What A Day!

You know, today started so well. It really did. I think today was the most up and down day I've had in awhile.

Today was Bridgette's last GS Summer Extreme event. (Master of Disaster learning about severe weather and such). Today's event marked the last of her summer Girl Scout activities. (1 Twilight Camp, 1 Day Camps & 3 Summer Extreme events)

The day started with such promise. Thanks to my inner clock I woke up about 6:50am (ish), 20 minutes later than I wanted to wake up. Wondered why the alarm didnt' go off. Realized the alarm didn't go off because I set it for  630pm instead of am. No big. I smile on my way to the shower, I mean, I woke up almost on time. Good start. Not likely we'll have to skip breakfast at Whataburger.  Still plenty of time.

As I walked into my room and flipepd on my light, ready to wake Sean I see Bridge in my bed. She's there peeking at me and smiling. I think to myself that's another good sign. The one that takes the longest to get motivated and out the door is awake. I kick both them out of my room with instructions to go get dressed.

After straightening up my room, I go to look up and print the driving directions to where I need to take Bridge. In walks Meg. She's all sunshine and roses. YAY! So far so good. Before I can ask her to go get dressed she tells me she just wanted to say morning before she got dressed. As soon as she's dressed, Meg goes to the bathroom and asks if I am goin to do her hair. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I proceed to fix her piggy tails. All went smooth. The piggy tails were perfectly perfect on the first try. (This doesn't usually happen.)

At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if these kids are mine. Then it happens. A crash. A scream. (that's more like it) I run to the girls room and they're in a heated argument over a toy. This resulted in the crashing of things from top of the display cabinet thing (really technical, I know. I have no idea what it's called. ) On the floor is a Bible that was Pop's when he was a kid, a ceramic cross, and the book holder the Bible was on. In my head I bemoan the fact that the Bible is no longer 100% in tact, not that it was in perfect condition before or anything. I pick everything up and set it aside. Give the girls my best disappointed face and give them what for as quick and quietly as possible. (BIL still asleep.) Send Bridge to the bathroom so I can do her hair. She usually gives me fits but we managed to get her hair fixed on the first try to. Sean decided he wanted to do his hair, too. So, I help instruct him on how muss up his hair. (You know, that oh so hard to get just right rolled out of bed look) He did well for his first attempt at styling his own hair.

We finally managed to leave the house at 8am, 30 minutes later than I wanted to leave.  Halfway to Whataburger I realize I left the house with out the driving directions. I decide that I'd rather eat breakfast sitting in Whataburger than while driving down the road. I have a vague idea of where the place I need to go to is.

While eating breakfast I realize I forgot to pack Bridge's lunch! Rush the kids through breakfast so we can stop at the grocery store on the way.  I begin to wonder what the heck has happened to my morning? Then I realize that this is my normal. Putting out fires and rushing to get where we need to be. In the back of my mind I'm worried that I don't have enough time to find this place. I don't have my directions and I don't have my cell phone. I let hubby take my cell phone thinking I wouldn't need it as much as he might while he's out of town and all.

Then like an angel smiling from heaven is the map we bought when we went on vacation. I remember it has more detailed maps of the bigger areas. YES! There it was, a better map of Fort Worth. I locate the street I need and how to get there. Off we went. I look at the clock and see we have 20 minutes to get there. I tell myself that's plenty of time. I can do this! I don't need a stinking cell ph w/GPS or my driving directions printed from Google Maps. After all, people have done so without all the fancy smancy equipment.

Exactly 20 minutes later I start to panic. I am on the correct street but I cannot find the American Red Cross Center. How hard is that to find? I mean, it's definitely not gonna be a nondescript building. I tell myself I must've remembered the address wrong. No problem, find a gas station. Admit defeat and ask for directions. Only the gas station I stopped at had a guy who had no clue where the American Red Cross Center was. Not sure he knows what the American Red Cross Center is. My first clue, really should've been the fact he was wearing an Achmed the Dead Terrorist T-Shirt. (It was of Achmed holding a lit bomb and saying I Keel You!) If you saw this guy you'd have laughed at the irony of him wearing that shirt. (I did in my head, didn't want to be rude.) He whips out his cell ph and shows me where the place should be. I tried explaining to him I may have the address wrong as I left my directions at home. Could he look up the American Red Cross Center? It was lost on him. He once again tells me where the address is, even points out between what streets. Only it wasn't.

I was close to tears. I might have been openly freaking out that I had no clue where we were or how to get where I needed to be. I was close to saying the heck with it and let's go home. Then it appeared! OH THANK HEAVEN it's a 7 Eleven! I go inside and ask the nice looking young girl if she knows where the American Red Cross Center is. She doesn't but goes to get the manager. HALLELUJAH! He knows and I'm not far off the mark of where I was headed. He didn't even laugh when I asked where the street he was talking about was. (Turns out, it was the street I was on. I had no clue. Panic was close to controlling me.)

At 9:30am I walk inside the building and sign Bridge in. They just started. (I wasn't the only one who was running late/got lost, apparently)

I am so stinking proud of myself at this point, it really isn't funny. I mean, I did it. Even though I freaked out momentarily, I still got Bridge where she needed to go.  Bridge doesn't even look back at me as I say goodbye.

I get Sean and Meg in the car and we head to the nearest theatre. Sean asks if I know where that is. Yes, indeed I do. When we get there I look at what's showing and what they can watch. I had planned on the Winnie the Pooh movie but forgot about Zoo Keeper. Decide on Pooh since it starts an hour earlier than Zoo Keeper. After getting the tickets a look of confusion crosses my face. I thought I told him 3 tickets (2 kids, 1 adult). The ticket guy smiles and says it's okay he didn't charge me for the little one (Meg). WOW! That was an unexpected surprise. I thank him and we go purchase our movie goodies. I was also pleasantly surprised by the Winnie the Pooh movie. It was not too excruciating to sit through. Hearing Meg's giggles through out, totally made it worth it.

Now to keep them occupied for couple more hours. This was accomplished by a trip to Wal Mart (survived the Sean tirade of I thought I could get a toy cause I was so good blah blah blah). I got the movie I went in to buy, another replacement Uno game, and AA batteries for the X Box controllers. With time still to kill we go for ice cream.

We go to pick up Bridge. She's all a buzz bout what they did and what she learned. Which helped pass the time we spent stuck in traffic. (4 lane highway reduced to 2 lanes for what seemed like ever). When we finally get home I am never so happy as to see anywhere in my life.

We survived the day. I persevered and we made it through the day. Me, Sean, and Meg had good time. Just the three of us. Bridge was over the getting there issues as soon as we hit the parking lot of the American Red Cross building. Me, maybe not as quickly. I seriously never do well when lost. I almost always panic. I maybe need to work on that. I don't want to teach my kids that. Even though I did flip out a bit, they saw that I never gave up. Everything turned out right in the end. That's maybe the point and the lesson of the day. I hope they remember that rather than Mom freaked out.