stranded at wal-mart

it's just been one of those days.
as some of you know (either by being my 'real-life' friend, or just by reading my blog regularly) the burban has been in the shop for about a week and i've been driving a pt cruiser rental. it's been fun and cute and a nice change. the kids love it because its flashy and obnoxiously blue. today, however, the honeymoon ended. i went to walmart for grocery outing numero uno. on the way there the gas light came on. 'no big deal,' i thought, 'i still have an 8th of a tank left. i'll get gas after i'm done shopping.' i came out, loaded up the car with my groceries and got molly strapped in. the car started and promptly shut down. i started it again. and again. and again. then i prayed. then i held mollys hand and we both prayed (where 2 or more are gathered, right?), "Lord, just get me to the gas station!" i mean, i could throw a rock and hit it. i was tempted to push my car to the gas station, but i wasn't in the mood to look like a moron. so i called allen
allen: "hello?"
me: "ok, i'm in trouble and we have 2 options."
allen: "o....k....?"
me: "i'm out of gas at walmart-"
allen: "aw, babe!"
me: "i thought i had enough gas! it didnt give me fair warning! you're supposed to have at least 10 or so more miles when the light comes on and i was less than a mile away from walmart when the light came on! this is ridiculous! anyway, so i can go inside, buy a gas can, walk to the gas station with molly and bring gas back to the car. OR, you can come rescue me."
allen: "well, that depends on how long you want to wait. it'll be at least 45 minutes before i can get there."
me: "ok, i'll take care of it. i just didn't know if you would want me to go buy a gas tank when we have 3 at home in the garage already. will i even be able to carry it back to the car? it'll be heavy."
allen: "just get what you can carry and make sure you drive straight over to the pump after you get it started so you can fill it up all the way."
me: "ok. love you bye."
so i get molly out and head back inside to get the gas tank. and lo and behold i run into our pastor and his wife doing their grocery shopping. they live super close and have a gas can at home, so he leaves to go get it and help me out.
turns out its not the gas. he put i dont even know how much in, and it still wouldnt start. then the unlocker button on the key stopped working. mark couldnt jump it, or i guess i should say it wouldn't jump. i'm officially stranded at walmart with melting groceries and a close to melt-down 2 year old.
i called the roadside assistance number on the keychain and after talking to about 10 people in india i got this guy who was obviously reading directions to me, maybe from "Starting a Car: For Dummies." first he asked me if i could get out of the car. then he had me get back in the car and he said, "take the car out of park." and do what? let it roll back into traffic? i'm no expert but how is this going to help? i think the goal was to 'reset' something. not happening homeslice. i finally spoke to someone locally and found out they could send another car to me (from the airport which is about half an hour away on a good day) in 1 to 2 hours.
me: "what about the place 10 minutes away where we got the car? can they not bring me one?"
AVIS lady: "oh, yes that would be much faster. try calling them."
me: "i did call them and some how routed to you (fifteen people later)."
AVIS lady: "yes, if they don't answer you call is directed to the national service desk. you can keep trying till you get them or i can send a car to you, but it will take longer."
me: "ok, thanks. i'll try again."
i called 3 times and the calls kept getting picked up by the national desk.
so i called allen again.
me: (explaining everything thats happened since him thinking i had gone in to buy a gas can). i can't get anyone to help me!! molly is so over this. walmart is not fun anymore today."
allen: "ok. i'll drive to them and then i'll drive to you. i'll have a new car to you shortly."
me: "thanks."
allen had some issues with the guy at the car place. he was not too excited about having to bring me another car, to say the very least.
mark and pam (pastor and his wife) stuck around to keep me company and even took molly in to the walmart mcdonalds for some french fries. so nice of them! i dont know what i would have done if they werent there. called allen sooner probably. i'm so bad at handling car situations. i revert back to a 16 year old girl.
so now i'm driving a black ford focus. not near as exciting...well not exciting at all. my 80 year old pawpaw drives a ford focus. but at least it works, and hopefully will continue to work until i get the burban back on wednesday. ***disclaimer: i'm not knocking anyone who drives a focus. its just quite a step down from a borderline neon blue pt cruiser. thats all i'm saying.***

adding insult to injury, when i was in the checkout line at HEB (i get most stuff at walmart, but produce and meat and HEB), i had been checked out (not literally...as far as i know) and written my check when the register/computer shuts down. seriously? so i stood there, very patiently and graciously for the record, and waited till i was eventually taken to another register to close out the sale.
for lunch (at 2 o'clock, finally) i rewarded myself with the last half of a pint of ben and jerrys that was taunting me from the freezer as i unloaded my drippy not-as-cold-as-they-should-be groceries.

if you are one of those people who uses things based on peoples recommendations, or doesn't use things as it were, we are under the rental car care (or something) of AVIS.
should have picked enterprise i guess. after all, they'll pick you up. especially when the car you rented from them doesnt start, i bet.

week in pictures jan 5-11, and a mojo story

first of all, i think i'm posting my pictures differently than the other people that are doing this. i'm posting monday to sunday instead of sunday to saturday. i dont guess it matters much.

before i post my pictures, i have to tell ya'll what molly has been doing, and saturday's picture goes along with the story. i bought 2 sport top water bottles for the kids at CVS a week or so ago. it was one of those 'i have 15 minutes to kill while my pictures are being developed' purchases. i don't know about you, but i purchase that most random stuff when i have to kill time in a drug store. i also came home with a lint roller and some head bands, both of which i've been using, thankyouverymuch. anyway, so i busted out the new water bottles on wednesday (i think) and i found molly pouring hers out all over the dining room carpet, and rubbing it in.

me: "molly! what are you doing??"

molly: "i'm waterin the flowers, mommy."

me: "baby, we don't do that in the house. flowers don't grow on the carpet."
molly: "why?"
me: "well, because they grow outside in the dirt."

molly: "i want to go outside."

so we went outside and i refilled both of their water bottles about 5 times before i got tired of it and it started to get dark.

then saturday she asked for her water bottle again. this time i told her not to water the carpet, only to drink the water out of it, and for good measure i only filled it about 1/3 full. she's a defiant little toot, and i didn't trust her.

she came into the playroom not 5 minutes later with an empty water bottle. no way she drank it that fast.

me: "molly did you water the carpet again?"

molly: [nod]

me: "show me where."

she led me to the dining room, and the water was all over the window sills and my bible and quiet time book and journal (which i keep on the window sill because i do my q.t. on the floor in the dining room), and a few of the dining chairs. apparently, water spreads.

she was sent to time out without much repentence, mind you, and her water bottle has been put away indefinately.

and so it goes that molly will be coming around to blogville a little more frequently, which may be a good thing for you , the reader, but not so much for me, the mom and housekeeper.

MONDAY, JAN 5th

my rental car. the burban has been in the shop since last saturday with a broken door (don't ask). i'm hoping to get it back this week. in the meantime i'm sportin a PT Cruiser. its actually been kinda fun, although i feel a bit flashy in a somewhat sparkly, bright blue car.


TUESDAY, JAN 6th
as a posted earlier in the week, allen was at Duke University in north carolina tuesday thru thursday, and my camera went with him. this is the sign on the wall outside cameron indoor stadium (where the blue devils play basketball).

WEDNESDAY, JAN 7th

the clock tower. great picture! good job, babe.

THURSDAY, JAN 8th
this is where students line up to get into the games, usually starting that morning. the tents, however, are people in line to get tickets for the DUKE/UNC game. some of them have been there for more than a week, and the games not even till feb 11th!! ridiculous.

FRIDAY, JAN 9th
i LOVE this place!! i ate there 4 times this week. they make the best sandwiches!! i especially love the BLT with avocado. yum!!!

SATURDAY, JAN 10th
the water bottle of mass destruction

SUNDAY, JAN 11ththis is my valentines tree. i love it!! a friend of mine did one in her house and i got her permission to copy her idea. not only did she tell me i could copy, but she gave me the rest of her ornaments for my own tree! thanks stephanie!!!

yet another gym adventure

for those of you that work out at a gym, has there ever been a piece of equipment that you wanted to try, but you weren't sure how and didn't want to look dumb trying to figure it out, so you just never did? that was my reality today--as if the giant fat picture of me on the wall isn't enough. the gym has been rearranged (which i'm not totally a fan of, but no one asked me) and some new stuff has been added, one of them being something that looks like an eliptical, but you know there's more to it than that.

this is pretty close to what it looks like, and no thats not me standing next to it. its new and shiny and unfamiliar and intimidating. i get on the eliptical a couple times a week, though, so i thought i could figure it out without too much humiliation. there are two of them side by side and there was a lady already using one. i walked up, threw my towel over the bar, put my water bottle in the designated holder, and hopped up there like i'd done it a hundred times. i started trying to move the pedal things and nothing was happening. they were swinging a little bit and although i'd never seen one in action, i didn't feel like that was the desired motion of the machine. i just kept going (again, trying to act like i knew what i was doing), marching on this thing which wasn't responding, so i marched and kind of glided my legs a little more aggressively, which i 'm sure was real cute. still nothing. there werent any lights coming on the display either so i thought to myself, 'it must not be on.' i got off and walked around to the front and bent over to turn it on (thats where to on switch is on the treadmills), except theres no switch. i bent a little lower, determined to find something to push or flip or plug in, because i know now that the lady on the machine next to me is watching to see what on earth i'm doing down there. nothing. i got back on. now its me against the machine. i will not walk away from this thing. so i tried plan A again. finally the lady next to me said, " you just have to start moving. it'll come on." so i say, "oh, ok. thanks." but i was really thinking, 'did you not just see what i was doing like 10 seconds ago?' i finally got it going, but even then i wasn't doing the right motion. that took me another 5 mintues to figure out. then it was hard and i wanted to get off, but after all that effort i wasn't about to give in and look like a weenie. it's the motion of running, but slow and with resistance. crazy, but i actually started to like it. the sore is already kicking in and i haven't even layed down yet. i'm glad allens out of town, so i can't get up and go at 530 in the morning. i can sleep in a little and nurse my sore muscles...and my ego.

speaking of allen, he's currently in north carolina peeing his pants about getting to see a duke basketball game tonight.

allen has been a fan of duke b-ball longer than i've been alive. really. he's never been to NC, let alone seen the stadium or the team play, so this is a dream come true to say the least. a friend of his has a 'connection' and got them tickets, and we had enough air miles to cover the travel.

its about time we used those things! we got this credit card to earn miles, but we never go anywhere because even if we get there for free we can't afford to get a hotel or do anything once we get there. seriously. so i'm happy that they were finally able to be put to use. i digress.

he called me at about noon today and was standing center court, giggling like a little girl. it was great. i'm so excited for him!! he swiped my camera so my tuesday thru thursday pictures for the week will have to be ones that he took. i'm sure they'll be great.

yesterday mom and i took the kids to the library and then to lunch and some shopping. after lunch i was telling mom about this place over in the shopping area we were going to called Nothing Bundt Cakes. isnt'that great?!? its not a place to sit and eat, just to go in a buy a cake for an event or whatever. anyway, so i hear colby in the backseat, "hahahaha, thats funny mommy. i want a butt cake."

they should change the name, since thats where its going. straight to my butt. and thighs.

on second thought, maybe not. they probably wouldn't sell as well.

365 project, jan 1-4

i'm attempting to commit to the 365 project, which is where you take 1 picture each day of the year. on sundays you post your pictures from the week. anything goes, from what you had to breakfast to what book you're reding to a cute picture of your kid in the bathtub. its a great idea and i hope i can keep it up. i already know i'm going to miss a few days. like wednesday when allen takes my camera with him to NC to watch Duke play (he's beside himself excited about that, by the way!!!). unless i post one of his pictures from that day....hmm......
anyway, so here are my first 4 pictures of 2009.

JAN 1, 2009
my new chronological bible. i'm ahead of schedule. i love it. sorry the pic is sideways. its late and i dont feel like changing it.




JAN 2, 2009
this is a shirt i bought on friday at a place here in town kinda like goodwill. $3.




JAN 3, 2009
colby decided we needed a centerpiece, so he put one together on the side table next to the couch. its not very aesthetic.




JAN 4, 2009
this is the game we played on NYE. we played it again tonight, but the group was too big to really enjoy it. still a fun game, though.

my son the magician

colbys resolutions

i asked colby what his resolutions were, explaining that resolutions were things you wanted to accomplish for the year.....


colby:"i want to be a diver. i'm going to cut a shark and when he smells his blood he'll try to eat his own self. that will be so amazing!!!!
i also can't wait to be a daddy so i can spank my kids; and my baby sister."

feeling guilty

i'm feeling so horrible that i haven't posted in over a week. to be honest its just typical christmas la-de-da, so i haven't felt the need to share all the ins and outs of the holiday season with my family. i read blogs about people who celebrate christmas with 4 or 5 different groups of people or who do 1 giant celebration with their whole family of 20, or some ridiculous number like that. i'm an only child and allens brother lives in canada, and although they're here more often than not at some point during the holiday season, they didn't make it down this year. so christmas was my parents and grandparents for a total of 8 people, and then we went to houston to have christmas with allens mom and stepdad for a grand total of 6 people. with such small groups compared to most everyone else, there's not a lot of craziness or anything. they're always very low key, which is nice. i'd rather have peaceful and low key than dysfunctional all for the sake of a blog. :)

the one thing colby asked for this year was given to him by his mimi. allen will love that i'm sharing this (note the sarcasm in that statement). he wanted a "go, go gotta go doll". yes its a doll, and yes it pees and poops. he didnt want cars or tools or rocks. he wanted urinating girl doll. and he got it. thanks mimi.

when she told allen she had gotten it for colby he asked her

allen: "why did you buy my son a doll?!?"

mimi: "because thats what he asked for, so i'm gonna make sure he gets it."

allen: "mom, you can't give him a doll."

mimi: "i can."

allen: "ok, but it has to be for both of them. you have to put both of their names on the tag."

done.

when 'they' opened it, colby freaked out. the peeing doll elicited the best reaction of all the presents he got this year. and he and molly fought over it. the good thing i suppose is he knows he's the daddy. the doll doesn't know that, though. she calls him mommy. of course she calls everyone mommy. she also says, "uh oh, i made a stinky." neat.

last night for new years eve we hung out with the barners and lamberts. this was the 4th year in a row we've spent NYE together. other people have joined from year to year, but always the 6 of us. its a fun tradition. this year, though we all had babysitters so we went to dinner all of us together without the kids--something we couldn't remember ever doing before.

aren't they cute?

then we went to target to kill time (we didnt want to go back to our house till we knew our kids were asleep). just for the record, target is open regular hours on NYE. so we drew names and picked out presents for the person whose name we drew. we only had 15 minutes and there was a $40 limit. it was really fun (thanks lauren for the idea!!). i picked aprils name and selected a purse, a bracelet, and an adorable bird votive holder with some pretty votive candles. i kind of want to go back and get the bird. zach picked my name and picked out a game and 3 movies that allen probably would never watch with me. come to think of it, that had to have been more than $40 dollars. zach, you're a cheater!

we didn't actually buy the gifts, just picked them out a showed them to each other. yes, we are easily entertained. zach ended up buying the game he picked out for me and we came back to our house and played it. super fun. its called The Game of Things. i still don't completely understand the scoring system, but the idea is awesome. 2 thumbs up. well, maybe 1 & 1/2 because of the scoring thing.

new years resolutions? i don't really make them anymore. i'm perfect. there's nothing to resolve.

not really. i'm just really bad at keeping them, so i've stopped trying. does that sound as pathetic as i think it does?

one of my 'goals', however, is to make it through half of the bible this year. i've tried 3 times to read through the bible in a year and get about halfway through lamentations. a friend of mine bought me the chronological bible, so i'm hoping that helps. allen said, "how about trying to get through half of it. you don't have to read it all in a year." thanks, babe.

allens 'goal' is to use all his vacation hours, so hopefully that will work out well for me. ;)

he informed me that he forfeited 100 hours of vacation this year. lets not let that happen again, i say. good plan.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!