Seriously?
Boy were we busy at the Latta house today! Doug woke up before all of us and went to Lowe's to get landscape bricks and donuts. When he came home- we were at least out of bed. So we ate our delicious breakfast, and got ready to go work in the yard. I may have mentioned before- but we have a lot of trees, so when severe thunderstorms or windy conditions exist- we spend the next week picking up sticks. Andrew, Alexa, and I were going out to pick up a stick or two thousand and Doug was going to landscape around the mailbox. By the time we came inside at 2pm- we had gotten up most of the sticks, mowed the yard, blown off the deck, driveway, and sidewalk, and finished the landscaping around the mailbox. We were POOPED, but there is no rest for the weary because we needed to eat lunch, shower, and get to a birthday party!
It's 2:55pm and we're all showered and dressed- except for Alexa. I was working on getting her pants and shoes on, when I hear, from across the house, "OH NO!!!!!!" I shout back to Doug, "WHAT?!" Doug comes flying into Alexa's room, "Kate, this invitation says the party started at 2pm!!!!" I pause, and I say- calmly- "Well when I saw them yesterday they kept saying, 4pm."
This is the point when we should have stopped everything, calmy evaluated the situation, and got our bearings- it would have saved us a LOT of trouble. Alas, we didn't do that and therefore this story is a lot funnier as a result.
So we throw kids into the car, I quickly fix a snack for Alexa, and we go tearing down the street. About 3 miles from the house I call the hostess of the party (I am sort of not wanting to make this phone call as these particular friends have been privy to MANY of my more stupid acts. I hate to admit yet another stupid act. They might think I am a dork.) and I say (sheepishly), "I am sooo sorry, we're on our way to the party, . . . " and she cuts in and says, "Oh- so are we." Wait, what? Surely the hosts are not late to their own party? So then I say, "Well Doug is under the impression it started at 2, but I thought y'all said it started at 4 yesterday." She says, "Oh- it does!" So then I say, "Disregard this entire phone call- we'll be early." "HAH"- the Fates said to us, "HAH!"
Well- it is at this point that Doug realizes I have NO gas in my car because the gas light has just come on. (total sidenote, but 4 out of 5 times that Doug gets in my car to drive it- the gas light is on. I don't know how it works that way- but it does.) He is of course mildly annoyed with me. I assure him it wasn't on yesterday (for long). Well the party is just inside of South Carolina- where gas is several cents cheaper- so he's going to try to make it to South Carolina, except about 15 miles from our house he realizes he can't. We've got to stop. So he stops in a lovely, little, small town and as he gets the pump ready to put in my car- he realizes he's forgotten his wallet. So he asks for my card . . . except I didn't grab my purse in the mad dash out of the house. There we are 15 miles from home- with no gas and absolutely NO money. My car isn't like Doug's- I don't have money tucked into little hidey holes. I have nothing- not even a penny. Huh. What a predicament this is. (some people might call it a cluster f**** but not us- we don't use those bad words) My reaction is to laugh- hysterically because I am sorry this is funny! Doug's reaction wasn't quite the same- and somehow it was my fault. (later- when he calmed down and the situation was repaired- I pointed out that as the driver he should have had a wallet- since he needed his license, as the passenger my wallet wasn't as essential). Well we decide to try to make it home. However 7 miles down the road the stress of possibly not making it (and being in the country- for real country- fields, horses, and slow drivers) is becoming very large. So . . . I come up with a plan. We'll stop at the next gas station and I'll explain to the attendent what happened, ask if we can pump one gallon of gas- then leave me there- while he runs home to get wallets and money. The NICEST girl in the world- in line behind me says, "I'll just give it to you!" I was horrified- I didn't want to take somone's money!!!! We were dorks!!! She says, "It's only $3.66. Take it." The attendant says, "You could pay her back- she comes here all the time- at least every day." So . . . .long story- the girl gave us $3.66 we got home- Doug got his wallet, we went back to the gas station, filled up some more, left the girl some extra money in an envelope with her name on it. And made it to the party . . . that we left 30 minutes early for . . . got there twenty minutes late. So I guess the classroom assistant in my classroom is right- I should always have money hidden in my car for an emergeny- because you just never know.
It's 2:55pm and we're all showered and dressed- except for Alexa. I was working on getting her pants and shoes on, when I hear, from across the house, "OH NO!!!!!!" I shout back to Doug, "WHAT?!" Doug comes flying into Alexa's room, "Kate, this invitation says the party started at 2pm!!!!" I pause, and I say- calmly- "Well when I saw them yesterday they kept saying, 4pm."
This is the point when we should have stopped everything, calmy evaluated the situation, and got our bearings- it would have saved us a LOT of trouble. Alas, we didn't do that and therefore this story is a lot funnier as a result.
So we throw kids into the car, I quickly fix a snack for Alexa, and we go tearing down the street. About 3 miles from the house I call the hostess of the party (I am sort of not wanting to make this phone call as these particular friends have been privy to MANY of my more stupid acts. I hate to admit yet another stupid act. They might think I am a dork.) and I say (sheepishly), "I am sooo sorry, we're on our way to the party, . . . " and she cuts in and says, "Oh- so are we." Wait, what? Surely the hosts are not late to their own party? So then I say, "Well Doug is under the impression it started at 2, but I thought y'all said it started at 4 yesterday." She says, "Oh- it does!" So then I say, "Disregard this entire phone call- we'll be early." "HAH"- the Fates said to us, "HAH!"
Well- it is at this point that Doug realizes I have NO gas in my car because the gas light has just come on. (total sidenote, but 4 out of 5 times that Doug gets in my car to drive it- the gas light is on. I don't know how it works that way- but it does.) He is of course mildly annoyed with me. I assure him it wasn't on yesterday (for long). Well the party is just inside of South Carolina- where gas is several cents cheaper- so he's going to try to make it to South Carolina, except about 15 miles from our house he realizes he can't. We've got to stop. So he stops in a lovely, little, small town and as he gets the pump ready to put in my car- he realizes he's forgotten his wallet. So he asks for my card . . . except I didn't grab my purse in the mad dash out of the house. There we are 15 miles from home- with no gas and absolutely NO money. My car isn't like Doug's- I don't have money tucked into little hidey holes. I have nothing- not even a penny. Huh. What a predicament this is. (some people might call it a cluster f**** but not us- we don't use those bad words) My reaction is to laugh- hysterically because I am sorry this is funny! Doug's reaction wasn't quite the same- and somehow it was my fault. (later- when he calmed down and the situation was repaired- I pointed out that as the driver he should have had a wallet- since he needed his license, as the passenger my wallet wasn't as essential). Well we decide to try to make it home. However 7 miles down the road the stress of possibly not making it (and being in the country- for real country- fields, horses, and slow drivers) is becoming very large. So . . . I come up with a plan. We'll stop at the next gas station and I'll explain to the attendent what happened, ask if we can pump one gallon of gas- then leave me there- while he runs home to get wallets and money. The NICEST girl in the world- in line behind me says, "I'll just give it to you!" I was horrified- I didn't want to take somone's money!!!! We were dorks!!! She says, "It's only $3.66. Take it." The attendant says, "You could pay her back- she comes here all the time- at least every day." So . . . .long story- the girl gave us $3.66 we got home- Doug got his wallet, we went back to the gas station, filled up some more, left the girl some extra money in an envelope with her name on it. And made it to the party . . . that we left 30 minutes early for . . . got there twenty minutes late. So I guess the classroom assistant in my classroom is right- I should always have money hidden in my car for an emergeny- because you just never know.
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