Spanish Consulate

So today was the BIG DAY!  My appointment was at 9:00 AM at the Spanish Consulate in LA to put in my application for the "Nacionalidad Ley de la Memoria Historica, otherwise known as trying to get my Spanish Citizenship.  My Mom already got hers and Tim was working on getting his.  I didn't want to try and fight traffic, so Mom and I stayed in LA at the Hyatt.  We got up bright and early and previously had made sure we had all the proper paperwork...Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Passports, I couldn't tell you how many we had.. for Me, my Parents, my Grandparents...Files and files!  We get there with 30 minutes to spare.  We went up to one of the three windows to let them know we were there.  The lady handed us a paper and said we needed the original and three copies of each of the specified documents.  WHAT COPIES!!!  and our appointment was in now 25 minutes!  I left Mom at the Consulate and ran downstairs to ask the front desk man where the nearest copies could be made.  He said across the street, but he didn't think they opened until 9:00AM!  I felt like I was in the "Amazing Race"! I thought should I get in my car and drive about 10 blocks to an Office Max I had seen, or should I just go to the place near by?  I figured that by the time I got in my truck, and drove, the copy place close by would be open, and it, in fact could be open at this very moment.  So off I walked, and thank goodness it was open!  I made my bazillion copies, and hurried back to the the Consulate.  We met some other people that we also trying to get their citizenship, it was their 6th time there and they hoped, that this time they would have ALL the papers they needed. Ahhh! 6th time I thought!...I'm for sure doomed!  And the last day to apply for the application was in 7 days!  Well, to make a long story short..I had all the proper papers and copies and now all I have to do is wait for notification from the Spanish Consulate that I need to bring in passport photos and some money to get my Spanish Passport!

I thought it was funny that they had a picture of the King of Spain, Juan Carlos, and then a Lakers Jersey from Pau Gasol.