The boys and I have been counting down the days and crossing them off on the calendar for two weeks now in anticipation for our trip to the Georgia Aquarium.  I made my list, checked it twice, and we were on the road to Atlanta at 7:45am.  We also have a longer trip planned for later in the week, so I called my hubby when I got on the interstate and said, “We probably ought to bring the van to the shop tomorrow to have it serviced before we leave on Wednesday.”  Hmmmm…

Everything was going as planned.  The boys were quietly watching their video in the back seat of the van and there was hardly anyone on the interstate.  I had a lead-foot back in the day, so I religiously use cruise control.  We had been on the road for about 45 minutes and I was “cruising” along at 80 mph…when suddenly…my instrument panel on the dashboard shut off and all of the needles went to ZERO!  Smoke started coming out from under the hood and I quickly pulled off to the shoulder.  I turned my car off and tried to crank it again…nothing.   The smoke smelled horrible as it seeped through the air vents and the boys began to cry as they asked what was wrong.  Luckily, the battery was still functioning and I was able to leave the DVD player going to keep the peace inside the van.  I got on the phone with my insurance company, which thankfully is USAA, the best company in the WHOLE world!!  I had no idea where I was.  I do not have on-star, nor GPS, and there were no mile markers in sight.  About one hundred yards ahead there was a small over pass with a street sign on it.  I told the boys to stay put and I jumped out of the van and began running toward the bridge until I could read the sign…”Fire Tower Road”, I told the USAA lady, out of breath and through my tears, she located me immediately and contacted a tow truck and Enterprise.   As we waited, the boys began to cry again as they asked, “Who is going to come and rescue us?”  And each time an eighteen wheeler whooshed past the van, it shook us violently and they cried some more as they feared we were going to tip over and roll down the steep embankment to our right.   It took almost two hours, but we finally got back on the road to Atlanta.  Unfortunately, by this point, I had a nauseous pit in my stomach at the thought of what might be wrong with the van and how much it would cost to bring it back to life in time for our Wednesday departure.

About two miles before we reached our destination, we were stopped again.  This time it was because of some else’s accident.  There was a terrible three car accident in the middle of the intersection and I was not able to pass through to where I needed to go.  NOW WHAT?!?  I don’t know where I’m going or how to get there any other way.  We pulled into a gas station and waited until the wreck was cleared so we could continue on our way.  We arrived at my friend’s house a few minutes later and loaded up her and kids. 

We had a blast at the aquarium.  The children were darn near perfect.  They stayed together, obeyed, looked at ALLLL the exhibits and played in the children’s area where they got to touch sharks and sting rays.  That part of our day could not have gone any better.  Thank you Lord!

At some point in the afternoon, the mechanic called me with our gut-wrenching diagnosis…the transmission was shot and would need to be rebuilt…and the battery was completely dead (thanks to the DVD player…but it was SSOOOOO worth the peace and quiet as we sat on the side of the road awaiting assistance!)  The grand total would be around $1500.  nice.  I was hoping and praying for something around $500!  What a painful and expensive resurrection!!  This van better live for another ten years!  I know it could be a lot worse and certainly a lot more expensive, but it is still a painful sacrifice to make.  Josh asked me if I wanted to just trade the van for a newer one, but to be honest, I LOVE MY VAN.  It is absolutely perfect for us.  Dark blue leather makes for easy clean-up, there are removable bucket seats in the middle that make traveling simpler for a family of five, and I just really really like it.  It would cost a fortune to buy a new van with the same luxuries. 

The good news is, our van will be repaired and ready for pickup this afternoon!  That’s really fast!  AND, because they are SUCH a great company, they threw in the new battery and rotating and balancing the tires for free.  That is Alltune and Lube on Columbia Road, for you locals who need a great mechanic.

I am thankful that we were safe and still able to go to the aquarium.  I am also thankful that we are able to pay to get our vehicle repaired.  In times like these, a $1500 car repair can send a family over the edge, financially speaking.  Thank you, Lord, for always keeping us safe and providing for our every need!  God is good all the time.

~audrey

Another day of absolutely beautiful spring weather.  We were finished with school by 9:30 this morning and we decided to take an impromptu trip to Nana and Grandpa’s in Greenwood (about an hour away).  One of my favorite parts of going to Greenwood is the drive there.  Not because there’s anything to see, but because the boys and I have really gotten creative with our in-route entertainment.  We have a little rule that the DVD player doesn’t go on trips less than two hours long, so we listened to a Veggie Tales CD mixed with good character building songs and some of their greatest “silly songs”.  The boys have been watching the movie “Robots” a lot lately.  There are some hilarious characters in this animated movie and the boys started assigning our family members to characters in the movie.  It was funny to hear them do it because I could tell they really were trying to match the family members that BEST fit each character. 

Once we arrived in Greenwood, my dad took the boys on a ride in the trailer that is connected to his four-wheeler.  Then all of their neighborhood buddies realized they were in town and came down to play.  It’s sad that my kids’ best friends all live on my parents’ street and not on OUR street in OUR town!    They all cry every time we have to leave and Joshua always asks why we can’t live on Nana and Grandpa’s street.  About an hour after we arrived, some county worker pulled up in their truck and connected a hose to the fire hydrant across the street from my parents’ house.  They had to flush the pipes for about 45 minutes.  Free entertainment at it’s finest!!  The kids had a BLAST!  Joshua seemed to be King of the Hose…that is…until a young couple in a Porsche drove by with the top down and all the adults started screaming at Joshua to put the hose down!  It’s was a sight to be seen!    Even little Owen was getting in on the action until he walked right into the line of fire (or should I say…water!).  It was FREEZING cold water and Owen screamed for about 10 minutes until he was warm in my arms and wrapped in a towel.  We must have stayed outside for three hours playing in the yard and splashing in the street. 

Once four o’clock rolled around, it was time to pack up and head home.  The boys were sad to say good-bye, but they were also completely exhausted from their fun in the sun.  They were pretty quiet on the way home and Owen slept the entire way.  When we got home, I checked the menu for Tuesday and we got started on homemade veggie pizza.  Jesse loves to help me with dinner, so he got to spread the sauce and pile on the cheese.  It was DELICIOUS. 

To top it all off, I got a phone call from a friend to tell me she is pregnant!!  I love those kind of phone calls!! 

All in all, a great day.  I’m a little sunburned from my first day out in the 2009 sun, but it feels great and I’m happy to know that my kids will all sleep soundly tonight!

~audrey

Ugh, it’s midnight and I am still awake!  Not on purpose I might add.  I had every intention of going to bed at a decent hour and starting the new week (and my favorite day)  fresh and well-rested.  I took a nice hot bath, read for a little while in bed, and as soon as I turned the lights out at 9:45 it was like someone turned the switch on in my head!  Suddenly, I had a song stuck in my head that I’ve been working on for Easter, without even trying I started making mental to-do lists for tomorrow, I was even thinking about several things I could do around the house if I just got back up out of bed.  AAHHHHH!  FINE, I’m up.

I started the dishwasher, cleaned up the kitchen, made a few notes in my planner, and now here I sit at the computer hoping to feel really, really exhausted any minute now.  I don’t get it.  At 8:30 tonight I was ready for bed.  I could hardly hold my eyes open as I watched a little T.V. with my Love.  Maybe this is just a sign that all of those drugs from surgery are finally out of my system and now it’s back to business as usual…but I kind of liked those drug-induced 14 hours of sleep every night for three or four nights!

Tomorrow is Monday, as you know, and I’m really looking forward to getting the boys back on their normal schedule.   We desperately need to catch up on school this week and I’m hoping for some beautiful park days.  For some reason I decided to start weaning Owen from his pacifier tonight.  I’ve heard that slowly clipping away the end of the pacifier is very effective.  Eventually, it doesn’t soothe like it once did and many toddlers throw it away on their own.  Owen took his out of his mouth several times and looked at it, but it still ended up in his mouth at bedtime.  We’ll see how the next clipping goes.

Master’s week (aka, Spring Break for the rest of the world) is in three weeks and I’m chomping at the bit.  It is definitely a bitter sweet week for most Augustans.  Many rent their houses out for large amounts of cash, but they must first clean their houses from top to bottom, better than they ever clean it for themselves, and must also move their entire family out for the week.  Personally, I work for a caterer and I am also cleaning a friend’s house (who is renting to three couples) this year.  Master’s week officially starts on Sunday, April 5th and ends on Easter Sunday, Arpil 12th.  It always goes by fast and leaves me feeling like a terrible mom…but then I get paid and it all seems worth it.  Just to give some of you, who don’t live in the Augusta area, an idea of how much money is made by the locals that week:  I will work about 45 hours (3 hours in the morning for seven days and 4-5 hours in the evening for five days) and make about $1500.  I know, it’s crazy!  That, my friend, is why it is worth it.  I have a friend who lives in a very nice house with five bedrooms.  Her house rents for $15,000 for eight days.  INSANE!

Okay, apparently just thinking about Master’s week is making me tired.  I’m going to try the bed again.  Wish me luck!

~audrey