Meet 'Pearl,' our new car.

Sporty, and cute, right?

 Pearl (which is only a temp name, because Sacha said this car is obviously not a girl) is a Subaru Impreza Hatchback. We've been in the market for a new car for quite a while, and we had planned to purchase one this summer. We had specifically been looking for Subaru, because we already own a Subaru Impreza and are sold on Subaru for life. We couldn't decide if we wanted a Forester, an Outback, a Legacy, Impreza, or some kind of wacky Subaru breed, like an Impreza WRX, or something like Pearl. We needed something with room, but I don't like driving anything big, boxy, or long in the front or the back. It just so happened that Sacha's grandfather previously owned Pearl for two years. He has been having major back problems, and was in the market for a new vehicle, himself. So, he offered to sell Pearl to us, and he'd get himself something new.

We were thrilled, because this meant that we wouldn't go have to go through the hassle of car shopping. We wanted something just like Pearl, anyway, so this worked out perfectly! We've had Pearl for a couple of weeks, and B is getting used to the idea of having a new car around. The only thing is... I can't drive Pearl... yet. Pearl is a stick- you know, has a manual transmission. I have never previously owned a stick, and don't know how to drive one. My husband has driven nothing but manuals, and it's his preference. So, I knew that if we had bought a new car on our own like we had planned, it would have been a stick. We talked about it, and I agreed to learn how to drive it. I'm a good driver- never had an accident, or a ticket... in an automatic. 

I had my first driving lesson in the new car yesterday afternoon. We drove out to a neighborhood that has one road, and basically goes in a circle. At first, I was becoming quite frustrated, because I couldn't get the hang of stopping, and then starting (which Sacha said is the hardest thing about driving a stick, period). I can shift gears without much of a problem, but it's the stopping and starting again that makes me nervous. I could have easily given up and said that I just wasn't going to do it, and the car wouldn't work for me after all. I felt so silly, like a teenager learning to drive all over again. For an hour, I drove in circles, pulling over, repeating practicing starting and stopping. B was cheering me on from the back seat, saying, 'You can do it, mommy!' After he said that, I thought, 'Yeah, I can.'

So, we drove some more, and then I asked Sacha what would happen if I went out to the main road? He said that if I felt like I wanted to try, to go ahead. So, I did. I didn't drive far from where we had started, but I drove to his mom's house. I had to stop and start a bunch of times... in traffic... at stoplights, and such, and didn't kill the car in the middle of the road, so I took that as a good sign. I know I need lots more practice, and I'm determined to stick with it, and master driving Pearl. I can do it, and I'm not going to give up.

 If I can just remember this one thing, through the rough patches of life, I know I'll be okay...

This is no time for fear

This is the time for faith and determination

Don't lose the vision here carried away by the motion

Hold on to all that you hide in your heart

There is one thing that has always been true

It holds the world together

God is in control

We believe that His children will not be forsaken

God is in control

We will choose to remember and never be shaken

There is no power above or beside Him, we know

Oh, God is in control, oh God is in control

*Twila Paris, God is in Control

What's something you're currently having to work really hard at? Don't give up! God is on your side, and He is in control. So, 'just keep swimming!'