The Name Changing Saga: Part 1

When I was visiting home a few weeks ago, I went to City Hall to pick up copies of our marriage certificate (since getting it done through the mail required notarization!)  After I came back, I started filling out my information on MissNowMrs.com.  Last week I printed off the driver's license form and made plans to head to the Mass RMV (they call it the Registry of Motor Vehicles).

I read somewhere on NewLastName.org that you needed to change your name on your social security first before going to the DMV.  But of course I read it under the "California" one and thought it didn't apply to Massachusettes.  Wrong.  Which was disappointing because it was the shortest DMV wait I've ever experienced!

So last Friday, I trucked downtown to the RMV with all the forms and documents, got a number and sat down to wait.

The lady at the window was mean and snappy.  :(  But for some reason, after she took my picture (which was hideous, and I did it twice), she warmed up and was... less mean.  And she said it was a great picture.  (The smile was ok but of course the hair I spent all morning combing was flat and wind-blown.  And my eyes were squinty.  >_<)  The she went to verify my social security and of course, I had not done that yet.  So she told me to come back next week.  And that I didn't have to stand in line!  (I hope she was speaking truth and that she will remember/recognize me and/or is working when I come in!)

So (yay useful iPhone) I quickly looked up the nearest Social Security Office, hoping I could get that done the same day.  The SS website listed an address in Davis Square, so (after a short stint at H&M, hehe) I hopped on the T and went down there.  Only upon getting there did I find out that IT FREAKIN' MOVED.  Good job SS website.  At that point, it was like 2pm and I hadn't eaten anything all day.  So I grabbed a small fries from the McDonalds across the street, comtemplated how tired I was and how I wasn't sure how to get to the new location anyway, and decided to go home, and try to get to the new office on Monday.  I wasn't too keen on spending $1.70 taking the T back to Havard Square ONLY to then walk A MILE back home.  So I decided I should burn off those fries anyway, and walked the 1.7 miles home (for free!) straight from Davis Square.

So lesson of the day: do your Social Security before anything else!  Especially your driver's license.  And read things carefully.  haha.

Also, especially for this young and tech savvy generation, do all your forms beforehand (print from internet) and in general, have all your crap forms and documents together and ready to go.  It will make everything go smoother.  (This I had no problem with.  My parents trained me well.)