That is EXACTLY how I am feeling right now!!
So, forget this whole cool suspense thing. I have been trying to go in and write my G1 license. Who knew it would be so difficult? Seriously, I had NO IDEA it would be this stressful!
Yesterday, I had my mom take me over to the licensing building and drop me off. In I went with my id (or so I thought....). So, I waited in line, got up to the counter and showed the guy the id I had with me and said I wanted to write the test. Well, I thought I had my birth certificate in my purse, but to my surprise I did not.
My mom had said that she was going to take the kids to McD's for ice cream, so I walked over there (25 minutes) and she wasn't there. I debated about checking if she was at her house, but thought for that short a time she wouldn't go home. So I walked back to the licensing building (another 25 minutes). Stood there waiting there for another 30 minutes or so until she got back and found out she was at her house.
The office doesn't let you start writing the test after 4pm and it was now 3:45, so we ran to my house as fast as we could and grabbed my birth certificate and ran back...my mom made record time, we were back by 4:02. The lady at the counter said that she would squeeze me in anyways, how nice. BUT...my birth certificate is a different last name then my health card, sorry...
Now I needed to come back again, today, with my birth certificate, health card AND government issued marriage license. I know that my marriage certificate was not where it should have been, but I still found it quickly (my house may look messy, but I know where my things are;-)
So, in that envelope are 2 certificates. The nice looking church one, that you can frame and the one that said Record of Marriage, and it has a red registration number stamped on it. What would you think is the government one? I thought the Record of Marriage one was it, but played it safe and decided to take them both in with me.
My mom is back to work today so I made arrangements with my sister to watch my kids for me while I took the bus there. She was going to my mom's house anyways, so they walked over here and we all took the bus. They got off the bus at my parents street and I stayed on and transferred over to another bus to get where I was going. No problems so far.
I get to the building and stand in the lineup, get up to the front and tell the lady there that this was my 3'rd time in since yesterday and now I have all the required documents to write my test. I show her al my stuff and guess what?????
I do not have a government issued marriage certificate, I also don't know many people who actually have one. I also found out that you need one to get your pension too! Who knew?
She directed me to the website where I could order it and sent me away!!!!!
So, I walked back to my parents place, again, and cried on the way...I was so upset. I have totally psyched myself up to do this. It was not an easy thing for me to decide to write the test. I have been dealing with a lot of fear of everything related to a drivers license: accidents, my best friend who was killed in one by a drunk driver, the possibility of failing the test and not measuring up...I could go on and on, I am working on these issues, this was my first step. Why must it be so hard to take this one step, I am sure that after this it would be no problem!!
Anyhow, I have applied for the certificate and now I wait. It should be here in 15 days or it is free!! I hope it comes sooner though.
Then I got to take the bus home with my girls and the heavens opened and rained on us all the way!! So now I am here, soaked, disappointed, really upset and frustrated. There must be a lesson in here somewhere but it sure feels right now that the "powers that be" don't think I should have my license. I am very discouraged, but I know that I am going to still get it in a week or so, because if I don't do it now, I know that I won't bother again.
SURPRISE!! I couldn't pull the suspense any longer, so there you are!! I will definately keep you updated on the progress of this lovely journey.
gosh all that to get a drivers licence! in the UK you get a provisional licence with no problem, but then you have to pass a written test, and a driving test.
ReplyDeleteso far my son has failed the driving test twice, once for driving a little too fast, and the second time for driving a little too slow!
Dread doing the written test, and lessons, and driving test, but I shall have to one day if I'm ever going to be self sufficiant in my business.
Hope the rest of the process goes easily for you.
oh man you have entered the red yellow blue and purple tape zone....dudududududu (said in the twilight zone voice)
ReplyDeletenot fun!
I lost our marriage license (the "official" one) years ago, I guess no pension for us!! That is INSANE!! Don't give up though, wait until the license comes in and study more in the meantime! Then put the license in a safety deposit box until you're 65 and need it again!
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is... you don't even need all that stuff to get a Passport!!
Man that sure sounds super frustrating! I hope your certificate arrives in record time & you're able to get that test taken.
ReplyDeleteOh Ruth, I can so sympathise! I really feel your pain. I was in my 30's when I got my first driver's license. I was so scared to take the driving test. And it seemed that with each year that passed I got more and more scared.
ReplyDeleteI went through much the same thing with the paper trail of who I really was. I had a divorce to bring about another name change issue on mine. They sure don't make it easy do they?
I don't think it was God that didn't want me to have a driver's license, but maybe he wanted me to understand why that I felt it was something that I needed to feel like a real person. I had a whole list of things that I needed to be a real person, although I don't remember half of them now, just the license mostly. All I really needed was to be walking with God. Hmmmmmm! Funny how I didn't make that connection until now!
Hang in there. You will do fine and wonder why it was such a big deal.
Oh wow, what a performance! Isn't red tape a pain! You have 2 marriage certificates in the States?? Here in NZ you only get one, an officiaql one, regardless of whether you get married in a church or anywhere. You'll get there, don't worry. In NZ you have to sit a theory and do 2 practical tests to get a full licence.
ReplyDelete