New Chapter: Crazed Mom of Student Driver

  Just kidding. Sort of. I was mostly calm. Only Elizabeth said, "Kathud!"  Of course, Elizabeth also got banned from being allowed to speak for the rest of the drive after several outbursts. I can't say I blame her and I wouldn't have wanted to be in the back seat. And did you know that you can't see anything from the passenger seat of a Toyota Sienna van?  Why are their not review mirrors on that side for backseat drivers???

   Randomness over....Anne Michal got her permit today.  With all the forms to fill out and proofs of this that and the other, you'd think we now would have top national security clearance! It is crazy! She had already done some parking lot driving (shhh! Don't tell) so I bravely let her drive a bit in the neighborhood.  She didn't do too badly.  The wrong side of the road once(It was an honest mistake..sort of), a few almost curb incidences, and a jerky start but she caught the hang of it pretty quickly; a first day sort of hang of it. I have to say that 15 miles an hour seems like speeding when it is your firstborn behind the wheel.  I wish I had a dollar for every time I said slow down!

  In seriousness, I have such a love/hate relationship with the growing up process. She seemed old when she was 9 and fast approaching those double digits.

 

But I have also loved watching her grow up, and how she looks forward to each new thing. She makes me really proud how she works hard, serves others, strives for independence and embraces responsibility. Driving is just another step along that path for her and my path of letting go!            

A few pictures for documentation and perhaps good practice for in 10 years, we will have to provide all sorts of multimedia documentation to go along with our R2D2-OB1's.  OK Just kidding.         

  We started out in the pool parking lot and made a few circles around some of the wider streets and short cul-de-sacs with no parked cars!!! 

 Putting it in gear. (Photo courtesy backseat "kathudder.")

      When I got back in to drive it up our street and park in the drive, my knees were in the steering wheel and the mirrors were a mess!  Love my shortie!