The Surprise of the Week!

To get into Egypt and to get our Extended Visa that we need to stay there, our passports (all 4 of them) need to be valid for a minimum of 2 years from the date of arrival.  That meant the tedious task of renewing all 4 of our passports even though little man's is still good for another year and a half.  Getting pictures taken of a very flirtatious little boy is tough when the girl at the other end is trying to get a picture.  If it had been a male, no problem, but a girl, well, Dimple Distraction just has to smile!  Eventually we got a picture of him, not smiling but still showing that he has personality, because who wants a boring picture in their passport!  Then came our little rambunctious little girl.  She had her picture down in one shot...which was a pleasant surprise.  Her picture with her hair chaotically arrayed on her head is the perfect depiction of her.  Busy!  Not much to say for hubby's and my picture because well, we look bored in them.  But that is they way they are supposed to be.

The application process was also an adventure.  The kiddos and I ventured downtown one sunny morning to visit the Passport office.  This can be a very LONG process or a very SHORT one depending how many people are working.  I was very pleased to find very few people waiting and an abundance of staff.  The wait was very short...less than 10 minutes and the lady that helped us was very efficient.  Even still, little girl could not stand still and explored every square inch of the office.  She made good friends with the security guard who made sure she did not leave and kept her busy until I was done.  In the end, the whole process took less than 30 minutes! 

I submitted our applications just a couple days before Canada Post declared their rotating strike and I started to wonder whether or not our passports would make it into our hands before we had to leave.  The passports were scheduled to arrive on the 29th of June...so imagine my surprise when yesterday, June 15th, I pull up to my house to discover a PUROLATOR van sitting in front and the guy ringing the doorbell.  He had our passports...15 days EARLY!  So, perhaps this strike benefited us because they did not even bother with Canada Post and sent it Purolator.  It could not have come at a better time because a quick trip to the US may be in order before July arrives.

So, as I mentioned in my last post, the travel logistics are coming together and the arrival of our passports puts another check on that list.  A very important check mark at that...and...our pictures look great!  Much better than our last series of passports!