Today, Tommy had a heart catheter at the hospital to check on his heart and the arteries surrounding it,...but that's another story. THIS story happens on the way to the hospital. What a way to start a day :)
We had to be at the hospital at 12:30, and the potential to stay overnight was there, so I spent this morning getting a shower and packing a bag and getting the kids mentally prepared with what I expected of them while we were gone. I didn't spend it eating. I have to eat in semi-regular intervals or my blood sugar reminds me that I'm not perfect. So on the way in to town, I stopped at Chick-Fil-A for a sandwich. I got up to the counter and ordered my sandwich, and the man taking my order asked me for my name. Why did he need that? So I told him "I'm Marianna, why?Are you hitting on me?" He looked down and was instantly beet red without an answer to my question. So I said "Please say yes...its been a long time since someone hit on me." He was seriously struggling to get my receipt to print at this point. I said "Look, I have a really mean husband and he doesn't let people hit on me, so its been so long I'm starting to take it personally!" Finally, this man is able to take a breath and answer me. He says "That's probably why, because none of us want to receive the repercussions from him."
I guess I accept that,.... and its his loss,....he might have gotten a tip out of it if he'd just gone for it.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
*sigh*
I always hate it when people are overly dramatic. So why is it that I am Drama Queen of Queens? Don't ask me why I pick today to be whiny, I just did. It's ok if you decide to hit the X on your browser and wait for a different blog later. I won't mind. Just don't TELL me that's what you did ;)
Whine #1: Why is it the days I am scheduled to work are the mornings when I wake up after having just a couple hours of sleep? I would like an extra couple hours please!
Whine #2: Why can't I pick the people my kids choose to have to emotional ties to? I just "know" I could save them aches and pains if they would just do it MY way!
Whine #3: Why do I have to be so black and white oriented? Why is it that I can't let there be some gray areas in my life? Gray just drives me crazy and I don't know why. I'm tired of being crazy. I want to feel like I can be normal sometimes too. It's not fun being tense and stressed ALL the time.
Whine #4: Why is the "poorhouse" my destiny? I don't have to be rich,...really I don't! I don't dream of that at all, actually! I just want to stop worrying EVERYday of how to make ends meet. Yeah yeah, I know that when I figure something out, the relief it brings is a bittersweet I would never know otherwise, but GOOD GRIEF!!! Can I not find out what its like to NOT have the intense fear first? I just want to pay a few bills easily for a change and not have to sell blood or children to do it.
Whine #5: Where did all my energy go? Don't tell me its because I have 4 children and a disabled husband all living at home. Don't tell me its just stress. I know a few ladies who have more kids than I do, their ages are closer together than mine, and they STILL have make up on every day and their houses clean and their bills paid and a 1950's air around then. One of them gets up at dawn and even exercises before her children get up, so she can cook them breakfast and send them to school! I think I hate her.
Whine #6: How come when Tommy worked, he would come home to find dinner ready (or nearly so) and the house semi-straightened and his kids happy to see me. Lots of times I met him at the door with hugs and kisses.... and now that its ME working... none of that stuff happens? Sometimes Mesa cooks and sometimes she does some straightening up around the house,...and that's it.
Whine #7: I don't like cats. Yeah I know, giving Manti a kitten for his 18th birthday was my idea because Manti DOES like cats and wanted one,.... so why does the stupid thing have to live in my house? I'm the only one that gets bit by fleas when she picks them up. I'm the only one who ends up with cat hair in my dinner plate. I'm the only one that gets bothered by the litter box odors. I'm the only one who freaks out when she jumps up on the table, the kitchen counter or the stove (and I freak LOUDLY when she does). So why does the cat need to be in the house?
I guess that's enough whining,...nobody cares anyway, right?
On a happier note, I've lost 15 pounds! Can't see it, probably lost it from my bra instead of my belly,.... but its 15 pounds. I'll take it.
Whine #1: Why is it the days I am scheduled to work are the mornings when I wake up after having just a couple hours of sleep? I would like an extra couple hours please!
Whine #2: Why can't I pick the people my kids choose to have to emotional ties to? I just "know" I could save them aches and pains if they would just do it MY way!
Whine #3: Why do I have to be so black and white oriented? Why is it that I can't let there be some gray areas in my life? Gray just drives me crazy and I don't know why. I'm tired of being crazy. I want to feel like I can be normal sometimes too. It's not fun being tense and stressed ALL the time.
Whine #4: Why is the "poorhouse" my destiny? I don't have to be rich,...really I don't! I don't dream of that at all, actually! I just want to stop worrying EVERYday of how to make ends meet. Yeah yeah, I know that when I figure something out, the relief it brings is a bittersweet I would never know otherwise, but GOOD GRIEF!!! Can I not find out what its like to NOT have the intense fear first? I just want to pay a few bills easily for a change and not have to sell blood or children to do it.
Whine #5: Where did all my energy go? Don't tell me its because I have 4 children and a disabled husband all living at home. Don't tell me its just stress. I know a few ladies who have more kids than I do, their ages are closer together than mine, and they STILL have make up on every day and their houses clean and their bills paid and a 1950's air around then. One of them gets up at dawn and even exercises before her children get up, so she can cook them breakfast and send them to school! I think I hate her.
Whine #6: How come when Tommy worked, he would come home to find dinner ready (or nearly so) and the house semi-straightened and his kids happy to see me. Lots of times I met him at the door with hugs and kisses.... and now that its ME working... none of that stuff happens? Sometimes Mesa cooks and sometimes she does some straightening up around the house,...and that's it.
Whine #7: I don't like cats. Yeah I know, giving Manti a kitten for his 18th birthday was my idea because Manti DOES like cats and wanted one,.... so why does the stupid thing have to live in my house? I'm the only one that gets bit by fleas when she picks them up. I'm the only one who ends up with cat hair in my dinner plate. I'm the only one that gets bothered by the litter box odors. I'm the only one who freaks out when she jumps up on the table, the kitchen counter or the stove (and I freak LOUDLY when she does). So why does the cat need to be in the house?
I guess that's enough whining,...nobody cares anyway, right?
On a happier note, I've lost 15 pounds! Can't see it, probably lost it from my bra instead of my belly,.... but its 15 pounds. I'll take it.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tadpoles
The month of July has been especially challenging for me: Twilight Camp happened, a frantic house-cleaning party happened, the air conditioning has been GONE,... yeah, tough month. So as you can guess, yesterday was a tense day as well. It wasn't a "bad" day, just a tense one. I had one of those days at work where every customer (ok not EVERY customer, but a large percentage) had a million questions to ask, and the majority of those were the same questions over and over, just asked in different words each time it got re-asked. (Yes,...by the same person most of the time.) And it was one of those days where the phone barely rang till after lunch and then it wouldn't STOP ringing. At least half the calls were from people who felt they truly needed to speak to Linda and Linda only and one of them was even appalled that I was the one working yesterday. I got some smack talk for that guy if he ever calls back! Then after work, I go to Kroger and pick up some supper stuff, and as I'm getting in line, a voice over the speaker system says if you are paying with a debit card, either find a different form of payment or leave your groceries and go home. (They didn't say it quite that way, but that's what they meant.) Wellllll.... Tommy has lost his wallet and we can't find it anywhere. So he has no cash and no bank card. I gave him all the cash I had and gave him the checkbook before I left for work. So a debit card was all I had! I wanted to cry at that point...and slowly started back down the aisles putting groceries back up. As I was on my fourth item, the voice came back over the speaker and says "if you want to try running your debit card as a credit, it might work." That was my only choice if I didn't want to go to the Hellmart....which I really really didn't. I got back in line with what was left in my cart and ran my card as a credit. It worked. I got home and temporarily collapsed in my chair.
That's when Morgan came running in the house with a jar of water with a lid on it. He tells me he has a tadpole collection. ???? Have you seen where I live? There is a pond at the lower portion of our property, and there is a lake behind us on the neighbor's property. Morgan would have had to go through the woods for that though. Certain times of the year and under certain conditions, we DO have a LOT of small frogs that come out at night and hop around our yard and driveway, and poor Possum (the dog) commonly has a frog or two commit suicide in his water bucket. Could that be how Morgan found tadpoles? Suddenly Tommy started yelling to take them out. So I called Morgan closer so I could see.....
These aren't actual pictures, but are a good representation of what he brought in..... and a picture of tadpoles at the bottom to compare with. What an ending to a stressful day!
That's when Morgan came running in the house with a jar of water with a lid on it. He tells me he has a tadpole collection. ???? Have you seen where I live? There is a pond at the lower portion of our property, and there is a lake behind us on the neighbor's property. Morgan would have had to go through the woods for that though. Certain times of the year and under certain conditions, we DO have a LOT of small frogs that come out at night and hop around our yard and driveway, and poor Possum (the dog) commonly has a frog or two commit suicide in his water bucket. Could that be how Morgan found tadpoles? Suddenly Tommy started yelling to take them out. So I called Morgan closer so I could see.....
These aren't actual pictures, but are a good representation of what he brought in..... and a picture of tadpoles at the bottom to compare with. What an ending to a stressful day!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunburned!
Last Monday, our scout crew took a canoe trip down a portion of the Tallapoosa River in Alabama. It was a great trip that I really enjoyed, but it had an end result that has been with me ever since: a sunburned chest. I was in the water, we stopped several times and I got INTO the water, so I didn't think there was anything wrong with me wearing a modest swimsuit. I did think to take sunscreen, but was distracted while packing the car and forgot to grab it. We had a bottle of sunTAN lotion in the car already, and it had an spf 5, beats nothing right? I slathered it on a couple times,... but spf 5 is not much different than spf-nothing. After the 14 mile canoe trip, my chest was fried.
Then Saturday was Mesa's 18th birthday and she wanted to go to Tanners Beach, a local state park with a lake. So we packed the spf 30 this time and went to the beach for a birthday swim. I REALLY slathered on the sunscreen this time and coated the kids with it too. Anywhere there was sunscreen,...there is burn. That's just wrong!
So my chest, which already peeled last week, is now flaking and still red and raw. My back is peeling now too. My face hasn't peeled yet, but around my forehead I suspect it will. I went from pasty white to quite dark in just hours. I would take pictures to show you,...but nobody REALLY wants to see my chest,...do they? It ain't purty!
Want to find out what I did to care for my sunburn? Click here to read more.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
100 Year Celebration
The Buchanan branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is 100 years old. It is a church filled with so much history and sentimentality that when I learned they were celebrating today, I wanted to go. It was a very small celebration, after all,... the branch has always been sort of like that Amish Friendship Bread: you make the starter dough, then you divide it and give it to those you love so they have it as well,...but by doing so, your starter never becomes a loaf of bread to be eaten. It just continues to break off parts to become someone else's starter dough or a wonderful loaf of sweet tasting bread. Wasn't that a great analogy? I thought that one up by myself!
Ok, so today we drove out there. I felt like I should have been sitting in seats designated for "old timers" because even though I'm not a member, I attended there LONG before some of them ever heard of the place. It was a pioneer style theme and some of them even dressed the part. They decorated the parking lot with stations of interest and it was really interesting for me. The kids played games and there was music and of course,.... FOOD! Now I have to insert this note: Buchanan branch has never held ANY function without food, and I don't many just snacks, I mean MEALS! and you do NOT go home hungry! There is oftentimes more food at that branch for their activities than my WARD even considers assigning people to bring! By the way, my ward is one of those loaves of bread that came from the starter dough :)
So we got there and walked right into a sack race beginning. Morgan wanted in, so these wonderful amazing REAL Mormons handed my son a sack....even though he was a total stranger to them. Check him out:
And then race #2 appealed so much to Jared that he had to get into it....WITH his Morgan of course!
You'll never guess what happened next,....Manti couldn't resist!
So then we move along and come to where they are making ice cream in ziploc bags. I've heard of making butter in a ziplock bag, but NOT ice cream! Crazy! But it works! You mix the ingredients in a bag, zip it up, place that bag into a bag of salted ice and shake yourself silly. This was a kid activity, but look who ended up doing the shaking...
And there other cute things to see as well.
One of my Daddy's cousin read some of the history of the church, and as it turns out, she compiled eye witness accounts of the history from the time it started, and the sources are ALL my relatives except for one, and maybe Vera Kimball IS my relative, I don't know! But the other 3 definitely are (Lana, Aunt Maurice, and Thomasene for those of you who know those names).
We ate, like I told you we would, but the heat was so hard that I think I was heading towards heat exhaustion. Mesa was worried. She said my face was super red, and my entire head was throbbing, not like a headache, but like it was bobbing on top of my shoulders. It was HOT! But shortly after, they started playing music for us to enjoy. I sat down on a hay bale to listen, and look who ended up on the stage!!! This is Patriarch Bristol! WOW! I was surprised! No, he's not a resident of Buchanan. He's in Powder Springs!
So we had an enjoyable day. One of the things that made it nice was seeing the memorial that is placed in front of the building. The building is new, not the original one with all the history. It's sad that the old building is gone, but there are those who still remember and as long as ONE person remembers, it is not "dead and gone" and neither are those people who made it happen.
My grandparents came to this branch in 1939. My father is listed as one of the first missionaries sent from this branch. My family attended this branch for a period of time before we were divided and some of us sent to Carrollton, where I still attend. So this was a good day for me, and made me yearn for some of those days gone by. I wish Grandmaw and Paw could have been there,....and I hope they were allowed to watch and smile at the days events.
Ok, so today we drove out there. I felt like I should have been sitting in seats designated for "old timers" because even though I'm not a member, I attended there LONG before some of them ever heard of the place. It was a pioneer style theme and some of them even dressed the part. They decorated the parking lot with stations of interest and it was really interesting for me. The kids played games and there was music and of course,.... FOOD! Now I have to insert this note: Buchanan branch has never held ANY function without food, and I don't many just snacks, I mean MEALS! and you do NOT go home hungry! There is oftentimes more food at that branch for their activities than my WARD even considers assigning people to bring! By the way, my ward is one of those loaves of bread that came from the starter dough :)
So we got there and walked right into a sack race beginning. Morgan wanted in, so these wonderful amazing REAL Mormons handed my son a sack....even though he was a total stranger to them. Check him out:
And then race #2 appealed so much to Jared that he had to get into it....WITH his Morgan of course!
You'll never guess what happened next,....Manti couldn't resist!
So then we move along and come to where they are making ice cream in ziploc bags. I've heard of making butter in a ziplock bag, but NOT ice cream! Crazy! But it works! You mix the ingredients in a bag, zip it up, place that bag into a bag of salted ice and shake yourself silly. This was a kid activity, but look who ended up doing the shaking...
And there other cute things to see as well.
One of my Daddy's cousin read some of the history of the church, and as it turns out, she compiled eye witness accounts of the history from the time it started, and the sources are ALL my relatives except for one, and maybe Vera Kimball IS my relative, I don't know! But the other 3 definitely are (Lana, Aunt Maurice, and Thomasene for those of you who know those names).
We ate, like I told you we would, but the heat was so hard that I think I was heading towards heat exhaustion. Mesa was worried. She said my face was super red, and my entire head was throbbing, not like a headache, but like it was bobbing on top of my shoulders. It was HOT! But shortly after, they started playing music for us to enjoy. I sat down on a hay bale to listen, and look who ended up on the stage!!! This is Patriarch Bristol! WOW! I was surprised! No, he's not a resident of Buchanan. He's in Powder Springs!
So we had an enjoyable day. One of the things that made it nice was seeing the memorial that is placed in front of the building. The building is new, not the original one with all the history. It's sad that the old building is gone, but there are those who still remember and as long as ONE person remembers, it is not "dead and gone" and neither are those people who made it happen.
My grandparents came to this branch in 1939. My father is listed as one of the first missionaries sent from this branch. My family attended this branch for a period of time before we were divided and some of us sent to Carrollton, where I still attend. So this was a good day for me, and made me yearn for some of those days gone by. I wish Grandmaw and Paw could have been there,....and I hope they were allowed to watch and smile at the days events.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Follow-up: for Mama
Didn't mean to leave anybody hanging,...
Manti came home safely of course. The Durango seems fine. I don't know if Tommy "fixed" it or if he "patched" it,...but I'm just not sure I want to know either.
I didn't have a nervous breakdown, but I think the only reason is because I had a couple hours of WONDERFUL the day before and that gave me some measure of rest before the big junk hit.
Sounds like "all is well", right? Well not quite.
Sunday was Father's Day. We almost always go to Terry's house for Sunday evening visiting, and we went last Sunday too. I had planned to call my daddy around that time as well, but when we got to Terry's house, his air conditioning was acting up so badly that something needed to be done. Terry's health won't allow him to get under the house, but he tried. Tommy and Manti ended up going under his house and getting repairs made. It took them 2 days though! We didn't get home till 10:30pm that night,...too late to call my daddy. :(
Monday night they finished at Terry's house and I finished helping Sheryl with some work she had for me to help with, and we came home. Tuesday and Wednesday I had to work. Wednesday, Tommy tells me how I'm not going to like coming home from work. What does that mean? It means OUR air conditioning unit has gone out and needs engine work done (or replacement) and we are now forced to rearrange the living room furniture (which I'm not interested in doing) and using a window unit a/c! It is 81 degrees in my livingroom (the one with the air conditioner) and its 96 on my porch. None of us slept well last night because it was so hot in the house. The outside cooled off quickly last night,...the inside held the heat. We must have better insulation than I thought!
Today, we're all just lounging around, dreading having to do anything. I've got some of the livingroom rearrangement done but just don't feel like doing the rest. I'm still in my pajamas too!
Tonight is venturing scouts night, so not much going to get done about the a/c right now either. Gonna be a long week I'm afraid. Thank goodness I can pay bills online and not have to get out to do them!
Manti came home safely of course. The Durango seems fine. I don't know if Tommy "fixed" it or if he "patched" it,...but I'm just not sure I want to know either.
I didn't have a nervous breakdown, but I think the only reason is because I had a couple hours of WONDERFUL the day before and that gave me some measure of rest before the big junk hit.
Sounds like "all is well", right? Well not quite.
Sunday was Father's Day. We almost always go to Terry's house for Sunday evening visiting, and we went last Sunday too. I had planned to call my daddy around that time as well, but when we got to Terry's house, his air conditioning was acting up so badly that something needed to be done. Terry's health won't allow him to get under the house, but he tried. Tommy and Manti ended up going under his house and getting repairs made. It took them 2 days though! We didn't get home till 10:30pm that night,...too late to call my daddy. :(
Monday night they finished at Terry's house and I finished helping Sheryl with some work she had for me to help with, and we came home. Tuesday and Wednesday I had to work. Wednesday, Tommy tells me how I'm not going to like coming home from work. What does that mean? It means OUR air conditioning unit has gone out and needs engine work done (or replacement) and we are now forced to rearrange the living room furniture (which I'm not interested in doing) and using a window unit a/c! It is 81 degrees in my livingroom (the one with the air conditioner) and its 96 on my porch. None of us slept well last night because it was so hot in the house. The outside cooled off quickly last night,...the inside held the heat. We must have better insulation than I thought!
Today, we're all just lounging around, dreading having to do anything. I've got some of the livingroom rearrangement done but just don't feel like doing the rest. I'm still in my pajamas too!
Tonight is venturing scouts night, so not much going to get done about the a/c right now either. Gonna be a long week I'm afraid. Thank goodness I can pay bills online and not have to get out to do them!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Saturday Gripes
Friday was just too pleasant. I was out in the canoe with Tommy and Manti, in full sun on water, and I didn't get a sunburn or hurt feelings. It was just too good a day and Kitty's Cosmic Thumb would not be disregarded.
Manti had planned to go to the Nashville Temple with the young single adult group from our stake. He had to be in Powder Springs at 10am to ride with the group. I had to be at work at 9am, so that meant Tommy had to take him in order for us to keep both cars and not have Manti driving home on the interstate at midnight. (Yeah, they were making it a one-day trip.) So sounds do-able, right?
We get up at 7am, Manti had already gotten up and I didn't have to wake him! Nice start! I get a shower and when I get out, Tommy has gotten up and gotten dressed. Awesome! This is looking great,...right? And that's about when the forces of darkness struck. Suddenly Tommy raced past me making weird "almost burp" noises. He nearly takes down the bathroom door making the turn into the bathroom and when he reaches the toilet, he heaves harder than the earth does when it quakes! Poor man, that had to hurt! So before the "last supper" finished coming up, I was on the phone with my boss,...messing up her day by asking her to leave the company she had at her house and open the shop so I could take Manti to Powder Springs. I promised to be back to the shop by noon, so she reluctantly agreed. I got Manti to leave a little earlier to help me deal with the stress I was feeling and we took off to I-20.
When we got to Carrollton, I had to get a little gas.
We get the majority of our monthly income at the end of the month, which makes the week before that date a tough one. We were a little short, since bills are a little larger right now. I put $20 into my gas tank and got back on the road. That would last until my small paycheck on Monday. So I headed to the stake center and we arrived about 10 minutes early. He got out of the car and joined the group that had started forming in the parking lot, so I went ahead and left him, worrying something was going to go wrong. I just had a feeling it would. I called Manti a couple times checking to see if rides had gotten there and making sure he didn't need any money. I just didn't feel secure about the day. He answered that all was well everytime I talked to him, so I guess it was and I just headed on towards home. I made excellent time too, and got back to Carrollton at 11am! An hour early! YAY! So I had $10 left in my purse. I decided to stop at Wendy's and get a burger for my lunch. I spent $5 on my lunch and was proud of myself for not pigging out. I went back out to my car, got in, cranked it and wondered why it sounded funny. I backed up and cut my wheel so I would be in the driving lane,... and the car sputtered and died. I tried to crank it back up, and nothing! My heart stopped. I put the car in neutral and tried again. The engine turned over.....and over.....and over.....but wouldn't start. The car parked next to me watched but didn't offer anything. So I turned on my flashes because I was crossways of the driving lane and nobody would get around me without getting into the drive-thru lane. He saw me put on my flasher, and backed up to me anyway. Then the #$%&! had the nerve to honk his horn at me. I just sat there in my seat, flashers flashing, and stared back at him. He apparently got the message and pulled forward and out of there. Now why did he insist on another inch if he was clear in front? Yeah that's what I think too.... dumb###!
Instead of crying right away, I got out of the car and hoped I wasn't seeing smoke come out from under the hood. I went inside and pulled my phone out of my pocket to call Tommy. He was no longer allowed to be sick. I was stranded, and that trumps sick! Then I called my boss, Linda and apologized and told her what was wrong. At least it was Wendy's, not even a full 5 minutes from the shop, and the shop is just 15 minutes from home. When I hung up the phone, I stood at the window staring at my gut feeling turned reality. I could just picture somebody flying around the corner of that building and hitting my pretty red Dodge Durango....my STUPID DEAD DURANGO THAT WAS NOT MAKING MY DAY PLEASANT! I turned around and looked to see who all was in the store and noticed a man in a striped shirt. I didn't even let myself think about it, I just walked up to him and asked if he would be kind enough to help me roll my car out of the driving lane and back into a parking space. He laid everything in his hands onto a table and went out with me. I was dumbfounded at how quickly and completely he was willing to help me! Then I noticed on his shirt that he had a patch on it with his name (whatever that was) and that he was an oil lubrication specialist or something. That meant he knew a little about cars! WHEW!
So me and Mr. Oil Lube got out to the car, I put it in neutral and steered and pushed a little (like a girl) while he put more muscle into the back end and together we rolled it over into a parking place. He asked me to open the hood and I popped it for him. He pointed out the radiator hose in the front and told me that it is supposed to be in one piece, and if Tommy gets one from the parts house, this is most likely to happen again. To avoid this split, he needs to get one from the Dodge dealership----that place that "loves" to see US coming!
The man left and I sat back in the car, windows down so I wouldn't suffocate while I cried my eyes out for not making Manti stay home instead. I ate my lunch while I sat...wouldn't you know it, they drowned my burger in mustard :(
Tommy picked me up and took me to the shop. Then I cashed a check (thank goodness its Saturday and Linda won't be depositing that until Monday about noon...and she pays me Monday about 10! Guess where I'll be Monday morning!) and handed Tommy some money. He went to the parts place and got a clamp to sort of "bandage" the hose. Then he brought the Durango to the shop and Linda came back to pick Tommy up and took him back over to Wendy's to get the Camry. Tommy stayed the rest of the day with me.
And then it rained,....pretty hard, with thunder and stuff. That was ok, it didn't bother me a lot,....until Tommy's phone rang. Mesa was locked out of the house. The 2 little boys were inside, and both were asleep since it was naptime! She had gone outside to get the laundry off the clothesline before the rain got it, and accidentally locked herself out. The rain and thunder were plentiful and she couldn't get in! Glad our porch has a roof! She finally got the boys awake and they let her in so I could stop worrying.
Closing time came, we left and went home. Time to watch the clock tick the hours by till Manti gets back. Can't believe we still have to drive an hour and half away to get him! About 7pm Manti tells me he could make it easier by spending the night with one of the other guys and us pick him up tomorrow. After about 30 minutes, we finally worked it out to pick him up in Douglasville tomorrow afternoon, which means we don't have to go to Powder Springs at midnight. Thank goodness for that!
Manti had planned to go to the Nashville Temple with the young single adult group from our stake. He had to be in Powder Springs at 10am to ride with the group. I had to be at work at 9am, so that meant Tommy had to take him in order for us to keep both cars and not have Manti driving home on the interstate at midnight. (Yeah, they were making it a one-day trip.) So sounds do-able, right?
We get up at 7am, Manti had already gotten up and I didn't have to wake him! Nice start! I get a shower and when I get out, Tommy has gotten up and gotten dressed. Awesome! This is looking great,...right? And that's about when the forces of darkness struck. Suddenly Tommy raced past me making weird "almost burp" noises. He nearly takes down the bathroom door making the turn into the bathroom and when he reaches the toilet, he heaves harder than the earth does when it quakes! Poor man, that had to hurt! So before the "last supper" finished coming up, I was on the phone with my boss,...messing up her day by asking her to leave the company she had at her house and open the shop so I could take Manti to Powder Springs. I promised to be back to the shop by noon, so she reluctantly agreed. I got Manti to leave a little earlier to help me deal with the stress I was feeling and we took off to I-20.
When we got to Carrollton, I had to get a little gas.
We get the majority of our monthly income at the end of the month, which makes the week before that date a tough one. We were a little short, since bills are a little larger right now. I put $20 into my gas tank and got back on the road. That would last until my small paycheck on Monday. So I headed to the stake center and we arrived about 10 minutes early. He got out of the car and joined the group that had started forming in the parking lot, so I went ahead and left him, worrying something was going to go wrong. I just had a feeling it would. I called Manti a couple times checking to see if rides had gotten there and making sure he didn't need any money. I just didn't feel secure about the day. He answered that all was well everytime I talked to him, so I guess it was and I just headed on towards home. I made excellent time too, and got back to Carrollton at 11am! An hour early! YAY! So I had $10 left in my purse. I decided to stop at Wendy's and get a burger for my lunch. I spent $5 on my lunch and was proud of myself for not pigging out. I went back out to my car, got in, cranked it and wondered why it sounded funny. I backed up and cut my wheel so I would be in the driving lane,... and the car sputtered and died. I tried to crank it back up, and nothing! My heart stopped. I put the car in neutral and tried again. The engine turned over.....and over.....and over.....but wouldn't start. The car parked next to me watched but didn't offer anything. So I turned on my flashes because I was crossways of the driving lane and nobody would get around me without getting into the drive-thru lane. He saw me put on my flasher, and backed up to me anyway. Then the #$%&! had the nerve to honk his horn at me. I just sat there in my seat, flashers flashing, and stared back at him. He apparently got the message and pulled forward and out of there. Now why did he insist on another inch if he was clear in front? Yeah that's what I think too.... dumb###!
Instead of crying right away, I got out of the car and hoped I wasn't seeing smoke come out from under the hood. I went inside and pulled my phone out of my pocket to call Tommy. He was no longer allowed to be sick. I was stranded, and that trumps sick! Then I called my boss, Linda and apologized and told her what was wrong. At least it was Wendy's, not even a full 5 minutes from the shop, and the shop is just 15 minutes from home. When I hung up the phone, I stood at the window staring at my gut feeling turned reality. I could just picture somebody flying around the corner of that building and hitting my pretty red Dodge Durango....my STUPID DEAD DURANGO THAT WAS NOT MAKING MY DAY PLEASANT! I turned around and looked to see who all was in the store and noticed a man in a striped shirt. I didn't even let myself think about it, I just walked up to him and asked if he would be kind enough to help me roll my car out of the driving lane and back into a parking space. He laid everything in his hands onto a table and went out with me. I was dumbfounded at how quickly and completely he was willing to help me! Then I noticed on his shirt that he had a patch on it with his name (whatever that was) and that he was an oil lubrication specialist or something. That meant he knew a little about cars! WHEW!
So me and Mr. Oil Lube got out to the car, I put it in neutral and steered and pushed a little (like a girl) while he put more muscle into the back end and together we rolled it over into a parking place. He asked me to open the hood and I popped it for him. He pointed out the radiator hose in the front and told me that it is supposed to be in one piece, and if Tommy gets one from the parts house, this is most likely to happen again. To avoid this split, he needs to get one from the Dodge dealership----that place that "loves" to see US coming!
The man left and I sat back in the car, windows down so I wouldn't suffocate while I cried my eyes out for not making Manti stay home instead. I ate my lunch while I sat...wouldn't you know it, they drowned my burger in mustard :(
Tommy picked me up and took me to the shop. Then I cashed a check (thank goodness its Saturday and Linda won't be depositing that until Monday about noon...and she pays me Monday about 10! Guess where I'll be Monday morning!) and handed Tommy some money. He went to the parts place and got a clamp to sort of "bandage" the hose. Then he brought the Durango to the shop and Linda came back to pick Tommy up and took him back over to Wendy's to get the Camry. Tommy stayed the rest of the day with me.
And then it rained,....pretty hard, with thunder and stuff. That was ok, it didn't bother me a lot,....until Tommy's phone rang. Mesa was locked out of the house. The 2 little boys were inside, and both were asleep since it was naptime! She had gone outside to get the laundry off the clothesline before the rain got it, and accidentally locked herself out. The rain and thunder were plentiful and she couldn't get in! Glad our porch has a roof! She finally got the boys awake and they let her in so I could stop worrying.
Closing time came, we left and went home. Time to watch the clock tick the hours by till Manti gets back. Can't believe we still have to drive an hour and half away to get him! About 7pm Manti tells me he could make it easier by spending the night with one of the other guys and us pick him up tomorrow. After about 30 minutes, we finally worked it out to pick him up in Douglasville tomorrow afternoon, which means we don't have to go to Powder Springs at midnight. Thank goodness for that!
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