
. Brass Munkeys play 50-60s Jive, Swing music--the big band sound. It was fun having them at the reception.
Showmanship was awesome. For some of our guests, it was the first time they saw that kind of entertainment--another plus! Regarding the church requirements, I had to go home twice to fulfill the necessary requirements. There was no way around it unfortunately.
In lieu of the Discovery Weekend, Mike and I had the 1 day CEFA

I am happy to report that I am now a citizen of the United States.
I had my U.S. Citizenship Interview and Exam last Tuesday, July 12th. So, two days after I got back from Manila, I was seriously cramming for the oral and written exam -- which I managed to pull off -- work, jetlag and all. I was a bit nervous and worried...but I passed.
(Yes, they tell you the same day whether your citizenship application has been approved or denied). After the interview, the INS officer told me I should be receiving the Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony in a couple of weeks. A COUPLE OF WEEKS?! OH NO!!! My wedding's in a few weeks, and I have to wait A FEW WEEKS for the oath taking ceremony notice?! Definitely a conflict of schedules here. On one hand, I thought I could always reschedule my oath taking ceremony if it should fall a week or days before the wedding, but at the same time, I didn't really want to postpone it. Applying for U.S. Citizenship is no joke -- I had to wait close to two years for this. I was stressing -- UNTIL last Thursday. I was sorting the mail when I got back from work when I saw the letter from the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service. "This CAN'T be good," I thought. "Not good at all." I just had my interview two days before and receiving a notice from the INS that soon CAN'T be good. Before I opened the letter, I ran several scenarios in my head -- "we're sorry, your application had to be denied," or "Please report back to the BCIS office for further interview.." or "you are missing documents..." It HAD to be bad. I got the surprise of my life when I opened the letter -- it was the Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony. Shocking!!!
I am to appear on July 27 for the U.S. Citizenship Oath Taking Ceremony. Woohooo!!! Next Week!!!! That fast!! I was soooo happy and relieved. I didn't have to wait. Shucks, and the guy said I had to wait a couple of weeks. 
I guess it's time for me to start memorizing the Star-Spangled Banner. 