... Continued

So, my parents are out of town. But my brother's girl friend is in town. So Barry and I appointed ourselves chaperones and moved into my parents house for the week. We forgot to bring over an extra change of clothes and our toiletries so I was feeling pretty disgusting by mid-afternoon. I got in the car and drove to the first stop sign and I noticed a woman yelling at me from across the street.

"Your tire's flat!" She screamed. So the tire we had gotten repaired the day prior... Unrepaired itself. I was so frustrated that I returned to my parents driveway, unbuckled Grayson and let him go wild in the car, while I sat in the driver's seat and sulked for 35 minutes until Barry got home from class.

Not my finest hour.

So, we filled up the tire and rushed (within the speed limit) to the tire store. And parked next to a car that had been hit, smashed and totaled. And then I shut my mouth.

My week really hasn't been that bad.

Math Equations by Krystle

**Part 1**

Babysitting+two two-year-olds= pain.

I was babysitting a little boy who is about the same age as Grayson.

They don't get along.

I could handle the bickering until the boys attempted to smash each other's appendages in my kitchen cabinets. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I threatened Grayson with a timeout and began leading him from the kitchen. Being the terrible two year that he is, he decided to go limp in protest.

I wasn't expecting it.

That was the Grayson that broke Mommy's toe. Completely in half. It hurt. A lot. I now have to walk around in a nice surgical boot for three weeks. And of course, this happens about three days after I have been asked to choreograph the high school's musical.

**PART 2**
Baking+distractions= pain

Barry has been taking excellent care of his invalid wife. He decided to bake his famous cookies and grill steaks for dinner. Very ambitious! The timer beeped on the oven while he was outside so I decided to be helpful and answer the call. As I was pulling the cookies out, my brother, in his judgement of perfect timing, told me to look at Grayson.

I looked.

And without telling my brain, my hand decided to keep pulling out the cookies straight into my arm. That takes talent!

**PART 3**
Spending money+car= pain. emotionally.

Our local radio station holds an annual auction where local businesses can auction off gift certificates. As I was driving to get my haircut, I overheard one of the bids. A full-house insulation auction! Something we need to do in our house, so I called Barry and we decided to bid for it. A nice sum of money for poor starving college students. We won the bid! Yay!

About five minutes after winning the bid, my beautician notices that the back tire of my car was completely flat.

Naturally, on the day and minutes after we decide to spend our precious resources on the insulation bid, I manage (out of all the space on the road) to hit a tiny little nail.

WHAT A WEEK!!!!

My Sacred Charge.

Nearly three years ago, I suffered. I suffered immense pain, misery, insomnia, near-bulemia, and more pain and misery. But it was for a good cause, one which I fully intend to hold as a bargaining chip during my son's teenaged life. I chose to suffer so I could experience the greatest, sweetest, and most rewarding joy life has to offer: Motherhood.

I remember the day so vividly when the doctor placed a little swaddled infant in my arms. His intensely dark eyes stared into mine, and I basked in the joy of this beautiful creation of mine. I accepted the sacred charge of taking care of this helpless being. I knew I would cling to this moment forever, along with all the wonderful memories, this little angel and I would build together.

Earlier this week, Grayson developed an ear infection. The kind with the sore throat, coughing, runny nose, high fever, etc. I have felt utterly helpless as my sweet little angel suffered through his pain. At the height of his fever (102.7 degrees), he awoke from a nap crying and I ran to him. Carrying him to the couch, I pictured my loving sweet infant baby from two and a half years ago, and sat down. I craddled him in my lap and wrapped my arms around him, reliving that first moment we met.

Until he shouted, "STOP!!!! I WANT DAAAAAAAAADDY!"

And peeled my arms away.

And jumped out of my lap.

And punched me in the gut. (Metaphorically speaking).

Nine months of misery and woe, four hours of hard, hard labor, a lifetime of worry and stress, and that's the thanks I get!?

Ahhh... Motherhood.

I know... right?

A few weeks ago, my brother surprised us with some huge news: he has a girl friend. We were super excited to find out that she was coming up to Carlsbad to meet all of us, but my brother's job changed his work hours, thus shattering their plans. She was sad. He was sad. I was sad.

Around this time, we also acquired a Scooter from my aunt and uncle, but they live in San Antonio and we weren't really sure how to pick it up.

Soooo... we decided if Dee Dee (his girl friend) wasn't going to come to us, we were going to go to her... and get the scooter.

I was super excited to leave for our trip, even though we left 8 at night for a 7 hour drive, I was going to meet Dann's girl friend! With weight watchers, I'm starting to look pretty good so I was especially excited to go on our mini-vacation and meet new people!

The day before we left, my voice started to get a little scratchy, and by the time we arrived in San Antonio at four in the morning, I sounded like the love child of Fran Drescher and a troll. We hit the hay, and at 7 I woke up and my eye was hurting so I dashed to the bathroom.

It was bright red and swollen half-way shut. So before I have really met my brother's mystery girl friend, I not only sounded like Fran Drescher and Troll jr. but I look like Quasimodo!!! It was mortifying. I felt like I should hunch over and shuffle out of the bathroom shouting "Sanctuary!"

I ran to our bed, and squawked, "Barry, look at me! I'm a monster!" But before I could run out of the house, jump in the car, and hide under a draw bridge with my fellow trolls, Dee Dee walked in and we met. And I like her.

And after she adjusted to my horror movie character imitation, I think she liked me too.

It was a good trip.




QUICK OVERVIEW-
Friday-
*Went to S.A. Zoo
*Checked into our very first hotel
*Ate at the Magic Time Machine (A restaurant where all the waiters have to dress and act like their character. Our server was Mario, but we met Dora the Explorer, Batman, Frenchie, Indiana Jones, and Jasmine.... SO FUN!)

Saturday-
*Picked up Barry's Scooter
*Went to the S.A. Children's Museum-SO COOL!
*Ate lunch at a duck pond, chased down an icecream truck, fed the ducks
*Went to a REAL mall and bought Gray and Jaye's Easter Outfits, haha
*Ate dinner at Chuy's (A really good and fun Mexican restaurant)

Sunday-
* Was 15 minutes late for 9:00am church only to discover it was 8:30 am church and we were really 45 minutes late! nice.
*Visited my Mom's side of the family.
* Drove the looooooooooooong drive home and got back to Carlsbad at 1am.

SHEESH, what an adventure -packed weekend!