Well, this past weekend, my family and I traveled to Jacksonville, NC to visit with Tim while he had his final leave before being deployed for a distant location. We didn't actually know for sure when, and where he'd be deployed, but the 96 hour leave is a signal that it is approaching.
It made for an interesting trip- three cars, 12 people, 1 dog (at least I THINK it was 12 people- sometimes it can seem like 30). Along the way, we stopped to eat dinner at one of the few places along the way- Taco Bell. Everyone was in a hurry to get to the base, and even the stop seemed a little rushed. Or, maybe I was the only one who felt that way- I had to feed myself AND Coen, so everyone was kind of staring at me while I ate. A good girlfriend called me on my cell phone while we were eating, and we had a short conversation. Later, as I dumped my tray, I had the distinct feeling that I'd thrown my wallet away. I walked over to my bag, and saw my wallet, and felt better. Ran to the bathroom, and then came out to find everyone else had gone to the car caravan.
Cut to a couple hours later... we'd picked up Tim, and Martin and I radioed (yes, radio'd- Dyes don't function without Nextels) that we needed to stop and pick up a few things for the kids before we reached the house, and settled in. Walmart was the pit stop. I told Martin that I hoped we could run in, and run out, because at this point it was 10:45, and I really didn't want everyone to unload. These things can turn into all out field trips when you have 12 of my family wandering loose through Walmart. So, I stayed in the car, with the two kids- now crabby, cranky and tired- while Martin "ran" in. The next thing I know- I see everyone making their way to the doors of the Walmart. I start panicking. NO WAY I'm staying in the car with two cranky kids while everyone else does their Christmas shopping for next year. I grab my diaper bag. "I'll fix them- I'll just call them, and put a stop to this before it even gets started". Reach in to find my cell phone.... cell phone.... where's my cell phone????!!!!
I groan, as the instant replay from Taco Bell plays through my mind- the call from a friend, the tray that felt too heavy, the glance back to my bag to make sure that I hadn't thrown my wallet away. Now I know. Said cell phone is now at the bottom of the Taco Bell trashcan, covered in nacho cheese and Dr. Pepper, two hours back.
I won't say what this did for my demeanor at 11:00 o'clock at night, sitting in a VERY SCARY Walmart parking lot, by myself, with two tired, cranky kids. But, let's just say, (when they finally joined me again 45 minutes later), word spread quickly throughout the family, and everyone was scared to talk to me for a while.
Needless to say, the cell phone has been replaced. Same number, cheaper version of phone- that cost $149 more than my much nicer one. Moral of the story- check your tray.
***Newsflash and update on brother Tim****- Tim has had an incident today while working with the Howitzer cannons he fires. A 500 pound portion of the cannon fell on his foot- breaking two bones. He will now have to have surgery on his foot on Thursday, and will have to have 6 pins. Recovery on this has been mentioned to be 6-8 weeks with the pins in. We know that this has happened for a reason, but I'm sure it is very hard on Tim, nevertheless. I can't imagine the toll this will take on him physically, and mentally as well. Please pray for him.
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