Hi! Welcome back!

Let’s grab some coffee and talk. OK, I don’t drink coffee but if I did, I’d have a cup with you. Let’s talk anyway!

How was your day yesterday? How’s your day going so far today?

I’m doing pretty good. The sun is shining and the weather has warmed up finally!

Makes me a happy girl

As you know Yesterday was certainly jammed packed; maybe today will go a bit slower, as if that’s possible. 🙂

The good news is hub’s alarm worked just fine this morning (thank goodness! *looking heavenward and blowing a strand of hair out of my eyes*)

Are you ready for a new day? Great! Me too! I’m so thankful we get new days.

Today started a lot slower than yesterday. I had to let out a little chuckle though as I was awakened by a text from hub’s. It said,

“call me when you wake up”

Now I don’t know about you but I tend to hear my phone on a fairly regular basis. So, when it went off, I heard it and was awake. As I was reading the text I giggled as I wondered if he sent it just to wake me up. Maybe he really wanted to hear my melodious voice, bwahahaha!! I think he knows me well enough to know I hear my phone even if I’m sleeping. Do you think that’s a mom thing; hearing your phone regardless of how asleep you are?

Anywhooo, I called him to say good morning,  No, I didn’t tell him he woke me up, what would’ve been the point? We talked a bit about his day up to this point. It was a nice conversation even if it was short. Duty calls when one is at work and he had to go.

I have to tell you, waking up at 7:30 AM is far better than waking up at 5, even if it is from my phone going off! Don’t ask me why it’s better because I really don’t have an answer; other than perhaps it’s a mind game where you think you’ve had more sleep, when actually you had the same amount. Do you think that way or is it just me?

After we finished talking, I showered and strolled downstairs with what could be a Guinness World Record holder for a laundry pile. That crap was stacked I tell you!! I probably should’ve taken a pic but I don’t think I was fully functional yet.

After a bit of laundry (OK, a lot of laundry) mama called and we talked for quite some time. I love talking to her and we never seem to run out of things to say. The spectrum of things we talk about is very broad. We can ramble on and on and the time passes very quickly. Of course you know, today was another oil change day so we talked up to nearly time to take the van in. Hubs thinks it’s funny that mama and I talk and then see each other shortly after we hang up the phone, but eh, we like it.

I jumped in the van and headed to the oil change appointment. I have to tell you, I love my oil change guys. The front desk guy is really funny and he makes everything so fun. He has a great personality and is probably the reason I go where I go for car maintenance

(more on this guy in a bit).

After taking care of the have to’s with checking the van in, mama picked me up ( you know we established yesterday I don’t have time to sit around and wait for the car to be finished 🙂 ) and swung back to her house for a bit of breakfast and some girl time.

We took the pool cover off her pool (talk about some heavy lifting). You wouldn’t think such a small amount of water on top of a tarp like thing would be so heavy!! Good grief!! We were pulling and tugging and stretching but that sucker wasn’t coming off the last 12 inches of that pool. The little bit of water must’ve weighed 200 pounds! Of course we’re telling each other to pull harder, we can do this!! Watch it! Here comes the water!! Don’t let go!! When it finally came off it was with a whoosh of nasty, dirty, extremely cold water. ICK!

Why do I always seem to be wearing white when I help my mama? Guess I wasn’t thinking ahead when I pulled those cute little white capri pants out of my closet. So of course I’m now soaking wet wearing white capri pants….there’s a visual for ya! hahahaha!

We laid that nasty wet thing on the grass so it could dry and headed to the taker- of- souls store, Walmart.

I’m sure you’re wondering why I call it the taker-of-souls, right? Well, I used to be an assistant manager for ol’ wally world and at one point worked 70 hours a week. I would literally drop my kids off at the sitters at 6 AM and not see them again until well after supper time, sometimes it would be around 11 PM. The next day we’d get up and do it all over again! UGH! It was a job that paid the bills but little else. So, I dubbed it the taker-of-souls because it certainly took mine!

While we were in Wally World, my phone rings

*ring, ring*

me: hello

from the other end in a really bad Australian or maybe it was a  British accent, I’m not sure: Hello, Mrs Whetstone? This is Alex  and your van is ready to be picked up. You should come straight away and pick it up.”

me in the same really bad accent, again Australian or British I’m not sure: “I’ll be right along then, (long pause for effect) in about an hour”

to which Alex laughed, broke his accent and said

“I love customers who are willing to be light hearted and know how to deal with me!!”

See, I told you my car guys are fabulous! I do have to say though, his terrible attempt at the accent didn’t do justice to it even if it was funny. I’m one of those peeps who could listen to someone talk just because I like to hear their accent. Doesn’t matter if it’s a southern drawl or someone from another country! I love, love, love hearing how peeps talk!

Mama and I finished our shopping (what did we go to the store for? I can’t remember). Well I’ll just keep talking and maybe it’ll come to me. Off we went to pick up the van.

When I walked through the shop’s door, Alex greeted me with a

“hello mate! Have ye come to pick up your car then?”

We took care of the formalities (meaning he told me everything that needed to be fixed on my van and I told him, no thank you just the oil today). As I turned to leave I say,

“I’m off like a super hero! You provide the superhero music”

AND HE DID!!! AWESOME I tell you, they are just AWESOME!!

The rest of the afternoon mom and I piddled around not really doing much of anything except jackin our jaws. It was nice. Then it was time for the children shuffle.

Let me set this up for you.

One of my dearest friends has called and as I’m trying to get out the door, we are talking. While I’m talking to her, hubs  is talking to me trying to decide if he is riding with me or driving his own vehicle.

Just a bit of a side bar: remember my children do not live with us and visitation during the week and weekends and today is one of those weekday visits. In addition to regular visit it is a school band concert night for my youngest which just happens to overlap times with my oldest’s work schedule. Never a dull moment right?!

OK, now that’s cleared up. So I’m talking to my friend and hubs is talking to me and we are both trying to get out the door. Needless to say tempers got a bit of both of us at this moment. I tell my gal I’ll need to catch up with her later and it’s finally decided hubs is going to drive separate so he doesn’t have to sit around after the concert for 2-ish hours. He’d rather be home with his feet kicked up.

Here comes the madness….you ready?

Traffic is terrible! Instead of being able to turn out of our drive so I can head to the freeway, I’m forced to turn the opposite direction – right into the construction zone from hell! Here in Ohio we know it’s spring when the orange barrel blossoms start blooming and popping up everywhere! So I’m tooling along at a snails pace hoping I’m going to get to the boys on time. Hubs is going to park his truck at the concert location and after I get the boys we are going to go pick him up so we can all get something to eat before the concert.

I arrive on time to get the boys and as soon as they are in the car, the youngest pipes up with

“we need to go to the school to pick up my baritone” (oh yeah, did I tell you he plays the baritone?).

Things are about to get interesting. We now have less than an hour before he has to be at the concert location and we have to pick up hubs, fight the traffic to get to the school, grab the baritone, fight the traffic to get back to town, find a fast food joint that isn’t backed up for miles in the drive-thru, eat and get back to the concert location. This should be fun!

Long and short of it, we fought that traffic, we picked up hubs, we fought the traffic, we found a fast food joint (oldest son bought our dinner..that’s was so nice), shoved our dinners down on the go, and arrived at the concert location ON TIME!! WHOOP WHOOP!! Rocked it!! *big deep breath and a sigh of relief*

The concert was wonderful. Those kids sure have come a long way in the two short years they’ve been playing an instrument. Proud Band Parent moment coming your way: their band did a district contest last weekend where they played for judges who then gave them a score based on their performance. The rating scale is: I (Superior), II (Great), III (Good), IV (Needs Improvement) and my son’s band received a Superior rating! I couldn’t be more proud of them and my son!

Thank goodness hubs decided to drive separate because he was able to take the oldest to work so he wasn’t late and I could stay and be with the youngest until the concert was over. Then the youngest and I went and walked a war memorial until visit time was finished and I drove him back to his dad’s. (that’s always sad for me)

I got home, visited with the hubs for a bit and then dragged my tired little hiney to bed.

Another day come and gone. Another day of counting blessings. Today’s blessings: sleeping in, a washer and a dryer, strength, endurance, friends, laughter, music, fast food, nice weather, family who work together even when things are a bit cray-cray

Everything always has a way of working out!!

See you tomorrow friend!