2.8.09

yesterday

Oh yesterday. What a suck of a day. Here's what happened.

Around noon we decided to head up to Ikea because, let's face it, Mama wants some freaking stuff to put in this ginormous house. So yes I take full responsibility for the trip. Back to the story. Since we planned on purchasing some rather large items we decided to cram the four of us, quite illegally, into Michael's tiny pick up truck. This was of course so we could save the gas money it would have taken to drive the car and the truck up there. Oh funny how we try to save money and then something like yesterday happens. It went down like this. Michael was the driver, Kat was in the passenger seat, Jack was directly behind me in his car seat that was poorly strapped into a fold out bucket seat and Violet was in her car seat also poorly connected to the other bucket seat. They faced each other the whole trip and every time the baby would fall asleep Jack was kind enough to kick her until she woke up. What a good big brother.

So there we were, driving the hour and a half (give or take a stop at both Circle K and Wendy's) and thinking that we might be crazy. Oh yes, I also forgot to mention the towel that Michael taped across the back window so the sun wouldn't blare down on either child's face and melt them. That just added the cherry to the white trash cake don't you think? Like I was saying, we were headed Northwest and at approximately t-minus 20 miles from Ikea the battery light came on. We navigated ourselves to a Walmart and just before we got there we happened to hit a red light. That's when our speedometer, air conditioning, everything stopped working. The car was chugguluging like a freshman frat boy and we were really freaking out. We coasted into the Walmart parking lot and the four of us poured out and into the air conditioning. I'm not sure exactly how hot it was yesterday in Phoenix but I would estimate somewhere between hell and the center of the earth.

After three trips in and out of good ole' Wallyworld we finally had the right tools and the right battery to get our little white trash mobile back in business. By this point sweat was rolling down every one's face and Michael and I were muttering prayers under our breath that the new battery would fix the problem. With one turn of the key we were back in business. Or so we thought.

The cute little battery light came back on and then we knew that it wasn't just the battery, it was the alternator. Apparently this meant that we were only running on battery power. (The alternator continuously charges your car battery, without it you have about 50 miles, which we conveniently learned later.) After all of this hassle we decided to make our Ikea trip anyway. Besides, we had come all of the way up there and had risked every one's life for some furniture, we might as well finish what we started.

After shopping for two hours that felt like 10 minutes due to the screaming, diarrhea-ing babies we loaded our loot and jumped into our oven. We knew that the a/c would most likely drain the battery twice as fast and so we braved the desert heat like any white trash family would. Window's down going 70 on the interstate. Niiiiiice. It's funny how even at 9 p.m. Arizona still feels like Satan's playground.

On our way home Michael and I began an interesting conversation. I told him how angry I was about what had happened and he told me how grateful he was that everything was more or less ok. We recalled how just the night before I had been talking about how blessed we had been and how it was kind of scary/nice that we hadn't had any real trials in a while. Ha! Irony!

Just after I finished my little angry fit we started to lose power. Double irony!!The line on the battery gage began to dive and we knew we had to pull over pronto. Luckily there was an exit near by and luckily there was a greasy haired woman in a convenience store who let us buy water and Red Vines before she closed down for the night. Because we all know that when you are stranded in the desert with two kids and a truck full of Swedish furniture Red Vines are essential.

It was about this time (round about 10 p.m.) that we realized we needed help, seriously. According to our greasy haired friend the tow truck in the parking lot was available and it would only cost us 250 dollars to go the 17 miles to the nearest Walmart. Hmmm. Not the best deal but thanks anyway. Luckily we have this friend in Tucson, you know, one of those guys who enjoys helping you out because he is just that nice. Yeah. We called him, he went to the store, bought a battery, drove the forty miles to meet us, helped us install it and followed us home. What a stud. Quick side note, which says thank you the most (in Mormon baking language of course) fresh baked bread with a container of home made honey butter, a large pan of frosted cinnamon rolls or the perfect chocolate chip cookies?

After a twelve hour trip we will never forget we rolled into the driveway with our two exhausted kids. Both were drenched with sweat and zonked out. We stripped them and put them right to bed the dirtiest they have ever been. The last thing we decided to do was pull the truck into the garage so we could unload the furniture the next day and go straight to bed ourselves. As I guided Michael in, the garage door caught the top of the desk we had bought fully assembled from the "as-is" section and cracked it apart in several places. I laughed. Michael did not.

Looking back I would say yesterday was hot, miserable, frustrating and funny but most of all, just hot. That was yesterday.

10 comments:

saraH said...

oh kat my heart goes out to you! I'm sorry you guys had to go through that. esp. with kids. when things are rough, and you got your kids, it always seems triple the worse doesn't it because you're worrying about the situation PLUS the kids whether they're ok, blah blah blah. I went to amy's baby shower last sat. and even though it would've only been a 20 min. drive to spanish fork, me missing the exit to get on the right freeway, turning around and getting pulled over, and driving back in traffic was well yeah it's always so much harder with kids. anywho i'm blabbing on. my point is: I feel ya!

Lilianne said...

Alright. I admit it. When you didn't call me back, I got my voodoo doll and started poking and prodding it wishing hell on you! Mwa, hahahah! :-) Just kidding, woman! I'm so sorry for your crazy day. I can't even imagine the hell of the heat with children with desert with broken car...what a nightmare!

However, I just have to say...pretty hilarious the picture you painted of being WT! I was dying picturing you guys with your windows rolled down cruising down the highway...

So, when am I going to see your pretty face? HUH??!???????

The Ensign's said...

Sheesh!!! What a bad day. I'm glad you guys made it back alive. Chad and I are the opposite. He's the one that gets upset in situations like that and I'm more like "it is what it is". Maybe that's because HE pays the bills not me.

Kayla R. said...

That is horrible:( I am sorry Kat, I am a freak about the HEAT!

Jeanette said...

That super sucks. It makes me feel guilty for how pleasant our family Ikea trips are! All of your baked goods sound amazing but he's a dude so I'd go with the cinnamon rolls. Or the cookies. I don't know, I want to eat them all.

Hopefully you get that truck issue worked out soon!

Carmen said...

totally sucky...that story may help me from complaining ever again, I seriously would have flipped out...have I ever mentioned that I don't do well in heat?

Dani said...

Yes, it was hot as hell here yesterday oh and today oh and tomorrow and the rest of the week! 111 to be exact! I'm sick of it! I'm glad you guys made it home alive! Sounds like you handled it well :)

{lindy baker cakes} said...

I can never compete with everyone's novel comments on your blog. All I have to say to that one is that is awful.

Salime said...

You are such a funny story teller, your email cracked me up. sorry, I know, we are sadists sometimes and get joy from other people's misery... it is so awful, but you made me laugh so much.

KaSs MiLeS said...

oh my gosh!! i would have flipped a freakin lid!