US Department of State: Bureau of Consular Affairs

Passport nightmares!!

We applied for Robert's passport 4 weeks ago, the day after we found out we'd be traveling overseas. At the time I applied, I paid for expedited service...an additional $60. I also paid $14.60 for overnight return delivery. All of this in addition to the $52 for under-14 passport application fee + $30 to the county office that accepted my application. Usually, this extra fee gets you the passport within 2 weeks and according to their website their "goal is to make sure that no one misses a trip."

A week or so ago we found out from Kimberly, who applied 14 weeks ago and still hasn't gotten hers, that her aunt, who had expedited her passport 6 weeks earlier had just had to fly to Houston to pick it up so she could leave on her trip the next day. Not only did she have to incur those extra expenses, but she waited 7 hours for her 8am appointment AND they won't allow food or drink in the waiting room.

It now looks like I will be flying to Houston on Wednesday with a 5 month old to wait in a crowded, germy passport office for who knows how long, while they starve me and indirectly starve Robert. Meanwhile, I've prepaid for a service I am not being provided and for postage I will not use. I paid $30 to a passport acceptance office that did their job, but I am now required to duplicate their efforts by appearing in person. I will be demanding a refund for all three fees, but doubt I will receive one.

I understand that the new passport laws are putting the 6 national passport agencies in a frenzy to meet the demand. I'm sure that the powers-that-be did not consider the amount of staff and funding required to meet the demand they were creating when they passed these laws. I'm also sure that the cities in our area did not realize the lunacy of holding passport fairs every quarter so that every family member and the dog can apply for a passport easily whether they intend to travel or not. If this were a private company, they would have no customers, but since we are required to deal with this monopoly they plug along as inefficiently as possible demanding payment for services they know they can not provide. The only thing keeping me on this crazy roller coaster is the fact that we spent so much money on airfare!

So, think of me while you eat on Wednesday. I'll be the hungry and thirsty one not making enough milk for Robert the next 2 days.

Another trip!

I'm getting so excited that we'll be leaving for Frankfurt/Berlin in just a couple of weeks.

Robert and Doug and I will leave on May 26 for 10 days. This is the first time we've every flown with a baby. We're taking a young lady from church with us to help wrangle, so I hope 6 hands will be able to accomodate all the luggage and a baby.

There are so many exciting things to look forward to in this trip. I just hope it goes smoothly.