The Teenager, The DMV, and interesting news.

Today (Friday) was the day I went to pick up the teenager.  First, however, I had to clean out the car, then get gas, and then finally go get a new insurance card for the car. 

Then, after an hours worth of driving, I hit Canyon and took the printed proof of Driver's Ed to her house, so her mother could sign them, and get them notarized.

Then, before getting the paper's signed, I went to the school to pick Kacey up.  She was excited and had been waiting since 11am.  It took 25 minutes to find her and for her to sign out of school.  Good Lord, the young woman is 18, she shouldn't need a parent's permission to sign herself out of school.  

A quick trip back across town, and some papers signed, then to the notary to get it notarized.  The only notary we could find was at Wells Fargo in Canyon, and after getting the papers notarized, the employee of a bank suggested that the 18 year old be given a credit card.  

It was a good thing that I was facing the door, instead of the cubicle, because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You just have to get her a credit card.  She needs to create a credit score."  Instead, what I heard was, "Yes, enslave your daughter with outstanding debt, so she can never keep her money and grow wealth.  Worship at the altar of the FICO score."  But then, this was Wells Fargo, a bank that was now answering to stock holders, which demanded blood money.

I was very impressed with Marie as, when she left the bank, she said, "Kacey is never getting a credit card."  It seems to me that her mother doesn't want her to be a slave to the bank.

After an hours drive back to Plainview, we pulled up at the DMV and walked inside.  I was a bit speechless, the DMV was empty, with only a single attendant there.  When I asked if a person could take a driving test, she muttered the words that shocked me.  "Do you have an appointment?"  

For a moment, I was surprised, I had never expected the DMV to make appointments.  My wife had mentioned something about it a few weeks ago, but we had thought it was just a Lubbock thing.  I guess the DMV, trying to relieve some of the congested waiting rooms had started setting appointments for written and driving tests.  The more I thought about it, the more I felt it was an efficient use of time.  So, since we didn't have an appointment, we left to head back to the house.  On the way, I called the Lubbock DMV and asked how to set up an appointment, and they gave me what they called a long URL.  For those of you interested, the URL wasn't that long, it was a bit.ly url.   

So, now the teenager is set up for a driving test monday morning at 11am.  She misses one day of school, gets her driving license and goes back home.  

When my wife came home, she suggested that I get the desk out of the back room and set up the other crib.  It seems that CPS might take away the girls baby sister from mother, mainly because she's not doing her services.  If they do, then they should place the baby with us, and we'll have four in the house.  Kristie also mentioned that we might get little one back, if that home study doesn't meet CPS's high standards.  If so, then our family will go from 3 to 5.   If we do end up with five, I would actually endorse my wife quitting her job and staying home with the kids.  Otherwise, we'd never be able to afford daycare for all of them.

In other news, she said she had negotiated with CPS and we'll be getting my son's stipend until he's 18, he'll have full medical coverage and college will be paid for.  At least that's off of my mind.

So, it was a full day.

On the schedule for tomorrow (saturday.) Kris and Kacey will go prom dress shopping, while I stay home with the kids.  May god have mercy on my soul.