On the Road Again...

The time has come--I am a week away from 16, and the proud possessor of a Level 1 learner's license! So far, after 3 weeks of driver's ed successfully completed and about 8 hours behind the wheel, I have learned many valuable lessons. So, without further ado, I give you Allie (or Alex, if you're my driving instructor--long story) Wood's Do's & Don'ts of Novice Driving.

• Do consider the fact that Mom & Dad will never be as laid-back as your crazy driving instructor. Plan your braking distance accordingly.
• Don't say "I know" when your mom tries to supply you with important information. Just don't.
• Do remember that this is the only time in your life where you have a legitimate excuse for driving badly. Also, do remember to mention this fact loudly and often.
• Don't sing while on the road, unless you want to get...instructed...on why that's not a good idea at this stage of your driving.
• Do try to retain as much as possible of the pointless trivia tidbits you pick up in driver's ed. This information can make for great on-road conversation when you're in the passenger's seat. In my opinion at least--my mother does not agree.
• Don't forget that as soon as you let someone drive with you, you are giving them implied consent to comment on your driving--every rolling stop, every pothole, and every traffic cone you've hit in the past.
• Do keep in mind that little siblings find the entire situation incredibly entertaining, and will perform spontaneous karaoke in the backseat. (Today, the lineup included Shut Up and Drive, Thriller, and Jesus, Take the Wheel.)

Above all, don't get discouraged if you have a few less-than-NASCAR-quality moments. It doesn't come naturally to everyone--in fact, there will be moments when you're pretty sure it's not going to come at all, naturally or otherwise. I'm just holding out hope that I'm a late bloomer.

Thoughts about Little Things...

...that I can't seem to get out of my head:

Sometimes the joy you find in the littlest things is the joy that can get you through the day. I think God made me--made all of us--to find joy in unexpected places. For example, my dad put up our Christmas lights Saturday afternoon. I can't tell you the rush I got from running out into the cold night in my socks to get a picture of our glittering house. It was one of those moments where I was pretty sure my face would crack if I smiled any bigger.

I believe in being thankful for little things too. Every year near Thanksgiving I try to take some time to think about all the things I have to be thankful for. To be honest, though, this year I'm having a hard time being thankful for big things. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm very thankful we have a house and a car and enough food to eat. But this year, I'm finding myself drawn to giving thanks for all of the little joy-giving gifts God gives me, for example:

• I'm thankful for little sisters who bring home chocolate cakes.
  
• I'm thankful for loud, stinky, obnoxious dogs who still manage to steal your heart as soon as they look at you with those big brown eyes.
  
• I'm thankful for long phone conversations with my best friend--I don't think anyone can make me laugh as hard as "Libby" does.
  
• I'm thankful for cozy blankets on cold nights and homemade hot chocolate from my mom.
• I'm thankful for snack cars on the Amtrak.
• I'm thankful for facebook wall posts from much-missed friends, reminding me that I am loved even from a distance.
• I'm thankful for singing along to the car radio...really loudly.
• I'm thankful for text messaging.
• I'm thankful for family game night--and never winning Clue.
• I'm thankful for little brothers who laugh at the exact same things you do...and help you dominate in Apples to Apples.
  
• I'm thankful for people who pass on compliments. Somehow that's just nice.
• I'm thankful for "the Ones", and how hard they make me laugh.
• I'm thankful for mixing pop to make toasts with every Thanksgiving, and the weird looks that "Rico", "Pedro", and I ("Esteban-ban") get from the rest of the family.
  

You get the point. This list could be three times as long. Thankful for the little things that bring me joy.