while on the list-to-do, it has never boiled to the top.
Let me tell you - 15 AND 1/2 years later it has boiled to the top!
Guess what I found out today... in order to get on a plane, as a young adult (not an unaccompanied minor) you need a government issued photo identification card. I called the BMV to see how she could get an Ohio Identification card. They mentioned that she could get her driver temp liscense and that would work as her identification card. Perfect! Since she just asked me to take her this week for the test anyways. But guess what paperwork is required to get that?
a Birth Certificate AND a Social Security Card
(matching of course!)
I let them know ours were not a "matching set". They said to go to the SS office and get a new card before coming to take the driver's temp test. Which she needs to do to get that identification card. Which she needs to board the plane.
So I called our SS office, explained to them why they didn't match, and could we get a new card issued. Of course, they said, just bring in her birth certificate and a government issued identification card... WHAT?!
Believe me if I had that card I wouldn't be needing this stinkin replacement Social Security Card!
They decided that if I brought her health insurance card that had both her name and my name on it with her birth certificate and my drivers liscense that they could issue her a replacement card...
in 2 weeks!
So, because a lady 15 and 1/2 years ago called in sick - a woman covering for her made a typo - which caused an incorrect birth certificate - which triggered an incorrect social security card to be issued - which is needed for a driver's temp liscense- which is needed as a government issued identification card- which is needed for my solo flying teenager to get on a plane - which caused MANY MANY phone calls today and a long overdue trip to the social security office. Whew.
Now let's hope she passes her test! Because that is now the lynchpin in getting her on that plane. So, if you see her, PLEASE... PUH-LEASE, wish her luck on her drivers temp test!
