Passport application 1.0

It's My Pony and I'll Cry if I Want To

Up North today it was a beautiful, sunny 20 degrees. Perfect day to apply for a passport and hit the sledding hill "don't ya think?" So we all jumped in the van and headed to the license center. A forgotten checkbook and errors on a form quickly made this seemingly simple errand quite an ordeal. I applied for four of the kids' birth records only to discover that I had left my checkbook at home.

For children 16 and under, both parents are required to appear during the passport application. Since Michael is currently in Germany on business, before he left, he filled out a special form for each child and had it notarized. Unfortunately, he signed in the wrong section of the form (the directions are rather confusing.) Too bad we didn't discover this right away. I could have left my own application there, but I couldn't pay the fee with my pocket change. So we headed home to retrieve the checkbook and go sledding.

While backing down our terribly steep, north facing driveway (it gets very little sun and so the snow never melts off all the way) we slid into the bank at the bottom. For a brief moment we were stuck, but then my killer get-the-van-free-or-die instincts kicked in and soon we were on our way. Go Mom! We pull up in the parking lot and discover that I have left the snow gear in the laundry room. Another trip home to get the snow pants. Most of you are probably thinking, "The heck with this!" but I promised the kids some sledding time and they had so very patiently waited at the license center that I had to follow through. Those who choose to go sledding had a great time. Zoey's day was ruined however because I had packed the WRONG hat. She wanted the purple fleece one with the flower detail. All she could muster was to sit on the playground pony and cry. Part of me wanted to cry too. Instead, we drove back to the license center and collected the four birth certificates. There was no line. The lady knew me by name. Heck, by this time she probably knew all the kids' names too.


Today we practiced getting our passports. Hopefully the next time will go a little smoother.