Passport

I got a surprise in the mail today.  My new passport arrived.  I didn't expect it until near the end of the month.  I thought renewing my passport would be a big hassle because my last one expired a couple decades ago and it was in my married name which I haven't used in even more time.  So I thought I'd have to supply all the documentation for who I am.  All they needed was the old passport (with a much better picture than the current one - but I was a lot younger then), my birth certificate, and drivers license.  I applied in person at a post office on December 19th.  They told me it would take 5-6 weeks to arrive.  But in just a hair over 2 weeks, I have it.  Hopefully my birth certificate will come back in the next day or so.  They send it in a separate mailing for some reason.

Despite big budget cuts at the State Department, and it being right over the Christmas-New Years holidays, they processed my application with little delay.  Kudos to the State Department.  My taxes at work and very good service.

Now, I can go anywhere I please.  I won't have to avoid the Canadian border. 

update:  The State Dept returned my birth certificate along with my old passport in another week.  The birth certificate was folded in half.  The old passport had 2 holes punched in it across the computer number.