License to Drive

Finally! I have a new Texas Driver's license and I can drive again! It has been such an "ordeal" this week. I've felt just a little bit trapped because my TDL needed to be renewed and I had forgotten to bring my SS card with me.

For those of you who don't know, in order to renew your driver's license these days, you pretty much have to go through some painful bureaucracy before you get a new one.

The DPS requires that you show proof of a social security number BEFORE they will renew your driver's license. I've heard that the lines at the social security office were LOOOONNNGGGG and it took me a week to pysch myself up to stand in line and get one. The office opened at 9am, so I got up at 6:30am to make sure that I could be first in line by 7:30am today.

When we drove up, there were a few cars parked in the parking lot, but none of the people had gotten out of their cars to stand by the door. Well, I took advantage of that fact and stood out in the chilly, overcast weather so that I could be the first one at the door. What happens? This skinny little Vietnamese girl comes up and cuts right in front of me...normally, I would have beat her over the head with a bludgeon, but I guess it was because I hadn't had my coffee yet that I was nice and kept my mouth shut. (but, I was fuming inside...maybe I should have said something). But, it turns out that I was number 2 in line and it only added about 30 seconds to my wait, so that was ok.

After I got the SSN, then, we had to go to the DPS. The line was out the door and it was raining. There was no way I was standing in that line. I decided to go home for some caffeeine and come back at 3pm. Good strategy! At 3pm, I only waited an hour there and walked out with my temporary driver's license.

All in all, I think that I spent about 3 hours in lines today, which was a far cry from the full eight hours I thought that I would have to spend in line.

That's ok. I can live with that. I got my license. I got my license. Where am I going tomorrow? Why, the Galleria, of course to do some shopping, what else does a girl do when she has a license?! :)