And my vote goes to...

It began with my decision in January to take the big step. Then came the lengthy paperwork, which I dropped into the mailbox with a weighty *thud* a couple of weeks later. I recall wondering how long its journey through "the system" would take. In May, an official colorfully-watermarked letter arrived to confirm that my application was being processed, along with news of my appointment date and a 15-paged Cliff's Notes of American History. After some cramming, I took a deep breath, gulped down a shot of hot cocoa, and marched into the cold stone building for the interview. A few weeks later, another letter arrived, telling me that I had been approved for naturalization (or, as some friends call it, "de-alienation", and my favorite, "final assimilation").

[hands clasped, verklempt] "You like me! You must really like me!"

On July 15, I joined a wonderfully diverse group of 1,456 applicants representing 110 countries to take the naturalization oath in a grand ceremony at the Masonic Auditorium. My most memorable moments - when I whooped loudly with everyone else at the MC's declaration that "You will no longer have to stand in long immigration lines!"; and when each of the 110 countries were announced, some of which no longer exist (e.g., Czechoslovakia, the USSR, and Yugoslavia).

At the conclusion of the ceremony, I pushed through the masses with a single focus - Must...Register...To...Vote! As we round the final bend of this very historic election year, needless to say, I'm freakin' ecstatic to be a part of it!