After Addie's dermatology appointment to get her stitches our from a suspicious mole being removed last week, it was on to meet Grouchy and Ainslee so I could give Addie to Grouchy and get Garrett for a PT evaluation and checkup for his AFOs. Both appointments went well. I kept Garrett with me so we could have some time together running some errands and pushing some shopping carts at WalMart (Garrett LOVES pushing any shopping carts!!!). We did very well in WalMart, getting some last minute gifts and gifts for a family we are honored to buy some gifts for this year. The checkout lines were slow and long, but my little Garrett did well. I was so proud of him. Once we paid for our items, we headed out into the parking lot to my GMC Yukon. But when I saw it, there was a small, red Chevrolet Aveo smack dab (that's a Southern term) next to it. I mean REALLY up against it, as in its right rear bumper corner was packed tightly against my Yukon's left side just behind the left rear tire. And there were people......a nice lady named Rebecca with her baby and 13 year old, a Wal Mart manager and a WalMart security guy taking pictures and video. I was stunned for a moment and realized I was totally confused about what was happening when I said it was my car and everyone said they had no idea where the driver of the other car was! WEIRD!!! I was filled-in by Rebecca. Apparently the car had just rolled backward from its parking space and crunched into mine.....WITHOUT A DRIVER!!!! And poor Rebecca and her daughter and baby watched the whole thing!! Luckily no one was smashed in the process. Seems the car was a manual transmission and the driver didn't leave it in gear and did not use the parking break! It was getting colder and Garrett wasn't happy about sitting around, but the manager told me I needed to call the police to get a report and wait for WalMart to page the (non)driver of the other car. He FINALLY came out, and it was really pretty funny. It was a new little red car with a GQ magazine in the seat, so I wasn't expecting the 70 year old little white-haired man!! He was so kind, and I could not be angry....there was no conspiracy here, just a freak circumstance really. The police showed up several more minutes later but didn't have the right form for us to use to exchange insurance, so more waiting began. Now Garrett is getting pretty raw. I knew he needed to get to a potty, but the potty in WalMart was closed and I wasn't about to have him whiz in the parking lot with 200 cameras and my very own police officer!! So we waited....I will get back to that whole potty topic later. About an hour and a half later, we were all laughing about it and making sure we were all in touch so we could get USAA, the insurance companies both of us in the accident use, could handle the case. I just have a huge dent, but no other damage. WEIRD!!
Now since we had spent so much time in the WalMart parking lot, we had exactly 8 minutes to drive a 5 minute drive, but in rush hour, to the pediatrician's office to pick up Garrett's Focalin prescription. He ran out Friday, but I thought we had one more month of paper script on file at the pharmacy, but I was SO WRONG, so I had to go get more scripts. Focalin is pretty tightly controlled....translated=PAIN, but wow you can tell when Garrett DOESN'T have it!! So I ran in to get it. I even got it filled there at the pharmacy in the same building....SHA BAM!! I am feelin' so efficient and powerful about this time. Until.......
Until I get into my car where I left Garrett so he wouldn't pick up too many more germs, only to realize he had thrown a toy into my large diet cherry limeade, causing a huge puddle of ice and red drink to flood the floorboard carpet and mats. Great. I began to sop it all up with the thousands of McDonalds napkins I hoard in my door pocket for times just like this. And again, I was feelin' pretty self sufficient and downright boy scout-ish when I was done cleaning, and then I remembered that Garrett had not gone potty in a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time now. SO I ran across the way to put the Sonic mess into the garbage can, then opened the rear door to get Garrett out so he could pee pee in the parking lot, and when I reached to unbuckle his lower buckle of his 5-point harness, I realize he and now my hands are SOAKING WET with urine. It's under the car seat, all in his pants, the lining of the seat, etc., and so I left him buckled and decided to just deal with it at home. And all the while, my sweet boy is saying, "Mom, you mad? You mad at me. I didn't mean to spill. I drop my toy and it spill. It not nice I did that? Mom, why you not mad?" And how on earth can I be mad at THAT?????
So let me go back a month or so. I got my first jury duty notice a couple months ago. I was really quite surprised and excited. I have never been called to jury duty, so I thought it might be a good adventure! I mean what mom of three young kiddos wouldn't love a day or ten of sitting in a peaceful room, perhaps reading a new book to pass the time........I sent the reply in and let the court know I had no "blackout dates." Last week I got a notice I was to report on Wednesday, Dec. 21 in the courthouse of our county. We live in a huge county with a county seat waaaaaay far from where we live and in a tiny little town. I was suppose to call Tuesday night, tomorrow night, and press a number of a certain extension to hear if they still needed me on jury duty or not. This had happened once before last month, but Grouchy had left the letter in his truck by accident, and I didn't know I was summoned until the evening after I had to be there....OOPS!!! Later, I called to apologize and learned that if I had called to check, they would not have needed me. WHEW!!! So as far as I know, I need to call tomorrow night to see if they need me Wednesday or not.
I have been thinking about going back to school......that's another long post......but in order to go beyond my bachelors degree, I need to take some courses over that I never understood, mainly chemistry. I have been accepted to a local junior college where I had also made an appointment to see a counselor tomorrow so I could get finished registering and enrolling in a chemistry course that starts in a few weeks. I was so excited to start back one class at night per quarter to wake my brain back up!!! I need it!!!! And I want to truly understand and grasp all things chemistry. But then my phone rang as soon as I was heading out of the pediatrician's parking lot. It was this lady from the court telling me to be in the tiny town in the tiny courthouse at 8:30 in the morning, a day early, and plan to be there all day Tues and Wed!!! Oh and, "Bring your lunch because there isn't much to eat around here!" So at the very last moment I need to reschedule my appointment with the counselor at the college, call someone to get Garrett off the bus since my Grouchy has to have the girls at the gym for dance and gymnastics when Garrett gets home, have someone else at the house to meet the new PCS girl for her first day AND hit the road by 7:30 for the almost hour drive to this old wild west town that doesn't have food for jury duty. WHEW!!!
It was just one of those afternoons!! It was plain nuts!!! But it worked. The car seat components have been washed, Yukon seats and floors cleaned, meds all ready for tomorrow for Garrett, caregiver getting Garrett off the bus (THANK YOU KALI!!!), caregiver staying to show new PCS gal around, Shelby lined up to take over with her developmental therapy once PCS gal leaves and Shelby gets out of school, a bag packed with books, magazines and bracelet-making supplies........oh, and my new Franklin-Covery planner pages ready to be prepared for the new year...MY FAVORITE!!!......and even some snacks in the car for the day in the wild west town in the courthouse!!!!
Glad most of the Christmas shopping is done!!!!!
Tonight so many children and families are in my prayers. And I reflect on the blessing I have in being able to take my Garrett on outings, to the doctor, therapy, having the opportunity to change his urine-soaked pants, feel him kick the back of my seat in the car, scream violently after he is sick of being in the car. That means I still have him, and that is a huge blessing. Tonight Ainslee was frustrated with Garrett, even after not being with him most of the day, and she asked, "Mom, why did God make Garrett this way, and why did he put Garrett into our family?" I froze, as I had to ponder because I ask this question very often. All I could assure her of is that for reasons we cannot grasp on earth, God believes in us and trusts us because we are capable in His plan.
Blessings to all as we near the Savior's birth!!!
Godspeed,
Clara-Leigh
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