So the first step in getting ready for the next big thing was a passport. You can’t really travel outside the country without one. So after reviewing the process, I decided to fill out the applications online and then print out the pre-filled forms. For first-time passport applications, you have to use the form DS-11. It was a pretty simple form, not very long, and only asked for basic identification information and an emergency contact. Once in hand, these, along with our supporting documents, would need to be submitted to an acceptance agency. For supporting documents, we used our original birth certificates, and our valid state driver licenses.

I was able to make an appointment on-line for our local post office and when the day came, we arrived at our appointment 10 minutes early with all documents and copies of all documents in-hand. Our post office also offered a passport photo service. I figured it would be easier to have everything done in one place rather than going to another location for the photo. We also keep a PO Box here, so the employee that helped us knew our faces. Once we started, she quickly went through our documents and had all the information verified and ready to mail to the State Department in under 10 minutes. It’s kind of interesting that you can’t use your debit card to pay the State Department, but you can use it to pay the Post Office. I guess is just another way that our government extorts a few extra dollars from us when we purchased the money orders to pay them with. Anyway, an extra $2.50 seemed like a small price to pay to get this taken care of. Once this was done, the postal employee took us to another room to take our pictures. Again, this went very quickly. Once it was all done she told us that we would be receiving our passports in the mail. She also said that it may be sooner, but it could take as long as 12 weeks before they arrived.

On a side note, for the supporting documents, they actually keep your original birth certificate and mail it to the State Department with the rest of the paperwork. Supposedly they will return it when they send the passport. Also, we opted for the standard passport books only. The other options were the extra long passport book, and/or the passport card. While the passport card would be more convenient to carry, it only works for land border crossings, and some ports when you travel by boat. It also can’t be used for any international air travel. We also didn’t get the extended version. I’m not sure if we’ll need it or not but since it’s only valid for 10 years, I figure we should have enough pages for our first go at international travel. But who knows what the future holds or where we might find ourselves. I really hope we can fill these up before they expire. If we do, then next time we may opt for the extra long ones. That’s all for now. Keep pressing toward the mark and I hope to see you again at a later date…

Still hopeful,
Dave.