Ever since my husband and I have been together, we've had tree issues. As a matter of fact, our first fight was while putting up our first Christmas tree. It went something like this:
Dear Husband...er boyfriend at the time: "Just hold it straight, Honey!"
Me: "I am, Dear!"
DH: "Wait, stop trying to shove it into the holder (pause) Honey."
Me: "Ow, you smashed my finger, Dear."
All the "Honey's" and "Dear's" were spoken so coldly, I'm sure the state's temp dropped 20 degrees.
That was the beginning of many years of frustration putting up the tree. We've tried different tree stands, we've huffed and puffed lugging a tree that looked small in the field to our home which seemed to have shrunk while we were out, shaved branches that grew from everywhere, and even taken a chainsaw to the base of a tree that was something like 16" in diameter to fit in a holder that was 6" in diameter.
We've been tying the tree up since we started having kids and continue to do so because we still have these children that like to "fix" the tree along with new kittens who are thrilled with this awesome new toy.
We've had trees that shed half their needles between the truck and the front door, trees that were so healthy they looked like they were sprayed with a wax coating, big trees, wimpy trees, you name it, we've had it.
The worst tree was one we bought a few years ago. We finished decorating it and as we sat staring at its beauty, I heard something. A crackling. Reminscent of a fire crackling. Nothing was on fire. Yet the sound was there. I couldn't sleep that night. I stayed up to babysit the tree. I figured it had bugs, though we never saw any. That tree was out of the house the day after Christmas.
We've had trees tip in the past. We've always fixed it quickly and without further issues. Until this year. This is the year of the falling tree. It took three days of adjusting, readjusting, and tying to get the tree to stand long enough to decorate. I can't tell you how many times that tree fell in those three days, but we are proud to see it has been standing for a week solid. It was pretty when we put it up. Now, as I look at it, it has ornaments on the top half of the tree and light strands falling out of it. The kittens have really taken to this new toy. I've taken to egg nog.
Friends tell us to get a fake tree, apparently it's much easier to deal with. Personally, I don't think my marriage could survive it. We use the tree as our time to get out our yearly fight. Hey, it's how we've made it 16 years together. I will admit that we don't use the "Dear's" and "Honey's" anymore, now it's "Push it to the left a smidge. I said left." "I thought you meant MY left...be specific." And sometimes, he gives me specific. And I give him icy silence. Once the lights are hung and plugged in we act like a couple who has weathered a horrible storm and survived to tell about it. We will be all lovey-dovey...until next year's tree.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Oh No Thank You Notes...
I've been working on teaching my boys to write "thank you" notes. I've also been working on teaching them to be honest. I am now learning that it is not wise to combine the learning of these two manners.
Lesson #1: Proof all thank you notes your children write. I caught this one before it made it out the door, thank heavens! "Well, well thank you for the dog stuffed. I still wanted legos." This note was written to a child that had attended their birthday party.
Lesson #2: Teach children to omit words like 'probably' from their thank you's. This note was written to an aunt. I will give them credit for trying to be honest (this was written after our talk from the previous thank you) and nice at the same time, but... well, here's the note: "Thank you for the Highlights description (he meant subscription). We will probably like it." To be fair, they haven't read Highlights magazine before.
Anyone else experience the "thank you's" that went wrong?
Lesson #1: Proof all thank you notes your children write. I caught this one before it made it out the door, thank heavens! "Well, well thank you for the dog stuffed. I still wanted legos." This note was written to a child that had attended their birthday party.
Lesson #2: Teach children to omit words like 'probably' from their thank you's. This note was written to an aunt. I will give them credit for trying to be honest (this was written after our talk from the previous thank you) and nice at the same time, but... well, here's the note: "Thank you for the Highlights description (he meant subscription). We will probably like it." To be fair, they haven't read Highlights magazine before.
Anyone else experience the "thank you's" that went wrong?
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Turkey
Thanksgiving is coming up quick. Every year, we host the Thanksgiving feast. Every year I look forward to Fred Meyer's free turkey coupon. Every year, I get a panic that something is going to happen to my free bird. In other words, I'm afraid he's going to get free from me once I've made it out the store door.
Usually you only have to spend $100 to get the turkey, but this year the price was upped to $150. My husband was concerned that I would have a hard time reaching the $150 mark. He was listing off ideas to help me reach the $150. Really? Does anyone raising boys really need help reaching $150? My concern was keeping the food around long enough so the kids didn't eat anything I planned for Thanksgiving. Love my husband, but sometimes I wonder if he is really tuned in to me. He calls me by the last four digits of my debit card (because that is what he reads when he goes through the pile of receipts) for the love of Pete! Concerned I can't reach $150, humph!
Sorry, I got a bit miffed there that my husband doesn't know me as well as I thought. Back to the turkey.
Every year, I pick out the biggest turkey I can find for my free bird (hey, we have sandwiches for a week and soup for months). Every year, I get a little more possessive of ol' Tom.
Two years ago, I had to run other errands after I hit the store. I loaded all the groceries into the back of the truck...except Tom. He got seat-belted into the front seat. I didn't want to risk anyone stealing him from the back of the truck. Never mind that it would be cheaper to replace a lost bird than all the groceries it took to get that bird.
Last year, Tom kept falling off the bottom of my cart. In the parking lot a lady was approaching me while telling me that ol' Tom was about to fall off again. She began to reach down to save him and I swooped in and grabbed him. I carried him to the truck like a baby, just not swaddled. I'm sure the lady meant well, but I wasn't taking any chances.
Usually, when I get to the truck the first thing in is Tom. This year I had him buried in between things on the bottom of the cart. I unloaded everything else first. As I put the last bag in the back, I came around to the front of the truck and there was a man standing, staring at ol' Tom. He seemed to be saying something, but my irrational fear of Tom being whisked away kicked in and I lunged for the cart. I grabbed Tom and in the process shoved the cart into the man. The man gave me a look of concern and walked away. I was holding Tom wrapped in both arms pressed to my chest, like a protective mother holding her baby.
After I loaded Tom, safely in the front next me. I played back the scene in my mind. The guy was saying something. What was he saying? As I sat there replaying the scene, it dawned on me. He was saying "Don't forget your turkey." I think he assumed that I might forget because I was coming around from the back of the truck on the driver's side. Oh Holy Moly! I scared the bejeebers out of some poor guy just trying to be a nice citizen.
I really need to take some anti-anxiety medicine before getting my free turkey next year. There's just something about a free bird that gets my feathers all ruffled. I wonder if there is a group for people like me. I fear that one day I will be doing the Jamie Lee Curtis move from the movie Christmas with the Kranks. The scene where she is chasing it through the parking lot as it rolls away. Oh, I shudder to think what I will be like a when my kids are grown and they all come home with the their kids for the holidays.
Usually you only have to spend $100 to get the turkey, but this year the price was upped to $150. My husband was concerned that I would have a hard time reaching the $150 mark. He was listing off ideas to help me reach the $150. Really? Does anyone raising boys really need help reaching $150? My concern was keeping the food around long enough so the kids didn't eat anything I planned for Thanksgiving. Love my husband, but sometimes I wonder if he is really tuned in to me. He calls me by the last four digits of my debit card (because that is what he reads when he goes through the pile of receipts) for the love of Pete! Concerned I can't reach $150, humph!
Sorry, I got a bit miffed there that my husband doesn't know me as well as I thought. Back to the turkey.
Every year, I pick out the biggest turkey I can find for my free bird (hey, we have sandwiches for a week and soup for months). Every year, I get a little more possessive of ol' Tom.
Two years ago, I had to run other errands after I hit the store. I loaded all the groceries into the back of the truck...except Tom. He got seat-belted into the front seat. I didn't want to risk anyone stealing him from the back of the truck. Never mind that it would be cheaper to replace a lost bird than all the groceries it took to get that bird.
Last year, Tom kept falling off the bottom of my cart. In the parking lot a lady was approaching me while telling me that ol' Tom was about to fall off again. She began to reach down to save him and I swooped in and grabbed him. I carried him to the truck like a baby, just not swaddled. I'm sure the lady meant well, but I wasn't taking any chances.
Usually, when I get to the truck the first thing in is Tom. This year I had him buried in between things on the bottom of the cart. I unloaded everything else first. As I put the last bag in the back, I came around to the front of the truck and there was a man standing, staring at ol' Tom. He seemed to be saying something, but my irrational fear of Tom being whisked away kicked in and I lunged for the cart. I grabbed Tom and in the process shoved the cart into the man. The man gave me a look of concern and walked away. I was holding Tom wrapped in both arms pressed to my chest, like a protective mother holding her baby.
After I loaded Tom, safely in the front next me. I played back the scene in my mind. The guy was saying something. What was he saying? As I sat there replaying the scene, it dawned on me. He was saying "Don't forget your turkey." I think he assumed that I might forget because I was coming around from the back of the truck on the driver's side. Oh Holy Moly! I scared the bejeebers out of some poor guy just trying to be a nice citizen.
I really need to take some anti-anxiety medicine before getting my free turkey next year. There's just something about a free bird that gets my feathers all ruffled. I wonder if there is a group for people like me. I fear that one day I will be doing the Jamie Lee Curtis move from the movie Christmas with the Kranks. The scene where she is chasing it through the parking lot as it rolls away. Oh, I shudder to think what I will be like a when my kids are grown and they all come home with the their kids for the holidays.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Wonderful Halloween ~ Can There Really Be A More Wonderful Place for Trick or Treating?
The day started off busy, as our 15-year-old had a band competition to attend at his school. I dropped off Big D and zipped home.
Got everyone breakfast, tidied up the house, and took the twins to a birthday party. Zipped back home, picked up husband and we tooled off to lunch. Just the two of us. Wow! We didn't have too much time to linger over our lunch, but it was great to have that calming moment before zipping back down to the high school to check out our son's school band performance. They sounded fantastic! I've never attended a field show for the marching bands before and I have to say, I've been missing out.
A senior in the band put on the field show competion for his senior project. He was able to get 5 other schools, plus the drumline from our state's professional football team to perform. And we can't forget he had to line up judges for the performances, as well. Our school could only perform as Exhibition since they were hosting the event (meaning they couldn't take any awards), but they certainly sounded stellar and looked great on the field. Way to go Mr. Senior for such an awesome event.
After that we zipped up the hill to pick up the twins from the birthday party and headed home to get all our plans laid out for the evening.
A few hours later we were back out the door dropping the 15-year-old off at the movies. He was set to attend the movies with a group of friends and then stay the night at one's house and have a horror movie fest. The rest of us went to the hottest trick-or-treating neighborhood in town.
I had always avoided the hot TnT spot because I assumed that the greatest thing was due to the track neighborhood layout making for an easy jaunt for the kids. Last year I took the boys and met up with a friend and learned why it is such a hot spot. This year I brought my husband so he could witness the festiveness of it as well. There was no disappointment.
The people who live in one particular section of the Hot Spot go all out. The police block off the area so you have to park outside the main section that hosts this great experience. Most of the homes are decked out to the hilt (they deck out quite well for Christmas, too). It's like an enormous block party. The homes range from simple decor to a haunted garage to walk through for your treat. There are fire pits (the kind you find at Home Depot) stoked up so the light rain won't put them out, families serving cider to the passers-by, and many gleeful children running amok (in a good way). No one charges for the cider or haunted garage visits, but they do have a large garbage bucket to donate food for the local foodbank.
The Hot Spot seems like something out of a Hollywood production. Happy people, lots of decor and costumes, well-lighted streets, parents chatting with each other while the children bounce from house to house checking out their candy loot, and a sense of pride. Pride in knowing that such a place exists where people are warm, inviting, and fun. Thank you Hot Spot!
Got everyone breakfast, tidied up the house, and took the twins to a birthday party. Zipped back home, picked up husband and we tooled off to lunch. Just the two of us. Wow! We didn't have too much time to linger over our lunch, but it was great to have that calming moment before zipping back down to the high school to check out our son's school band performance. They sounded fantastic! I've never attended a field show for the marching bands before and I have to say, I've been missing out.
A senior in the band put on the field show competion for his senior project. He was able to get 5 other schools, plus the drumline from our state's professional football team to perform. And we can't forget he had to line up judges for the performances, as well. Our school could only perform as Exhibition since they were hosting the event (meaning they couldn't take any awards), but they certainly sounded stellar and looked great on the field. Way to go Mr. Senior for such an awesome event.
After that we zipped up the hill to pick up the twins from the birthday party and headed home to get all our plans laid out for the evening.
A few hours later we were back out the door dropping the 15-year-old off at the movies. He was set to attend the movies with a group of friends and then stay the night at one's house and have a horror movie fest. The rest of us went to the hottest trick-or-treating neighborhood in town.
I had always avoided the hot TnT spot because I assumed that the greatest thing was due to the track neighborhood layout making for an easy jaunt for the kids. Last year I took the boys and met up with a friend and learned why it is such a hot spot. This year I brought my husband so he could witness the festiveness of it as well. There was no disappointment.
The people who live in one particular section of the Hot Spot go all out. The police block off the area so you have to park outside the main section that hosts this great experience. Most of the homes are decked out to the hilt (they deck out quite well for Christmas, too). It's like an enormous block party. The homes range from simple decor to a haunted garage to walk through for your treat. There are fire pits (the kind you find at Home Depot) stoked up so the light rain won't put them out, families serving cider to the passers-by, and many gleeful children running amok (in a good way). No one charges for the cider or haunted garage visits, but they do have a large garbage bucket to donate food for the local foodbank.
The Hot Spot seems like something out of a Hollywood production. Happy people, lots of decor and costumes, well-lighted streets, parents chatting with each other while the children bounce from house to house checking out their candy loot, and a sense of pride. Pride in knowing that such a place exists where people are warm, inviting, and fun. Thank you Hot Spot!
Friday, October 23, 2009
As the High School Turns
Last weekend was Homecoming. D (my son) asked a girl (I'm changing the names), Em, to Homecoming because Kay had told him that Em was hoping he'd ask her. ~ Don't you just love following the high school chain of communication?
All was set, Em and D were going and Kay and D2 were going. Kay was riding with D2 (he's still under the graduated driving program, so he could only have 2 in the car), I would be the chauffeur for Em and D. Whoops, make that Em, D, and K-guy (his girlfriend had to cancel, so my son asked him to go with them because he didn't want him to show up by himself ~ insert my heart swelling with pride).
Two days prior to the dance I take my son shopping. Being the good child he is, he doesn't see it necessary to rent a tux since he's only a Sophmore. No worries, though, he was still a gentleman and reminded me we needed to get a coursage or as he put it, "we need one of those flower things for her wrist." He's a bit concerned on the shopping trip, though. After chatting a while, I discover his concern is that Em has been distant this last week at school, hardly talking to him.
The night of the dance, I drop off D, Em, and K-guy. They were all talking in the car, so things seemed well enough.
Four hours later:
I'm picking them all up after the dance. D decides to ride up front. Since he is ahead of Em and K-guy I'm begin to remind him that he should be back with his date, "Mom, trust me, not a good idea. Em is freaking out." Hmmmm.
We drop off Em and the story unfolds. After arriving at the dance, Em ignored D. He would ask if she wanted to dance and she would say no, then go and dance with another guy (no one in particular). Halfway through the dance, my son decided he came to have a good time and that's what he intended to do. ~ Insert mom silently smiling and thinking "awwww he's growing up."
He started dancing with other girls and then hit it off with another girl. He began hanging out with her and dancing with her. Em became furious. Apparently, Em was under the impression that if you like a guy, you should ignore him and he would like you more. ~ Oh, the bad advice we receive when we are in high school.
Come Monday, As the High School Turns finds Em, glaring at D and flirting with other guys (mind you, they were never boyfriend/girlfriend). However, unbeknowst to Em, D has made plans to meet "the other girl" at the mall over the weekend.
Friday's cliffhanger, Em, discovers D is meeting "the other girl." Dun, dun, dun (trying to imitate the mystery music here, bear with me).
I'm so happy my high school days are over.
All was set, Em and D were going and Kay and D2 were going. Kay was riding with D2 (he's still under the graduated driving program, so he could only have 2 in the car), I would be the chauffeur for Em and D. Whoops, make that Em, D, and K-guy (his girlfriend had to cancel, so my son asked him to go with them because he didn't want him to show up by himself ~ insert my heart swelling with pride).
Two days prior to the dance I take my son shopping. Being the good child he is, he doesn't see it necessary to rent a tux since he's only a Sophmore. No worries, though, he was still a gentleman and reminded me we needed to get a coursage or as he put it, "we need one of those flower things for her wrist." He's a bit concerned on the shopping trip, though. After chatting a while, I discover his concern is that Em has been distant this last week at school, hardly talking to him.
The night of the dance, I drop off D, Em, and K-guy. They were all talking in the car, so things seemed well enough.
Four hours later:
I'm picking them all up after the dance. D decides to ride up front. Since he is ahead of Em and K-guy I'm begin to remind him that he should be back with his date, "Mom, trust me, not a good idea. Em is freaking out." Hmmmm.
We drop off Em and the story unfolds. After arriving at the dance, Em ignored D. He would ask if she wanted to dance and she would say no, then go and dance with another guy (no one in particular). Halfway through the dance, my son decided he came to have a good time and that's what he intended to do. ~ Insert mom silently smiling and thinking "awwww he's growing up."
He started dancing with other girls and then hit it off with another girl. He began hanging out with her and dancing with her. Em became furious. Apparently, Em was under the impression that if you like a guy, you should ignore him and he would like you more. ~ Oh, the bad advice we receive when we are in high school.
Come Monday, As the High School Turns finds Em, glaring at D and flirting with other guys (mind you, they were never boyfriend/girlfriend). However, unbeknowst to Em, D has made plans to meet "the other girl" at the mall over the weekend.
Friday's cliffhanger, Em, discovers D is meeting "the other girl." Dun, dun, dun (trying to imitate the mystery music here, bear with me).
I'm so happy my high school days are over.
Friday, October 9, 2009
If It Can Go Wrong, It Will...And It May Continue Indefinitely: Part 2, Recent Events
August, after we had done battle with lice we thought we were sailing along smoothly. Ahahahahahaha! Uh, no.
After a family movie night, twin B says, “My foot still hurts.” Huh? When did his foot start hurting in the first place? Take a look and what seems to be a sliver is embedded in the bottom of his foot and what’s this? Red streaks wrapping around the infected site up over his foot! Yikes. HiHo HiHo, it’s off to ER we go. Long story short, it was glass and the doctor bore a hole into the bottom of his foot to get it out. When I say “bore” I mean it was like coring an apple. Event = pain for child, meds for infection, wound cleaning for mom and dad, and oh yeah, more expenses (not that we mind shelling out to keep our kids healthy, but it was another expense). Since this is the second round we are going to find the positive in each situation. Positive: No more pain for child, child is healthy, and as ewww inducing as the event was, it was kind of cool how the foot healed.
End of August brought another trip to the ER. Same child, but this time doctor assumed appendicitis. Long story short, nope (thank goodness). Just sick and constipated. Event = more expenses. Postive: It wasn't appendicitis.
The end of August also brought.........a Scholarship! Whoohoo! I won a scholarship for the writing class I just finished, so that was a huge event!
September brought back to school and the loss of a great aunt (she was 101, I guess at some point you just assume they’ll be here forever). September = expenses and heartache. Positive: The kids are back in school! My aunt lived a long life and she was fiesty and funny as all get up. I'm thankful that we had her for so long and will have such fond memories.
October is off to a rousing start. Friday my husband went to a large warehouse store. While helping him unload the items from the back seat of the truck a rancid smell arose. Turns out the pack of soup he purchased had been damaged (obviously, quite some time ago) and a lid had become detached. The rancid soup spilled on the leather seats and the carpet. In case you are wondering it was a chicken noodle-type soup and for future reference, do not let soup spoil. It can be real bad, it smelled like (sorry for too much info here) vomit. Tried to clean spill, smell wouldn’t come out, returned the package to the store, store personnel were appalled at scent, and manager said they would pay for professional cleaning (good man). Positive: We get the interior cleaned and I don't have to do it.
Sadly, I was off to a writer’s conference that weekend and didn’t have time to get the truck in for a cleaning for three days. I drove to the writer’s conference looking like a dog, head out the window, breathing through mouth. I’m thankful that I never got pulled over by a police officer, because I wouldn’t want to explain that the white powder all over the backseat was due to my frustration with the horrid odor, I had stopped along the way to buy some baking soda and dumped it all over in the back. Didn’t help…neither did the massive amount of Lysol I sprayed. And yes, I was driving with head half out the window, one hand on the wheel, one hand spraying Lysol. {Please understand the only reason I got to attend this conference and get a room was because I had taken a user study for some great computer company and they pay their participants with an item from their warehouse. I sold the item on big auction site to be able to attend this conference (hey, writing is very important to me and I’ve never done that before, but our poor checking has been through the wringer and I want to excel as a writer)}. Positive: I got to go to a conference and I got lots of fresh air getting there.
Monday, I called the detailers to get the truck in Tuesday morning. Tuesday evening we pull (okay, push) the Trans Am out of the garage. Battery is dead. So dead that we can jump the car, but as soon as you park, you need to re-jump to start. I drive the Trans Am (1984) with the kids in back to go to Target to purchase a vacuum, because you know Murphy is like that, in the midst of all the chaos of the odiferous truck, the vacuum broke. We jump the Trans Am (thinking that one jump would do it) and off the kids and I go to buy a vacuum. We got a great deal! There was a $130 vacuum on clearance for $69 dollars. They only had the floor model available, so Target, being cool like they are, gave me an even bigger discount and I walked out paying only $45 dollars for the vacuum. Load into car, car won’t start. Call husband to come down with his work vehicle and jump the car. Posititve: Thank goodness for work vehicles and wonderful discounts...oh and some quality time with the kids.
We get the vehicle home and because Murphy thinks he hasn’t made his point yet, the chain on the bicycle breaks. Seriously! Truck in the shop at detailers, car dead, and bike(okay it was the twins’ bike, but still..) kaput. Murph, we gotta talk. Positive: I think the bike chain is fixable, i.e. I think we can fix it.
We are now up-to-date on this wild year. The truck is back from the detailers, they had it for two days. The scent still lingers, although not quite as gag-inducing as it was at first. And, in case you have odor issues in any of your vehicles, coffee beans. I put some coffee beans in some fabric baggies and dropped them behind the backseat...so far, the beans are working well enough to disguise the sent. Positive: Learned a new trick.
All right, I am taking a proactive approach at finding the positive in light of not so fun moments.
Share with me some moments that weren't so great, but that you found a positive side to.
After a family movie night, twin B says, “My foot still hurts.” Huh? When did his foot start hurting in the first place? Take a look and what seems to be a sliver is embedded in the bottom of his foot and what’s this? Red streaks wrapping around the infected site up over his foot! Yikes. HiHo HiHo, it’s off to ER we go. Long story short, it was glass and the doctor bore a hole into the bottom of his foot to get it out. When I say “bore” I mean it was like coring an apple. Event = pain for child, meds for infection, wound cleaning for mom and dad, and oh yeah, more expenses (not that we mind shelling out to keep our kids healthy, but it was another expense). Since this is the second round we are going to find the positive in each situation. Positive: No more pain for child, child is healthy, and as ewww inducing as the event was, it was kind of cool how the foot healed.
End of August brought another trip to the ER. Same child, but this time doctor assumed appendicitis. Long story short, nope (thank goodness). Just sick and constipated. Event = more expenses. Postive: It wasn't appendicitis.
The end of August also brought.........a Scholarship! Whoohoo! I won a scholarship for the writing class I just finished, so that was a huge event!
September brought back to school and the loss of a great aunt (she was 101, I guess at some point you just assume they’ll be here forever). September = expenses and heartache. Positive: The kids are back in school! My aunt lived a long life and she was fiesty and funny as all get up. I'm thankful that we had her for so long and will have such fond memories.
October is off to a rousing start. Friday my husband went to a large warehouse store. While helping him unload the items from the back seat of the truck a rancid smell arose. Turns out the pack of soup he purchased had been damaged (obviously, quite some time ago) and a lid had become detached. The rancid soup spilled on the leather seats and the carpet. In case you are wondering it was a chicken noodle-type soup and for future reference, do not let soup spoil. It can be real bad, it smelled like (sorry for too much info here) vomit. Tried to clean spill, smell wouldn’t come out, returned the package to the store, store personnel were appalled at scent, and manager said they would pay for professional cleaning (good man). Positive: We get the interior cleaned and I don't have to do it.
Sadly, I was off to a writer’s conference that weekend and didn’t have time to get the truck in for a cleaning for three days. I drove to the writer’s conference looking like a dog, head out the window, breathing through mouth. I’m thankful that I never got pulled over by a police officer, because I wouldn’t want to explain that the white powder all over the backseat was due to my frustration with the horrid odor, I had stopped along the way to buy some baking soda and dumped it all over in the back. Didn’t help…neither did the massive amount of Lysol I sprayed. And yes, I was driving with head half out the window, one hand on the wheel, one hand spraying Lysol. {Please understand the only reason I got to attend this conference and get a room was because I had taken a user study for some great computer company and they pay their participants with an item from their warehouse. I sold the item on big auction site to be able to attend this conference (hey, writing is very important to me and I’ve never done that before, but our poor checking has been through the wringer and I want to excel as a writer)}. Positive: I got to go to a conference and I got lots of fresh air getting there.
Monday, I called the detailers to get the truck in Tuesday morning. Tuesday evening we pull (okay, push) the Trans Am out of the garage. Battery is dead. So dead that we can jump the car, but as soon as you park, you need to re-jump to start. I drive the Trans Am (1984) with the kids in back to go to Target to purchase a vacuum, because you know Murphy is like that, in the midst of all the chaos of the odiferous truck, the vacuum broke. We jump the Trans Am (thinking that one jump would do it) and off the kids and I go to buy a vacuum. We got a great deal! There was a $130 vacuum on clearance for $69 dollars. They only had the floor model available, so Target, being cool like they are, gave me an even bigger discount and I walked out paying only $45 dollars for the vacuum. Load into car, car won’t start. Call husband to come down with his work vehicle and jump the car. Posititve: Thank goodness for work vehicles and wonderful discounts...oh and some quality time with the kids.
We get the vehicle home and because Murphy thinks he hasn’t made his point yet, the chain on the bicycle breaks. Seriously! Truck in the shop at detailers, car dead, and bike(okay it was the twins’ bike, but still..) kaput. Murph, we gotta talk. Positive: I think the bike chain is fixable, i.e. I think we can fix it.
We are now up-to-date on this wild year. The truck is back from the detailers, they had it for two days. The scent still lingers, although not quite as gag-inducing as it was at first. And, in case you have odor issues in any of your vehicles, coffee beans. I put some coffee beans in some fabric baggies and dropped them behind the backseat...so far, the beans are working well enough to disguise the sent. Positive: Learned a new trick.
All right, I am taking a proactive approach at finding the positive in light of not so fun moments.
Share with me some moments that weren't so great, but that you found a positive side to.
If It Can Go Wrong, It Will...And It May Continue Indefinitely: Part 1 Background
Murphy and I need to talk. I have always understood the “If it can go wrong, it will,” law. Heck, I’ve even understood that the wrongs can come in threes, but a whole flippin’ year? Lighten up already Murph!
Pull up a chair and join along in my adventures in Murphy’s land. Let’s do a quick rundown of what’s happened up until recently. Some of the events really aren’t so bad as stand-alone issues, but grouped together, sheesh!
Past Events:
· Truck needed tires = expensive
· Family Visit = sick kid and traveling with said sick kid, Yuck
· Grandmother had heart attack = Nerve wracking, but glad she is doing well, now.
· Husband’s company bought out AGAIN = Nerve racking
· Lots of school events = Expensive
· Cat Died = Sadness + vet costs for trying to save him (he was too young to go, we had to try)
· Truck needed brakes and rotors = Expensive
· Truck got broken into, mom’s bags stolen = Heartbreaking, damage to truck, and anger
· Washing Machine = More money (money that was unplanned for out the window…or down the drain, take your pick)
· Lice = expensive, grueling removal process, and let’s not forget the ick factor
Those are just a few of the highlights from the last 9 months, the issues began in late November 2008, so I’m holding out hope that late November 2009 will take a turn to more stable ground. Which brings us to the current time frame and the never-ending Murphy’s Law Year, which will be continued tomorrow, because otherwise this would be way too long.
Pull up a chair and join along in my adventures in Murphy’s land. Let’s do a quick rundown of what’s happened up until recently. Some of the events really aren’t so bad as stand-alone issues, but grouped together, sheesh!
Past Events:
· Truck needed tires = expensive
· Family Visit = sick kid and traveling with said sick kid, Yuck
· Grandmother had heart attack = Nerve wracking, but glad she is doing well, now.
· Husband’s company bought out AGAIN = Nerve racking
· Lots of school events = Expensive
· Cat Died = Sadness + vet costs for trying to save him (he was too young to go, we had to try)
· Truck needed brakes and rotors = Expensive
· Truck got broken into, mom’s bags stolen = Heartbreaking, damage to truck, and anger
· Washing Machine = More money (money that was unplanned for out the window…or down the drain, take your pick)
· Lice = expensive, grueling removal process, and let’s not forget the ick factor
Those are just a few of the highlights from the last 9 months, the issues began in late November 2008, so I’m holding out hope that late November 2009 will take a turn to more stable ground. Which brings us to the current time frame and the never-ending Murphy’s Law Year, which will be continued tomorrow, because otherwise this would be way too long.
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