How to tell family/friend I coverted to Islam?

[Kara]

I am a bit of a predicament. I recently converted to Islam after studying and praying. I still have a lot to learn but I feel more at peace than I have in a long time. I am happy with my decision. I'm also happy because I have found an islamic center near me that i plan on visiting on Friday. The only problem is i'm not sure how to tell my family and friends that I converted to Islam. They don't know anything other than what they see on television. I live in an extremely Christian town. People are very closed-minded also. I've been reposting some quotes on Facebook that are posted by different Muslim groups and today my former boss confronted me about it. She sent me an IM on Facebook asking me about it. She said "You're not converting are you." Based on what she was texting, she wouldn't have been very supportive. She would have been the type of person who would have preached at me to stop before, in her mind, destroying my salvation. I just didn't want to hear it and was very nervous. How do I go about telling family and friends? Has anyone else had this problem? Also, due to some medical conditions I cannot drive until April. I would need a ride to get to the islamic center. How do I explain that? What reason do I give them when my parents ask why I need to go there? How do I get the strength to tell them and everyone else? I need advice. Can anyone help?