A Link and a License

I have some exciting news today!

A Vacation to Seekerville

I'm sure a lot of you writers/bloggers out there are already familiar with the lovely island retreat (blog) for writers known as Seekerville. (Do check out the link if you haven't had the opportunity to visit there yet!) Well, I'm thrilled to tell you that I'm going to be a guest there tomorrow (Friday)! Author Julie Lessman was sweet enough to give me the chance to write a guest post, and I'm really excited about the opportunity to share a little about this early season of my business venture and to offer some tips and encouragement for writers and small-business owners alike.

I'd love to have you stop by! Be looking for "5 Tips for Spreading the Word and Surviving in the Online World" to be posted at the Seekerville blog around 9:00 pm PST (12:00 am EST) tonight (Thursday night). And as an added incentive to drop by and say "hi," I'm offering a $10 Amazon.com gift card to one random commenter! =) Hope to see you there!

A Trip to the DMV

In other news, I had my behind-the-wheel driving test yesterday! For those of you who have been keeping up with my Driving Diary (which only has a few entries...), you might be thinking, "Finally!" After having a permit for almost 2 years (renewed once), I finally took the plunge and made the appointment.

And... *drum roll* I passed the test!! I am now licensed to drive, so consider yourself warned! ;) Huge thanks to all of you who have followed my progress and offered encouragement! I appreciated the chance to read your stories and to know I was not alone in my nervousness. Thank you for sharing the journey with me!

Of course, the journey isn't over - this is only a new chapter in my "driving diary." Driving is definitely something that can help keep me humble! I still have so very much to learn and more confidence to gain. I'm still making mistakes... But through God's grace I've made it this far, and I feel very relieved and blessed to have the driving test behind me!

What exciting things have been going on in your life?

A Big Smile for the Road!

Like the Cheshire Cat, I have every reason to smile wide today - 'cause, Lord willing, we're on our way to Disneyland!

Yes, we had thought to go to Disneyland back in June, but things just didn't feel right and it turned out for the best that we didn't go. But we're giving it another try now - one more family vacation to end the summer with a bang! I don't know where the Lord will lead me in the days and months and years to come, but wherever it might be I know that things won't quite be the same as they've been during my school years, so this is kind of a bittersweet send-off to my carefree summer (the one between graduation and the rest of my life, so to speak). With God's guidance, I hope that this upcoming season will find me working for Him, wherever that might be and whatever that might entail. =)

For now, I've got a couple of books and a Kindle to keep me company down South and back, and a few days of magical fun in the sun - so I'm planning to enjoy it! 

I know I've been remiss in updating ya'll on my summer happenings... So far I've done alright with book reviewing this month, but I haven't posted any more about our Sunriver vacation or my driving experiences. I'll just cut to the chase and say that: my time with family was/is a blast; I always love Sunriver, Oregon (it's a beautiful place to be!); my uncle Andy let me practice driving in his big red diesel truck (which was pretty awesome, and we survived!); I finished my last official driving lesson (my instructor was great, and her advice about parallel parking was super helpful); and I have yet to take my driver's test (hopefully that will eventually happen). So there you go! ;)

I'm sorry I haven't had more Driving Diary posts or more vacation posts. We'll see what I end up posting in the coming weeks! I do know that the annual "End of Summer Bash" is planned for that first week in September (the 3rd through the 8th), so keep that in mind! I'm excited about the author interviews and giveaways - it should be lots of fun! 

How has summer been treating you? Are you fitting in some family-fun time this month?

The Adventure Continues... Driving Diary, Part 3

There's been some forward momentum since my last driving post - God has blessed me so much with dear friends (like all of you!) to encourage me, wonderful family to take it slow with me and support me, and a great instructor to keep pushing me onward!

Last Saturday my dad taught me more about backing up and judging distances. (Living on a hill is ideal for this sort of thing!) He patiently worked with me, walking (and sometimes jogging when I actually sped up a little!) alongside the car as I drove up and down the hill. His kindness and his confidence in me meant so very much, and he even got me to drive away from the house and out on a short stretch of freeway. It wasn't so bad after all with my daddy by my side! =)

And then on Monday I had my second lesson with Eureka Driving School... I confess to being a bit nervous, knowing that my instructor wanted us to practice mountain driving, and knowing she would expect me to just get in the car and go.

I discovered something - I really enjoy driving in the country, with fewer cars around and beautiful scenery! Of course, I know I still have to watch out for critters. I've got to work on using my peripheral vision and not just focusing straight ahead and looking in the rear-view mirror. And I've got to remember to accelerate when going uphill (I'm still slower than I ought to be, in general).

However, it was awesome driving up and out of the fog! We found some sunshine after a while:

I wished we could stay up there and have a picnic or something! I got a picture as a souvenir of the sunshine (and my driving lesson), though!

Then back down the mountain we went... My instructor and I had a nice conversation during the total 2 hours of driving. =) She's a Christian, as well, and it was great talking about church and such together!

And when we got back to town, she helped me to face one of my bigger driving fears: crossing non-stop highway traffic. I still have a lot to learn, but we survived, so that's saying something!! We also practiced some lane changes - again, I've got my work cut out for me, but she gave me some great tips and helped me keep going.

My last 2-hour lesson is scheduled for early August. Since I'm over 18, I can take my driving test whenever I feel ready, so maybe I'll try for my license after that last lesson... We'll see! Until then, I'll hopefully get a lot of practice in. We're going on vacation soon, so I'm sure that will open up some driving opportunities!

Well, that's it for now, but I'm sure the adventure has only just begun...! ;)

One Year Later... Driving Diary, Part 2

A little over a year ago, I got my instruction permit for the first time.

A little over a month ago, I got my instruction permit for the second time.

A little over a day ago, I went on the freeway for the first time!

Don't worry - I'll elaborate on that last point! ;)

My parents were kind enough to pay for and help me set up driving lessons with Eureka Driving School - three 2-hour sessions. My first lesson this past Thursday was quite surreal, let me tell you!

As soon as I got there, my instructor (a sweet and feisty older woman) had me sit behind the wheel of the car. After I explained that I had only driven in a parking lot (and that was last summer), she agreed to drive me to a residential area and have me start there instead. Probably the safest option, I think!

For about an hour she taught me the ins and outs of stopping and making turns and pulling up to a curb. And then she asked me if I was ready to drive in town.

With traffic?

Going more than 20 mph?

Ummm... I didn't think I was ready. I mean, a lot could happen driving downtown, even in a small-ish place like Eureka! (Did my instructor really value her life??)

And then my instructor said, "Well, we could just spend the next hour driving in this residential area." (Yes, I think there was a bit of sarcasm there.)

Oh, OK, if you put it that way!

"You can do it," she told me.

And you know what? She was right! (Although, I'm glad she was sitting next to me with her own brake and the ability to reach over and help me steer when necessary!)

I drove through town for a little while, turning when she told me to turn and trying to follow her instructions. (Although there was one STOP sign I didn't completely stop at... Oops!) She helped me pull over when the ambulance drove through town and even showed me how to fill up a gas tank.

After getting gas, I drove out of town for a ways, and then she told me I should practice going on and off the freeway. At that point, I had to go fast, or I was toast! Sixty-five mph - did I really drive that fast?? Yep, and 30 mph seemed much less scary after that, LOL!

I think I was a bit more confident driving us back to the driving school, filled with stories to tell my family and friends. Maybe some day I'll look back at this and laugh about how huge a deal this learning-to-drive thing was to me, but I hope I'll always maintain a sense of healthy caution and respect for driving. =)

If it had been up to me, I might have spent the whole lesson in that residential area, never quite sure if I was really ready to drive in town. I needed that gentle push - that reminder that sometimes you just need to jump in and do it.

In this crazy adventure called "life," may God give us wisdom to know the times when we really do need more time in preparation and practice. But may He also give us the grace to heed those gentle pushes when we need to, and to plow ahead with confidence on the path He has prepared for us.

P.S. I have to add that since I wrote this post, I went out driving again with my mom...and let's just say that things didn't go as well as I had hoped. Don't worry - nobody got hurt, and I didn't crash or anything! But I had a difficult time with some turns and just driving smoothly. The worst part was trying to turn at the top of the hill to get back to our house... I knew there was a jogger coming up the hill, and my mom was telling me to look to the right before I turned left (which I wasn't doing), and I wasn't turning like I should... We both ended up panicking. (Thank goodness we didn't go through our neighbor's fence!) All that panicking led to tears after I got out of the car... Lots and lots of tears as I felt my self-confidence slowly draining away. 

It's a strange place to finish a post, but as this is a "driving diary" post, I have to tell it like it is. And right now learning to drive is slow process - a little bit forward in "drive," and a lot backward in "reverse." But after a talk with my grandma that helped me put some things in perspective, I'm feeling a lot better, in any case. She reminded me that no one is born learning how to drive, and everyone has to start somewhere. 

So as they say on Meet the Robinsons, I have to remember to "keep moving forward!"

Driving Diary, Part 1

It all started this past weekend. I read the California Driver Handbook online and took the practice tests. My parents helped me study, and then my mom took me to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) on Monday.

We walked up to the counter and were told that we would have a wait of one and a half to two hours. My mom looked to me, but as nervous as I was about learning how to drive, I was determined to take this important step that day if possible. So we waited.

About an hour later my number was called. I walked to window 14 and went through the steps of handing in my paperwork, paying the fee, getting my picture taken, etc. And then I was handed the test. I went over to the testing area and answered the 36 questions amidst the screams of a rambunctious little girl and the continuous activity at the various windows, then headed back to window 14.

The man ahead of me had a very interesting story, I must say! He was taking his vision test--but he only had one contact in. He went and got his glasses. However, to pass the vision test you have to read a line on the chart with both eyes, as well as with one eye covered, and then the other. The only problem was that the man could do two of the above with his glasses on, but because of his contact, he couldn't do all three.

I love the question the lady behind the desk asked: "How do you drive?"

Good question! ;)

He apparently had his reasons for only wearing one contact--thinking he only needed to take the written test, which would require close-up reading, not the vision test. He seemed to think that wearing only one contact is normal... Perhaps. Personally, I would hate only having one contact in, but I am really near-sighted, so who knows?

If any of you have ever worn just one contact by choice, let me know!

Anyway, when it was my turn, I handed my test in and waited, hoping I wouldn't miss more than 6 questions and have to take it again. As it was, I didn't miss any, and I now have my permit!!

My mom took me out to lunch to celebrate, and then we headed to a big empty parking lot across the street from a fairgrounds.

It was time.

With great patience and kindness, my mom showed me the controls and taught me how to back up, drive around the light poles in the parking lot, and park the car. It was both scary and exhilarating, and I can still hardly believe I was actually behind the wheel of a car! Thank goodness no one else was in the parking lot, though. ;) It was a jerky ride, but we made it out safe and sound.

I have a long way to go before I gain enough confidence to get on the road with other cars--and when that happens, I'll have to let ya'll know so you can stay off the sidewalks! ;) But in the meantime, God's in control and my parents are here to help me.

Let the adventure begin!