We went to the préfecture in Annecy this morning to renew my Carte de Séjour Vie Privée et Familiale. Of course there were already 5 people waiting in line ahead of us when we arrived 5 minutes before the place  opened. We didn’t have to wait too long though, and I had all of the necessary paperwork, so I should receive my new card within 4-6 weeks. They didn’t even make me a récépissé since I should receive the new card before the one old expires in May.

I was actually a little worried when I saw that the nice man was not working today. Of all the 4,921 times I’ve been to that prefecture, it was always the same man who helped me and he distinctly remembers David & me because of the lost card fiasco of 2007. But this new woman was really nice too, and she works fast which is odd for the préfecture.

The only documents they actually took from my huge stack of papers was the new certificat de PACS, David’s birth certificate, our income tax returns from 2007, the last 3 pay stubs for both of us, and the water bill (dated December 29, 2008). Then we filled out another déclaration de communauté de vie which is just a crappy photocopy they provide (write your names and address and sign it because the water bill isn’t real proof that we live together??) and that was it. I’ve even got 2 photo IDs left over since they didn’t need them for the récépissé.

That’s one less thing to worry about. Now it’s on to worrying about when we’ll find out where the heck David will be working as a fonctionnaire (probably mid-April), when and where we’re going to move (probably beginning of May, but who knows where), making sure everything is ready for my trips to the Dominican Republic (need something to wear to the wedding!!!) and the south of France (should I buy a GPS?), and figuring out when to see Martha in Istanbul (June?) and how long to go back to the US for my sister’s wedding (2 weeks? 3 weeks?).

But I am en week-end now and still getting over this cold, so I’m just going to rest and relax for the next 4 days.