There is a task I’ve been putting off for a while called…”Learning How to Drive Austin’s Stick Shift Car.” I’m not the most patient person when it comes to learning new things so I was really putting it off. However, I really needed to be mobile and work and such so it just had to happen.
We started practicing in Saint George. All was going well until Austin took me to this rocky steep hill and tried to teach me how to start moving when I was stopped on a hill. I kind of lost my cookies. There were tears, some sass, and eventually some apologies. On Monday it was time to drive home, and I had to go to work on Tuesday. I told Austin I had to drive home if I was going to be able to get the practice in before working the next day. We left Saint George at about 8:30 Monday night and I was determined as ever to drive the whole way. All throughout the day I kind of starting feeling nervous and I would just tell myself “I can do hard things.” It sounds so cheesy but it reminded me of Disneyland this past summer. My little cousin Charly was terrified of the ride Tower of Terror. She wanted to ride though and began crying in line. Her mom made her repeat “I can do this.” She was crying but said it so strongly. That’s exactly how I felt, crying and scared and convinced I was going to do it!
Haha, I’m proud to say I drove all 4 hours home from Saint George! These are my victory pictures: a total scrub and it was like 12:30 at night, but happy as all get out. 
Tuesday morning I woke up at about 6:30 for work, and felt the nerves sink in again, since I would be driving alone this time. I kept repeating in my head “I can do this. I can do hard things.” I was praying all morning and all throughout every time I got in an out of the car that day.
On the way to work, I started to have some difficulties and I was worried about the car. I had also driven the whole way with the parking brake up. I was terrified and called Austin once I made it to work. He told me to test drive it before I got back on the road to come home and make sure everything was working okay. I was kind of shaking I was so nervous. I think he picked up on that and borrowed a friend’s car to come check it out for me. He test drove it and came into my work and told me he loved me and that everything was working fine.
First things first, I am so grateful for a husband who knows how my mind works and how I worry and does everything to keep that to a minimum. It means a lot to me that he would get up early and borrow cars just so that I could relax a little bit. He is so loving!
It gets a little crazier though that the car didn’t make any of the sounds it usually does when the parking brake is up and you’re driving on it. Everything sounded completely normal and nothing was wrong after the fact. I think the Lord was looking out for me. I think I needed to learn “Hey put the parking brake down” haha so he let me notice it on my own, but He watched out for us by not letting it damage the car.
On Sunday, we went to Young Women’s with Austin’s aunt Megan. The beehives were listening to a lesson on faith. I thought about my own faith and prayers lately. I have been quite the worrier and doubter. I haven’t been that great about trusting the Lord and trusting him to help everything work out well. I prayed all day yesterday…asking for help driving, for safety, expressing gratitude every time a light turned green early or Austin came to see me. I felt the Lord’s presence more strongly than I have for a long time. I felt my trust in him growing and I felt myself begin to trust him more.
I know that He loves us. I know that even something as silly as driving a car is important to Him. He is in every little detail of our lives. I know that it’ll all work out. I feel myself relaxing more as Austin and I work on a budget, as I look for a job that’s full time, as I encounter hard things! I know that the Lord will enable me and empower us to be able to overcome challenges.
Life with the zimmerman's 