monday last week i had lots of errands to run so i loaded the kids up in the van. we had 1/4 of a tank and i deemed it totally acceptable for the day's errands. i dropped medical release waivers at my old ob/gyn office and at the hospital at which i had my c-section(my mw needs my post-op report). i returned some things to joann's and bought some yarn for yet another pilot cap for mary jane and some skin toned fabric for a jessie doll for frances. then we headed to costco for groceries and lunch. after costco we headed to the pool. i was upset to find out that henry didn't try on the running shoes we bought at costco- even after i told him to! they ended up being too small! the pool was closed so we ended up going to the gym. we(three oldest and i) had a school-year-planning-meeting on the couches while the little kids played in the child center. we talked about what books we wanted to use, what lessons we wanted this year, what subjects we enjoyed and learned alot from last year, etc. we set up a training schedule for running, biking, and swimming as well as scheduling days for the gym- rock climbing, indoor soccer, basketball, and squash. the kids got to rock climb for a little over an hour before i figured we should be getting home. as we left the gym frankie requested the jessie CD- cue rolling eyes and groaning from the big kids.
at the second light- the last light before we access 400 north the CD player quit. i checked the gas gauge- below empty. the engine started jerking. i told the kids to sit tight- we would have to turn the AC off. after turning the AC off i tried to roll the windows down for some air to no avail. we prayed hail mary's to get us to the nearest gas station- at the next light i reminded the kids that whatever happened we would praise God. the nearest gas station ended up being costco! so henry went to return his shoes. i texted chris letting him know what was going on but it was ok bc we were currently filling up. when i was done pumping and still couldn't start the car i figured it was probably not low gas. chris called as i was soliciting a jump from a fellow gas pumper. he said i would probably last a few minutes from a jump but surely wouldn't be able to get home. he was leaving work to fetch us. we headed inside to get some snacks(a GIANT crate of blueberries) and cool off. it is AMAZING how quickly our car got HOT when the AC went and our windows were stuck. chris was right. it was the alternator.
tuesday during his lunch break he bought another one. tuesday night after work he tried to replace it but ran out of sunlight. wednesday he took the last part of the day off to make sure he had enough daylight. he called me with good news. it was fixed- temporarily. he was coming home to pick us up. he told me to have the kids ready because he didn't want to risk stopping the car. we turned right back around and retrieved his car from costco. at home he had me help him get the screws set on the alternator. we could only get one of the bolts in and tight. he assured me it wasn't going anywhere.
his parents invited us down to destin for the weekend so he took off friday and we left for the beach thursday night. his dad is working a contract job out of eglin AFB for a couple weeks. we were set on going camping up in the smokies but an invitation to the beach was pretty nice too. the kids would have a blast either way- but the destin trip included a visit with grandma and grandpa so that was the winning feature.
friday we ended up getting only part of the way there before chris had to stop. i think we stayed the night in a place called chipley? it was only about a 2 hour trip past that. we went to lunch in destin with his mom to wait for our condo to be ready. at fudpucker's max got to hold an alligator(with it's snout good and taped). after getting to the condo i realize that the bag in which i packed clothes for me, frankie, and mary jane is missing. chris' mom had clothes in the car that would fit mary jane but frankie and i were left to go shopping. we headed to the beach store and bought swim suits. i also bought a swim cover (kind of a strapless dress type thingy) that could double as a pregnancy skirt. we finally hit the beach. chris' parents cooked spaghetti for the kids and left chris and i to fend for ourselves. we made due with a date to harry t's located in harborwalk village or some such place. we strolled the harbor shops before dinner and spotted several parrots perched near a man playing a tin drum. he asked if i'd like to hold one. i held a beautiful conure and then he let the white macaw fly to my arm. it was an amazingly big bird- so strong. it was older than i was! 42 years old!
at the restaurant i had balsamic catch of the day(cannot even remember the name of the fish- i hadn't heard of it before- but it was good) and chris had a burger. we talked about how florida is a nice place to visit- but we doubt we could live there. san diego really spoiled that for us. the humidity is just. too. much. even as we left the restaurant and the sun was down and there was a breeze- it wasn't a cool breeze it was hot and humid. i was craving the cool sweater wearing breezes of san diego- so nice after a hot day at the beach.
saturday we spent the whole day at the beach. the little girls got tired of the messy waves that irene was kicking up. it was nice, not a cloud in the sky, but not a typical day on the gulf of mexico- which is usually as calm and warm as a bath tub. so after lunch the big kids were the only ones to go back out. for dinner we went out to a place called the crazy lobster. it had live music that frankie insisted on dancing to. i ran into a friend on the harbor walk and it was good to catch up. she wants to be my swim buddy since we go to the same gym! back at the condo we just sat and talked- all of us. the kids did not complain when bedtime came- the sun and wind wore them out!
sunday we talked of going to mass on the way back to atlanta so we could enjoy more time with the grandparents. the morning felt delicious. the cool breeze was there, the waves were calm, so we hit the beach early. chris and his dad took advantage of the cooler weather and spent some time getting the second bolt in place for the alternator then they joined us at the beach. since the water was clear as glass henry caught seven blue crabs, a speckled crab, and a hermit crab. he caught more than that but a few were carrying eggs so he threw them back. he kept the others in a bucket for passer bys to ogle. i laid on a raft- taking advantage of the ability to have pregnant tummy time. it was just such a nice day. isn't it always that way? the last day at the beach? i am sorry i don't have pictures. my phone died pretty much the instant we got to the beach. i was able to revive it briefly at moments- but it was actually nice getting a break from it:)
we headed north after we ate lunch in the condo. chris found a 5 o' clock mass at auburn university chapel- called st. michaels. he said we might miss it but there was also an 8 o' clock one during the school year(which luckily just started). we did end up missing the 5 o' clock mass so we ate at the mellow mushroom right there in auburn. during dinner chris told us about the crazy jealous alabama fan that poisoned a tree in toomer's corner last winter. the kids were shocked that someone would go to prison for poisoning a tree but i think they are starting to see just how deep the football rivalry is. after dinner we headed down to take a look at the poisoned tree.
we ran into a group of what looked to be fundamentalists- plain dresses, little white cappish head coverings. chris was walking behind me when i heard one of the men say "you have quite a quivverful!" he said "yes sir!" in reply.
what a stark difference to the old and WAY over used cliche "you've got a handful!"
the quivver reference denotes an attitude of prosperity. anyone with a quivver full of arrows has a better chance at being luckier on the hunt than someone with just a few or none at all. whereas the "handful" comment just sounds like chaos in the making. like we cannot possibly handle one more- our hands are full- our abilities at handling our family have reached their limit.
we headed to mass. 2/3 of the quivver behaved. i think it's because we sat in the front row of an all college student mass. after mass we let them play hide and seek for a few minutes. i asked chris if he thought that going to mass on the week before the first game would insure his team luck for the season. he said "not likely- we can only go down from here. we lost our best offensive player, our best defensive player- arguably the best offensive and defensive players in the nation- so no, i don't think we'll do well this season."
we hit the road- and made it home at 1 in the morning last night. what a great weekend we had! and all because my man is just a genius when it comes to mechanic stuff. well, maybe not a genius- but a couple minutes watching a youtube video on alternators, engine pulleys, and belts pretty much makes him pass for one.
today at 4 pm frankie and i were just about to fall asleep when i suggested we head downstairs for a snack. i am SO exhausted after the whirlwind weekend. but not enough to let a 2 year old fall asleep at 4:15. that would just be foolish!
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