Gotta Have a Passport

My Passport

Getting a passport is not all that difficult....at least it shouldn't be. It only involves a few simple steps. I went on line, completed the application, and printed it. One of those steps is having your photo made. Mistake number One.... I decided that I would wait until after Christmas to do the photo thing....that way I would have time to lose some weight. Now what person in their RIGHT mind plans to lose weight during Christmas? I finally stopped in Walgreens to just get it over! I swear I do not know that person on the little two by two square they handed me! I looked around to see if there was a person behind me that was having a bad hair day and they got us mixed up. But alas! No one else was there to blame.

 Next, I dug out my birth certificate and headed to the County Clerk's office. I presented the application, someone else's photo, my license, and my birth certificate. This is where I encountered mistake number Two. Just because your birth certificate has stood firmly by you for 62 years, had gotten you into school, went with you on a cruise, knows your mother and daddy, and was good for its word for any questions, doesn't mean it is going to get you a passport. It was not CERTIFIED! I could complete an application and wait four to six weeks, or I could drive to Nashville and pick up a certified copy the same day. This morning, after the ice melted a little, off to Nashville I went....being driven by King of Patience. 

I can't imagine anyone driving alone in downtown Nashville.  You need one person to steer the wheel while the other squints and tries to read street names two blocks away, spot one way signs and yell, "Not this way!", call out a lane switch when it is about to end,  and stomp the imaginary brakes in the floor on the passenger side.  The driver just has to follow directions and screech profanities.   

We arrived at our destination only to find that there was NOT a parking spot for several blocks. I knew there had to be a parking garage somewhere because we kept passing the exit......we just couldn't find the entrance. Finally we spotted an empty space....with a meter... a few blocks away. Nothing like a brisk walk in misty rain and no umbrella. And you can imagine how well things were going with King Patience after driving in downtown Nashville, couldn't find a parking spot, and now walking a half mile in the rain with NO umbrella.

 It only took a couple of minutes to get my CERTIFIED copy... once I handed them a check. I headed straight for the Clerks Office as soon as we got back to Clarksville. I was so happy to show them that freshly printed certificate. I was even thinking about framing it when I got home.....only to have the lady take it, STAPLE it to the application, and tell me that she had to send the original........... I am of the opinion that if anyone from a foreign country has this much trouble getting into the US, they are likely looking for a hole in the fence right now.

Inside the front cover of my Passport. 
Note:  The Passport photo will NOT be posted.......