Paperwork!
As I began to realize that my choice was looking more and more like I would be going out of the country, I decided it was time to get my lost passport replaced. Now it had expired 4 years prior, and I had no idea how hard it was going to be! I filled out the forms and hired an outfit to take care of the details as well as expedite the process. I was in the midst of the cancer stuff but wanted to be ready to go. The predictions of a year to live etc were rolling off my back.
I ultimately was diagnosed as having a “spindle cell melanoma, extremely aggressive and rare type”. I could not help but think back on my older brother’s demise with cancer at this very same age. But something inside me told me that I was still invincible and this would turn out fine. Believing such, all my efforts were in preparing for my relocation.
Trust me, I know how gross this is. Head swollen like a balloon with a tube hanging out.
Yes, I know. My brother’s obit. I have to admit the age being the same creeped me out for a minute
So first I needed a certified copy of my birth certificate. So I did the online thing and waited. And waited. And waited. Didn’t I pay the $50 extra to overnight it? Ever notice how difficult it is these days to find a number that you can actually TALK to someone? Eventually, I found one, and they told me that my birth certificate didn’t exist. So with several more weeks of searching and fruitless inquiries, I found a number that agreed to help. A week later I had a certified copy of the birth certificate! So I sent off all my documents. After a while, I get an email telling me that it was all rejected as my birth certificate was not acceptable. I needed a notarized statement from an eye witness to my birth. But not only that, I needed my first years of school records as well as shot records from then. Are you serious? Yes, they were very serious! So now what? Not in the best of shape, there was only one thing for it… road trip! I was headed back to my childhood, knowing that this was likely the last time I would ever see those beautiful places in upstate New York again.
