The time I got my Driver’s License for the first time. It was a big deal! My life has changed so much since getting my license. After driving in New York any apprehension I had about driving has been eradicated. This was also when the seeds to do other things that scared me bloomed.
Today I conquered a huge fear of mine. I took the skills test for my driver’s license and I did it in the rain!!! I passed and I was given the title of “good driver” in writing, in person, and through my husband. I have been hyper ever since going through the line at the DMV and getting my ID that says: “Drivers License” on it. YAY me!!!
I took the skills test originally back in July. The tester was awesome, but I blew through a stop sign or something and failed the test. I was a little mad at myself. Not that I failed the test, but because at the time my husband was still out of work and we could have used the money towards other expenses, plus… I couldn’t take the test again right away… that was just plain ol’ frustrating.
I think I took it in stride though. I had plenty of time remaining on my permit and I just kept driving pretty much whenever my husband wasn’t at work. I had intended to try again in September but life got in the way, and I was too chicken to call again. It took weeks with plenty of reminders from my husband, son, and friends to work up the courage to schedule another appointment. When I finally did call to schedule the appointment, The person I originally tested with could not be reached. Either I dialed the wrong number 3 times or the number available through the DMV was outdated. In either case, I could not reach him.
When my husband got home that night from work, I told him the dilemma and he quickly helped me come up with other resources. I could have just called a random number, but the thought of cold calling someone… nope, just couldn’t do it. So I asked one of my friends and got a couple of options.
I chose the tester from xl driving and made the call. It was easy to talk with him, and I made the appointment for yesterday (10/28). The night I scheduled the test, I decided on a quick dinner because I was going out-of-town the next day. So, as we are driving to the restaurant my husband runs into a median. Nothing serious happened to the car, no one was hurt, but enough sensors were tripped that the check engine light came on. I left town, had a very good time and when I came back, the car wasn’t fixed.
Because I didn’t want to cancel the appointment and since we paid a little extra upfront to get decent service directly from the dealer, we took the car in first thing in the morning on the day of the test. $400 later, I had peace of mind and our car was looking and driving like it did the day it came off the lot. Once at home, it was time to start school work for my son. We discovered that I didn’t have some of the paperwork needed for the test. So… off to the DMV and on a couple of other errands before heading back home to check on my son and enjoy a little bit of relaxing since this is my husband’s day off.
At about 3:30 or so we head to the test. First off, it was raining all day and it seemed that right then, it started raining harder. But, I was driving all day and I was not scared! We get to the school to meet the tester. He sees my husband in the front seat and says: “Sir, I need you to move to the back of the car. Wait, are you dad?” I respond: “Not that’s the husband.” “Oh well, in that case, could you wait in the school for about 20 minutes, please.” (I still look younger than I am… thank you Mom and Dad.)
It’s raining and getting dark, but there is plenty of traction on the road and since I drove in the rain all day, I was completely confident. Plus, I had my husband give me a blessing before we left the house and my son was like: “you got this.” So, 2 things were different about this experience. First, I knew the neighborhood very well. Second, he spoke clearly and was willing to be specific about the things he wanted to see. That made driving with him comfortable enough that I was actually able to make conversation. When we got back to the school he declared… “you pass!” And, off I went to the DMV.
Indomitable Bellatrix 