by Nick Smarto | Aug 23, 2010 | Friends and Parties, Photography
The Skvarla Wedding was far away in Indiana, so there wasn’t much opportunity for most of our friends to make it to the ceremony. It only seemed fitting that we throw a legendary party back home to celebrate the newlyweds.
One thing we know how to do is throw a legendary party.
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by Nick Smarto | Aug 19, 2010 | America, Photography, Travel
I’m proudly as close to a brother-in-law as I will ever be.
Last weekend, on Sunday, August 15th, Sarah Singleton became betrothed to one of my best friends, Michael Skvarla. I was proud to be a member of the groom’s party, and dare I say, I looked rather dashing in my tux along side of 5 of my best friends. 😉
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by Nick Smarto | Aug 12, 2010 | Italian Dual Citizenship
So lets talk about the elephant in the room, the naturalization certificate.
Disclaimer: Warning! This is going to be a long post, so if you want the readers digest version, here are some bullet points:
- Naturalization certificates may be difficult to get from a county court.
- The USCIS Genealogy program does not make certified copies. Don’t bother asking.
- In the event you can’t get a certified copy of a naturalization certificate from the court house where the naturalization happened, you may be able to file a Freedom of Information Act request to get these documents.
- It is unclear if the consulate will even require the naturalization certificates to be certified because it is so difficult to get a non-original. Asking your consulate is a good idea, and I erred on the side of caution by forcing myself to get a copy.
Now, the long version of the story:
My aunt Margie had sent me a photocopy of Sam’s naturalization certificate. I put off asking to borrow it, assuming it would be a simple matter. It was my foolish mistake to assume that she had the original document, but alas, our family record keeping isn’t as cohesive as I wish it were. So it was off to find the naturalization certificate myself. (This citizenship process is often a lonely one)
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