Friday, March 12, 2010

The Very First FLASHBACK FRIDAY


Mocha With Linda is starting a new meme that sounds like fun -- Flashback Friday will give us a chance to swap stories about specific times/experiences in our lives. You can join the party by posting your flashback on Friday and then linking up over at Linda's blog.

So first up: How and when did you learn to drive? Do you have any particular memories associated with getting your driver license? How old were you when you got your first car and what was it? Who paid for it?

Our high school offered driver's education with simulators. Obviously driving is one of those things best learned through experience so my mom, knowing better than to try and teach me herself, asked one of my cousins to work with me. Arthur was the quiet cousin and why he agreed I'll never know. His instructions were succinct to the point of being nonexistent but I didn't really notice since I was busy chattering up a storm. Which is my default position.

Then we hit a really rough patch of road and I fought to maintain control, slowing slightly but forging ahead.
Until Arthur quietly suggested I pull over.
"Why?" I wanted to know. Wasn't I doing a good job?
Well yes, he said, but he thought it might be a good idea if I stopped so we could change the flat tire.
 And here I'd thought it was just a bumpy road.

Then came the driver's test. HUGE FAIL. I couldn't parallel park to save my life.

The whole experience so freaked me out that it took me two more years to gather up my courage and try again. We didn't own a car and I had to borrow one so for my second attempt I drove a big old pickup truck. And PASSED. Yippee!

My first car was a used Chrysler New Yorker which I totaled eight days after I got it. It was a gift from my pastor and his wife.

My dad gave me my second car. It took two months to kiss that one off.

Can you see why my nickname was CRASH?!

20 comments:

SouthLakesMom said...

Ouch! Kim! Two cars in three months? Ouch! Glad you survived to laugh about it now!

sara said...

LOL! that is so funny. I can just picture your cousin, very calmly, telling you to pull over!!

do you know that kids don't have to parallel park any more..at least in AR?!!! so not fair!! :)

Robin Lambright said...

Morning Crash!!!!

Oh my stars, very funny about the flat tire.

Having a teenager on the verge of getting her learners license is making me a bit overwhelmed, but I can take courage and faith that we all had to learn how to drive...

I think Sara is right, I don't think they make them parallel park anymore on the drivers test...

Blessings
R

SusanD said...

Hey Crash! lol. I love your "default" position. Great story. Thanks so much for sharing. Have a great weekend. Blessings, SusanD

Mocha with Linda said...

That's hilarious! Be glad you didn't have my dad for a parent. I can't imagine how he would have reacted. Wait - yes I can! LOL

For some reason I always did well with parallel parking until they started making vehicles where it's hard to see where the back of it ends.

Thena said...

I couldn't parallel park either. Wrote that in mine that my Dad finally took me to the next county where all I had to do was drive around the block.

Oldfangled said...

Oh, how funny. I love the flat tire story.

Susanne said...

The bumpy road/flat tire story made me laugh.

Betty W said...

Too funny! My daughter had three accidents in the first year she owned her car.... Maybe she could borrow that nickname! :)
Funny!

Barbara H. said...

Oh, that is so funny about thinking the bumpiness came from the road rather than a flat tire! Good thing your cousin was so calm!

Mari said...

I love the flat tire story! Your nickname isn't still Crash, is it?

quilly said...

Oh my! You may not borrow my car! Too funny.

Melli said...

Oh my GOSH! You had a REALLY generous Pastor! Do you own a car today? LOL! That is FUNNY!

riTa Koch said...

Hadn't heard that before! Too funny!
...slowing slightly but forging ahead!
Does Ivan let you drive?

Jim said...

Seems like a lot of us went through our first cars pretty fast. My kids did too!
Seems also many's first car is donated or bought cheap. I don't think that correlates with the loss records though.

Good on your being in Argentina. Mrs. Jim and I want to venture south of the equator. We've been to a lot of places north.
..

Nel said...

Enjoyed your flashback. The flat tire story killed me.

until next time... nel

Jules said...

Just returning your Friday Flashback visit.

I love your blog background. :)

Heidi said...

Goodness! Thankfully you survived the crashes.

I still don't understand why so much importance is placed on being able to parallel park in one single maneuver. In real life, you can pull up and back as many times as it takes to get yourself into the spot somewhere near the curb- I mean that is not illegal. You can work on it all day if you have to- who cares!

It just isn't right to fail a driving test based on ability to parallel park.

bp said...

Great story!!

parallel park---eeek! I'm not sure that I can now! I don't remember having to do it on my test.

Jenny wren's nest said...

Hi Kim, great story, It's amazing any of us live thru drivers ed.

looks like you had a great vacation.
Jenny