So today has certainly been interesting. Plan A: Wake up in time to leave the house at 4:30am, to get to the beach in time for sunrise over the Atlantic. Then come back and say goodbye to Alex, come home and take a nap, go to the Temple, then go to the youth dance as a "chaperone." Well, that's when Plans B and C come into play. Always have a backup plan. Also, always carry your cell phone, even when you think you won't need it. Take your license, AAA card, and credit card with you, even if you're only driving two miles and back. And set two alarms when you're getting up 3 hours after you go to bed.
Here's how the morning went.
Woke up and looked at the clock at 5am. 5AM?!?!?! Can't be. Check my phone, and sure enough...5am. Text Alex "It's 5!!!!" and race out of bed, get dressed, and leave the house within 3 minutes. Drive on a road with no traffic, all the way to Hampton Beach, getting there just in time to see the sunrise over the horizon. So we made it for a beach sunrise! Hooray. It was stressful...I thought we were going to miss it! So we sat on the beach for a little while. Then drove back. Alex fell asleep, but since I was driving, I was wide awake...or trying to be! Got gas in the car, realized that the car gets upwards of 34mpg. woohoo! Come back home. Alex packs his things, and we hang out for a bit until I must drive him to the bus station.
Drive him there. On the way, the blinkers on the car go on the fritz and die. Pull into the parking lot, laughing about it, and park the car, knowing in the back of my mind that it won't start again. Too bad I didn't bring my cell phone with me, though I did grab the staples: license, AAA card, credit card. Wait for a little while with Alex until he gets on his bus. Say goodbye for a few years and walk in opposite directions. Go out to the car, realizing on the way that I KNOW it won't start...I've seen this before. Get in the car, try to start it. Sure enough, no juice. Oh wait, the radio works. Realize I have cash in my pocket, so I make a call to my mom and leave her a message I know she won't get. Then call the Grays. Melan's dad came and rescued me. Jumped the minivan with a mini-cooper. Van died again. Jump it again. Still dies. Go to Grays', steal the battery from the truck, put it in the van, and go to Pep Boys. Buy a new battery for the van, and drive to my house to replace it. Oh look, it works again! But the "check engine" light is still on...dang cars.
Car is fixed! At least as far as the battery is concerned. Check facebook and realize that the Temple trip I was going on was bumped up to noon. Look at the clock and see it's 10:45. Call Mom and tell her what happened. She comes home so I can use her car. Drive to the Temple, driving into a rainstorm for a few minutes. Get there right at noon, after somehow missing the exit. Go inside, see my people, and look. We ARE the session. Great time at the Temple! Come home. Pick up Melan on the way. No nap today, but it's okay. Melan and I need to catch up. Talk for hours. About silly and important things. Think about how interesting it is how much our conversations have changed since high school. And relationships. Talk about upcoming mission.
Go to youth dance to "chaperone". See my EFY kids. Get kicked out for being too old. Ironically, by the same leader who kicked me out of a dance a few years ago (Another story for another time). Have Steven drive me home. Realize I can go to bed early.
Well, I guess that was more than just my morning. But here are all the rays of sunshine from today:
-I got to ride in the Mini!
-I saw an east coast sunrise
-I learned how to change the battery in a car
-I saw my EFY kids!
-I caught up with Melanie, a much-needed heart to heart
-I learned to always bring my phone, even if I think I won't need it
-Good thing I followed the prompting to take what I did to the bus stop
-Alex got to DC earlier than he'd planned on
-I get to go to bed early!
-When I put gas in the car, it cost less than I was planning on
-And so much more.
So basically...I think I'm writing this to remind myself that even though it seemed like everything that could go wrong this morning DID, a lot of good came out of it. Life is good. :) So now, I am wrapping the unfortunate events of this morning into a cocoon and letting them die. And emerging a butterfly!
Here's how the morning went.
Woke up and looked at the clock at 5am. 5AM?!?!?! Can't be. Check my phone, and sure enough...5am. Text Alex "It's 5!!!!" and race out of bed, get dressed, and leave the house within 3 minutes. Drive on a road with no traffic, all the way to Hampton Beach, getting there just in time to see the sunrise over the horizon. So we made it for a beach sunrise! Hooray. It was stressful...I thought we were going to miss it! So we sat on the beach for a little while. Then drove back. Alex fell asleep, but since I was driving, I was wide awake...or trying to be! Got gas in the car, realized that the car gets upwards of 34mpg. woohoo! Come back home. Alex packs his things, and we hang out for a bit until I must drive him to the bus station.
Drive him there. On the way, the blinkers on the car go on the fritz and die. Pull into the parking lot, laughing about it, and park the car, knowing in the back of my mind that it won't start again. Too bad I didn't bring my cell phone with me, though I did grab the staples: license, AAA card, credit card. Wait for a little while with Alex until he gets on his bus. Say goodbye for a few years and walk in opposite directions. Go out to the car, realizing on the way that I KNOW it won't start...I've seen this before. Get in the car, try to start it. Sure enough, no juice. Oh wait, the radio works. Realize I have cash in my pocket, so I make a call to my mom and leave her a message I know she won't get. Then call the Grays. Melan's dad came and rescued me. Jumped the minivan with a mini-cooper. Van died again. Jump it again. Still dies. Go to Grays', steal the battery from the truck, put it in the van, and go to Pep Boys. Buy a new battery for the van, and drive to my house to replace it. Oh look, it works again! But the "check engine" light is still on...dang cars.
Car is fixed! At least as far as the battery is concerned. Check facebook and realize that the Temple trip I was going on was bumped up to noon. Look at the clock and see it's 10:45. Call Mom and tell her what happened. She comes home so I can use her car. Drive to the Temple, driving into a rainstorm for a few minutes. Get there right at noon, after somehow missing the exit. Go inside, see my people, and look. We ARE the session. Great time at the Temple! Come home. Pick up Melan on the way. No nap today, but it's okay. Melan and I need to catch up. Talk for hours. About silly and important things. Think about how interesting it is how much our conversations have changed since high school. And relationships. Talk about upcoming mission.
Go to youth dance to "chaperone". See my EFY kids. Get kicked out for being too old. Ironically, by the same leader who kicked me out of a dance a few years ago (Another story for another time). Have Steven drive me home. Realize I can go to bed early.
Well, I guess that was more than just my morning. But here are all the rays of sunshine from today:
-I got to ride in the Mini!
-I saw an east coast sunrise
-I learned how to change the battery in a car
-I saw my EFY kids!
-I caught up with Melanie, a much-needed heart to heart
-I learned to always bring my phone, even if I think I won't need it
-Good thing I followed the prompting to take what I did to the bus stop
-Alex got to DC earlier than he'd planned on
-I get to go to bed early!
-When I put gas in the car, it cost less than I was planning on
-And so much more.
So basically...I think I'm writing this to remind myself that even though it seemed like everything that could go wrong this morning DID, a lot of good came out of it. Life is good. :) So now, I am wrapping the unfortunate events of this morning into a cocoon and letting them die. And emerging a butterfly!
Nice post, Karen. Nice attitude. I have to practice this more.
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