Behold the glory of the New Mexico license plate! This is just a picture of a generic license plate, but one just like this, with numbers and letters and everything, is now proudly displayed on Molly the Malibu. I think the MVD people thought I was crazy, the way I walked out of their office holding my shiny new license plate like it was the Holy Grail. But they probably never waded through six months of red tape in order to obtain a rectangle of metal. Also, they let me keep my Mississippi tag. I think I am going to clean it up and get it framed. It has served me well. But now, it is time for Molly to step up and become a New Mexican like me. It's actually kind of sad. I'm completely official now ... New Mexico driver's license, new social security card with my married name, and now, a car tag with a hot air balloon on it. As far as the government or any other official entity is concerned, I was never from Mississippi. I might have to have a special ceremony to retire my Mississippi tag. But then I will have a big old party to celebrate my victory over the dark power of MVD!
Comments (3)
Congratulations!
One thing more, though: do you have a "marriage-ified" passport? I went through a lot and learned a lot this past summer trying to "marriage-ify" my passport, and I'm making it my personal quest to notify everyone of some invaluable information I learned.
Namely, you don't need a new passport when you have a new married name!! If your old passport is still valid, you just need to send it in along with your marriage license, and they stamp a little stamp saying that "this person's name has legally been changed to xxxx". It's practically free (or less than $20) if you don't have to pay any expedite fees (as some of us..ahem..had to do). The directions for it are on the U.S. Passport website somewhere.
There. I've done my duty. Off I go to tell others the good news!
Posted by Jeannette | October 16, 2004 1:58 PM
Posted on October 16, 2004 13:58
Jeanette! Welcome to my blog! I think we met once, at Covenant, but I don't think we talked then, and that's a shame, because I think we would have really hit it off given enough time. :) Anyway, NO I DID NOT KNOW I HAD TO CHANGE MY PASSPORT. Oh MAN! The magic never ends when you change your name. I love my husband, and I am proud to have his name, but sometimes it occurs to me that men totally get the easy end of this whole name-changing bit. Well, thanks for telling me. I don't have any immediate plans to leave the country, but I better go ahead and change my passport now. What else have you had to change?
Posted by Haley | October 17, 2004 10:08 PM
Posted on October 17, 2004 22:08
Yay! Yes, I totally remember you!!...you're the "friend I never really knew that all my friends are friends with and I'm sure I would've been too" friend. Capito!?
This summer was our 3rd anniv, and I think the passport was the FINAL document I've changed. It took me over six months before this procrastinator even changed her SS card. :S You just have to get a name-change stamp in your passport, and like I said, it's super cheap (compared to having to get a whole new passport).
But then you have to prepare yourself to deal with the Europeans who can't seem to get their mind around the fact that you changed your name, and right on cue, to a person, the routine goes thus: I hand them ticket and passport, explaining to them that they will have to look for the stamp at the end of the passport that changes your name. They flip open ticket and passport. Their eyes flit from ticket to passport to ticket to passport. They look at you confusedly. That is your cue to explain to them again that if they look at the name-change stamp at the end of the passport their confusions will be assuaged. I learned this routine in 4 languages. :)
A nice British old guy when showed the name-change stamp grinned and said "Congratulations!" Never mind that I've been married for 3 years. It is something to celebrate!
p.s. I assume you already have your new voter's reg. card with the new name. This IS complicated business, isn't it? What travails we suffer!
p.p.s. On a positive note for the new name thing (for me) is that "Jones" is a whole lot easier than "Di Bernardo" to give for pizza delivery.
Posted by Jeannette | October 18, 2004 11:26 PM
Posted on October 18, 2004 23:26