On October 20th I completed my application and sent my cards to the ARRL for verification that I had met the requirements for the IARU's "Worked All Continents" award. Exactly seven days later I not only had my cards returned but also had my certificate as well. Now that is fast!
By the way, I opted for the RTTY version vice the "mixed" version. I wonder if that will come back to haunt me later. Onward to DXCC and WAS!