So, did anyone else wait for the bus in horrifyingly strong winds and pelting rain?? (Or, have you?)

Phoebe and I walked out the door this morning and it was sprinkling (barely) and a little windy…I grab the umbrella, we walk to the end of the driveway.

Not even a minute later the winds pick up tremendously. It’s pelting rain and debris (leaves, sticks, dirt…) at us. I squat down with her to cover her with the (golf) umbrella better. We were next to her “bus tree” (the one that is the best distance from the road). We moved into the gateway up against it using it as a wind block. The wind shifted and started whipping up the drive and through the gate. We moved again, behind the fence and hedgey things we have growing there. The the rain REALLY started coming down.

We walk into the wind (it was really difficult, too) to peer down the road to see if the bus is coming. It’s not.

We turn back and RUN back to the house and jump in the car. I peel down the drive to the end where we wait a moment, still no bus (we have a mile view down the road), I back up at top speed tell Phoebe to watch for the bus and tear into the house to grab her raincoat (a huge one that was Alex’s a million years ago), run back to the car and peel back down the drive. She puts the coat on, backpack back on, just as the bus pulls up.

The wind was (still is, actually) so strong pelting stuff at us and howling oddly, Phoebe was frightened. At least she wasn’t all out scared and crying. I would not have been able to put her on the bus if that were the case.

I was hoping that this would hold off just a little longer… 8:52 a.m. and the kids would have been safely (and dryly) off the buses and inside the building. *sigh*

When I got back in the house, I was drenched.

How was your morning???

Busy & Dull. That about covers it for today.

Alex missed the bus, so I drove her. Phoebe almost missed the bus, but she made it (with some running involved).

I ran some errands. To the store a couple of towns away to pick up Alex’s iPod case (I know, it’s cracked already, but this should help it from getting worse), to the pharmacy for allergy meds that are no longer over the counter (darn meth dorks), the oil change place, then the grocery store to pick up a few things (salad, noodles, tissues, and a few others). I had a few minutes to run home, put the purchases away, cook the noodles and assemble dinner (for later) before leaving again.

I met Alex after school ended and then got gas in the car, dropped mail at the post office, and got something to eat. I returned Alex to her school (away basketball game) then headed over to get Phoebe.

I parked in the school lot. I was early, but to find a space to park in, you have to be early. I drew a few things and listened to NPR while waiting until the doors opened. Being a kindergartener, I have to go in and collect her from the teacher. We got back in the car and drove an hour away for Alex’s game just to watch her and a little over half the team sit on the bench the entire game. Not to mention that they started the game way late which made it impossible for her to go to practice for her other team (so she could play a little tonight).

Phoebe and I drove back to Alex’s school where we waited for the bus to return the players, then we went home. Ray was outside working on the Jeep some more. I heated up the dinner I had made earlier (I am so glad I did that!). Phoebe and I chilled. Alex worked on homework. Ray worked on the Jeep for quite some time, then read through the service manuals for a while after that.

Tomorrow should be quiet and dull. Yay!

We had absolutely stunning weather this weekend. Warm,  nearly cloudless, sunny, and just plain gorgeous.

Ray spent much of his time working on the Jeep.

Like yesterday, I spent a lot of time either in the car or indoors and running errands. Not really fun things either. I had taken Alex to basketball practice. They were originally going to scrimmage another team from somewhere else, but that fell through. I dropped her off and went to take care of some things while I was “in town.”

Turns out that the oil change place is closed on Sundays. Hmm. The library was open, however. I returned some things and checked out some new things including an item they had on hold for me (Eclipse on audio CD). From there, I went to the hair supply store, but realized I didn’t have my card so that was out. I went into a superstore after that. This particular one used to be my favorite, but they’ve been undergoing a massive renovation. You know the kind, where you cannot find a single thing anywhere. The pharmacy is moved to the opposite corner. The bottle return is OUTSIDE the store (wth?). And, the evilest thing, they removed the Starbucks (how dare they?!)!! Anyhow, I went there, followed by another two stores in search of an iPod case for Alex’s touch (the folding over kind that protects the glass) to keep it from getting worse. No luck.

I also stopped by where our mailbox is and checked it. Of course, there’s a slip that they are holding something at the counter (it was after hours at the time). Then, I headed back to the gym.

When we got home, I helped Ray out a bit. Basically, I would try and start the Jeep while he either fiddled with things or watched what happened. Unfortunately, it didn’t get started today and he’s not sure why, but he’s undeterred.

This week actually promises to be less busy, if you can believe that. And, I have a girls-only party to go to on Friday night (yippee!) that I am looking forward to.

So, I took the girls with me to the mall (close to an hour away) after having made an appointment for the “Genius Bar” at the Apple Store there. Alex wanted to know if they could do anything about the cracked glass on her iPod Touch and how much that would cost.

Basically, it turned out just as I expected. She can get a “like replacement” of the same generation, model and capacity that she has now for $149. She can get and upgrade to the current generation which, I believe, cost $249. Both of which she can get a 10% discount for trading in her current one. Or, she can go through an “authorized apple” whatever place and they will replace the screen, but it will cost a bit above $100. Yeah, as you might guess, she was not happy. But, at least I had warned her and she wasn’t distraught over the news.

After the Apple Store, we went across the hall to Build-A-Bear to look at what they have new. This was Phoebe’s “reward” for behaving in the Apple Store. Yet, despite being forewarned (several times) that we were not going to actually purchase anything today, she still threw a whopper of a fit when we left the store. (She really wanted a new bear! I would have caved on an accessory for her current bears, though.)

She calmed down a bit while Alex browsed through Hot Topic. On the way out I got them each a cookie from the Nestle stand and we headed home. Though, we stopped at the grocery store for milk and eggs just before we got home.

When we did arrive at the homestead, I pulled through the gate and what did my wondering eyes behold? The Jeep OUTSIDE of the barn! You know, the barn that the Jeep called home for nearly four years!

Granted, Ray towed it out with his Foreman, and his truck was running to charge the battery up more and try and jump start it. When we pulled up, he was trying to figure out how to drain the half of a tank of four year old, stale gas out of it.

As of tonight, it’s still not running, but it is getting so very close.

I did way too much today. I hardly sat down. I did a lot of cleaning and tidying and what-have-you today, yet it hardly looks like anything happened. My day also included five loads of laundry (that sucks!).

I hadn’t felt good all weekend. I don’t feel well today, but I felt this odd need to do some of the things I did today, and instead of sitting down and resting a bit in between (I’m still sick after all), I packed other tasks in between.

I picked Phoebe up from school and went home for a little bit (about 30 minutes) then headed back up to the schools for Alex’s basketball game. Afterwards, Ray took her to Hoopsters practice while Phoebe and I headed home. About 15 minutes after Ray returned home, I left to pick Alex up.

In the meantime, Ray replaced the cracked glass in the corn stove. After we got home, Ray loaded up the engine hoist and stand into the truck bed so that he can return it to my Dad and Brother tomorrow. (Thanks!!! Sorry it took so long!)

I’m so tired. I hate being sick.