One More Thing to do...

I can hardly believe that I have not blogged for so long. I've not gone this long since I started back in 2008.

Along with crazy, wonderful, busyness with work, we've been going through the process of becoming Texas residents. It's turning out to be much more time consuming than previously thought.

It starts with getting Texas insurance on the truck and the motorhome. Next thing is getting all of our vehicles inspected.  Don't even think about getting a license, or anything else until that's done. Then off to the Tax Assessor's office to register vehicles. And be sure to bring a photo of the motorhome, plus proof of insurance and inspection. Oops, forgot address of bank that co-owns our home on wheels. Another trip in to town with that information.
We had printed out the Special Requirements section of the Department of Public Safety manual which you have to study in order to pass the written exam. Next day, we took the said manual over to DPS because I couldn't believe that I needed to know about pole trailers, cylindrical bales of hay, and animal husbandry vehicles. "Oh yes," she says, "it all involves big trucks, and that's what you're driving." All spoken with the very think twang of southern accent that I am really enjoying!  okay... study, study, study, write it out, study some more.

This morning we were nervous, but determined to get it done today. Traipsing in to DPS, papers spread out in front of us, original birth certificates, actual social security cards, and proof of everything else, she says,
"Okay press your forehead to the machine and read me line #5."
Me: Line # 5?
Her: Yes, line #5.
Me: I can read two-thirds of it, and do.  But the left group of numbers I can't read, and she had me try, like, 5 times!
Her: You have to be able to read it allll the way across or I can't give you a license.

If you are still reading by this point, I'll give you a break of sorts...it involved a trip to an optomatrists office in which the OD is only present ONE DAY A WEEK! Just happened to be his day. Whew. He tested me and said he didn't think I needed glasses to drive and wrote me something to the effect that his opinion should override the little machine's opinion. The woman in the DPS office reread that form a few times, leaving me sweating, wondering what she would do.
Her: Okay, press your thumbs on that glass there for your fingerprints. Stand against the blue screen for a photo, and here's your written test.

Gulp. Twenty questions all about disabled vehicles, load limits, and how many trailers can be hooked up to an unloaded vehicle that exceeds 2500 lbs. Missed three.

Me: Was it the trailer questions?
Her: Naw, the poundage. (whatever that means)

So tomorrow we have to call the DPS office to set up a time to take the driving test in the mh. No, you cannot do it the same day you take your written test. Evidently someone has to come in from another town to give the test. All of this is because we are from out of state, wanting to drive a motorhome over 26,000 lbs. in Texas.  I guess if we want the benefits of being TX residents, we must work for it, right?

Wish us luck!