Welcome to Mass

Any time you go to the DMV, you now you are in for a real treat. Either you get to wait for a long time for them to call your number, or you don't have the right stuff with you so you have to come back and do it all over again, or they charge you an arm and a leg for some stupid paper which in turn totally kills your day, or if you're really lucky, they do all three. There are so many things that can happen, but none of them are really good. I went to the DMV on Friday because I finally broke down and got a MA driver's license. I had been avoiding this for the past year I think secretly in hopes that we would somehow not be staying here and so I wouldn't really need one. But after a year, our car insurance wouldn't renew if we didn't get MA licenses. UGH. Sigh. I guess we're staying. But I had low expectations since I have already been there about 5 times since we've moved here for various things so I was prepared for the line, I had looked at the list of needed items again and again to ensure that I would have all the right things. I was prepared.
I got my number, I waited, and waited, and waited. Over and hour I waited. Then Happy Day! They finally called my number. I quickly collected our things and was dragging Oliver at a clipping pace behind me to get to the window on the opposite side of the building. I walk up and the woman in the picture above greeted me by asking what my number was. I said, "206."
This is our conversation:
WOMAN: I don't know what you've been doing lady, but I've already called the next number.
ME: Excuse me?

WOMAN: I called your number 3 times and you were too slow, so I called the next number, you need to pay attention.

ME: What??? (It seriously took me less than 2 min. to get over to this window.) Well I was on the other side of the building and I have a toddler, so I walked over here as fast as I could. (Meaning I dragged my 2 year old behind me as fast as I could.)

WOMAN: Well I already called the next number so you're too late.

ME: ARGGGHHHHH!!!!! You are kidding me. (I'm thinking I'm going to have to get another number and wait all over again.)

WOMAN: Just wait over there until I help the next person and then I can help you

ME: (Thinking to myself, why didn't you just say that in the 1st place?) OK.

She helps the next person. I wait there fuming.

WOMAN: Ok, come on.

I give her all necessary documents, without talking to her since I am still fuming. I take the vision test. I can barely smile in the picture because I'm still urked.

WOMAN: That'll be $90.

What the? $90? Just to transfer over a license? This is highway robbery. But I write out a check for $90 and give it to her.

WOMAN: (Imagine her speaking in a totally monotone voice without even looking up at me.) You will get you license in the mail in 10 to 14 days. Here is a temp. Sorry about before, welcome to Mass.

ME: Thanks. (I can feel the love already lady.)

The End. Couldn't be more pleasant! Really rolled out the red carpet for me lady!

Catching Up the Blog

WE'RE BACK!!! (Okay so this picture isn't really us coming back since we flew, but seriously it felt like we had that much luggage at the airport! Good thing the person picking us up had a mini van because it was FULL!!) So I know, I know, it's been a while since I've posted anything on our blog. This is largely due to the fact that we were in Utah for 2 months. Yes 2 months, visiting family and just getting out of Craziville for awhile. It was a much needed break and we really enjoyed it. I could have been blogging all a long there, but instead I sort of went on a computer hiatus and just relaxed and thought I could catch up when I got home. But then we got home and I didn't really feel like doing anything on the computer for awhile, and then I did, but I couldn't get the computer to download all our pictures from Utah, so then I thought that it wouldn't be as good to tell about what we did in Utah without the pictures.....so here we are. I will just have to do some catching up. So bear in mind that when you read most my posts in the next few days it will sort of be in flashback fashion.
As for being home in Craziville? Well it's still Craziville. In true Craziville fashion we went to pick up our cars the night we got home (we had parked them at our Bishop's house to keep them off the streets for 2 months) and the Toyota wouldn't start. Dead battery. UGH.....which then took us 4 trips to their house to finally get a new one installed. Two trips were just dumb, and 2 trips were us just being dumb and forgetting things like tools to get the old battery out and the new one in. Duh. But finally today the Toyota is up and running again with it's new battery! Now Zack said it's making a funny noise. Cars. It's always something.

We also have an endless construction going on right outside our house. I mean right outside our house. It's been going on since the day we got home and there is no end in sight. Zack actually heard one of the workers say this morning that they just wanted to give up on the project and just let it sit there. Not a good sign that they will be leaving anytime soon. So from 7am to 5pm we have our trusty workers beeping and pounding away out there. Luckily Oliver has been able to sleep through it all. Thank goodness. And actually Oliver has been in his own little boy heaven because anytime during the day he can look out our windows and see dumptrucks, backhoes, concrete crushers, and whatever else is out there. Plus our own personal policeman. So he has been loving it! He will just sit and watch them sometimes, it's pretty cute.
Otherwise, not much else going on here for us. Just getting back into the old routine. It's been exactly a year since we moved to Craziville, MA and I can't really say it's been a good year, but it's been an interesting year. I'm just hoping it will get better and not worse in year #2 here. At least fewer car related incidents! Here's to hoping!!