A Priday "no Moss"

At our wedding luncheon, my dad ended his toast saying that his youngest daughter would be "A Priday no Moss." We all chuckled at this pun on names...but this past week it was no laughing matter.

I finally changed my last name on my driver's license this past week from Priday to Moss. I am ashamed to say that this took me almost five months. This past week, though, I had a day off work to get over to the DMV and check it off my To-Do list. (I'm not totally awful-- my social security card was changed pretty promptly.) 

I admit that in this process, I may have shed a few tears. Pathetic, right?? Here are the reasons that I told myself this emotion was justified:

• I first had to get rid of my Kansas license and receive one from the state of Washington. Was it not enough to lose my beloved last name? There goes the last trace of my home state. 
• the DMV charged me an extra $70 dollars to change to make the above-mentioned process happen...Gross!
• I just really really love my last name. I always have. So many people have called me "Priday" or "KP" throughout my life. I attribute that to this Disney animated character:

Ladies... am I alone in feeling like a name change is a complete identity change? It certainly caught me off guard. 

I also have to point out, though, that it got me really excited. Once I properly mourned the death of my old last name, I could focus on the thrill of a new last name. Reasons I love my new last name:

• No one ever misspells or mispronounces it. 
• I get to hear little kids say "moss! moss!" everyday on nature hikes, and I smile a little bit because it reminds me of my wonderful husband. 
• It means we have officially officially started our lives together, and we are a team. That is so cheesy, I know...but true. 
• I get to hold onto my own family and also become a part of the fabulous Moss clan! How great is that??

That about wraps up my thoughts on the name-changing matter...but I'd love to hear what the process was like for anyone else!