Another Exciting Adventure

I had another 'fun adventure' [can you detect the sarcasm in my voice?] tonight -- we sure have been having our fare share of little adventures lately. So, after taking Kolby and Eli swimming at the YMCA, coaxing them to eat a late dinner, a pretty successful attempt at letting all the boys talk to their cousin Jaden on the webcam, and getting the boys all settled down in bed; Debbie suggested that I could use Dick's car to go to Toys'R'Us and some stores at the mall because she knew I wanted to get a little more Christmas shopping done. Not wanting to waist an opportunity to go get some shopping done without any children in tow, I headed off to Toys'R'Us around 9 pm. I got there and spent a relaxed time walking up and down each aisle (with no children begging to play with the trains, crying, or asking to use the bathroom). It was a nice little excursion and I found just the right set of toys that I was looking for to give the boys for Christmas.

So I went out to the car, considering going across the street to the mall before going home, when I found that I couldn't get the car to start. I couldn't get the key to turn in the ignition. I figured that I just needed to wiggle the key in just the right direction, but that didn't help. After attempting to turn the key while pushing on the brake, turning the steering wheel to either side, turning the key over, pushing the key in as hard as I could, making sure that the car was in park, and saying a prayer that I could get the car to start, I didn't know what else to do.

At this point I had been in the car about half an hour attempting to get the key to turn, so I decided to call Michael's dad to see if he knew any tricks for his car. I went back into the store and asked to use their phone (because Michael has our cell phone while he is on his interview trip right now). I was glad that I was so prepared and kept a little list of phone numbers in my purse for all of our family members. I went to dial Dick and Debbie's number, and realized that it was not correct. I had written those numbers down a couple of years ago, and hadn't used that list of numbers to contact Michael's parents since then because we usually use the cell phone for all of our calls and all the family numbers are programmed into the cell phone. But Dick and Debbie changed their home phone number a few months ago, and the cell phone number I had written down for them was also an old number (all of the other numbers on that list are still current, of course). I also tried calling Michael on the cell phone, but the phone in the store wouldn't let me call long distance. So, not knowing exactly what to do, I went back outside to try the key again.

After a few more unsuccessful attempts, I went back inside. I looked in the phone book, but Dick and Debbie's number in there was not the current one. So I looked up Bryce and Emily Christensen, Michael's old friends from high school, in the phone book and called them to get Dick and Debbie's number. I could tell by Emily's voice that I had woken her up, and by the fact that I could hear her daughter Abby in the background that I had likely woken up their entire family. I felt bad for calling so late (I think it must have been about 10:45 pm by that time), but I was very glad that she was able to find the phone number for me. So, I was able to call and Dick came out to pick me up.

As I was waiting for Dick to come, I was hoping that he would be able to get the car started (although I have to admit that I was dreading the possibility that he would drive all the way out there and turn the key immediately, proving my incompetence when it comes to cars). But when he arrived he couldn't do anything to get the key to turn either (at least it wasn't just me), and he had to call a tow truck. I felt pretty bad -- I don't think that I did anything to make that happen, but I still felt bad that it happened when I had the car. Oh well, at least I was eventually able to find their phone number so that I am not still stuck in a car that won't start, in a freezing parking lot, in a town where I don't know my way around and I only know a handful of people who live here -- thanks for saving me, Emily!

My hope right now is that we will not have any more adventures for a while -- no travel problems, no hospital visits, no car problems, no nothing. We'll see.