It Started Out BAD...

Do you remember Alexander from the children's story about his Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very Bad Day? From the moment he wakes up with gum in his hair, things just do not go Alexander's way. At breakfast, Alexander's brothers Nick and Anthony reach into their cereal boxes and pull out amazing prizes, while all Alexander ends up with is . . . cereal. And so on and so on...and he wishes he lived in Australia. In Australia, everything is upside down, so maybe a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day would become a wonderful, terrific very good day.

Well today i was feeling his pain...in a BIG way i thought i was about to have a Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very Bad Day, from the time i woke up to the sound of the phone ringing at 6:20am.

Me: Hello?
Big Daddy: Hi, my car won't start. I called a tow truck, i need you to come and get me.
Me: (still totally asleep) wait, what?
Big Daddy: After you take Jordan to school i need you to come and get me in Tracy.
Me: what? i don't know how to get to Tracy. Can't they tow it here? What's wrong with it?
Big Daddy: I am not sure but i think it's the starter.
Me: but i don't know how to get to Tracy (i do not like traveling to unfamiliar places alone).
Big Daddy: It's OK i will get you directions, you will be fine. Once you drop off J call me, I will tell you how to find me.
Me: OK.

So i hung up the phone and threw some clothes on and put my hair in pigtails. Even cute pigtails didn't make me happy. I heard J's alarm go off and waited for her to emerge from her room. She walked into the kitchen a few minutes later.

Me: Good Morning
J: where is daddy? He makes my breakfast.
Me: yeah, sorry about that. His car won't start i am going to have to go get him from work after i take you to school.
J: but, what's going to happen? (and like a million other questions i had no answers for)

let me stop here for a minute. J and i are total creatures of routine. We thrive on it. We like to know what to expect and be both do not like when someone or something throws a wrench in our plans. So while i was trying to be sympathetic and answer her many questions that i had no answers to, i had a million of my own going through my head.

i kept trying to tell myself to calm down, that the kid was picking up on my internal earthquake and that she did not need to go to school worried about us all day long. Seriously dude it's a car that won't start, not the end of the world. But i was having a hard time listening to myself. Even as i write this i am thinking about what a ninny i am...sheesh!

So i got J off to school and got on the phone with Big Daddy and was on my way to meet him. His directions involved changing like 4 high ways and it sounded complex. He knows me, he knows my rational and irrational fears. He had gone to google maps and had it down to how many miles i would be on each road before going onto another one. I was still a little stressed but i had plenty of time to calm down because as soon as i got on the first HWY i was sitting in traffic that was moving at a snails pace. There was a 2 car injury accident about 4 exits up and it took me 30 minutes to go 7 miles. Finally as traffic started to move and i had passed the accident scene (saying a little prayer for the people who were in that mass of twisted metal and broken glass) Big Daddy called to say it was a "simple battery cable" they were going to fix it now, he was going to wait and i could turn around and go home.

I got back on the HWY going the opposite direction, saw the bumper to bumper traffic on the other side of the HWY and was glad i wasn't sitting in it anymore. THEN out of nowhere a little gold Pontiac sunfire came flying up beside me and pushed me off of the road. i TOTALLY lost control of my car and it took EVERYTHING i had to regain control from the shoulder of the road and get my head clear enough to dial 911 as i caught up the "bad guy" getting his license plate number (ummm yeah, he slowed down enough to watch what he had done to me). As i went past him he flipped me the bird with the hand he was holding his Blackberry in and was busy eating a burger with the 'free' hand...yep 'look ma, no hands'. Once i was on the phone with 911 chick i lost it and started crying. i gave her the info and she told me to hold on while they broadcast it. She got back on the line with me and told me there was a "chippy" close by and he was on it. No sooner had she said that did i see the lights behind me. i pulled over into the far right lane and pointed out "the bad guy". he pulled him over and as i passed by i made sure to give my new "friend" a nice wave...and yes i used all of my fingers.

It was scary...i thought it was the beginning of the most AWFUL, Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very Bad Day!!

My day ended up being pretty good though. I felt a little sick after the scary experience (i have been in 3 "should not have walked away alive" car accidents in my life). But i am safe, i am alive and all is well...OH and the car only cost $80 to get fixed, which is a HUGE blessing!

on to other stuff...good stuff....

Some of my bloggy friends are celebrating their Blogiversary. So here is a flower for SuperCoolMom and one for And then there were 6 from us...Congratulations AND keep on blogging, I big red puffy heart you girls and look forward to reading more, more MORE!!
OH and i almost forgot THIS little bit of Christmas goodness came in the mail for me today! I won a bloggy giveaway over on Raimi's If You're Happy And You Know It Blog. I LOVE it. It totally cheered me up AND reminded me how happy Good Mail makes me soooo i am going to try and get some out soon and spread a little love. Thanks Raimi!!!
Did you get a chance to read all about Jordan's 13th Birthday Extravaganza or watch the video montage More 13th Birthday Goodness ? Cuteness awaits you...go have a look~see!