Driving Update and Birding

 Driving Session

   First things first, I've signed up for my first driving session with my instructor! It's set for Wednesday at 10am, and I know for a fact that I'm going to have to watch a bunch of YouTube videos to remind myself of how to drive. I'm not even sure I remember how to set up my mirrors correctly. I feel sick to my stomach with anxiety, since I've only spoken to the driver over text (although she seems super nice!) and I know I'm going to feel embarrassed about being 22 and not knowing how to drive. Although, I do understand that she must be used to this, since it's literally her job to teach adults to drive, but still.

Birding

all four feeders set up

    I'm also very excited to announce that my dad and I went out to get  a bunch of bird supplies! We got four bird feeders and a bunch of bird seed to hopefully see a ton of cool birds in our yard. We bought two little ones to hang up around the yard, a woodpecker one that's going to hang from a tree, and a hummingbird feeder. We haven't seen hummingbirds in our area in a long time, but maybe this will lure them back! Most of the time we spent in the store was spent analyzing a bunch of different kinds of bird seed, but we ended up settling on black oil sunflower seeds. We wanted to start simple and since we had no clue what we were doing in terms of bird food, it seemed like a simple enough food to start with. 

    My mom also found a bird feeder at a thrift shop, which will hopefully work great for the cardinals and blue jays! Apparently, they like to have a bit of a perch to stand on, which this bird feeder has. We're about to set them all up, so I'll share a pictures of the setup. I wasn't able to get the hummingbird feeder in the shot, but it's in a tree to the left of the one pictured. As you can see, the woodpecker feeder has already begun attracting birds! I'm very excited to watch even more birds come visit. 

Learning to Drive!

    I've finally started the process of learning to drive! I took driver's training near the end of school, later than people normally do, and I drove about 3 times before realizing I was much too scared to keep trying. Since then, I've relied on family, friends, and public transportation to get around and it's been very limiting. I finally felt the need, after graduating college, to get past my fear of driving. I'm hoping to become independent and I'm excited to be able to actually leave the house. 

    The first hurdle of this process was getting my permit so that I can sign up for adult driver's training. I spent weeks studying (especially while I was petsitting) and I was super nervous for no reason. I've always been a good test taker, so I really have no idea why I thought I would fail. Thankfully, the Secretary of State visit was quick and painless. Since I had taken driver's training in high school, I didn't have to do a lot of the paperwork I would've normally had to do. They also waived the 30-day practice period necessary before taking the road test, but that didn't really affect me because I knew I was going to need the practice anyway.

    Once I did all the paperwork, I took the written test. Both the road sign test and the general driving test were quick and easy. I think I got one wrong (it was a random statistic that they wanted me to know) and then I was handed my permit!! 

    My parents are planning to reach out to the nearby adult driver's training program to see when I can get signed up and whatnot. I'm super nervous for everything. I haven't been behind the wheel of a car in 5 years, and even then, I had a panic attack each time I drove. Needless to say, my driving experience has been pretty negative the whole time, so I'm nervous to get back into it. To be honest, I'm not even sure I remember how to drive in the slightest. 

    I'm glad that I've gotten the ball rolling in regard to gaining more independence, but it's a big change and I'm incredibly nervous to drive! Hopefully, a positive update on the situation is on the way!