A little Hookie and a new license...

We've had a dilemma in our house for the past week. Last Saturday, my big girl's letter arrived telling us that it was ok for her to get her driver's license and that she had met all the requirements. In our house there's just one little glitch: Unless you can drive yourself, who on Earth is going to find the time to take you to the DMV to get your license?

I thought it'd be a good idea to call first...to make sure I knew exactly what we needed to do. The last thing I wanted to do was get there and not have her be able to get her license. They told me that we had to be there by 2:00 on a weekday if she needed to take a driver's test. Yep, that's what she needs...a driver's test. 2:00 huh? Well, I work til 3 and she goes to school til 3:35. They're open on Saturday but I have school on Saturday and there was NO WAY!!!! I was missing this event for a dumb ole' Master's Degree.

So...Friday, I was at work and I was just feeling enormously fidgety wanting the big girl to have her license for the weekend. So...I asked my boss if could leave early...yep, and I called the school and pulled her out early ;) I did...I really did. I was so glad they didn't ask me why I wanted her excused early! So...we were off. I checked the list twice to make sure we had all the necessary documentation. I was prepared to take her to Belvidere where I've heard the lines are less, but she was insistent on going to Rockford, where her instructor had walked her through the test. Not wanting to make her nervous...we were off to Rockford...and a very long line. You know you're in trouble when you're number 352 and they're on 311 when you arrive...

hI was especially worried when they only got through one number in 45 minutes. Evidently the folks at the DMV need a lot of breaks and evidently 4 out of the 5 folks working the counter have to go to break at the same time. It didn't help that the one dude left working, Jim, could only type with each of his middle fingers. Now...I'm sure my baby girl Aubrey could type faster than this dude. We waited an hour and a half before they called our number. The big girl filled out all of the necessary paperwork and then we waited for the driving test. By this time it was 3:50 and all driving tests had to be started by 4:00, since they only do them in the daytime. About 5 minutes to four they called her name and she was off! I was busy trying to get some homework done...and when I looked up...there she was. Did you pass? Um, she told me to sit down until they called my name for my license! Yeah!!!!

Gratefully, I have a zoom lens, so I can sit way across the DMV and not be too obvious about taking a picture of my big girl getting her Driver's license photo taken.

There was much more worrying about the picture actually than the test. Is my hair straight? Should I wear my hoodie? Is there lint on my shirt? I finally said, Honey...you're not shooting a magazine cover here...it'll all be ok!

And it was. Introducing my big girl... licensed driver.

We headed to Beef A Roo for a quick bite to eat to celebrate. I had to be at school in an hour, so time was tight. Of course the second we got home, she wanted to go somewhere. We briefly discussed the rules, our expectations, our need to know where she is at all times, and she was off.

Fast forward...honestly, that was Friday at 5:00 and now it's Saturday at 7:30 and I haven't seen her since~she's been to her boyfriend's house, Devin's house, Gramma's house, the mall, Beef-A-Roo again with a teacher, and now she's at a play at a local high school. I'm feeling the empty nest comin' on.

After she left on Friday I quickly packed for school. I was feeling crazy overwhelmed with her new found freedom. I called my friend Ang and let it all out: sad, proud, nervous, fearful, so many emotions. I always thought the first day of kindergarten was the hardest for me, then I thought it was the last day of daycare, then I moved on to the first day of high school, and now I am convinced that this has been the hardest day yet. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I am certain this won't even compare to the first day of college: two short years away. Where does the time go?

Actually, I don't know how my parents did it...no cell phones, no constant communication with your baby when they were out alone for the first time. Agggghhhh! It is perfectly PERFECTLY clear to me now why my mom wouldn't let me take the car on the night of my 16th birthday. If only we'd had cell phones.

Until next time...I'm off to continue work on the kick butt laundry challenge. 6 down, 14 to go.