Plllltttthhhh!!! (Translation: big fat raspberry)

September brought a bizarre and...dumb chain of events! We had a funky run of "funk". Weird and inconvenient things happened pretty much daily. First, the broken clock. My hubby's grandma died in April. He grew up very close to his "Mamaw" and "Papaw". He is quite sentimental and wanted a clock from her house. Growing up the sound of that clock summed up "grandma's house". Matt's dad was in Kentucky cleaning out her house and so we had him send it by UPS out to us. I arranged everything and Matt's dad and uncle packed it up and dropped it off. We learned in this process that the words THIS END UP and FRAGILE mean nothing! UPS managed to drop the 6 foot grandfather clock on its side. Not only was it damaged, it was broken in half! The amount of work this has caused me is totally unbelieveable. Their system is set up to take absolutely no fault. I have spent so much time on the phone and gathering "evidence" I feel I am now a bit of a clock expert. At this point our claim (which I had to fight for almost a month now just to be considered) is being considered. The hardest part was picking it up here in Flagstaff. It still smelled like her house but instead of being this solid remberence (on the hour, every hour) of their home and their lives, it's two box's of old wood and clock parts. It can be fixed but the senitmental value for my hubby will never be the same.

Next...the walking dead man! (this event deserves a post all of it's own)

Then just a handful of YUCK! (really it's more like a big scoop... not a handful)

I was at Fry's grocery store with Ryder and Charlotte. She is getting really heavy so I stopped in the parking lot to put her in a cart. I was standing in the "cart corral" buckling her. Ryder was standing right next to me also in the corral. I was just starting to pull the basket out when I got whacked with a cart right in the butt. It hit me right in the tailbone. I quickly turned around and saw a man getting into a red car looking at me. He had only one leg in the car and was looking right at me. He was in the space just a few feet from the corral. He was just staring at me emotionless. He had shoved his cart in while I was standing in it. I am not sure if he was intentionally trying to hit me but there was really no other outcome possible. I don't think I am hard to see, I am far from tiny. Stunned was all I felt at the time. My head was racing. This year has been a super rough one for my body. After having a baby, falling down a flight of stairs (bouncing all the way on my tailbone) and then falling down a driveway while snow blowing my pelvis and hip areas have needed extensive love. After numerous x-rays and an MRI I was diagnosed with Chronic Accute Sacroillitis. In June I had SI injections (giant needles inserted directly into my sacroilliac joints (where your hips join your tailbone) guided by a live xray and physical therapy 2-3 times a week for 6 months. This man had no idea what his little stunt could have done to me. What are the odds!? Arghh. I just moved his cart, backed out mine and walked towards the store. I looked back to see him watching me from his car. My only thought at the time was to pout out my lip and drop my head. Yep! I was full on pouting! I didn't really have it in me to be mad...yet! Later I thought of a million choice hand gestures, phrases and acts of violence I could have chosen. I still don't understand what he was thinking!

The 3rd Thursday of September was the kick-off to MOPS. It's a group of mommies all seeking community, friendship and something to prod them on in their daily lives home with preschoolers. I discovered this group when my big girls were little and I took a leave of absence from teaching. I started attending again last year after having Charlotte. I had fallen into a routine where everyday spilled into the next. I didn't have the energy to drag my kids anywhere or even get dressed. I was running a full time real estate business from home but the market had crashed so I had a lot of time on my hands. The thought of grocery shopping with these two new little ones was too much. After I was finished with the pity party for myself I looked up a new MOPS group. Funny what having two sets of kids does to you. It's often like I live two totally seperate lives at the exact same time. Anyway, I woke up excited for the MOPS kick off only to find I couldn't turn my head! Arghhh! That happens about once a year. I went anyway and tried to get as much out of it and have as much fun as I could. This was just a few days after Matt's huge scary heart incident so this neck thing was kind of the gnat on the final straw that broke the camels back. I really shouldn't have been driving with my neck like that but I was. When it was over I walked back to my car to find it had been wrecked. Hit and run! We have decent insurance but it comes with a decent deductible. So, because someone decided to leave me all their paint instead of a note we get to share a car for a week and fork up the deductible to get it fixed. The bumper is messed up as is the tailgate. So, I am super glad we have insurance because it's not going to be cheap.

While dropping off or picking up (I made so many trips that weekend I have no idea) Abbi I pulled a super stupid move! Super stupid! I was leaving a soccer field at NAU. I was turning left onto a main drag while steering with one hand. The other hand was busy! Whah! Yup...cell phone. I was trying to dial my phone while turning into an intercection (Yes, I know. Every part of me agrees). The next thing I know I am airborn and my surburban is bouncing and flying all over the place. I had managed to climb a curb with BOTH my right tires at the same time. However, I think they only jumped up and right back down. Something in Isabelle's cup holder splashed out and all over her. Whatever it was smelled bad (that will teach her not to leave yucky old crap in there). The worst part was the poor innocent old woman that happened to be on the sidewalk! She was quite upseat, I really did almost hit her. I actually looked her right in the eye before jerking my wheel and landing back down on the road. I couldn't help but laugh at the face she made. There was nothing funny about it but HOLY COW! Isabelle lectured me for the next 20 minutes and declared I was a horrible driver. Seriously, she just witnessed me hit and jump a huge curb super and nearly killed someone while using my phone. I think she is correct. Later I discovered I had taken a big chunk out of each spendy aluminum rim and ripped both tires. The tires on there were just replaced. I don't think my stupidity is covered under the warranty.


A few days later after having lunch with Matt I made a comment about how I had a weird rash on my pinky. I showed him. Little red ouchies all along the inside of my left pinky. I noticed a blister and questioned what was rubbing it. I looked over to the next finger, my ring finger. Ahhhh!!!! No!!!! My diamond was gone! It must have fallen out days before to have caused that irritation. Usually when "new crap" appears I laugh and think to myself, "bring it on!" Not that day. That day I just looked out the window on the way home and put the ring away. That ring symolizes a lot for me. It's more important to me than my actual wedding ring. For our 10th anniversary we went on a trip and renewed our vows. We got married (the first time) really young. The vows that preceeded that ring meant a lot more to me than the first round :) Someone told me once that you don't choose to be married once. You choose it everyday. That trip sort of marked a new beginning. I understood more what marriage really meant and what I was choosing. I love that ring! Not for the material factor but for what it represented to me.


I declared that the first day of Fall was going to bring a new fresh start. Only good things are in line headed our way! I am settling for nothing less.

The first day of Fall I went to pick up our tax return from our accountant. What!? A refund? We haven't had a refund in over 6 years. This one is a doosie too! Woo hoo! Can't wait to see what else is headed our way!