If ever there was an "I wanna punch Bob Barker" kind of day, this was one of them. I've blogged about that feeling before. Even the tamest of people have their Happy Gilmore type moments where they want to start swinging fists or golf clubs. Today wasn't the worst of the worst, but it definitely ranks up there among the "terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad," days. Now, it's time to do one of the constructive things I had blogged about doing in order to cope with this kind of day....blog about it (for my therapy as well as for your entertainment lol).
6:30 ish a.m. : I hear frantic turning of the bathroom doorknob. My husband is trying to talk through the door and is asking me to get a screwdriver. He manages to get the doorknob off and free himself in time to get to work and for me to shower and get ready for a busy day. Something inside tells me that this is only the beginning of a chain of events that are going to happen during the day, but we roll our eyes and laugh it off.
9:00 a.m.: The three children and I arrive at Paige's dental appointment in Elkhart after about an hour drive. Not being the biological parent puts me in a somewhat awkward position to where I can't really fill out any forms completely or sign anything. It bothers me, but in this case, legality counts more than the fact that she's my daughter in my heart. She gets treatment regardless and has to have a return visit for fillings.
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.: We kill some time shopping before lunch and our next appointment. The kids are mostly behaving, but my diva can always be counted upon for some drama. My phone also decided to misbehave as well; all day it was running oddly and slowly. It also went dead a lot because I had to use it so much for GPS (since I was driving all over creation). The bright spot was, we were all getting to go eat at Panera Bread. Paige loved it; it was her first time there (if my phone hadn't been dead again, I would have taken a picture to commemorate it). We were sitting in a spot where we could see my car from the window and we noticed some young girls stopping to stare at it and look at it as if they were in a used car lot. I was confused but thought maybe they were just being nosy or admiring my Infusion 413.com bumper sticker (yes, very wishful thinking lol). I think Gianna pointed out that I had a paper underneath my wiper blade. I thought it had to be a solicitation because it couldn't be a ticket; I hadn't done anything wrong.
We had finished eating when one of the gawkers finally entered the eatery. I spoke up and asked if there was a reason why she was staring at my car. She looked stunned and embarrassed and then admitted that she had hit it. I jumped right up and we went outside to survey the damage. She had hit my already damaged driver's end from where a pole jumped out behind me when I was backing up about a month ago (true story). Hard to tell what her damage really was other than the obvious paint scrape (my Dad had gorilla glued my tail light back together as best as he could and pounded the small dent out lol). It was about that time that the girl's mom showed up to ask what should be done next. The girl had parked her car somewhere else so I told her to bring it back to where my car was so the police could see it because the best thing to do would be to call and file a report. The note under my wiper was from a good Samaritan who left me a license plate number of the car in case it turned out to be a hit and run (thankfully, it didn't have to come to that). We waited a while and the policeman finally got there, took our information, and we parted ways. I was still relatively ok by this point because I had just been laughing everything off and figuring that since the damage was cosmetic, insurance money would actually be a blessing and could be used for something else. No big deal. Oh yeah, and I discovered my favorite sunglasses were broken (they might be able to be superglued, though).
1:30 - 5:30 p.m. - Arrived at the dental clinic for the appointment for the other two. I had originally cancelled it because when we discovered that all three children had ironically been scheduled for appointments the same day, there obviously had to be a rescheduling. However, I found out that my kids' dental clinic had another location which was conveniently close to Paige's dentist as well. So, let's get it all done and over with right? I had rescheduled the appointments for 2:00 and went in to register. The lady said the appointments were somehow made for the 24th. I almost became unglued, but after explaining the day thus far to the receptionist, she assured me that non-appointments can be accommodated and that they could probably still be seen. So, after all the waiting and paperwork, it finally got done (Casey has two cavities and Gianna, the one who usually acts the most rotten, had none. Ironic, isn't it lol?). I also managed to call my insurance agent and fill him in on what happened before my phone died again. In the midst of it all, Paige's flip flops managed to fall apart. Awesome.
5:30 - 7:00 ish p.m.: Determined to get our last item of business done before finally making it home, we proceeded to drive to Warsaw so I could get to the BMV before they close and get my new license done. That's what you do when you move and get married, right? You get your name and address changed with Social Security, the BMV, and all that stuff. I had already gotten my Social Security card, so this was the next step and I had everything I believed (and was told) I needed. I got to the BMV at 6:10; after we had made a stop at Dollar General for some cheap flip flops for Paige and a light snack to tide them over until dinner at home. We waited 20 minutes and I presented my request and information to the BMV worker to get my new license. Apparently, it wasn't good enough. Despite presenting my marriage license and USPS change of address papers to them, I guess I was a little short on my "proof".
Yep, this is the part where everything stopped being funny.....
I was thinking about the announcer in Happy Gilmore saying: "Here comes the putter throw!!!" I was trying really hard not to be the kind of BMV customer that everyone dreads and makes fun of; the one that screams, cries, or goes ballistic (or a mixture of it all). I listened as the BMV guy explained that he doesn't make the rules, just enforces them. I heard it, but I still couldn't believe it and scrambled through my bottomless purse (and even went out to my car) to find something, ANYTHING that he could possibly use as "proof" that I live at my new address. Alas, I had nothing that had my name and new address printed on a piece of mail that was good enough for them to accept. He asked me why I even needed to do it now and that I had 60 days. What a stupid question! I got a little annoyed and was like, 'um, because that's what you do when your name and address changes...' Good gosh, I just wanna "get r done" and over with so my identity information is correct! DUH! However, I had to leave the BMV frustrated and agitated....but who doesn't?
I was trying to refocus and maintain composure. Angry tears were boiling up, but I tried hard not to let them give way as I started up the car. Yeah, the tank is nearly empty too; I can't imagine how I've used so much gas today. Looks like I need to take care of that....THEN I can go home. That was easy enough, until I left the gas station to head home and was met by "road closed" signs. I tried to circumvent them in order to still go the way I had planned, but ran into endless one ways and dead ends. I finally just had to backtrack and go a completely different way.
7:30 ish p.m. - now: We finally get home. I'm tired and agitated and my stomach hurts....AND I had to endure that annoying and overplayed "Happy" song on the way home because I found it while channel surfing and the kids love that song (which is the last song anyone wants to hear; especially when they are NOT happy). *Clap, clap, clap...."because I'm happy.".... as I pull into the garage.* Ugh. I opted to take a shower and relax as Chris willingly took the reins and followed through on taking the kids swimming at the neighbor's (even though it was late in the evening and the idea was almost ditched, but the kids had been waiting to go all day....and they'd earned it!).
I am now deep in thought about "the moral of the story" as I wind up this blog. Chris, Ben, and the kids returned from the pool, got their showers, and we read our devotion and prayed before they went to bed. I prayed with a heart of relief and thanks; because no matter how "bad" things may seem, God is still good and just (and there are others going through FAR worse). Each day is a day He has made and I can still rejoice and be glad in it. There are always silver linings.This day was just one of the many ridiculously catastrophic and screwy days we have had since we got married just over two weeks ago. I can't even begin to list and describe the physical, verbal, emotional, mental, and financial attacks we have been assaulted with. However, as Christians, we aren't ignorant of the fact that in this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33). Chris and I fully expected that our marriage vows would be tested quickly and we are happy to find that no matter what stresses we have had, our love and faith have grown even more. We are holding tight to our vows as well as our belief in the second part of the previously mentioned verse in which Jesus assures us that HE has overcome the world! As long as our promises and His promises endure, we WILL continue to persevere. Romans 8:28 assures us that ALL THINGS will work together for GOOD for us because we love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.
Grace and peace to you, my friends! We all have bad days. I know that there has to be someone out there who is reading, nodding, and even laughing along with me/us today. We got to find the humor and purpose in things. After all, this day really wasn't all bad. There were plenty of funny moments and good times today. I enjoyed spending the day with all three of the kids and am happy as pie to finally be home! I am now going to enjoy some "comic relief" TV time with Ben and my husband. Soon, my knight in shinning armor will be going with me to the BMV to provide "proof" that I dwell in his castle so that the fire-breathing government will be satisfied and will granteth me my new title lol. It's all going to be ok. I don't always know how, but it will because God always makes it possible! Amen! God bless you all!
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