Welcome to the first Flashback Friday! I'm posting a little early so I can be sure Mr. Linky is set up correctly. I'm excited about reading your memories. Be sure to spread the word so others can join us!
This week's flashback revolves around our early driving experiences:
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?
My Flashback:
I was a shade older than most when I got my license. We moved right before my junior year in high school (just from one side of Houston to another). The only Driver Education available before we moved was more expensive than my always-frugal dad was willing to pay. But when we moved, Driver's Ed was offered as a class during the school day at no charge, so that's where I learned. However, I couldn't fit it into my schedule until the first semester of my senior year.
For the classroom portion, we had the old simulators that looked like an old video game. It was cool getting to leave school in the middle of the school day for the behind-the-wheel portion!
I will never forget the day I took the driving test to get my license. A couple of friends had teased me mercilessly about being so slow to get my license at age 17. The DPS officer directed me as I drove through the neighborhood, and to my chagrin, we drove right in front of the house of one friend. And the last part of the block, the friend was right behind me in his car! I was already nervous, and that just shot my anxiety through the roof. Fortunately, I passed, because my friend later told me he rushed in his house and announced "Hurry outside; Linda's taking her driving test!" What a relief that we were on another street by the time they came out!
The other thing I remember about the event of getting my license involved my sister's car. She had moved to Guatemala for a 2-year missions term (Journeyman, for any of you Southern Baptists), and had left her car, a Malibu, for my dad to sell for her. I LOVED that car. I wanted it to be mine. At minimum, I wanted to have the joy of driving it by myself after I got my license. Alas, my dad sold it the very weekend I got my license and I never got to drive it solo.
I got my first car my junior year in college when I had to have transportation to the hospital during nursing school. My dad found and bought a used car, and then I paid him back after I graduated and had a job. I wasn't overly thrilled with how it looked (mainly because I was hoping for another particular car), but I was glad to have something to drive. My Nova lasted for years, in spite of the fact that I once went 18 months without an oil change. (In my defense, my dad never taught me about car maintenance!) It looked exactly like this one except it was a 4-door. That's even the same shade of blue it was.
Now it's your turn! Link up and share your story!
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24 comments:
We had those old simulators in my school too! did you have to watch all those gory movies that we did?
funny, my dad never taught me about car maintenance either and I nearly ruined my engine by not adding oil once.
Oh the simulators, what fun... I guess our version of online games lolol.
My dad was very adamant about car maintenance. I knew how to check oil, and check all the fluids, change a tire, he actually even showed me how to change plugs and change oil. And I am very glad he did because it came in handy when I was on my own. I get frustrated with my hubby now, because all he uses is the idiot lights (that's what my dad called them). I have told him before the car sounded like the oil needed to be changed and he would just smile at me, a day or two later the light would come on to add oil. I think I amaze him sometimes. I think that is a good thing... right? lolol
until next time... nel
Great memory. Thanks for starting this!
Gee Linda, in our driver's ed class, they taught us about oil and spark plugs and even made us change a tire! Then my dad taught me all that stuff all over again.
i went to driver's ed when i was around 20. i was at least 3 years older than everyone there. i felt like a very old woman. i was married. i had a baby. they were all snapping their gum and writing notes in class. i was appalled!
What fun, Linda! Thanks for starting this! I look forward to future ones!
Did you know that the Chevy Nova was a huge failure when they introduced it in Mexico? NOVA means 'doesn't go' in Spanish...
SouthLakesMom, I did not know that, Ha ha! Thanks Linda for sharing!!
I was 18! so you weren't old. EZ Method taught me to drive. Thanks Linda!
I remember thinking and feeling the same way about driving off campus during the school day. It felt like legally playing hookie!
Plus is was cool because all the under class-men wanted to all be old enough to take driver ed.
Wonderful idea!
Blessings
R
I think there is something missing in the sentence "Alas, my dad the very weekend I got my license and I never got to drive it solo." But I am sorry you never got to drive that car! :-)
I wouldn't know anything about car maintenance without instructions, either. And it would have unnerved me to have friends around during ym driving test, too.
I remember those driving simulators. haha!!
I did my flashback Frifay but don't have a picture so I am waiting to post it after Alberquando gets home from school to add the pic for me. However, (you know me) I posted about that!
I'm going to like this meme.
You did a great job.
Fun idea for Fridays!
I look forward to participating and getting to know some new bloggers. I wrote my random thoughts about learning to drive.
Thanks for hosting this meme. It was fun. My older sister had a Nova than looked a lot like yours after she got married.
I took Drivers Ed in high school like many otheres here but never took the test until I was 19 Married and had a child. I remember taking the written test and it took so long that when we went out to take the driving part of it, the car was dead (we had left the lights on!) Not a great start! Had to come back in a few days to take the driving part of the test and then passed. Those were the days.
I learned to drive in Driver's Ed at school and had a great teacher. I easily passed my driver's test so getting my license wasn't a big deal, unlike each of my kids who had to try a few times before they got theirs. Not sure what that means or if it reflects on me as a parent or not. Maybe there's just a lot more to be tested over now than when I was in Driver's Ed. My first car was actually my husband's car that we shared after we got married while still in college. I didn't have one before that.
Sorry you never got to drive your sisters car :( Great story.
This is a fun Meme :)
This is a fun meme, Linda. At least the first one. Isn't it nice to get hand-me-downs for first cars! I've had several HMD's but not for my first one.
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BTW, I have been to Guatemala on mission trips twice, each about two weeks in duration. We were up in the mountains at an orphange Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Search my blog on 'Guatemala' if you want read more.
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Too bad about never getting to drive your sister's car solo.
Our dad was a tool and die man who always told us "oil is cheaper than metal" but somehow my sister didn't get it until she burned up an engine by never checking/changing/adding oil! Ouch.
I loved the simulators but was always running over people in those. I am a decent driver now (in that I don't run over people or crash cars) but my family is always giving me a hard time about my "bad"driving. We all have our gifts. Mine just isn't driving. LOL
Oops! Sorry about the link thing. I'll double check next time but couldn't figure out any way to fix it for this week.
The thing I remember about drivers ed was having to watch the movies of car accidents. Trying to scare us straight I think and it worked for me.
I'm going to look for your flashback posts...I love the idea. I've been doing one hosted on Mylestones blog and its been lots of fun.
Have a nice weekend!
OK, NOW I have it posted...I think I have the Mr Linky Thingy done too.
(Great turn out for your meme!!)
I love this meme idea. I hope to participate next week. Hopefully you got my email about Mr. Linky.
Blessings,
Amy
This is a fun carnival... love your button. I'll be joining you along the way. I've got some crazy car stories... my mom's car caught on fire and burned up when I was a new driver. Pretty terrifying. But memorable!
This is so much fun, sharing these stories. I enjoyed reading yours.
Thanks for offering the opportunity!
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