Passports

When I talked about me and Mr. S's sweetie-moon a while back, I was also researching the steps we needed to take to get our Passports. In order to travel out of the country, we kinda need 'em. So I'm happy to say that we have both successfully applied, and received, our U.S. Passports! In case anyone else out there is passport-less and needs to get theirs going, here's how we did it...

Step 1: Call your local Post Office and see if you need an appointment. My Post Office required one, but my sister MOH K's didn't. If you need an appointment, they are usually during business hours, which meant I needed to leave work an hour early to make their latest appointment (4:00 pm). Keep in mind late appointments fill up faster too, so you may need to make it for a week or two out.

Step 2: Take your picture. Many stores offer Passport photos for anywhere from $10-$15. I took Mr. S's photo in our living room using the guidelines from the Department of State's website, and they accepted it, no problems. If you are not camera-savvy, I wouldn't recommend going this route. But if you are like me, I would give it a try to save the money. I had the Post Office take mine, simply because we forgot to take it at home before my appointment. It was $14.95 there. Trust me, it was NOT pretty. The guy even said I look angry and tough, so no one will mess with me in customs! HA

Step 3: Download the application form and fill out COMPLETELY. Again, the Department of State's website has tons of helpful info, including a fill-able PDF application. Just fill it out on your computer, and print it. DO NOT sign it until you are asked to at your appointment!

Step 4: Make a photo copy of the front and back of your ID. They will ask for your ID, but they also require a photo copy.

Step 5: Find your birth certificate. No copies of this needed. They will actually take your birth certificate and send it out with the application. This is normal. They will tell you that you should get your birth certificate mailed back to you a few days before you receive your passport. In Mr. S's case, they arrived in the same day. In my case, I received my passport already, but not my birth certificate. I need to check into that because it seems odd...

Step 6: Fork it up. The fee for a first time applicant for a passport book is $110 plus a $25 execution fee at the Post Office. Expedited service is an extra $60 (see Step 7).

Step 7: Figure out when you need it. The average service time is 6-8 weeks. Expedited service runs 2-3 weeks. Mr. S and I both used the normal service, and got ours back in under 3 weeks. Mine actually came back in 2 weeks (still waiting for birth certificate, however). MOH K and her hubby L had about 5 weeks in between when they scheduled their honeymoon, and the actual day they leave. She went back and forth about whether to go with the normal service, or to pay the extra for the expedited, knowing how quickly ours came back. It's up to you if you want to chance it!

Step 8: Check out the website for info if you have questions. Seriously, there is a ton of it on there, and it was really easy for me to figure all of this stuff out when I utilized the site.

Phew! I know that's a lot of details, but if you do it right you can avoid costly fees and wasted time compared to applying improperly. I hope this info helps someone else out! Anyone else planning on applying for their Passport soon?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti

Our Sweetie-Moon

Yes, I realize it's called a "honeymoon". But Mr. S and I have never called each other "honey". It's always "sweetie" or "sweetheart". So therefore, we are going on a sweetie-moon!

Mr. S and I were never set on going on a traditional honeymoon. We would rather spend the money as a down payment on a house, or to pay off some student loans (ugh). We're pretty practical people. So we figured we would go up to northern Michigan for a week or so. Maybe stay on Mackinaw Island (which we absolutely love). Just something to spend some time together after the wedding, but not spend an arm and a leg.

Enter Mr. S's mom. An extremely generous and caring FMIL. Much to our surprise and utter amazement, she decides to gift us a sweetie-moon cruise to...the Mediterranean!

Our itinerary - Holland America

Now before I go into complete detail, I want to share something with you all about me. I am a TERRIBLE traveler. I don't like flying, I get motion sick, and I get very cranky when I'm off my schedule. This might be because I haven't done enough traveling in my life. Or I could just be a total sissy. Either way, this is going to be my first out-of-the-country trip ever. And my first time on a cruise ship. I'm super excited, and scared out of my wits! Luckily, it is also Mr. S's first time for both of those things. And being able to experience it (both good and bad) with him makes me very happy.

So onto the details! We will fly to Barcelona, Spain to board the ship. From there we will have 12 days of cruising and many many stops to France, Monaco, Italy, Greece, Croatia, and finally docking in Venice. We get to dock every morning and spend the entire day at each stop, with the exception of one day of cruising. I'm hoping that my stupid motion sickness can be at bay at least to enjoy the amazing sites!

Hoping this is not me on the ship! - Image via Safe Home Products

When FMIL offered us this awesome trip, we were of course gracious and very happy, but we also had a few feelings of doubt about it. It is a lot of time to take off from work, to not see the Little Noodle, and a lot of spending money to have to bring. Then we talked about it, and realized that this may be the only time in our lives that we get to experience traveling to these beautiful places. Demanding jobs, the possibility of having children, and life in general could keep us from being able to do something like this together in the future. I think it is important to take opportunities when they are presented to you, and this was definitely one of those moments for us.

How are you spending your honeymoon, or sweetie-moon? Did you debate whether to go all out or keep it simple (and cheap), or to not go on one at all?

Happy planning!
Miss Spaghetti