Quel Week-end!

Let me tell you, the past week has been rather eventful, and by "eventful" I mean stressful. After my disappointing doctor's appointment last Wednesday, I started planning for the weekend: A relaxing night with DM, followed by a fun Saturday at the lake with her family, and then a possible Sunday beach trip with my own.

Friday evening Montana and I packed up the car and hit the road. Normally a trip to see DM would take 90 minutes or less. Approximately one hour into the trip my car died. Just completely died. On the freeway. I had just enough power to pull off to the side, otherwise Montana and I would be roadkill. No matter how many times I tried, the engine would not start.

I called DM and told her the situation, and turned down her offer to send her husband to rescue me, thinking the car just needed oil, water, or a rest. After half an hour, I decided to take her up on the offer. Montana and I sat in the car for over an hour altogether, with no interior lights or street lamps. Being stranded on a pitch black road on Friday the 13th was enough to have me trembling and Montana hyperventilating.

Luckily DM's husband arrived and saved us from the waking nightmare. Once we got to the house, Montana and I finally relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the night. In the morning DD (DM's husband) drove me out to the car to assess the damage. After more than an hour, I gave up and called a tow truck. DD talked a mechanic into looking at the car that day, even though it was late Saturday afternoon, and he fixed it up, blaming fuses for the issue. I picked up the car, but decided not to test it, and stayed another night at DM's. We spent some time at the lake, which was so wonderful, and played a board game into the wee hours.

Sunday afternoon was spent at the lake once again, which, again, was amazing. I could have stayed there all day! However, on the way to the lake, my car died again, and DM and I had to walk the remaining ten minutes in the scorching sun. Luckily DD had taken all the kids in their van, so they were obliviously enjoying the sand and sun.

I spent the night again, trying to decide what to do with the car, which was still sitting up the road. Monday morning I figured it wasn't worth fixing, and called a scrapper. I gave the keys and registration to DM, took the plates off, and left it sitting there.

Montana and I were dropped off at the Greyhound depot, and were told to be at the bus stop by 6:00 P.M., which gave us enough time to get some dinner. We got back in time for the bus, but unfortunately the bus did not have the same courtesy, and was an hour late. The first leg of the trip was unbearable, as the air conditioner was broken and the packed bus had to be 40 degrees. Luckily we were switched after half an hour, and the rest of the trip was glorious in comparison.

Once we arrived at the last stop, Montana and I had to catch a transit bus for the last half hour to our city. It finally came after half an hour, and we arrived home at 10:30 P.M. We were exhausted.

The next day I stayed home with the kids since I didn't have any money left to pay for daycamp after the car disaster, and had neither a car nor bus fare to get us there. Montana wasn't feeling great when she got up anyway, and after laying on the couch for half the day she threw up. This is the first time she's done that since she was real young. She never gets the flu, so I think it was due to sun stroke, and being stuck in the bus with no air. My poor baby!

While trying to deal with my sick child and boiling water for her bath, I got a call from the cops. I had called them and explained the car situation, and that a scrapper was on the way, but they had my car towed anyway. Then I got a call from the scrapper and he was a little hot under the collar having driven so far out to pick up a car that wasn't there. So now I owe the tow company, and the scrapper because of this pile of junk. Well, they can get in line.

Having all this on my mind was too much; I broke down and started bawling. DM called me at the time of my meltdown and I couldn't even talk because I was so upset. Being the angel that she is, she had some potentially fantastic news: Her friend has a car sitting in her driveway that needs to be fixed, and if/when that is done she is willing to sell it to me! That is not the best part though: She is going to take payments! I was so speechless at their caring I did not know what to say, and the thought still has me teary-eyed. This is the best news I have gotten in all of 2010. Not only will I be able to keep my job (which was hanging by a thread) but I will have a working car! Such a wonderful ending to a craptastic day.

That was yesterday. Today I stayed home again, but took the kids with me to work after supper to get some things done. My mom told me that our boss would like me to work longer hours and take over for a coworker when she takes her holidays in a couple weeks. The money would be wonderful, but it is before the kids go back to school so I don't know if we will be able to put them in daycamp. I am considering it, though.

This weekend is our big Summer Fiesta, one last shebang before fall hits and the school routine sets in. It gives me something to look forward to, and I think it will be a lot of fun. So the next two days will be filled with cleaning (oh joy) and prepping for that. Hopefully the rest of the week will be better than the beginning!