We are traveling in May and needed to get child #1's passport renewed and child #2's first passport. The post office said it would take 8 weeks tops, so I elected not to give the Federal Government the extra $120 and did not expedite them.

Well, we have no passports and leave in less than a month. The actual Department of State won't talk to me because we are not traveling in 14 days or less. Being somewhat fastidious I wanted to just expedite them now, but no such luck.

I finally resorted to calling Peter Roskam's office today. I figured they might want a heads up because they are either going to help me now or they are going to help me later when my family is stuck at the Vancouver airport because 2 of us don't have passports. I have no intention of missing this trip when I did everything right (that coupled with the fact that I could rent a car, drive to Seattle and fly home from there).

Hopefully, his office will make headway where I can not.

So, the tip of the day is - either apply very, very early or pay the extra $60 and expedite your passport application. It'll save some grief.

Good tip...
I know of 2 families who had to cancel spring break trips to Mexico because their passports never showed (after having sent away for them 10 weeks before), and 2 others who waited in line for upwards of 7 plus hours 48 hours before their trip to get theirs.

I heard of a few families who found Mr. Roskam's Bloomingdale staff very helpful.