So this gonna be another long entry so brace yourself (and yes it will be some what of a rant, but I think in this case I'm entitled to rant about this)...

So back in 2003, my house caught on fire (and no my birth certificate wasn't burned, it was no where near where the fire happened actually). It really wasn't that bad but it could've been. We moved into a hotel while some people came in and fixed the damage that was done and even redid our carpeting for us. We took what we could with us to the hotel and left everything else behind at the house, where all these people were taking the stuff we left behind and packing them into boxes. Well one thing my mother forgot to take with her that she really should've taken was OUR BABY BOOKS (mine and my older sisters), for inside these books contained our birth-certificates. So our baby books/birth certificates were left behind, in a house, with a bunch of strangers inside going through our personal stuff and packing them in boxes, bags, or...doing something else with our belongings...*ahem*. SO----when we finally are able to move back into the house, low and behold, what do we find? We don't find birth-certicates, that's for damn sure! They were gone, both mine and my sisters (my eldest sister still had hers because hers wasn't stuffed in a baby book). But me and my second eldest sister were left with no birth certificate, and you know what that means don't you?

What do you need to get a job? To get a drivers lisence? To get a social security card? To get or update your passport? To enter into the Navy? What do you need to basically prove you exist??? Drum roll please.............A BIRTH CERTIFCATE!!! Now keep in mind, this happened back in 2003, 8 years ago, when I was in the friggin 6th grade, when I wasn't old enough to get a driver's lisence or a car or get any valid form of identifcation for myself, when I was just an awkward little kid who didn't even know about this kind of stuff and the only thing stressing me out was going into the 7th grade. And guess what? I graduated from High School a year ago today! And guess what? I STILL don't have a job, or any kind of I.D., or a car, etc. I'm still living at home with my parents, and so is my second eldest sister. I turned 19 last year and will be 20 this year come August. My sister is going to be 22. And we still live at home. I know, how utterly pathetic right? In a world where making it on your own and having a job is key and makes you NOT look like a pathetic loser, my sister and I were dealt a short hand. Now my mom claims that she has both mine and my sisters passports (which I take with a giant SALT LICK considering my mother is a pack rat and she loses such things so easily) but even if she does, that's iffy since our pictures in said passports are just us as mere babies, no current picture of us is there.

Now I'm sure you going to tell me that I can just apply for a new one right? Just contact the hospital that we were born at in whatever state that was and ask for a new one, right? Well if only it were that easy. My sister and I were born over seas in Rota, Spain. My father was in the Navy and was stationed there, so my mom was living there too naturally, and was preggers with my sister and then I, and gave birth to us there...in SPAIN! My brother in law and his Aunt have tried to help me get a new one (which I am eternally grateful to them for trying), we've called people, and we even came close to getting a new one when we contacted (can't remember the name of this orginization) was it the Social Security Association or U.S. Department of State? Whatever, basically what we had to to do was have a notrized written request for a new one with my information on it, put in a check for $50.00, and here's the kicker.... and a VALID form of IDENTIFICATION! Ooooooppps!!! Don't have that. But we tried to use my old high school school ID just to see if that works and sure enough...they sent it back stating it was not valid. What do I need to get a valid form of identification you ask? Simple...I NEED A FUCKING BIRTH CERTIFICATE!!! So back to square 1 for me! What joy!

Not so easy now is it? I'm terrified of being cooped up in this house for rest of my life, or a good portion of it at least. I'm trying to join the Navy, for a lot of reasons, but one of them being that they can actually help me get my birth certifcate, I called a recruiter and he said it would be tough but he said he's gonna try and see what he can find out for me and call me back. That was 2-3 weeks ago, but I've gotten nothing left but hope so fingers crossed. That's not the only reason I want to join though, there are plenty of other reasons too, mostly because I'd actually be getting out of the house and doing something decent and honest with my time. Until then, there isn't a whole lot I can do, and it's not even my fault. Yes I know I'm wah-wahing and that's not gonna do any good and bla bla bla but I think I'm entitled to be PO'd about this. This is frustrating as HELL! Anyone know someone in the higher ups that I can reach out to about my special dilema or anyone know a way to get a copy of a birth-certificate for someone born abroad, please, I am all ears! I'd greatly appreciate it...