So, I thought I wouldn't be having any more Tex-ventures until after Thanksgiving, but I was wrong. Today, we went to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Why? That's where you go to get your driver's license here. I had heard rumors about how much it sucks to get a driver's license here, but my husband really needed to get his this week so we went early with the idea we'd be there for a while. First sign it might be crazy there was that there were only 2 spots in the lot to park. Sign two was that as we walked in there were tons of people sitting in chairs waiting. We went to the info desk to get our numbers, 306 and 307, respectively. There was a large sign with lights announcing what number was being served at which lane. There were 8 lanes and only a maximum of 4 were open at any given time. I looked at the sign and the numbers were totally random. 35 was being served at window 7. 208 was being served at window 6. 708 was being served at window 5. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason with how they were choosing the numbers-it certainly was not numerical order. We waited about 10-15 minutes and then my number was called. I took all my various pieces of identification and prayed for the best. The lady I got was very nice (not your typical DMV employee) and asked how she could help me. I told her I needed a Texas license. She took my paper work and we realized some common ground. Her son in law was from Missouri (St. Louis, specifically). We chatted about Missouri and Texas as we went through the process. I filled out some paperwork, got my picture taken, gave my thumbprints electronically (that was different), and then took the vision test. My eyes change a lot- both color and prescription wise. Today was apparently a bad eye day. I tried to take the vision test without my glasses and failed. Boo. Now I have to wear my glasses when I drive. Guess its time to make a trip to the eye doctor for new frames and more importantly prescription sunglasses with all the sun here. She gathered up all my paperwork and handed it to me. I paid my $25 fee and then was handed a paper temporary driver's license. What?!? That's right for the next 30-45 days, I will be walking around with a piece of paper with my picture on it that says I can drive. "Umm, will the airport take this as a form of identification?" Well, she thought so. The guy next to her thought I'd be okay if I had my passport (uh, too bad that's in my maiden name) and my social security card. So here's hoping that the TSA and I don't fight because I am going to St. Louis and back for Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, my husband continued to sit. His number was not called after mine. It was called 10-15 minutes after I finished. Our overall time spent at the DPS was about 1.5 hours and we left with 2 pieces of paper saying we were good to go. Oh Texas. After this adventure, we decided to grab a bite to eat. We were in a new area so we decided to try a new place. Always on the search for a decent slice of pizza, we headed to Rockin Tomato Pizza Company. They were having a lunch buffet so that seemed like a great way to taste a variety of options. The pizza bar included soda, salad, pasta, pizza, garlic cheese bread, calzones, pepperoni rolls, and dessert. The pizza was actually pretty good. There were a variety of options and the crust was really tasty. I loved the garlic cheese bread which was basically a cheese pizza minus sauce. The calzone and spaghetti were only okay. My husband really like the pepperoni roll which was a roll stuffed with pepperoni and cheese. Finally, there was apple strudel, which was a delicious way to end the meal. Here's hoping that we are able to safely make it back to St. Louis with our paper IDs. Again, have a happy Thanksgiving and if you don't hear from me in December, it may be due to the fact I've been involved in some sort of airport drama.

The New Austonian