DMV

Yesterday, the BK, LG and I, all decided to take a trip to the DMV to get Oregon Driver's licenses. Risky? Definitely, but we left early enough and figured we would leave if the lines were too hairy and brought lots of food to keep the LG quiet. We are both required to take a "knowledge test" before we can get the licenses, and due to my laziness over the years, I have 3 different names listed on my passport, SS card, and Driver's license. It's complicated, and the line turned out to be the least of our worries. We laughed our way through the line by reading the "study" manual, from which I have taken a few of the following excerpts:

1 - Drinking Myth #1 - "I drive better after a few drinks." Okay, come on, is this really even a myth, would anyone who is sober really give this as an argument?

3 - Drinking Myth #2 - "I don't mind riding with Joe after he's been drinking. He can really hold his liquor". If you ask me, you should send this guy home with Joe and just hope that they only remove themselves from the gene pool.

3 - "The importance of vision to driving is obvious." Apparently not so obvious that they couldn't leave this out.

4 - Hood Flies Up - Brake smoothly ease onto the shoulder, and stop. Thanks.

5 - "Although drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, pedestrians must not suddenly leave a curb or other safe waiting place and walk into the path of a vehicle....Vehicles cannot stop instantly."

6 - "You may pass on the right only when there is room ahead on the road." You mean to tell me that if there is a semitrailer in the right lane, I can't drive underneath. Come on. That totally has to be legal.

You might be thinking that this is a knowledge test for dummies, which, it may be, but I should also share at this point that the BK failed the test and he is no dummy. I, was unable to take the test at all (thus spared the humiliation that would likely have ensued), as (surprise, surprise) I hadn't brought along enough verification to prove that my hodgepodge of alternate identities were actually me.

So, let's be honest, how many of you drivers out there would answer the following correctly:

1 - When stopped at a red light on a two-lane road, it is legal to: A) turn right after coming to a complete stop; B) turn left onto a one-way road after coming to a complete stop; C) Proceed through the intersection after coming to a complete stop and checking for traffic; D) A & B; or E) All of the above. The answer is D. Yes, in Oregon, it is apparently legal to make a left turn onto a one way street, even through oncoming traffic.

2 - A Class C driver's license allows you to drive the following vehicles in the State of Oregon: A) Passenger vehicles including cars, trucks and recreational vehicles for personal use; B) Passenger vehicles, recreational vehicles and fire or emergency vehicles; C) Passenger vehicles and motorcycles; D) School buses. The answer is B. I've always wanted to drive a fire truck. Here's my chance.

I don't want to get into the rest (since there are probably quite a few others), but it was humbling, and sort of amusing that after being there for an hour (not bad), all we (two grown adults with Master's degrees) walked out of there with was a lighter wallet ($5 for the BK to take the test). I guess we are just lucky they didn't revoke our Virginia licenses on the spot and call us a cab.

News Release: #2 has Entered the Building

So, for all of my faithful readers who I know have had a hard time lately with my absence and lame blogging, I am officially ready to announce that I am pregnant with #2. Yup, it's exciting. Now that I have that statement out of the way, let me just say that I already feel sorry for the second child. With the LG it was all about the experience, it was all new, some very creepy, but it was an exciting experience. Now that I have already been through it once, it is all about the baby (not the pregnancy), and the baby doesn't even get here for another 6 months or so. So yup, there it is. Around Nov 8th, there will be another baby joining the BKs powerhouse. The baby will also need an alias, so I am taking suggestions starting now, this could be more important than the baby's actual name.

News Release #2: Maternal GMA and GPA head to Manchester, NH to Serve an LDS Mission!!!

More excitement. Although I was secretly hoping they would be going somewhere exotic where I could take a vacation, like Ghana, Costa Rica, Thailand, or Brazil, I am honestly just thrilled that they are going. It's about time. I could use a few more blessings as a result of the righteousness of my parentals. We will certainly miss them, but as one of the BKs favorite icy mountains is also in NH, I'm sure we will find a few excuses to make it out to see them, even with dos bambinos in tow.

Packing Up

I had a suitcase sitting out the other day, and the LG proceeded to drag it near the door, unzip it and climb right on in. It made me think of how easy it was to drop what I was doing, pack up and ship out before I had him. Some of the places include NYC, San Francisco, London, Mexico, Guatemala, China, and Bermuda. Places we have traveled since the LG mostly include trips home to Utah, a trip to Memphis, and a car ride across the country involving a 20 foot penske and all our belongings. Though none of these destinations are nearly as exotic, or far away, they required a level of planning equal to that involved in a small scale battle attack, patience that I never knew I had in me, a few tears (mostly on airplanes with the LG writhing on my lap with some shrieking and nasty glances), and more gear/suitcases than I took for a 6 month stay in China. Go figure. I wouldn't trade any of it though, and am just glad that I had the opportunity to do those things before having him around. I guess I will have to wait a few years (like 20) before I can do that again, but I can't wait.