The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round!

Let me just tell you how glad I am that today is over. When I first got hired back at Reagan, I was told that I would have to get my CDL in order to drive the activity bus since I'm one of the softball coaches. Since everyone is trying to find place to save money, this was an obvious first. If you are the coach of a team, you have to be able to drive the bus since you are already getting paid. No more hiring drivers just to drive a team around.

So in July I went through the CDL course with a coworker of mine. It was a week long class and on the last day we had to take 4 written tests. There was a test on the brake system, a general knowledge test, a school bus test, and then a passenger (coach) bus test. I made 3 100's and a 95. Not too shabby.

Then we were told that it would be up to us to take our paperwork to get our permit and then have someone work with us to drive and learn all the different aspects of the skills test. So I went and got my permit to buy myself about 6 months. Softball season doesn't start until February 16th, so I knew I had time and put it on the back burner. That back burner was still burning, though. I thought about it often. It loomed over me like a dark cloud. 'You need to take care of this!' that cloud would scream at me!

So enter January and being back from Christmas break. It's time to get serious. I start talking to my coworkers and asking them about the test. They told me about what they had to do and most of them said it wasn't a big deal. 'You'll be fine' they said. So I went driving with a friend of mine and turned some corners and practiced backing up a little bit. I was pretty impressed with myself and felt pretty good.

Now it's time to schedule my test. So I call and leave a message. I call the next day and leave a message. I finally get my AD to get the guys cell phone number. After I tell him I'm ready to take the test and I need to schedule a time, he asks me if I'm ready to do the 68 inspection points that make up the pre-trip test. EXCUSE ME?! I just kind of chuckled and he told me that he was serious. I would have to point out 68 different things on the bus and talk about what I'm looking for to make sure they are working ok. I said, into the phone, ' Holy shit.' He just started laughing and said that someone lied to me! Then he went on to tell me about the skills test I would have to pass and then it's time for the actual driving. Up a mountain, down a mountain, parking here, driving there, turning here, train tracks there. HOLY SHIT was right.

Now I'm in Panic Mode. With tears in my eyes and a shaky voice I tell him I'll see him Thursday. It is currently the Friday before hand. That leaves me ONE week to get my shit together.

So I study. And I study. And I study. But words only mean so much. I can read a list of words over and over again, but if I don't see what I'm talking about, it's worthless. So I meet a guy on Tuesday night who walks me around the outside of the bus. I take pictures of the stuff under the hood and I print them out and label them. I study all Tuesday night. Wednesday another coach at Reagan met me at the bus to go through the stuff on the inside of the bus. His advice was stop being a book nerd and studying and just chat the guy up. He told me all about his daughter and his son and asked me who doesn't like talking about their kids. I just laughed and we continued. I had another good friend of mine that told me in order to get what you want in life, just get on your knees! (That sounds like it's going to be sweet, but she was talking about something else, not the praying part!!)

So today was T-Day (test day!). I got up at 6:00 and got my shower, the whole time going over and over that bus. I figured out where I was going, looked through my stuff one more time, said a prayer (or 1,000), and then I was out of the door. As I was getting dressed I was thinking about what I should wear. The guy that taught the class this summer was the one that was doing the test. He was a really, really nice guy. I remember talking to him and he had quite a Southern drawl and we talked about hunting. So I knew he was a good 'ole boy. On went the cowboy boots. Jeans and a black turtle neck sweater. It was, after all, 32 degrees when I left home!

So after getting very lost, I made it to the bus garage. Right on time. I met the guy in the office and then we headed out. The pre-trip started. I. BANGED. IT. OUT. Absolutely killed it. He had complimented me on my written test grades, so I had to show him that I meant business. The only things I left off - the damn steering wheel, horn, and the handrail. Seriously? I can remember the alternator and the entire braking system (including the hose, chamber, slack adjuster, and drum), but I coudn't remember to turn the damn steering wheel to make sure it wasn't loose? I would have loved to have aced that test, but I'll be ok with a 92!!

There was another guy there, who actually took the class with me this summer and wasn't too impressive, so I waited for him to finish. While we were waiting I took the coaches advice and talked about his daughter and his son and what they were doing now. Homeboy made a 94. Damn. He came to play. I'll get him back.

Off we went to the DMV to do our skills test in the parking lot. Pulling down a lane and back and staying in it. Stopping on a line. Backing into a space. Basic stuff. After watching a trucker fail it, I was a little bit nervous. KILLED IT. 0 deductions for a 100! And a thank you!

Now it was homeboy's turn. While he was doing his test, the guy looked down and noticed my boots. He told me that he liked them and talked to me about how his son wears boots all the time and how they can be really good for your feet and how I must have meant business to come in there with my boots on. Mission accomplished. He loves me.

Homeboy had 0 deductions for a 100, also. 1 test left. I have to step it up.

So I saddle up and head out on the open road. We take left turns, right turns, get on the highway, park on the road heading up and down, answer questions about the bus, and a bunch of other crazy stuff. I. KILLED. IT. TOO. A 94. Beat that, homeboy! The only thing I did wrong was take a few turns a little too fast and couldn't stay in the closer lane. I am my father's daughter, what I can say. My right foot is 65% lead. The guy told me I passed, shook my hand, and told me congratulations. I was done. This was over. THANK. THE. LORD. I can truly relax for the first time since the beginning of August.

(Serious side note: I do want to say that the guy who did the test was great. He had the approach that once we get this license, we won't be taught how to drive a bus anymore. We'll be on our own. So not only was he testing what we knew, he was also teaching us new things. When homeboy told him he had been an awesome teacher, his response was, 'Well that's a lot of answered prayers.' He is a great, great guy and is really good at what he does.)

Now it's homeboy's turns. He did ok. Even though he curbed it a few times, stopped as he was entering the highway, and botched railroad tracks, he did an ok job. Obviously needs a little more practice, but it was enough to let him pass. Not that anyone else was really paying any attention to this game I created that pitted me against homeboy, but I went home knowing that I hit him where it hurt, and I WON!

So I left that place with my bus driving license, my sassy cowboy boots on, and two men that were very impressed with my intelligence and my ability to manuever a large vehicle. Mission Accomplished.