DMV is the shiz...NOT

So, I've been to DMV's in a few different states. So far, I'd have to say the process in FL is the most convenient. South Carolina's process is F-U-C-K-I-N-G horrible. My temp plates from Florida expired today so getting my new tags was on the top of my things to do yesterday. I went to the DMV yesterday with every possible piece of paperwork you could have in regards to a car including my registration from when I first bought it (laugh now, but that piece of paper saved my ass). Most people would have thrown it out...not me. Anywho, I lugged Pieter along with me...something I was extremely stressed about. He gets bored way too quickly so it's extremely important that I bring along something to entertain him with. Let me just list the order of events that took place yesterday.

1. Packed all the goodies (juice and chocolate fishies), Pieter, and the stroller in to the car.

2. Put the address into my GPS...ya, like I know how to get there without that damn thing.

3. Drive there and realize my GPS doesn't like me crossing oncoming traffic to make a left turn, therefore she (it used to be a "he" that I named Pierce...bc he totally sounded like James Bond) took me an extra mile down the road to a light where I was then ALLOWED to turn around.What's even more lame is I saw the damn DMV and knew I could take a left, but she...haven't named her yet...is my new masta.

4. Took the massive stroller out, got Pieter settled into it, grabbed his goodies and headed for the front door. No one opened it for me...there were at least 15 people standing there watching me maneuver the stroller through this door. Thanks jerks.

5. Get to the front desk and throw all of my papers down. I'm sure I looked like a basket case, which I totally was. Panic attack mode set in quickly when she told me I didn't have EVERYTHING. She explained that I needed to show a piece of mail with my new address on it in order to get my license. Cool, whatev, at least I was still okay to get my registration.

6. Tried to fill out the paper the lady at the front desk gave me but was called to the next window before I even finished my name. I got up there and once again threw all my papers at her. She looked through them and started typing so I was starting to settle down. Then she said "do you have your tax receipt?" WHAT?? My first thought, "I didn't even do taxes...this beezy's not gonna let me get my car registered bc I didn't do my taxes??" I asked her in as polite a voice as I could, "what do you mean?" Apparently in South Carolina you have to go to the County office and pay a tax on your vehicle. It's not like CA where you go to one place and get everything done...great.

7. I picked up my paperwork and yelled at the beezy's at the DMV (in my head ofcourse) and went home.

I was grumpy but realized I had one more day to take care of my registration. By the way, I'm a bit confused about how they can give you new registration without a new driver's license. Anyway, here's a list of how today went.

1)Took off to the County office to pay my car tax. Again, I had Pieter and his goodies with me. However, this time I took a gander at the main entrance and realized they didn't have a ramp so I couldn't bring the stroller (shoot me).

2)Ask this lady who works there where I go and she points to the door I'm standing right in front of. Sweet, only one person in line and she was keeping Pieter entertained! I wait about 10 minutes to find that I in fact, was NOT in the right office. No biggie.

3)Go to the office I'm supposed to be in to find 3 people ahead of me and only one person working where there should have been 6. I knew right away this wasn't going to be a quick process. I was stuck there for an hour with Pieter running around the room like a caged monkey. I gave up telling him no and just let him do it...I didn't care that he was irritating the people behind me.

4)My turn comes around and I hand her my papers and she tells me to write down my new address. She starts typing it in (btw, I should tell you this place is literally 1.3 miles from my apartment) and says to me, "this address doesn't seem to be in Dorchester County." I said "but lady, I live a mile away. How can I not be in Dorchester County?" She then informed me that I live in Berkeley County. AWESOME.

5)Get on the phone with Nick who's on his way to the county office and yell at him for telling me we live in Dorchester County.

6)Drive 10 miles to the Berkeley County office in Goose Creek...with the help of her (Ms. GPS) with Nick following. This place looked run down and somewhere I wouldn't go alone. I walked in...wtf NO LINE...HOLLA! I walked in paid $101.00 and walked out with my tax receipt.

7)Nick headed back to work and I headed back to the DMV. This time I didn't pack Pieter anything because I was sure I would be handed a temp plate at the tax office.

8)Stop at Hardees (East Coast version of Carl's JR.) and get Pieter some fries.

9)Get to the DMV, get Pieter settled in his stroller, and hand him his fries. I walked to the front door...and yay for me! Someone actually opened the door for me.

10)Got my registration, but only because I had my original registration from CA from when I first bought my car. I wasn't able to get my license, bc the letter I brought in was a credit card statement....hmmm....I'll just get it another day.

11)Get in the car to realize I just spent 4.5 hours of my life trying to register my car...actually 6 if you include yesterday.

I've decided that I'm pretty effin proud of myself. This is the first time I've ever done anything like this on my own. I don't drive around by myself in new cities (outside of the one I live in), I don't do anything that involves my car bc I get super overwhelmed, and I especially don't do these things with a 2.5 year old whining machine.

Pieter did really well for the most part and managed to not pee his pants (although now that I've said this he's probably going to tomorrow haha!)

On another note: I finally got a vacuum and Pieter some new sandals. On the vacuum box it stated that it worked like a vacuum twice its size...and for only $40, so I bought it. I came home and put it together in about 1 minute and told Pieter I was going to try it out. I plugged it in and turned it on and almost peed down my leg. Not only does it WORK like a vacuum twice it size, it SOUNDS like one too. I don't know why I assumed it would let out minimal noise, but it definitely sent Pieyer running for cover.

Here's a picture of Pieter's new sandals...and one of him laying next to me talking on our freshly vacuumed floor :-)