Friday, March 12, 2010

Thank you for all the birthday greetings!

Let's just say right off the bat that it was an....uhhm....interesting day.  It wasn't what I would characterize as a fun birthday, nor would I care to ever repeat today's experiences on a subsequent birthday, but it was...well....interesting. :)

First thing this morning I had to get ready to go to the city for 2 appointments to fix different aspects of the van, because a family in our church is renting it next week to take their daughters and their friends on a ski trip to Colorado for Spring break.  After we had our windshield replaced in January (due to Paul hitting a deer), the windshield quickly developed an air leak.  The day it was installed it was cold and snowy, so the adhesive didn't set up correctly.  Yeah, we should have known better than to schedule the replacement that day, but oh well....it has a lifetime warranty, so the repair today didn't cost anything.

The second scheduled repair wasn't totally necessary, but we thought it might be nice for the DVD player in the van to work for our renter's entertainment on the long trip to Colorado.  Today was the only day this week that both auto shops could schedule the appointments, so I left all the little ones home with our more-than-capable teenage daughters in charge.

I had to leave home by 8:30 to make the first appointment, and even after taking an unexpected detour to clean up a mess on the little boys' carpet (don't ask), I was still on schedule.  But then just as I was walking out the door, I saw that Jaden was sitting in a puddle of....well, for your sakes, I won't mention exactly *what* he was sitting in, but trust me, it wasn't a pretty sight.  I quickly yelled for HELLLLLPPPPP!!!!, and then Jamye and I tag-teamed the clean-up....poor Jamye got the worst end of the deal (if that gives you any indication what sort of puddle I am referring to).

This setback put me a few minutes behind schedule, but I was able to make up the time by driving just a tad over the speed limit...yeah, I know, it's the little foxes that spoil the vine.  I justified my rebellious behavior by thinking if I got pulled over and the officer saw on my driver's license that it was my birthday, he surely wouldn't be heartless enough to actually give me a ticket.  ;)  Thankfully, I didn't encounter a single cop on the way up or back.

The first appointment went fine, it was very quiet in the shop's waiting room, and the theater-style seating was comfortable and perfect for curling up with the historical fiction novel I had brought with me to read while I waited.  The repair bill was a little more than we expected, but having a working DVD player in the van to keep the little ones entertained during long road trips is worth every penny.

I had just enough time between appointments to eat lunch, and I decided on a Chinese buffet on the other side of town.  As I was filling my plate, I came across a dish I'd never seen or eaten before....spicy octopus.  Feeling just a bit adventurous (since it was my birthday), I decided to go for it and try one.

Ok, so I'll admit, I'm pretty much a chicken when it comes to trying new foods...I'd never eaten lobster until my first official date with Paul on my birthday 23 years ago, when he took me to a upscale seafood restaurant in Colorado Springs.   But back then I was young and "in love", so trying a new dish was exciting and romantic, whereas today, on my own and without a dining companion to impress, I was having a difficult time working up the courage to take a bite of the pathetic little creature looking up at me with such sad, soulful eyes. When I had finished off the entire plate except for the octopus, with its eight tiny little tentacles all curled in toward its body in self-protective gestures, I just didn't have the heart to consume it.  I finally just pushed my plate away and said, "Rest in peace, little guy."


(Ok, so the picture is a little out of focus....use your imagination.)

After I paid the bill, I had just enough time to drive back to the downtown area for my second appointment.  When I walked into the auto glass office, it was totally empty.  I looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see I was 30 minutes early, because according to the clock in the van, I was right on time.  A quick check of my cell phone verified that the office clock was correct, and the van time was wrong.  Then I remembered that the radio shop had probably needed to unhook the battery to work on the DVD player, and they hadn't bothered to reset the clock, so it was 12 hours and 30 minutes off.   No wonder I was early.

The person who set the windshield repair appointment said the shop techs took lunch until 2pm, so I had time to go pick up a bottle of water to drink while I waited for the repair to be finished.  When I got back to the office at 2pm, it was *still* empty.  Weird.  Then I noticed a sign on the desk... "For assistance, dial 4109."  Ah HAH....looks like the recession has hit the auto glass industry as well...the owners could save the cost of a receptionist by hooking up the office phone to the shop area, and then make the shop techs answer their own phones.  It's a little off-putting for customers to walk into an empty office, but whatever.

I was pleased that the estimated 1.5 - 2 hour repair was completed in 1 hour, so I had time to do a little shopping before heading for home.  I went to two different Target stores to exchange Jaxon's Easter shoes, which I had ordered online, but when they arrived it was immediately apparent they were one size too large. After checking the in-store stock, Jaxon will have to settle for a different shoe in the smaller size, because the original shoe doesn't come in a smaller size.  Oh well, Jaxon will still be the cutest little 2 yr old in the nursery on Easter morn, even if his shoes don't exactly match big brother Jaden's. ;)

In our family we always let the birthday boy or girl choose where they'd like to eat out for lunch or supper, so my plan was to go to my favorite local Mexican restaurant, Playa Azul, for supper tonight.  But when I arrived home I quickly realized that we wouldn't be eating out tonight, because little Jaxon was feeling "out of sorts", so I settled for take out from Long John Silver's.  Not exactly "haute cuisine", but still enjoyable, since I didn't have to cook. ;)

All things considered, this wasn't up there in the top 10 best birthdays ever, but on the other hand, it wasn't the worst birthday I've ever experienced either. It was just another typical day in the life of a mom of nine kids.  Even so, I wouldn't trade the unpleasant clean-ups and hectic schedule irritations that made up this "ordinary" birthday as the mother of nine for a lifetime of spectacular birthdays if it meant being without the love of my beautiful family.  I have ....*truly*.... been blessed beyond measure.

1 comment:

dancilhoney said...

The replacement is not good. I recommend Windshield Repair co Customer Service Staff was very knowledgeable and courteous.