A lot has happened in two weeks

After I wrote on Labor Day, I received a phone call from Lyndi and she was crying.  They'd been in a car accident.  They were okay, but it was Lyndi's fault and I could hear Thomas screaming.  He's had a bit of PTSD since his accident five years ago.  We were over an hour away, but we made some phone calls, and some dear friends rushed to be with them.  Complicating life was the fact that the care was not drivable, leaving them with only the old 2001 that we don't trust for many distances.  It needs some work.  So after a week of that, we traded them so they could use Andrew's car and we are living with the Civic.

In the meantime, Lyndi took her driving test and we were so excited when she passed!  She really is a great driver.  However, because she is married she couldn't be on her parent's car insurance, and when our insurance found out they were married they had to go on their own policy.  So she isn't covered, which means she can't drive.  It's not overly convenient for them right now, but things will work out.

Last week was also crazy in that Andrew had to work almost every evening, and we were trying to get ready for the kids' party.  I am so grateful my MIL was here.  She made sure we had meals and helped with laundry.  We couldn't have made it through the week without her.

Work has been more insane than I can even explain.  These parents have lost their minds.  Their behavior has been astounding.  Today, a set of parents showed up swearing and yelling and making demands.  What is even happening with these people?  I have been spending literally HOURS in admin meetings trying to make backup plans for backup plans in case some teachers decide to leave because the parents are so awful.

There are also things going on at church and in other aspects of life, but overall we are hanging in there.  It won't last forever, and we are all healthy and hanging in there.  But wowza, life can settle in anytime now!

The weather and car shopping

The winter storm that came through last weekend was definitely not overestimated!  We received about 9" of snow from Sunday morning through Monday afternoon.  There seemed to be some bursts where some areas received more than others, and we were one of those areas.  We spent hours shoveling ourselves out Monday afternoon.  None of us had to work those two days, although I was required (and did) work from home on Monday.

Tuesday things were clear enough that although there was no school, we were able to head to Thomas and go to an appointment with him.  His work had asked him if he could go into work after his appointment, and he agreed, but first it meant we had to dig his car out.  The neighborhood where he lives had not been touched by a plow or salt truck and it was another area that had received 9" of snow.  On our way home, Andrew and I decided it was our best chance to car shop, but first I need to explain how we got to that point.

Back in early September, my car wouldn't start one morning.  I was able to have Catherine take me to work as it was during the time she was working with me.  I realized something was amiss, at least a bit when it became evident that the interior lights were on, even though they weren't in the "on" position.  Things seemed to be fine though, until a couple of weeks later when the the car wouldn't start again.  This time Catherine wasn't here, and I went to my neighbors and begged for a ride to work (their youngest attends our school but goes in early for extended care).  That was the beginning of it starting to happen more frequently.  It got to the point that I couldn't even trickle charge it and it had to be jumped, and when we would jump it the vehicle would start honking and it was clearly quite a problem.  We finally got it jumped and started and drove it directly to the mechanic.  At first, they had trouble replicating the problem.  Once they were able to do so, they couldn't figure out what the problem was.  All-in-all, they ended up having my vehicle for seven weeks, and because the repair was electrical, it cost thousands of dollars.  Because we hoped to get another two years (at least) out of the vehicle, we agreed it was worth it.  I was thrilled to finally get my vehicle back the week before Thanksgiving.  Fortunately, with both Andrew and I working in town, and with Catherine around during the week, we were able to make things work each day.

You can imagine my irritation when, on the Sunday before Christmas, the vehicle wouldn't start as we were headed to church.  The situation was very similar to the way it went before, and we knew it was time to trade in the vehicle.  I had done some research, and we got a very fair deal.  I was able to get a 2022 black CR-V with low mileage.  Hopefully I will have this car for many, many years.  It's all been some chaos and a bit of stress, but I feel like things have worked out!

This has been a rough day

Today was one of those Wednesdays where I knew I would be working all day.  The Head of School was out which also meant I would be doing a VERY wet carline.  My co-worker and I sat down shortly after carline to begin a meeting about some HR issues, when suddenly there was a knock at the door, and my heart sank as my teary-eyed, 20-year-old son walked in.  I asked what he was doing there, and he informed me he had just been fired.  Oh my goodness, my heart absolutely broke for my sweet son.  He really, really liked his job, but the manager had left about a month ago, and Thomas hadn't really gelled with the guy who was the supervisor.  The manager had really gone to bat for Thomas on several occasions, but that was no longer a level of protection Thomas had without the store manager.  Did Thomas make mistakes?  Of course he did.  He's 19/20 while working there, and is not only new to the industry, but is working his first full time job.  His dismissal "cause" was given that he didn't complete his tasks.  For example, there was a time when hoses were frozen and he couldn't do what he had been asked to do.  He let the supervisor know verbally, but of course, there is no documentation/paper trail.  If my child perfect, was he a perfect worker?  Of course not.  But he always showed up to each shift 20 minutes early, never called off, and seemed to have a good rapport with his co-workers and customers.

My co-workers were wonderful and gave me as much time as I needed with Thomas.  It was such a blessing that the timing of this happened to coincide with Andrew having a plan period, so I was able to call him and put him on speaker phone.  We both told Thomas how proud we are of him for getting a job right after his classes finished and for how hard he worked.  My heart broke for my son, but I was so grateful that we have the relationship we do and that he knew he could go to his mom at a time like that.  I also pointed out to him how proud I am that he didn't go into debt with big dollar signs.  He has lost this job and it stinks, but he's not on the hook for a car payment or anything major.

Later in the day, Thomas received a phone call about the car he purchased the day his job started.  Andrew had gone with him to handle everything, but a month ago it had started making a strange noise.  We had it towed to a dealership because it is still under warranty.  Sure enough though, they are trying to claim neglect on the part of Thomas, which is crazy because he had the vehicle only 60 days before it stopped running right.  He is upset because they are telling him might be on the hook for a MAJOR repair, and he just lost his job.  We've assured him we are here to help, and that is what parents are for.  He didn't just buy a vehicle willy nilly and show up and surprise us.  He researched what he wanted, found a decent deal, and involved us in each step of the way.  Basically, his day has just completely sucked.  Did I mention his fish died also?

As I drove home from work to spend the evening with my kiddo, I really wanted to cry.  Andrew voiced it best when he called (he's working a basketball game this evening), we are so tired of seeing our kids struggle.  They struggled with classes and they've struggled to make friends.  There are times they have struggled with dating choices.  Maybe all parents feel this way, but it sure doesn't feel like it.  My co-worker told me we were so awesome as parents for guiding, and that our kids know they can come to us.  Honestly, it doesn't feel that way at all.  There are so many times it feels they just get dumped on, and I feel like an absolutely lousy parent.  I feel like I haven't helped them figure out how to be successful, and just when I think we are on the right road, a roadblock happens.  I know not every day is going to be rosy for my kids, and I know it isn't my job to fix everything for them.  I just love them so incredibly much and I want them to feel their lives are as blessed as mine has been.  As my mother says, tomorrow this will feel better, and I 100% believe it when I tell Thomas this will all work out.

A day that is really just for me

It is still frigidly cold here.  Some schools were closed, and almost all the others were on a delay.  Not where I work though!  We were all reporting at the regular time, and the windchills were negative as we unloaded kids from cars.  Weeks ago, I had scheduled a sub to be on standby for today.  She is awesome, and wants to work as many hours as she can during this month before her classes begin.  As it turned out, she wasn't needed in any classrooms, so I took the opportunity to have her in the office and I took the day at home.  It helps with the car situation as well, because Thomas's car hasn't worked in a month, and yesterday my vehicle developed a VERY flat tire.  I was able to get home before Thomas needed to leave for work.  The Civic is also having some battery issues, but we need it to keep plugging along until we have other vehicles working again.

I've picked up a couple of things, and I've read the newspaper, and I'm probably going to take a nap.  I appreciate being alone with my feelings and thoughts today, and I'm trying so very hard to feel at peace.  I read an article though, about a man who delivered motherless pups to an animal shelter.  He'd been feeding the mother when he could and found her dead along the side of the road after being hit by a car.  He knew there had been puppies, so he searched and found them, and left a note asking that he not be judged for leaving them, but because he was homeless he couldn't care for them.  Oh my goodness, I cried.  It makes one wonder how a man with such a heart could be in such a situation...how could God allow that?  While it's beautiful, it's a story that tests my faith, as have so many things these days.  Again, I've been hoping and praying for peace in my heart, and hopefully it begins with today, and a day for me to just be.

Not the alone time we thought it would be

When Thomas decided to attend school that would be over an hour away, we knew it meant he would be living on campus.  With Catherine at her school apartment, it seemed to indicate Andrew and I would have these glorious evenings and weekends with endless hours, just the two of us.  Don't get me wrong, everyone knows I love my kids and I love having them around.  The thing is, I love when we are ALL together.  Having just one around feels harder.  And I love my husband so much and love our time spent together.

The day that we moved Thomas into his dorm, we were home by 3:00 in the afternoon.  Andrew and I kind of sat around that day and looked at each other...now what?  That day felt like it would drag on forever, and I remember wanting to go to bed at 8:00 that evening.  I thought that was what our evenings were going to be like!

Haha, not so much!  The very next day, Andrew played frisbee golf after school and then I had a church meeting that evening.  We had a fairly quiet Thursday evening, and I was looking forward to enjoying a quiet weekend after we got through Catherine's nursing induction on Friday.  But then Andrew needed to work two athletic events that Saturday, and I was asked to work one as well.  Sunday became the day that we drove to see each kid at school, which meant we were gone over seven hours.  Our Saturday late afternoon and evening were exactly what I was hoping it would be, but it was hours, not day.

This week was even less so!  Monday I went straight to church to work and then did our weekly grocery shopping.  Tuesday I had to work a bit late at work, then had a church meeting at 6:00.  Andrew also had dinner with Catherine.  Wednesday I had to drive to take Thomas his glasses, and Andrew had to work an athletic event until after 9:30.  That was also the evening that things fell apart with Thomas.  Thursday I ended up working an athletic event and it was 8:00 before I got home.  Although I knew Andrew needed to attend the football game last evening, my original vision was a quiet Friday evening at home for myself.  Instead, I was back to move Thomas and bring him home, AND he unexpectedly brought a friend.  That means that although I knew Andrew would be working athletics this morning, my expected quiet Saturday didn't happen either.  We have plans with friends this evening, and I think Andrew and I are going to need all day tomorrow to recover and prepare for another crazy week!  maybe we'll have a quiet evening together this week, although I know he's already working athletics two evenings!

A comedy of errors kind of story

Thomas needed to be at school yesterday at 12:45 to ride the bus for an away swim meet.  I told him he could just take my CRV since I didn't plan to go anywhere.  He came back in about ten minutes later and said it wouldn't start.  I immediately assumed user error and grabbed the keys to test it myself.  I hopped in, pushed the button, and got nothing but "click, click, click."  The battery was definitely dead.  Thomas was annoyed by my efforts and needed to get to school, so he just took the 2001 Honda Civic that he normally drives.  I knew we would get a battery sometime this weekend.  All will be well.

Not so fast folks!  Fast forward to about two hours later.  Andrew has gone to run some errands and the phone rings.  It was Andrew telling me that I'm not going to believe what has happened (as an aside, this annoys me...just get to the point of the call).  Andrew had pulled into the car wash.  When it finished, he went to start the car, and nothing happened.  I assumed there was user error (year, I'm lovely like that), and asked if was sure the car was in park and if had done everything correctly.  He put me on speaker so I could hear the "click, click, click" that was very similar to what I had heard earlier.  At that point I mentioned there was literally nothing I could do, as the only car that was home with me wasn't running either.  He decided to call AAA, but in the meantime the police office who was waiting behind him to wash the squad car approached and offered to jump the batter.

Thankfully, Andrew had already finished his errands and was able to get his battery replaced.  Today, he and replaced my battery.  And we knew Thomas's car would be good because we just replaced that battery last month!

This weekend will go down as one of my favorites

 This past weekend will definitely be remembered as one of my favorites.  So many things filled my heart with much gratitude and joy.

I picked Catherine up from school Thursday afternoon.  I was so excited to have her around for a few days as it had been four weeks since she had been home!  Thomas had band practice that evening, but we planned some cake and fun after he was finished.  Unfortunately, the "he hit a parked car" incident happened, but we still enjoyed our evening together.

On Friday, Andrew and Thomas had to be at the football game, so Catherine and I picked up her best friend to stay overnight with us.  We met half way, and it was nice to chat with her mom for a minute before driving home.  I adore her best friend who has been a part of our life for so many years.  She is a senior now and has matured into a fabulous young lady.  I so enjoyed having her around, and again, it made my heart so full that someone adores my daughter so very much.  I also appreciate that because Catherine can drive, I could let her go pick up the pizzas and the doughnuts!

Saturday morning Andrew was up and wanted to go car shopping.  With Thomas's little mishap Thursday evening, it reminded us that we really needed to get working on replacing Andrew's car.  I didn't feel the need to go, and I was going to need to return Catherine's best friend, so I just hung out at the house working on chores.  Andrew purchased a very nice Honda Accord.  I love Hondas, although I don't love his specific car.  It's a little sportier than I think we need at our age, but I am so happy that he loves his car.  He is feeling guilty about how loaded it is, but I am glad that he has a car he likes.  As my mother said, he has worked hard, and we have the money right now.  And I'm so glad that is done.  Of course, the car lot was an hour away and he had to leave the vehicle in which he arrived there, so...

Saturday evening, we were invited over to a bonfire with some of the baseball coaches.  They are kind of part of our "social bubble", and with things that happening with school they needed some time to vent.  It is always wonderful to see them!  I was grateful that Catherine was home to hang out with Thomas.

Yesterday was a big day for Catherine as she did some major "adulting."  She's been wanting a vehicle, and since she now has a job where she might work until Midnight, Andrew and I decided it was a good idea.  We were going to let her use our "kids" car.  She was fine with it, although a little less fine since the driver's side mirror is held on with bright green duck tape.  It also meant we were back to two cars, which was less than desirable for us as well with school beginning in-person.  Andrew took her to a car lot, and she found a very cute car that is a good fit for her.  Her first major purchase in life!  She is also learning how the savings account that can seem to have a very significant amount of money can be drained very quickly.  We were concerned about her taking it to school until we had the insurance all set up.  However, her classes aren't until this afternoon.  I told her if she wanted to stay over again last night it could probably all get handled this morning, and she could take her vehicle.  She was thrilled, and honestly so was I!  I loved having her around for another evening.  Andrew had made a meatloaf dinner for some friend's parents who are recovering, and he made another one for us.  It was so wonderful to have all four of us sitting around the table for a Sunday dinner.  It was also very helpful in that Catherine was able to make the hour's drive with me to retrieve the car Andrew left at the car lot Saturday.

Our family has a busy week this week, although I do have Friday off work.  I am very tired today and know it's probably only going to get crazier, but my heart is so very full.  It was such a great weekend.  I am so grateful how well our family works together as a team, and I'm so grateful Catherine came to spend some time with us.  This weekend will truly be great memories for me!

Life

This is the kind of Saturday I really enjoy!  I have nowhere I need to be.  Andrew will be home at 2:30 or so, and then he has nowhere to be.  I have been cleaning, and then my plan is watch football today (GO IRISH!).  We need this downtime.

It was a long week, especially for me.  I had meetings and appointments and commitments that just didn't leave me much time for anything else.  I'm struggling with my job in that I don't love it.  Somedays I don't even enjoy it.  I don't dread it though, and I am certainly grateful for the income (especially since it appears a new car is in our VERY near future).  I don't mind the drive at all, but I don't love the amount of time I am in the vehicle. 

One thing I do enjoy is my morning routine.  I LOVE the quiet and being alone.  Andrew gets up just as I am leaving, so I have an entire hour to myself.  I appreciate that more than I can put into words.  I don't know that I could do all of this if I didn't have that quiet time.

My anxiety has kicked in this week, and I understand why, given some things that are going on around me.  I'm trying to remember deep breaths and just lift it all up!

Car accident

Yesterday, Thomas was in his first car accident.  Twenty-four days after earning his license, and an accident has happened.  He was about 25 minutes away from home.  He had gone back to our former town to visit friends.  It was at an intersection that isn't a bad intersection, but I'm also not surprised it happened there.  He was by himself, so there were no distractions of friends, and he was not on his phone.  He just didn't see the car coming, and with the way cars park along there, again I wasn't surprised.

Andrew went to him because he was already in his vehicle.  I couldn't wait to hug him, but the fact that he had made the call to us meant he was okay...at least physically.  My sweet boy was so distraught all evening.  When he got home, he just leaned into my hug and didn't want to let go.  He was convinced the other driver wanted him dead.  I doubt that to be true, but I certainly understand the other driver being angry.  He just wanted lots of hugs and reassurance last evening.  It broke my heart.  I am very grateful that Andrew is able to be with him today.  I hated seeing my sweet boy suffer.  And the number of prayers of gratitude I sent up can't even be counted.  I was really very proud of how he handled everything.

By the way, the car is probably totaled.  Not worried about it though, not at all.  My sweet boy is okay, and so are the other people.

I am finally legal

Fifteen years ago I purchased my first minivan.  We bought it used off of a private owner.  Because the previous owner had originally purchased it out of state, there was no front license plate bracket.  That was not legal in Ohio, but I never did anything about it.  Generally speaking I knew that I wasn't going to get pulled over just for that.  Almost seven years later, we purchased our next mini-van, also used, but this time from a dealer.  We realized that it didn't have a front bracket either!  We never did anything about it either.  Last year we traded that van in on our used C-RV, which we also purchased from a dealer.  Many Hondas are made right here in Ohio, but lo and behold there was no front bracket on this vehicle either!  Finally a year ago, Ohio passed a law that the front bracket would no longer be required, but it wasn't going to go in effect until July 1 of this year.  Finally, the day has arrived.  After fifteen years, my vehicle is legal again!

Finally get to use the seat warmers

I love, love, love the vehicle we purchased this summer.  I think Andrew really does too, although he doesn't want to admit it.  I had stopped driving the van when we purchased the little (although very much older) Civic for the kids to drive.  The gas mileage on the Civic was so much better, and we needed the van to last until Robert left for the military (and our need for a van was over), so we were trying to keep the miles off of it.  Since I bought my current vehicle though, I almost never drive the Civic.  One of the things I am loving is the fact that my vehicle has seat warmers!  Andrew has them on his car, and I thought it was a little spoiled of him (haha).  I am finding though, that it sure is awesome on these chilly mornings we are having.  I wouldn't be surprised, as it gets colder, if the child who has to sit in the back seat of Andrew's car (with no seat warmers) decides he or she wants to ride in the front with me instead!

That would've been tough to explain to the insurance company

Although Andrew and I work in the same building, we do not drive together.  As a sub, my day generally ends the minute the last bell rings.  Officially, Andrew's day does as well, but often there is a meeting or he just needs to get work done.  All of the teachers have assigned parking spots.  I asked for one, but since I am technically not a school employee (I am technically paid through the county) that wasn't happening.  They did however give me a list of teacher's spots so I can usually park in the spot of the teacher for whom I am subbing.  Parking in visitor parking is fine, but it can be tough to get out at the end of the from those spots.  Yesterday, the teacher that was out happened to have the spot next to Andrew on his driver side.  I was driving right behind him to school, so he pulled in first.  As I was swinging into the spot, I thought to myself, "I hope he knows I'm here" so he wouldn't open his door.  Apparently he did not, but fortunately we both realized it before any impact occurred.  Thank goodness!  Explaining that his car was hit by my car would've been unpleasant to explain to the insurance company!

We are no longer a mini-van family

Andrew and I finally had time to do some real car shopping this afternoon!  Although I prefer being able to haul more people with a third row and have extra cargo space, with Robert being in the Navy I knew that was no longer really necessary in our house on a daily basis.  We also recognized that the prices on vans are higher and gas mileage is lower, causing even more expense.  However, as my aunt pointed out, a family never really outgrows the need to haul things, so just getting a car didn't seem to be the best thing either.  We had also come to realize how much we love having a Honda in the family, and the CR-V seemed to be the best choice for our family.  And after three hours at the car lot, that is exactly what we have!  We didn't get a great deal, but we did get a fair deal and maybe even closer to a good deal, and most importantly, we really, really love the vehicle.  It is absolutely wonderful to have this behind us!

It's been a frustrating day

This day has been so frustrating!!!  I had to take the day off work because the windshield in one of our cars needed fixing.  It's lovely that they will come to the house and fix it, but not so lovely that the appointment frames are either all of the morning or all of the afternoon.  I took a morning appointment knowing that it should give me some time in the afternoon to get other things done.  The guy was here, it took a little over an hour, and by 11:00 I was out the door to run some errands.

One thing I needed to do was renew my driver's license.  I had decided that even though I hate flying and would avoid it at all costs, with Robert in the military and living all over, I should have a new compliant driver's license.  I had heard it was super challenging to get in our state because everything had to be official, but I was thrilled when I found our certified marriage license.  My birth certificate also had an official seal, and I was pleased to be all prepared.  Except of course I wasn't.  They wouldn't accept my birth certificate because it was issued by the hospital and not the county.  I pointed out it had an official seal, and they said it still wasn't an official county birth certificate.  GRRRR!  I had to just take the non-compliant license, and I'll have to work on getting the correct documentation and eventually replacing my license...which of course will cost money.

As I was driving to the license bureau, the plastic and rubber moldings on the new windshield began coming apart.  Well that's not good.  I was pleased however, that the company we used was out of the town to which I was headed, and drove straight there after the DMV...except that it isn't really there.  It's really just a storefront address, and there isn't actually a presence there.  Of course not!  I made a phone call, was told the technician would call me, and after 2-1/2 hours called again and was told the same thing.

This has proven to be so frustrating.  I'm grateful I'm getting some things done around the house, but it is so frustrating that everything has been such a hassle!

I'm ready for a break from adulting

This is my favorite Sunday of the year...the first Sunday of the summer!  It's wonderful.  And the fact that tomorrow is Memorial Day means that there really is nothing going on.  I can't put into words how much our house needs that.

Honestly, the last couple of weeks have been crazier than I even imagined it would be.  The hassles have been a little on the astounding side.  Our computer died about seven weeks ago, and to be honest, we still aren't up and running from that.  Two weeks ago, we were headed to take the kids to my mom's house before a wedding.  That was when we discovered that our van wasn't working.  Thankfully, we hadn't even made it out of our neighborhood yet, but it meant that not only did we all have to squeeze into the car, we were going to be running way behind schedule from unpacking and reloading.  We might still have been able to make it to the wedding on time, but it turned out when we arrived that the university where the wedding chapel was located was graduating, so parking and access was limited.  Of course it was.

Two days later Robert stayed home from school.  For the most part his classes were over and he had a Navy commitment that day to complete a monthly commitment.  As we were headed out the door, the Navy texted to let him know that the event had been cancelled.  The problem of course, is that if he didn't get in to be tested that week, he would be out of compliance and lose his contract.  When he pointed it out to them, they wanted to know why he hadn't attended the test just a couple of weeks earlier.  He had not because he had been to one earlier in April...the later one would again have made him out of compliance.  I was so frustrated and frankly, peeved.  He has had to miss school repeatedly in order to complete these tests, and school/graduation should be a priority for the Navy...not just his parents!  We had planned our entire week around getting him to the test on that Monday.  They finally agreed to schedule one on Thursday.  Of course we had to replan things on our end because we were down to two cars, and I had to work on Thursday.  I couldn't take him to my mom Wednesday evening because it was his district track meet.  Again, everything would work out, but it just felt like one hassel after another.  As this was getting settled, Robert and I went to the garden center in town where we have purchased the flowers and mulch for our front yard every year we've lived here.  For no explainable reason, they didn't have any this year.  There had been a problem with their mulch delivery and the flower selection was very poor.  This meant we had to drive over 30 minutes to another place to buy what I wanted.  Again, just another hassel.

The next day Robert went to school and I got an early start on the planting.  I had to finish by a certain time because I had to take Thomas to the dentist to repair the tooth that had broken a week earlier.  To be honest, no one will ever understand how stressed I was about Thomas leaving that evening.  Andrew had to teach a class that evening, but I'm grateful he was home in time to take Thomas to check in and departure.  Because he had to get out of school earlier, he never received his trip tshirt we paid for (a ridiculous price, I might add).  We are still working on trying to find that.

We still haven't had the van fixed.  Why you might ask?  Well, of course it isn't that simple.  There is a chance that it might be covered under warranty from the March repair of over $1500.00.  Of course, they can't determine that until they see it, and that was fixed in my hometown due to the timing of things then.  To have it towed there will be nearly $300, and there is no guarantee that it will be covered.  We could also increase our tow coverage, but that is going to require dealing with it and we just haven't had an opportunity.  In the meantime, I have lost complete confidence in the van and have decided that we need to purchase a different vehicle.  We want to trade in the van, but can't until it is fixed, so we can't purchase another vehicle until we fix the van.

We have planned for months to take our "vacation" next weekend.  We are going with friends to visit some other friends.  The timing stinks for the other family as well, but because the friends we are visiting cancelled another trip they had planned in order for us to visit, we HAVE to make this trip.  We can't travel with five of us well in the car, so we are looking at renting a vehicle.  The best deal Andrew can find will require us traveling nearly an hour to pick up the vehicle.  We can make it work, but it just feels like it is one more things to handle.

In addition to everything else, I have of course watched my youngest child being confirmed and my oldest child graduate.  I have attended two other graduations for family and friends, and attended several graduation parties.  I have driven to my in laws' house to bring them back for graduation, and then had Andrew and Robert take them back.  I was probably a lousy hostess while they were here because I wasn't cooking or entertaining much.  I was mostly trying to figure out how to get things handled.  And did I mention the poison ivy?  I was miserable last weekend and had to visit the doctor before we left Tuesday.  The drive over was miserable because of the weather, but we made it!  My father-in-law was not pleased with the arrangements, and there was a point in time when we weren't even sure he was going to get in the car and come back with me.  It all worked out eventually.

I also feel like I haven't slept well in over a month.  Our weekends have been crazy, and our weekdays crazier.  With the weather getting warmer, it has been more challenging for me to sleep comfortably, and this week I've barely slept at all.  The last time I really felt like I knew I would get a decent sleep, we had a major confrontation with Robert and to say I slept poorly was an understatement.  I don't remember the last time I felt like I got a decent night of sleep.  I am stressing about this trip this week, I am stressing about the vehicle, I am stressing about the computer and the band data that needs to be recreated.  I am overwhelmed, and living in a house with people who are equally exhausted.

I know this post is long, and whiny, and full of first world problems.  There are so, so, so many people dealing with problems far greater.  I am surrounded by a family who loves me, and we have the money to pay our bills.  The end of this school year has just been full of a great deal of emotion, and unexpected events.  We are at summer though, and I am praying that I can change my perspective enough to appreciate and enjoy my daily blessings!

It was definitely not how I planned to spend my Sunday

Today we headed north to have lunch with my grandmother, mother, and sister.  We originally had planned to do this last weekend, but with sick kids we rescheduled.  We were all bringing food, and Abby was even going along with us.  I was looking forward to the afternoon.

Unfortunately, we developed van trouble on the way up to Grandma's house.  By the time we got there, there was a hot smell coming from the vehicle and I was afraid to drive it the 60 miles back to our house.  Both my mom and sister, who have extra vehicles, had a car in the shop so we couldn't borrow a vehicle from them.  My grandmother very graciously offered us the use of her car, but I hated to leave her without a vehicle.  However, Andrew pointed out that he had his lesson planning finished for the week, and it would be easy to get it back to her this evening.  So, that's what we did.  I certainly didn't plan to be in the car for 240 miles today (nearly a trip to my in-laws!), but I am grateful that for the most part things have worked out.  Now, we just wait to hear the verdict on a diagnosis and cost!

A discouraging day

Overall today has been a rather discouraging day.  Andrew went yesterday with Catherine and Thomas to visit his parents.  Robert and I were leaving this morning to make the drive over.  We'd had our van fixed, but certainly didn't need it just for the two of us, so we were taking the Honda we had purchased from my sister last winter.  Robert and I were about 45 minutes into our trip when I realized we were losing speed.  We were in the left lane, but I managed to navigate us safely to the right shoulder.  I knew we were about 1.5 miles from the next exit, and I told Robert we were going to try to get there.  Semis were currently whizzing by and it wasn't the safest place to be.  The car would move, we just couldn't go above 20 mph.  We made it though, and managed to get to a gas station at the exit.  I called Andrew, and he mentioned that we should have the car towed to my hometown since it was significantly closer than our current town.  I also called my mom and explained to her what was happening and she was just waiting to hear from us again to help us out.  The tow truck driver was a very nice guy, and we ended up making it back to our house (my mom brought us home) about the same time we would've made it to my in-laws.

I'm so grateful that honestly, things worked out so well.  We were able to get off the interstate, and honestly, it really couldn't have happened at a better spot on the interstate.  My mom was easily able to bring us home, and all worked out.  At the same time though, I'm so disappointed that I wasn't able to spend Father's Day with my amazing husband.  Because my in-laws will no longer make the trip here, Robert may not be able to see them until Thanksgiving.  I am grateful that we are home safe and sound, but it seems as though right now we just keep spending money on repairs for things.  Hopefully this will be an inexpensive fix, and we aren't broke...I know that.  I think the kicker is that we can't find the keys to the van.  Robert and I have spent two days searching the house, but they just don't seem to be here anywhere.  It is so frustrating, but I know that in the long run it will all work out.  I'm just glad we are safe this evening!

We bought a car

Schedules fell into place beautifully on Saturday, and we were able to go car shopping.  We had decided to head north to go to my hometown.  We'd always had great success purchasing vehicles there, and this was no exception.  We received a fair deal, and we are pleased with the purchase.  Since we were right there we went and showed the car to my grandmother.  It was the next best thing to being able to show my dad.  It was nice to be able to visit as it had been about six weeks since we had seen her.

After leaving there, we decided to head to dinner.  We had packed lunches knowing we'd be gone, but it was time for dinner and we were all hungry.  Thomas was with friends, so it gave us the opportunity to eat somewhere our picky little guy might not like!  It proved challenging as many places were packed with an hour wait even at 5:00, but we finally found a place and we were all happy.  It was Chinese food (which Thomas hates) and we enjoyed our meal tremendously.

When we got home, we decided to share a movie with the older two.  They were less than thrilled, but we made them turn off the phones and required to actually spend quality time with us.  They enjoyed the movie (which they admit begrudgingly) and we enjoyed our day and evening together.

I was very grateful to have the car situation handled.  Andrew and I both felt we were on borrowed time until the car just stopped running, and then we had to fix something in order just to have a trade-in.  Andrew was honest with the dealership about the work it needed and they gave us a fair value.  It was just really nice to have that off our plate.

Writing the check for payment though, made the anxiety about my work status kind of cranked up.  Last week, I only subbed one day.  This week, I'm not scheduled at all, and next week I'm only scheduled 1/2 day.  This is not going to cut it!  I also know though, that we are very blessed, and that things will work themselves out!

Buying a vehicle without my dad

Yesterday we had Andrew's car in for an oil change.  Andrew was concerned about the brakes, and it turns out that isn't even half of the issue.  He needs new front and rear brakes, a new battery, new tie rods, and new springs (because part of one literally fell off when they put the car up to change the oil).  This is all to the tune of about $1200.00.  Because the car is a 2008 Malibu with over 130,000 miles,we've decided it isn't worth those repairs and it is time to car shop.  This is not at all what we wanted, but it is what needs to happen.  Of course, this only adds to the guilt I'm feeling about not working more.  There just aren't any jobs available right now, and there is nothing I can do about that, unless I'm willing to go outside the district or actually get a "real" job.  Right now, we are trying to avoid that because both Andrew and I want me home with the kids after school, and the flexibility to do the appointments and things like that.

Anyway, Andrew has jumped into researching with both feet, and I admire him for that.  I was gung ho about it last evening, but today my emotions have gotten the better of me.  Car shopping is synonymous with my dad in my world. When I was a child, my parents had no money.  For entertainment, my dad would drive my sister and me around to various car lots.  I could identify makes and models at a very young age.  My father could make deals on cars like you wouldn't believe.  As I got older and my dad made more, car buying became his hobby.  At one point we owned six vehicles and there were only four of us living in the house!  My dad could make such great deals that he could often purchase a car, drive it for six months to a year, and sell it for just about the same as he paid for it.  And he took care of cars like no one else.  He absolutely loved lining them all up and washing them.  Because we lived on Main St. in my hometown...everyone knew when it was Bob's car washing day!

As I started buying cars on my own, Dad always enjoyed hearing about it.  Because of his lack of mobility with his illness, he stopped the car browsing so he enjoyed hearing about it from others.  The last vehicle we purchased was over five years ago, about 22 months before he died.  When he was able to ride in the van he kept raving about how nice it was and was so pleased we had made a good deal.  I could tell he was not only pleased, but proud.  Then again, Dad was always proud of us girls.

This is the first car experience without him, and I'll be honest, the tears are flowing.  I didn't know after over three years it could still feel so fresh., but suddenly the grief is right there again.  I'm so grateful for the memories though!

Getting home was an adventure

It seems as though I rarely write much in the days after Christmas.  Generally we are traveling (as we did this year), and generally we are spending time as a family having fun.  Swim practices have made the family fun part a little more challenging, but we are still enjoying life together.  We haven't been able to do anything "big", but we did make the trip to visit my in-laws.  We were only there for about 40 hours but it was a nice visit.  The trip home however, was a bit of an adventure.  I had fallen asleep shortly after leaving, but woke up when we stopped for gas about 75 minutes into the trip.  As Andrew was cleaning the back window, I noticed smoke coming from under the hood and smelled an absolutely horrible smell.  Andrew raised the hood and we noticed something that seemed to be leaking.  He checked the oil which was dangerously low, so we filled it, and then decided since things weren't running hot, the rpm's were in the normal range and no "check engine" light was on, we'd try to venture further.  We stopped again about a half hour later and while there was still some smoke and smell, the oil was still fine and the van was running fine.  We drove another 90 minutes, and this time when we stopped there was no smoke at all, and only a slight smell.  We were feeling pretty good about life and knew we were about 90 minutes from home...almost there!  We were cruising right along until about 30 miles away when the "check engine" light came on.  We pulled into a parking lot, and sure enough the smell and smoke had returned.  The oil was still fine, so we decided to try to make it home.  The van began sputtering as we continued, and I really didn't think we were going to make it.  As it turns out though, it was fine out of town where it was able to maintain a more constant speed.  We got home, unloaded, and drove straight to the mechanic.  They were able to diagnose the problem and fortunately it was a relatively inexpensive hose assembly that needed replaced.  We are still concerned as to why the oil was so low, but we'll keep an eye on that.  Very grateful that we've purchased that third vehicle so we haven't had to be down to one vehicle since the van is still in the shop.  That drive home was much more of an adventure that I had been wanting!