The Good In The Bad

Well, today has been interesting. To say the least.

Hubby is in the middle of a big retreat at camp this weekend, one that he plans and runs the activities for, not just a rental group, so it requires a lot more time and energy from him both before and during the weekend.

Z has been having some minor digestive issues for a few weeks now, so after a quick doctor's appointment on Thursday morning, we were instructed to bring some, ah, 'samples' to the lab. :) You'll thank me for not being more specific, I'm sure. :)

So this morning, after eating breakfast at camp with the staff and greeting the youth leaders & kids that we knew, we headed to town to turn our samples in at the lab.

On the way in, our camp director called to ask if we could pick up some BBQ sauce they needed for lunch - it would be a tight trip, but maybe if we hurried we could be back by lunch...

So we ran to the lab (ran is relative, as it is a 5-minute debacle to get both kids unbuckled, inside, back out, and rebuckled), and then ran in to Sam's Club and grabbed a gallon of BBQ sauce (another 5-minute process, plus the time inside the store...). By the time we left the store, it was 12:15, and we were a half hour from camp, and lunch was at 12:30. Fail. :(

As we pulled out of Sam's, my car started lurching and refusing to go more than 5 mph...as I turned onto one of the busiest streets in town! I nearly started having a panic attack, I was actually crying and pretty much totally freaking out. I turned left right away, into a strip mall parking lot, and parked right in front of a tire store and called Hubby. Who, don't forget, is in the middle of one of his busiest retreats of the season!

So he said he would work on finding someone to come and rescue the three of us, and I offered to ask someone in the tire store to look at the car to make sure I wasn't overreacting. He said that might be good (does he know me that well or what?), so a man came out, and drove the car a little, and confirmed that there was indeed a problem with it, and told me not to try to drive it home. No problem there - I was too nervous to try to drive it anywhere at this point!

Also, I should mention that by this time, Natalie had had enough of being dragged in and out of her seat and the wrap and all, and was screaming her head off. So, after the man went back to the store, I sat down to feed her, and Z kept himself happy with goldfish crackers and a CD to sing to.

There just so happened to be a Subway in the strip mall we were stranded in, so as soon as Natalie filled her belly, Z & I went to Subway for lunch. Z was SO GOOD, as we stood in line, he did not throw himself on the ground even once (a real milestone), and he sat in the booth with me and ate his sandwich and apples SO well, not running away at all. In fact, he was perfectly behaved the entire time we were in town, and I am SO thankful for that. About as soon as we finished our lunch, some friends of ours showed up to help us, and were so helpful getting the car seats and all of our STUFF unloaded and loaded in their car, and then unloaded into our house... and we had a great time talking with them on the way home!

Actually, there are a lot of things to be very thankful for in this story, and when I really look at the way things happened, I can see God at work in every piece!

If we had gone to Sam's first, (instead of the lab and then Sam's) we may have been stranded by the hospital - not a very nice part of town, and not a lot of businesses there either.

If we hadn't had to go to Sam's at all, we may have been stranded halfway between town and our house- in the middle of nowhere. Sitting in a car with two fussy children for a half hour is NOT my idea of fun!

So the car broke down in pretty much the best spot as far as convenience for those stranded goes...and of course I'm very thankful for safety, since we were in the middle of a busy road, and yet no one hit us and we were able to turn off quickly!

And good behavior from Z in public is a HUGE answer to prayer, since he has been struggling in this area lately, yet he was a perfect angel in a less-than-perfect situation.

Our (only) car, however, is still stranded in the parking lot, about a 30-minute drive from our house, so we would appreciate your prayers in this situation!

Whew! It's so nice to be home, and to have both kids down for naps- think I'll lay MY head down for a few minutes as well!