The Wait Is Over

To get a learner's permit here you have to be 15, have a form proving your high school attendance, bring your birth certificate and social security card, and pass both a vision test and a written drivers knowledge test. For some reason, we were slow and/or challenged to accomplish these things in a couple key areas!!

Obstacle #1: We had originally planned to acquire this rite into teenagehood this summer, but the required form from high school came home in a pocket and in the joy of "school's out!" water fight with the boy next door, Gib soaked the form and it came out of the pocket in a bazillion pieces. It kind of ended up being a decision that stalled out his permit for the rest of summer since he wasn't home basically from his birthday until school started up again.

By the way, it is alot of fun to go to the DMV when all the local schools have a half-day for parent-teacher conferences and everyone has the same idea making your wait extra long! When Gib and I pulled into the very full DMV parking lot and I knew then we were in it for the long haul. A bunch of cars come in behind us. We made a mad dash inside so as not to lose a single spot in line. I know this can cost you a good 20 minutes. It's every man for themselves at the DMV. There should be a sign posting this.

Obstacle #2: As I'm filling out the form, I get to the question about glasses/contacts. Gib thinks he can pass the vision test. I know there is NO WAY he can. Gib is in total denial about his need to wear corrective lenses at all times in all places. Birth certificate? Check! SS Card? Check! School Attendence form? Check! Glasses? That would be a big N-O.

Luckily, there are 7 people in front of us waiting to take the permit or license test so it will be a long wait. I called Grammy and she brought the glasses to us before the vision test portion of the day's excitement came about. Thanks Grammy & Mariah for saving the day!

Obstacle #3: Passing the vision test. Who knew?! Even with the glasses the dude really couldn't pass the test. Boy did we get a nice lady. Gib changed machines twice, twisted his head all over the place, guessed at numbers... oh, it was UGLY. She asked if he had a vision problem. I sweetly mentioned the magic word "disability" as in, "is there another way to give the vision test to someone with a disability in one eye that makes using this machine very difficult?". She said there wasn't, but she gave him "100 more chances" that's for sure. Honestly, I couldn't believe it. I stood there praying and praying that Gib would just see the numbers he needed to see! He kept saying the row she wanted him to see wasn't there. It literally is blank for him. Poor dude. It didn't help that Gib had broken his brand new glasses and couldn't actually WEAR them where they belong on his face. We had some great mother/son moments in front of that lady. I'm sure that helped! And the pink duct tape on the glasses piece I held up - that had to have been worth a few extra tries! About 10 failed attempts in, I was sure she was going to send us home, and she asks him another few times for just the 2 numbers in the middle he keeps messing up. Gib finally got those right!!!! Thank You for Answered Prayers and Nice People!!! She gave me a paper to take the dr in case when he gets his license procedures are changed and he ever needs to take that test again! His eye dr will need to "handicap" him. Does a handicap parking sticker come with that? 'Cause you know, it's real hard to find a parking spot with that funky eye.

By now I was worried that all the stress of taking 15 minutes to pass the vision test would do Gib in on the "written" test. But he finished that in 28 seconds and only missed 1. Nice.

On another front..... All my patience had been used up. I got home and collected Mariah for her follow up eye dr appointment. I conveniently turned in Gib's broken glasses. Mariah and I waited and waited in the exam room for the eye dr. They were playing horrific muzak. I was thinking about all the stuff I needed to have gotten done and were still on my list. It did me in. When we reached the 45 minute mark I called it and we left. Usually I give them an hour and if I'm not in the waiting mood I will leave. But their music was too much. Plus, I had a closing shift at CWC and it was cutting it too close. I told them we could try again on another day when they weren't so busy. To me, when you are 45 minutes past your appointment time for a mere follow up that will take 5 minutes of the dr's time, they have not scheduled appropriately.

We chuckled at how I had just gotten away from the Ortho where I was marked on The File for complaining about wait times, complete with quotes from my conversation to the receptionist! Mariah and I were all, "great, another File!".