It's always something

Yesterday was the day we became true Texans. I waited as long as possible, but the day finally came. Yesterday was the day that I replaced my Florida license plates with ones that say Texas: the Lone Star State. It's taken me a while to actually come to grips with the fact that I really do live in Texas now. My first realization of this was a couple of weeks ago when I attended my first Texas Rangers baseball game. During the game, the loudspeakers blared with songs that were previously unfamiliar to me. Songs like, 'The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas,' Cotton Eyed Joe (not the new techno version either), and another song sung by a girl who asked God if she couldn't go to heaven, at least let her go to Texas. (Is she implying that Texas is hell, or maybe just purgatory?) During that game I came to the surreal realization that I wasn't just visiting anymore, this was my town. These were my songs. I'd better get used to it. It wasn't a bad feeling, just like reality finally sinking in. But, I was comforted by the fact that when I got in my Element to drive home, it still had my Florida license plate. But I couldn't live in denial forever. And yesterday was the deadline. So, when Anne and I dropped off the kids at school, we were off to get our Texas license plates and drivers licenses. Having been through this process before, I wanted to make sure that I was fully prepared so I didn't have the painful experience of waiting in line only to be told that I forgot to bring some piece of information. So I studied the website and gathered all of my materials. The most important, cash. Texas likes their license plates. :) We arrived at the Frisco city hall and got our new Texas license plates with no problem. In fact, it even cost less than I expected. Only 2 car payments instead of 3. We were then given the directions to the drivers license office. Yes, it's about 30 minutes away, but no problem, we've dedicated the whole day to this process anyway. When we arrive at the office, the line is about 40 deep. There are only 2 people working the counter. It's going to be a while. After about an hour, we finally made it to the front of the line. Everything was going well, until the lady behind the desk said, "Your wife's name is not on the car registration, so she needs another form of identification." "No problem, can you use a credit card or something like that?" "No, we only take a birth certificate or a marriage license." Uggh....It's always something. So, we drove back to the house, picked up both just in case, and drove back. Another hour round trip. When we returned, she let us go to the front of the line and we got it all taken care of. After just four and a half hours, we were official. I took the screwdriver out and removed the last bastion of Florida from our cars. It was kind of like removing a band aid. A little bit painful, but better when it's done quick. We are now Texans. Do you have any DMV stories?