Red Tape

From Webster's dictionary...

Function: noun
Etymology: from the red tape formerly used to bind legal documents in England
Definition: official routine or procedure marked by excessive complexity which results in delay or inaction

I officially hate red tape. Not that anyone likes it, but I abhor it. Loathe it, even. If there was a theme for the adoption process, likely anyone's adoption process, it would involve red tape. I don't know this for a fact, but I highly doubt that any company actually makes red tape because of the negative connotation with it. If they do, then they might want to reconsider the marketing strategy around the product. Market it to people who have become so highly frustrated with red tape that they want to get a roll of it, and destroy it in some amazing fashion. Sales would go through the roof!!!!

The reason for my latest rant is because at the end of a long two weeks of going through the motions, we finally got our letters from the psychologist that basically state we are mentally fit to be parents. For those of you that know me, and have always thought I was nuts, I now have a paper that officially states that I am not! But, I digress.

We sent the letters overnight to a courier in Austin so that they could walk them over to the Texas Secretary of State's office to be apostilled. All the apostille process does is authenticate that the person who notarized our document is, in fact, a valid notary authorized by the state of Texas. So the courier did their job wonderfully, and the letters were received by our agency today.

Unfortunately, upon closer examination of the letters, the notary that the psychologist used stamped their name on the document instead of signing it. I honestly have never heard of a notary doing that, so that explains why it slipped past me in the first place. The stamped signature will not be accepted by the Russian courts. In fact, I can't think of ANY court that should accept a document using a stamped signature from a notary. Why they would do this in the first place is beyond me. So we have to get the letters redone all over again. Yeah, more paperwork!!!