A Pleasant Surprise

I am usually one to hope for the best and expect the worst. Not in any extremely negative way...I would just say I'm optimistically cautious. So, naturally, I was needlessly worried about having given myself enough time to have my passport renewed. The travel.state.gov site told me that the current processing time for renewing a passport was 4-6 weeks, and I was cutting it kinda close by sending in my renewal application about 9 weeks before my trip.

Of course there was also the alarming notion that I messed up my application. I had all but convinced myself I had not followed the strict guidelines correctly, and would surely be receiving notification of my failure any day- to make my renewal deadline that much shorter i.e., even more nerve racking. I obsessively checked the passport site to see the status of my renewal, and was always met with the same vague, not so informative or reassuring message: "processing". So, I called the number listed on the passport site to speak to a real, live person. Surely a real, live person would be able to elaborate even just a little bit more on the status of my passport, right? Wrong. I was informed that I would have to send a hand written letter with my questions to get any specific answers. Ugh.

Welp, two weeks after I had sent in my passport renewal application I got a text from Lenny saying I had received official government mail. I knew it. I screwed up. The only good thing is that it was only two weeks in. I texted Lenny back that I was probably denied my passport, and could he please open up the envelope and tell me what it was? A moment later his reply was "hint: the pic is cute!"

I had been so resigned to the fact that I was going to be denied, that I didn't even entertain the idea that I would receive my passport so soon! It hadn't even been a full two weeks, let alone two business weeks, yet when I opened the envelope there it was- my new passport, in all it's official government document glory. Looking just as important and official as ever. Crises averted. I can follow directions after all! I can now rest easy knowing I can officially travel to my foreign destinations. It was a good day.