18 May 2024

Approved!

I found this message from the U.S. State Department in my Gmail inbox a few minutes ago.

Application Status: Approved

The U.S. Department of State approved your application for your passport book. We're now printing your passport book and preparing to give it to you.

You requested routine service when you applied. Routine service can take 6-8 weeks. Our processing times begin the day we receive your application at a passport agency or center, not the day you mail your application or apply at a local acceptance facility.

You should receive your passport book on or around 05/23/2024.


Whew. I gave you the good news first. Today's bad news is that I've noticed a new leak from all rain we've been having for the last six months. Now we're going to have to find a roofer. The last one we contracted with has gone into retirement, as far as I know. I'll have to call him and see if some other roofer has taken over his client list.

14 comments:

  1. That’s great news about your passport. A quicker service than expected I guess. Shame about the leak. Hope you find someone to sort it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Jane. We'll find somebody. Maybe the summer will be dry.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hopefully your last roofer will recommend a good replacement. I know you are relieved about getting your new passport!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I get older, I get more and more stressed out about things like this. Now I can relax for a few days.

      Delete
  4. Oh, I'm so glad you got this good news on your passport issue! I know you'll be happy when it arrives in the mail.
    Please keep us updated on the leak issue!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had roof problems in San Francisco around the time when we were getting ready to sell our house there and come here to live. We had to have a new roof put on. I hope we don't have to do that here.

      Delete
  5. Always good to stay on top of your passport. My sister was travelling once when hers expired. That got messy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two young American women that years ago flew from North Carolina to Paris one summer years ago, when I lived in Paris. They were sitting on a park bench in the Tuileries gardens at the Louvre one day and not paying close enough attention to their handbags. Some young men started talking to them, creating a diversion, when another kid grabbed their bags and took off running. They chased him but couldn't catch him. He soon disappeared into the crowd. Their passports were in their purses. They found out, maybe at the American embassy, that there was a lost and found office for Paris down in the 15th arrondissement. They went there the next morning. Low and behold, they got their purses back. The little bit of money that had been in them was gone, but the passports and other valuable documents were there. They were so relieved, and I was really amazed. Tout est bien qui finit bien...

      Delete
    2. They were very lucky to get away with just losing the money.

      Delete
    3. I was happy for them (their brother was a friend of mine in N.C.) and I was impressed that they chased the kid who stole their purses, even if they didn't catch him. I was also impressed that they went to the Paris lost and found office and were successful. They didn't ask me to intervene. Neither one of them spoke any French, if I remember correctly.

      Delete
  6. Mary in Oregon18 May, 2024 22:31

    I've heard speedy returns here, too, for US passports. I will be applying for a new one, myself. I had let mine expire just before the pandemic. Sorry to hear about the rain, but even more sorry to hear about your leak. One neighbor only had a leak near his chimney once during a very hard rain. It never happened again but he replaced his roof a few years afterward.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The French weather/climate website that I track says that we've already had nearly four inches of rain in May, which is what we would normally get in two months' time.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Just paid a significant amount extra for expedited service because I was afraid to be without a passport for even a day. My new passport arrived in only about two weeks, with many extra pages, so now we'll have to plan lots of new trips! Did the whole thing on line this time, too! So Ken, time to pack those bags and get traveling!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Jim, I'm still waiting for my new passport, but it's only been 3 weeks since I sent in the application and other required documents. Most of my upcoming travel will be to Blois for various appointments with doctors. I was out yesterday consulting my insurance agency staff about reimbursements after the cataract operations. Nothing is very clear to them or to me. I'm just hoping for the best.

      Delete

What's on your mind? Qu'avez-vous à me dire ?