No More Backseat Driving

This gal has moved on up, taken the wheel, and is safely buckled in the driver's seat! 

Millie Girl can now check the TX driving examination off of her to-do list. There are many steps to complete in order to be granted a Texas driver's license. 

Classroom instruction, the written knowledge exam, and hours and hours of driving lessons were completed a long time ago. A log of all practice hours was filled out and submitted. All of the necessary paperwork (countless forms and documentation) was submitted to the Department of Public Safety a couple of weeks before Christmas. There was only one final hurdle: the actual driving exam. 

Walk-in appointments at the DPS are not allowed, as the driving exam is done by appointment only. Appointments for this test are only scheduled on-line, and the exam slots are booked solid for weeks. HOWEVER, as of yesterday, the dreaded driving test portion of the process is in the rearview mirror. A freshly printed, temporary driver's license is in her hand. And there's a big smile on that pretty face.

 Congrats, Millie Girl!

Call us crazy, but we actually allowed our teen to make a solo trip to Starbucks, on day #2 of being a new driver. 

Don't fret -- Millie took to the streets with adequate prayer coverage. And yes, I did remember to call our "good neighbor" to make sure that she also had adequate insurance coverage. That sounded like a good policy to me.

She was not travelin' solo for long. Millie stopped to pick up a certain young man before going to get java. We had reminded our daughter that drinking too much coffee can cause a latte problems, so she is not allowed to drink and drive. We wouldn't want her to have a brewed awakening.

Oh!!! Before you have a chance to ask, yes, we knew she was going to pick up Braxton for a coffee date, so we are not steamed, and she's not grounded. 

This girlie is definitely on the road to being an independent young woman. We certainly hope and pray that there will be no detours or tickets along the way. We are not worried; Millie is pretty good at steering clear of trouble. 

As I watched our youngest drive away, the phrase "a wing and a prayer" came to mind. And I don't mean that in a negative way. The "traditional" meaning of that phrase implies that a person does something, hoping to succeed, although not prepared enough for it. "A wing and a prayer" means something entirely different in this instance: Millie Girl now has wings, and there will definitely be prayer for her safety -- lots of prayer! I'm ready for her to soar.

I have a feeling that this will become a familiar view -- the parting shot.  It's just going to take some getting used to seeing my youngest flying solo. 

Loose Ends and New Beginnings

Somehow I made it to the end of 2014 and neglected to blog about a few things. Imagine that! 

The pictures contained in this entry are solo shots that are relatively unrelated to any of my earlier posts. These are the Lone Rangers, if you will.

I feel that all these loose ends must be tied up before we move tooo far into 2015. Although this tidying up process is more for me than it is for you, I hope you will enjoy seeing these five pictures and reading the story associated with each one.

1. My only remaining teenager rarely ever likes any clothing that I think is cute. She's really not much into vintage duds or repurposed threads. And she's not terribly keen on scratchy woolen garments.

Knowing these details, I thought it was a safe bet that our youngest would not EVEN consider wearing my (circa 1984) Susan Bristol cat sweater to school. I boldly put fifty bucks on the line. 

Yes, those are fuzzy, angora kitties.

 I lost the bet. 

This girl proudly donned the sweater and even garnered a few compliments. I promptly paid my debt, in full, upon her return from school. (It's a good thing I had spare "dead presidents" tucked away.) 

I still can't believe she wore it. It wasn't even ugly sweater day. She actually likes it!

2. I am soooo proud of Millie...not because she actually wore my old sweater. I'm proud of her artsy-fartsy creativity! 

This is a painting that she created for her mostest favorite baseball player, Braxton. This artwork was part of her Christmas gift for her boyfriend, and it had to be just perfect. She certainly didn't want to strike out.

Needless to say, it was a hit. 

3. Three of our four vehicles are due for vehicle registration renewal each December. I was struck by the realization that our state is likely the only one in the U.S. that has envelopes with this message printed on the flap.

I love Texas!

4. We spent our honeymoon in Kauai and fondly remember eating breakfast several mornings at a hole-in-the-wall place called The Shell House. Sadly, in 1992, Hurricane Iniki permanently shut down (wiped out) this restaurant; five years after our trip to Hawaii.

Mr. Smith and I recall having the most excellent p-cakes at this place. The Shell House's signature pancakes were topped with banana slices, shredded coconut, and drizzled with homemade coconut syrup.

On this New Year's Day, we attempted to recreate those pancakes. Mr. Smith even concocted a delicious homemade coconut syrup that tasted similar to what we remember. 

We did a pretty darn good job. My 'cakes were gluten free, but no one would've ever known. 

They look good enough to eat, huh?

What a fun and tasty walk down memory lane!

4. The Un-decorating Committee prefers to remain in the shadows as they toil. 

Thankfully, it was a sunny day when we took down all the exterior Christmas decor. And all hands were needed to help transport everything back to the attic. I'm happy to report that there were no broken ornaments. And no broken bones.

5. All blog entries are simply more fun if they include a pic of a laughing cat. That's why this picture is inserted here:

Jemima is pretty excited for the new year, and so are we! 

Happy 2015!