Havin' a Breakdown

So you guys missed me during my little blog hiatus, right? I can tell on account of the one dozens of "where are you?" comments and the zero tons of worried e-mails. Well, I’m back, and I've been doing so many amazing, life-changing things* that I don't even know where to start.

*And by "amazing" and "life-changing" I mean slightly more exciting than diapers and laundry.

The primary reason I put the blog on hold, though, was for a surprise trip to Missouri to see my best friends. I get so tired of those hussies (and I say that with the utmost fondness) doing things without me. The nerve! Just because I live four hours away, I get left out of everything? Hmmmph. So when I heard that Betsy, Denni, Jenna, and Lisa were going to a crab-leg buffet - a CRAB LEG BUFFET, y'all - I was really sad. And right after I posted something on Facebook about craving crab legs, too.

"Iotiredamiingoutonerythiiiiing," I sobbed to Curtis.

"You're ... so tired of ... missing out on everything?" he guessed.

"Yeeeeeess!" I wailed.

"So let's drive to Missouri this weekend, and you won't have to miss out on those crab legs," he suggested sweetly.

I swear, at that moment the sun brightened and a hallelujah chorus sounded. My husband may spend ridiculously long stretches on the toilet playing with his iPhone, but by golly, he's a pretty awesome guy. As we made our weekend plans, we decided to take it one step further and make it a big surprise. I love surprising people - especially my friends! This was gonna be SO awesome!

Friday morning came and we headed out. We motored happily down the road for about an hour. But the happy motoring was interrupted when Curtis said, "Uh-oh. We've just lost all our oil pressure." And sure enough, the gauge was on zero. Within a minute or two, there was an ominous knocking sound from underneath the hood.

Fortunately we were close to a small town with a mechanic right off the highway. So we pulled in, and I slumped grumpily in my seat as Curtis and the owner poked around. I was praying that it was something that could be easily fixed and we'd be on our way - but then I heard the owner say, "You won't make it back home, let alone to Missouri."

This is why we had to fork over two hundred bucks to get our Jeep towed back home. And this is why we had to call Curtis's mom to come and get us all the way from Missouri, which is why we ended up waiting in a little cafe for three hours. But there was a bright side to all this fiasco:  a.) the kids were actually good, even with the wait; b.) my grandma's car was sitting unused in her garage in Missouri, and we'd been planning on buying it anyway; and c.) despite our HUGE unplanned detour, I'd still make it just in time to surprise my friends.

The rest of the trip went relatively smoothly. I hadn't planned on telling anyone I was coming in, but I realized that considering the circumstances, I'd need some help - so I let one of my girls in on the secret. Jenna was the only one who I could trust to keep it under her hat, and without her assistance I'd never have been able to pull off my fantastic surprise. She just about exploded trying to hold in the news, but she managed not to leak it to anyone.  

I had jumped through hoop after hoop that day, and at one point hadn't even been sure I'd make it - but I ended up in the parking lot of Denni's apartment just in time to make my grand entrance as they left for the buffet.

Tow truck - $200
Lunch at the cafe while we waited for a ride - $45
Photographic proof of just how much my friends love me ....

 
... absolutely, positively priceless.