Smile for the Birdy!

After our case worker had suggested last month that we start looking into visas, I decided this week to get proactive about it and go ahead and have our photos taken. The more time we have to get these visas processed, the cheaper, so I'm thinking that if I already have the photos ready to go, I can overnight the paperwork immediately when the time comes and maybe save on some expedited fees, which equates to several hundreds of dollars saved. (All in a perfect world, right?)

Let me back up and tell you about my photo for my passport. Knowing that my passport was going to be good for 10 years or so, I wanted a good--no great--picture in there. I mean, there is nothing worse than taking a horrible driver's license picture and having to look at it for the next four years. So, I actually put earrings on and applied makeup for my passport debut. And, not trying to toot my own horn, it is truly one of the best pictures I've had taken in about 5 years. (Then again, it doesn't take a lot to beat the stay at home mom look I've got going on...)

Fast forward to the passport photos to be used for our visas... I actually had the photos taken last week, but I went back to the photo place this morning to have them redo them. Doug came home with his earlier this week, and well, they look really good. I noticed that mine had about 3 glare spots on my face, the printer put some kind of ghastly herpes looking sore on my bottom lip, and I was smiling. I vaguely remember reading that these visa pictures were to have a neutral expression. The photo place gladly offer to redo them for me this morning. In an effort to get rid of the glare, they closed every blind in the place. When that didn't work, they hauled out a huge bill board and covered the front door. When that didn't work, they had me tilt my glasses forward on my face. I somehow managed to entangle the ear pieces in my hair to get them to stay that way long enough for the girl to snap the picture, and alas it was met with success. Of course, I remembered to keep my "neutral" face on.

I look like a convict getting her picture taken after being fingerprinted. The only things missing are the orange overalls and the yardstick to measure your height behind the picture. The picture that will be seen by the Russian Consulate and attached forever in my beautiful, still crackles when you open it passport book, looks likes a mug shot. Makeup? No. Earrings? No. Happy to be going to Russia look? No. I did slap on the lip gloss just minutes before taking the picture, but that effort could be akin to trying to kill a plague of locust with a fly swatter. Trust me when I say that did NOTHING to make my photo more aesthetic! The lady showed Annsley the digital picture before she printed it out and said, "I think your mom should have smiled."