The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

I haven't decided exactly what I'm going to write about, but I knew I just felt like writing.  So here we are.  I'm blogging, and you're reading.  It works out.  :)

Today was a pretty good day for myself (minus locking myself out of my van......in my driveway......with it running......with the dog in it......) but in hindsight, it wasn't really a big deal.  Sure, it was a dumb move and cost me $54 that I didn't expect to spend today (while in my driveway, on something that took about a minute to remedy by a guy with a metal hook and a blood pressure bag), but the AC was on so I knew the dog was fine (plus she was doped up on anesthesia after a full dental exam, so she was snoozing and not panicking), and while I waited on the locksmith I had some really great conversation with my neighbors across the street, whom I absolutely adore and don't stop to talk to often enough.  They're both right around 90 years old and two of the sweetest people on the face of the planet.  So the frustration of realizing my van was locked after I hopped out to check the mail was evened out or possibly surpassed by a visit with the neighbors.  Those visits are free any day, but I'd say today was $54 well spent because it made me leave my house and knock on their door.

Random "money well spent" photo

Speaking of, I need to email my friend Connie.  I haven't paid her a visit in a while and I think I need to plan to see her next week.  I'll do that now.

Email sent.  :)

But though my day was pretty good, it was pretty effin' terrible for a friend of mine.  As in today was a bad, bad, bad, horrible day.  And though what happened to her didn't happen to me, my heart is fully broken for her and my pretty good day is not actually so pretty good.  It's actually a pretty sad, horrible day because my heart hurts for her.  I don't want to go into the details of this person's day because it's not my story to tell, but it's just one of those days that will never be forgotten.  And I'm sure that when she's ready, she'll talk about it.

On a lighter note, I ordered Delano's Easter present earlier this week, and it arrived yesterday!  I'm going to put a couple of little things in a basket, but since I don't want to give him candy and chocolate (maybe a TINY bunny if I can find one), I got him a 3D storybook.  He already has one that his great-grandmother bought him for Christmas, and he LOVES it. 

This is the one he has....The Three Little Pigs.  He plays with this for a LONG time.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is what he's getting on Easter.

Three of these storybooks exist, and the last one is Hansel & Gretel.  I haven't ordered it yet (it wasn't available on Amazon when I was looking), but maybe I'll do that now and have it be Lucy's gift!  She loves them, too.  Though she did toss the little kettlepot from The Three Little Pigs into the kitchen trash can for no apparent reason (her Grammy found it before it was gone forever).

Hansel & Gretel - the one we currently lack!

In fact, I just ordered it.  I followed the link from the pic above (which sent me to The Grommet) and they actually had it in stock, when Amazon and even the Storytime Toys website said it was out of stock.  So let's all cross our fingers that The Grommet actually has it in stock!  These are really cool storybooks to have.  Things of personal value that can be saved and passed on.....as long as they don't get destroyed before then!

My mind is going a million directions now, trying to decide what to talk about next!

I should go to bed.  It's late, and I went to bed late last night because I was finishing a book I was reading.  And then even after I finished the book in the wee hours, I couldn't seem to turn my brain off in order to go to sleep.  And I wasn't even thinking about anything major or stressful or exciting or anything.......my brain just wouldn't SHUT UP.  And no, I didn't drink much at all last night and no, I didn't have any caffeine.  So I have zero idea why my brain was running on overload.  I'd say it took me a good hour AFTER the lights were off to fall asleep.  So really I should be heading to bed right now.  The hubs has been asleep for 90 minutes now.  But I'm just not feeling it yet.

The book I finished.  An easy, chick lit book after reading Gray Mountain by John Grisham.

I'm excited, though......my book club picked Gone Girl especially for me this time around.  My mother-in-law has a copy of it, which she's bringing with her when they come back to visit over Easter weekend.  She hated the book, but most of my friends loved it.  So I can't wait to read it! 

Next week, the hubs will be out of town for 5 whole days.  He owns a rental property in Augusta, Georgia that was recently vacated, so he needs to go get the house repaired, prepped and ready for new renters.  The kids and I will be staying at home for this little trip.  Originally, I was scheduled to bartend two of the nights he would be away.  One of the nights (Saturday) I got covered by another bartender, and the other night (Wednesday) was unexpectedly cancelled by the client this afternoon.  That makes my life a whole lot easier since I don't have to bat my eyelashes at my mom to come and stay at my house until 11 or 12 on my work night (not that she minds, but that's a lot of thumb twiddling after the kids go to bed, and a late time for her to be driving home and going to bed herself).  Now that my shifts are no more, the kids and I could technically tag along to Georgia.  But I think I'll pass on a trip to Augusta with two toddlers and two parents in a single hotel room.  So far, we've been spoiled with our trips with the kids in that we've always stayed in houses and been able to set them up in their own rooms (or walk-in closets) for naptime and bedtime, with us being able to be in a separate room to hang out and watch TV or whatever.  And had we decided that this would be a family trip from the beginning, we would have rented a house or condo (because Augusta is such the family-friendly vacation spot.....just kidding).  But since Lucas already has his hotel lined up and since I don't particularly want to spend 5 days in Augusta while he works on his house from sun-up to sun-down, life will continue on for 5 days right here at home. 

In the past, when Lucas would go out of town to work on his houses, it was guaranteed that I would stay up way too late and order pizza to eat while he was gone.  I would also eat lots of my favorite sugary cereals (for breakfast, lunch and/or a snack) and might have even bought horrible (aka awesome) ideas like Doritos and Funyuns.  NOT THIS TIME.  Okay, so I'm sure I'll still stay up way too late every night.....I need to work on an environmental report that's due the following Monday anyway.....but I will NOT order pizza or any sort of extremely appealing pizza/breadsticks/wings/dessert combo the world has to offer.  REALLY.

I don't know where this madness was happening, but I would TEAR THIS BOX UP.

I have definitely ordered this one before.  It was cheap (like $10) and came with pizza, cheesy breadsticks AND cinnasticks.  Yes it did.  In fact, I want it NOW.

Instead (begrudgingly), I plan on cooking something low-carb in the crockpot.....like maybe a beanless chili......that will last me for several dinners without me getting tired of it.  I don't often get tired of chili.  I like to top it with cheese and sour cream and onions.  Normally I'd also pour it over a bowl of Fritos (mmmmm Fritos......mmmmm Frito Pie.....mmmmm Sloppy Nachos at Taco Mamacita) but if I'm behaving and going low-carb, Fritos are obviously not a part of that plan.

The Raccoon Mountain Marathon, Half Marathon and Relay is this Saturday!  I'm excited.  I'm not sure if I'll do better or worse than I did at the Scenic City Half Marathon a couple of weeks ago, but I don't care.  The race is going to be really pretty on the top of the mountain, partly on trails, and Run Chattanooga does an incredible job with aid station goodies and post-race grub.  It's going to be a fun race, no matter what my finish time is.

It's going to be "grassroots amazeballs".  ;)