Goodbye South Carolina....Hello Maryland!

MVA here I come!

So.....after only a few short years...(okay 4 years to be exact) I have finally become an official Maryland resident. Yep, you read that correctly. I moved to Maryland in August 2006. I was told (not by Michelle) that my stay in Maryland would only be temporary. I was told 6months to a year. I thought maybe a year to a year and a half. I was WRONG! Every year when it is time to renew my South Carolina registration, I have said, I really need to get my car registered in Maryland.

I really believe that I had a mental block against the switch. Holding onto the South Carolina registration and license allowed me to not move forward. It allowed me to dig in and stay where I was (not physically, but mentally). It allowed me to convince myself that my time in MD was temporary so why set down roots, why make connections.

This year, I made the conscious decision to switch my taxes to Maryland taxes so I would be forced to change my license and registration. As a side note and an FYI....Maryland has very expensive auto insurance! To keep my Progressive policy would have cost me $600 more a year than it did in South Carolina. I polled my friends, had my parents call their insurance agent in Massachusetts and settled on Safeco of America. I was able to get my auto insurance and renter's insurance for less than what my policy was costing for South Carolina insurance.

MVA in Essex, MD

So...today, I left my house, headed to Essex to the MVA and braced myself for the long lines I knew would be waiting for me. I waited in line for a short 20 minutes, when I got to the counter, I quickly realized, I forgot my W2 at home. Thankfully there was a library in the same shopping center as the MVA and I was able to print off my W2 (thank you Capstone for going paperless!). I went back in line and waited 45 mins for my number to be called. Then...after only 20 minutes of sitting with an MVA employee, I had my MD driver's license, I was registered to vote, transferred my title to MD and had my MD plates. All for just a low amount of $261.40!

My new Maryland license plate!

Cross another thing off of my list.......bring on the next item!