On Thursday we had to get the passport application going for the kids so we can go to Canada for a couple days this summer. Thank goodness Abe came along because if I had done this alone, I would have been out of my mind by the end of the process. But because I had Abe with me, it was actually a really fun loooooong adventure–for Abe and me, at least. All of the kids were home sick, and I felt really bad for them because Mary especially was not feeling well at all and so all this go-around was hard on her.
The first thing we did was go to Costco for pictures, which was a little dicey because I didn’t realize our card had expired. I was also worried that my Visa wouldn’t go through because sometimes, for no reason at all, it doesn’t work. I didn’t know how to explain that the issue was honestly the card and not the fact that I couldn’t pay for the pictures, and I must not have explained it right because the Costco lady took pity on me and said she would pay for the pictures herself if the card didn’t work. I was so touched at what a kind person she was; she clearly thought I was in some sort of financial straits and was so willing to sacrifice to help me. I was also really grateful when my card worked.
After an hour in Costco, we headed to get Abe and then to the Orem Civic Center. I thought I had all of the documents but when our turn came in line, the civic center lady reminded me that I needed everyone’s birth certificates. So I ran home and grabbed the folder where we keep those, only to discover upon returning that we never received birth certificates for Ammon or Clarissa. Apparently in Provo you have to request these in person after the birth.
So we drove to Provo, requested birth certificates, received birth certificates, and then tried to find the Provo office for passports. We wandered through three different civic buildings before finally finding the correct office. It was a beautiful day full of sunshine and greenery, and I enjoyed this wandering because we got to spend time together and had all of this unexpected bonus time with Abe.
By the time we finally finished this process, it had taken over four hours start to finish, but it was my favorite part of the whole day.
I went to yoga in the evening and tried to come to peace with my recent decisions while Abe stayed home and worked a LOT. He says he likes this new schedule of working from home on Tuesday and Thursday evenings because it means he doesn’t mentally burn out during the work day, but I do feel bad for the load he carries. It’s so much.