" A Milestone "

When we woke up yesterday morning all of the snow and ice had finally melted. This was our chance. Katie might actually be able to do her road test at the DMV and get her drivers license!

Remember this photo? If not it was taken last year, Katie's very first drive with her dad in the church parking lot!

The week previous, after her sixteenth birthday, they wouldn't test her. Even though we had one perfect day where the roads were dry.

I was so disappointed for her. Probably more than she was. So when I called them yesterday morning to see if they were doing road tests and they said yes, Katie got ready to go even though she was sick!

I was a nervous wreak. Katie seemed a teeny, tiny bit nervous. She asked if she could do a quick run through of the coarse as they showed her where they would have to drive in drivers ed.

Of course I let her do it and then we went on ahead to the DMV, just a few blocks away. We were well prepared with all of the proper paper work and identification.

I was shaking, Katie told me that I needed to relax. Who's the mother here? We had to sit and wait to what seemed to be an eternity to me, about 10 minutes. Katie told me to calm down.

Then a nice young woman called her name as my stomach did a flip flop. Off Katie went to our car as I wished her good luck.

I made sure that all of the windows and mirrors were cleaned earlier that morning. The woman did a quick check of the car which I had previously warned Katie about so that she would be ready.

Then off they went. It seemed to me that they were gone for an hour but according to my phone, it was only about 15 minutes. 

I sat by the window when I saw the car pull back into the parking lot. 

There goes my stomach again. Flip, flop!

As they walked in, Katie came in first and had a horribly serious look on her face. I got out of my seat and approached her. I said "Well?"

then all of a sudden her horribly serious look on her face turned into a smile! She said "I passed !" .

She has a lot of her dad in her. She was trying to make me think that she failed. She almost had me believing her expression except for the fact that I knew what a good driver she was.

We walked over to where she would get her picture taken for her license. She signed her name and went on to get her photo taken. I leaned over the counter and asked the young woman who tested her "How did she do?". She replied " She got 100% !".

I was so very proud of Katie and happy for her. It took over a week after her birthday to get it but she finally got her drivers license! 

After getting her drivers license, Katie drove the three blocks home. I knew what was coming next and I had been dreading it for the past year. Her best friend was to spend the night here and she wanted to go pick her up.

Well what could I say? Yes I could have said no but I thought it would be best for both of us to just rip the band-aide off quickly so I said she could go.

After all of the motherly warnings and instructions I handed her my keys filled with anxiety! Katie has driven this route many times and it doesn't go through town. That is one thing that I told her. I wouldn't let her drive through town until after the New Year. It's just too crazy right now with holiday shoppers. I also told her to call me when she got to her friends house.

Of coarse I ran to get my camera and took this as she got to the end of the driveway!

And there she goes, all by herself, down the street....

O.K. I will admit that this is where I started to tear up! 

She made it home safely and then asked if she and her friend could run up to the local convenience store to get soda's.

It is just four blocks away so I let her.

Wow, what a day! No wonder I fell asleep at 8:30 last night!

I know for a fact that she will be asking me to drive somewhere again. I wouldn't be surprised if it's today. I must remain calm when the begging starts!

And that's it for me. The last child of mine is driving. No more drivers education lessons for me to give.

Thank God!!!