Passport

Now that I have tentatively decided to plan a trip -- and I realize that sounds pretty vague; I don't know where I will go or when -- I'm getting my ducks in a row. Last week I pulled up the application for a passport, only to discover a few issues before I even started filling it out. The first was easy enough to solve: I didn't have my birth certificate. In fact, I had never even seen my birth certificate, although I knew it existed because, as I told my son, I am proof that I was born. I had all the information, and it was easy enough to contact the vital records department in DC and have a certified copy sent. It came in yesterday's mail.

The next problem is that I'm not entirely sure whether I have ever had a passport before. I know I have been places where I probably needed one, but I really don't remember getting one. If I did, it was a long time ago. One of the questions on the form asks about that. What if I answer incorrectly? Will I be denied? Will it slow down the process? As it is, the application process takes six to eight weeks. Unless, of course, I pay an additonal fee for it to be expedited. Which leads me to the next issue, the cost.

I don't really mind paying $110 for a passport, if that's what it really costs. But my son just got his passport a few years ago and he said it was under fifty dollars. Is he misremembering? Has it gone up that much in a few years? It doesn't matter. I'm pretty sure I was on the government website, so it costs what it costs. I just need to double-check. (And by the way, this methodical approach is different for me, but I kind of like it. This way I don't have to stress that I will plan a trip and my departure date will arrive before my passport does.) Once I fill out the paperwork and get other paperwork back from the government, I have to take it to one of our local post offices along with my birth certificates, get my photo snapped, and I'll be good to go -- wherever I want.