My Journey to James

Sooo I told myself I would post 3 times a week, and last week I failed :( Maybe I will post 4 times this week to make up for it? (Don't hold your breath, though...)

Anyway, apparently in Texas, they want to make it as difficult as possible for a newly-married girl to change her last name. If you haven't been through this process (which I'm assuming most of you haven't), I'll enlighten you a bit.

Step 1: Get a new social security card. It's easy enough if you don't mind the 2 hour wait at the administrative office, or the 2 week wait for your new card to come in the mail.

Step 2: Get new car insurance. Andrew & I went with Geico, because they seemed to be the cheapest for someone like me who may or may not have gotten more than a few tickets in the past few years...

Step 3: Take proof of your new car insurance to a place that does car inspections. Your car must "pass" in order to move on the next step. My car did not.

Step 4: Take your car to a mechanic to fix whatever issue caused it to fail, and return to the car inspection place.

Step 5: Take proof of your new car insurance and your car inspection "pass" to the tag agency to receive new Texas plates and registration (and pay a hefty $200 in order to do so).

Step 6: Take your new Texas registration paperwork and your new social security card (and a million other identification documents) to the DMV to receive a new license with your new name! Except they only give you a temporary license and you have wait a couple more weeks for a real one to come in the mail...

Step 7 (which I have yet to do): Change your name everywhere else.

BUT I promise, it is all worth it. Because once you have that shiny new license in your hands (for me, my first new one in 8 years), the long journey will be a distant memory.

And yes, now you all know how incredibly awkward I was at age 15... You're welcome ;)