Throwback Thursday: Learning to drive edition.

Bonnie over at The Life of Bon has come up with a fabulous link up that I am happy to take part in.  A summer full of awesome Thursday posts?  I am in!   This week's topic: Learning how to drive.

I was one of those teens that did not get their license until they were almost 18.  There was really no reason for it, I just didn't get around to it.  I was a senior when I could finally drive without an adult in the car so my father wanted to give me an awesome graduation/birthday present.  That is how I acquired Betty, my 1996 Toyota Paseo.

for the record, this is just a Google image search, but my car looked exactly like that

I thought that car was the best thing ever.  It had a CD player AND a sunroof.  Score!  I spent many a summer evening with the windows down, and singing along with Avril Lavigne at the top of my lungs with my friends piles in the back seat. There was only one problem with Betty.  Betty was a stick shift, and I could not drive her when I first got her.

My mother had attempted to teach me stick for a while.  But let's just say we are not the most patient individuals when it comes learning things from each other.  After our first two "lessons" ended with pulling our hair out and tears, we decided that I should learn from some one else.  So I learned from my boyfriend's aunt.  it took maybe 5 lessons with her for me to be completely comfortable driving on my own,  After the second week, I was ready to switch cars with my mom and drive my own car to work.

I worked at a little general store at the top of a mountain the summer before college (yes I grew up in rural Pa). I was able to concur the giant hills in no time.  The real challenge was the slight incline at one of three stop signs on my commute.  The first time I drove home from work was a nightmare.  I got stuck at this stop sign for twenty solid minutes.  No, that is not an exaggeration.  I could not stop rolling back or staling out long enough to go through it when there wasn't any oncoming traffic.  So what did I do?  I put my hazard lights on and walk the one block home, threw my keys at my mom, explain what happen and declared "I am trading it in for a minivan in the morning!"

I had that car for the first three years of college and it served me well.  I am glad I didn't trade it in for a minivan after all.