Expired passports

Monday night was a restless one for me (Tracie). It seems I have a hard time turning off the voices in my head. Before you call the doctor, there is actually only one voice usually, my own. This voice rarely sleeps and keeps a running tally of all my to do tasks. Those tasks have been multiplied as we have gotten closer to our leave time so, subsequently, the voice has gotten a little more chatty at all hours of the night. Since I couldn't sleep with all that talking, I got up around 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning and started my day. Actually, that is probably the quietest times of day at my house so I sat at the computer ready to work.

My first task was to apply for our electronic visas for Australia. For a fee, of course, but at least I could do it on line. Filling out form number 4, for Betty, I realized, to my horror, that her passport expired on February 3rd, 2007. Yes, expired! It was with fear and trembling that I examined the remaining passports of Bonnie and Mary only to discover that they, too, were no longer valid. The voice in my head was now yelling at me for being such an idiot as to not verify these dates sooner than one week before travel time.

After Googling (is that really a word?) expedited passports, I realized that I am not the only irresponsible person in the United States and that it was possible to fix my major mistake. Richard and I headed to the post office in Breckenridge only to be told we'd need to go to Denver. Considering our plethora of free time this sounded great. We called the automated number to make an appointment for the first available time which would be Friday at 9:30 a.m.

Here's a slight run-down of Friday:

6 a.m. Rise (don't shine)

6:30 a.m. Pancakes

7-7:30 a.m. Yell at kids to hurry up and eat and get dressed

7:35 a.m. Load up the gang and head to Kinko's to get pictures (for a fee, of course)

7:40 a.m. Richard fill up the car while we do pictures

7:50 a.m. On the road to Denver

9:15 a.m. Arrive at the passport agency (thanks to our handy dandy navigation system...thanks again Tim!)

9:30 a.m. Stand in line to get a number then sit and wait until...

10:15 a.m. Number 23 is called and we go to the window. All our papers are in order, yea, and we sign this and that. We give her payment, including special fees for idiots like me who need the passport fast, and are told to return at 2:30 p.m. for the goods.

10:30-2:30 p.m. Do stuff we can't do in Frisco (see pictures) like Lowe's and Chipotle. We also went to a Target looking for bug spray. Evidently it is a seasonal item here in Colorado. In Texas, it is a year-round necessity, kind of like food.

2:15 p.m. Sally christens the new van by throwing up while we are pulled over on I-225 North. Thanks, Betty, for letting us know or it would have been much worse.

2:45 p.m. Get our hot little hands on the passports and head to the hills.

Probably too much information for some of you, but the family will get a laugh, I hope. Although it was inconvenient to go through all of this, I see God working in the timing of this minor trauma. Tuesday morning, after discovering my passport mistake, I went to the ladies' Bible study at our church. The ladies prayed for me and my passport issues as well as for my sleep problems. Well, the passport thing worked out (for a fee, of course) and I have slept all night every night since then. When asked today at church by several ladies from Bible study how I have been sleeping, we praised God together for His answer to prayer.

Thank you so much for your comments! I already have tears reading the sweet remarks. The fact that you'd take the time to read this and be interested in our lives means a lot!

Two more days until lift off,

Tracie