Joy completing the process of becoming a citizen in US!

[nancymervin]

When Basalt resident Joanne Tordoff recited the Pledge of Allegiance early this year, it wasn't something she automatically spit out from repetition as a school kid. Instead, it came from her heart.Tordoff, 42, a ski instructor at Aspen Highlands, was sworn in as a US citizen in Denver after years of submitting to background checks, filing endless paperwork, waiting patiently during a probationary period, then passing a civics test and — mostly importantly to her — swearing allegiance to her new country as last step in the process of becoming a citizen. Started the process in 2000 and green cards finally arrived in April 2005.