It's been awhile...

But I am back, like it or not *grin*.
I received a few comments which had me thinking, and I have to say that I simply must continue in my usual vein, whether that means nobody has anything to say in response or not. Once in awhile, however, I will try to put something in to get some feedback....a point to debate, as it may.
Anyways...July 3rd was my last post....that would be...last Tuesday.
Things started going downhill after that....the van got a VERY flat tire....the jack broke while the car was on it (luckily nobody got hurt)....the nuts on the hubcap snapped off making it nearly impossible to remove....the nuts on the wheel were stubborn, resulting in my dancing all over the lawn in pain when the tool slipped off the nut, causing me to scrape and ram my upper arm into the metal frame where the wheel fits (not sure what that part of the car is called, I just know how much it hurts to scrape with great force over the edge of it)....Husband got several scrapes and such, causing HIM to scream to the neighbourhood "SON OF A COW!!!!!" several times, creating great embarrassment on my part. Took the van in, got the tire replaced. Thursday, we pack everybody and everything up (after Husband had worked an overnight shift), head out, wagons Northwest to Edmonton. 30 minutes out of town, the van starts making a TERRIBLE noise...won't accelerate without great coaxing. We turn around and limp back into the city, doing 70 on a 110km/hr highway. Pull into the garage where the mechanic knows exactly what the issue will be, but not to what extent. Van should be ready sometime Friday morning. Yeah, right. We rent a tiny car Thursday afternoon, decide to take the trip anyway, but have to cancel the camping part, as we would never be able to fit the tents and all in the car and still be able to take the kids (tempting...). Friday morning, we set out, after having camped in the backyard to appease the kids (and maybe me, too). Friday goes relatively eventless, aside from super-annoying rush hour mixed with construction in Edmonton. The weekend was less than it was cracked up to be...Husband didn't want to go, and so didn't enjoy himself. At all. He also ended up with some sort of allergic reaction on his legs on Saturday. Made our way through the weekend of disappointment and frustration, had dinner with the in-laws and the "Greats" (Husband's grandparents, the kids' great-grandparents), the kids got gifts, as always, and crashed to sleep as always, while I packed and played XBox360 PingPong. (And I was GOOOOOOOOD!)
Drove home on the Monday....FINALLY got a call from the garage saying the van would be ready by that evening. North of Saskatoon, the sky opened...there was so much rain that EVERYONE was pulling over to the shoulder to wait it out. A definite flash flood.....nobody could see in front of them, or in any direction for that matter, and the ditches were FULL of water. Each time it let up even a tiny bit, everyone got back on the road and crept forwards as much as they could before it started again. It's the only time I've been on a highway and seen everyone driving 50kph or less, WILLINGLY.
Here I will insert my little token for thought....a huge pet peeve of mine....WHY is it that EVERYBODY but me seems to think that a speed LIMIT is a suggestion? Why is it that EVERYONE comes whipping by me, a good 20kph ABOVE the speed limit, and then has the GALL to look annoyed at me, when I am, by the way, driving EXACTLY the speed limit, no faster, no slower? It's a LAW, people! It's there to protect people! It's there, you'd think, to weed out the idiots. You'd THINK only an idiot would disregard a law and substitute their own limits....but then, that would mean I'm the only smart person out there....and somehow, much as it would be nice if it were true, I get the feeling there MUST be other smart people out there, even smarter than me, I'd bet....so EXPLAIN this to me....why do people purposefully place their brains in the trunk, fire up their vehicles, and go roaring down the highway, not considering that it's NOT just their issue if something happens, but rather, if something goes wrong, they could hurt or even kill myself or my kids? The stupidest line I've ever heard on this subject: "I'm careful, nothing's ever happened, it doesn't hurt anybody, and I've never been caught yet!" Once, people, it only takes once. One split second. And it makes me furious that people JUST DON'T CARE.
Back to my diary style of writing....ahem...repairs and car rental cost about $1000. Not nice, but at least the business covers a good portion of that. Glad to have my business van back, though I'm really hoping to get a beater to call my own in the next little while, give me a bit more freedom to go places and do things with the kids. We now await for the powers-that-be to decide our fate....do we qualify for a home equity line of credit? Hopefully yes. That would make our lives that much more liveable in so many ways.
It's really hot out today and supposed to get even hotter as the days go by. Ugh~!
I've been doing two routes each morning since we got back....yesterday was really tough, since I wasn't used to being up at 4AM and then staying up all day until about 10:30PM...I had been getting extra hours of sleep over the past week, with no papers. I was pretty dead by the time I got to bed. Tonight should be a little better, and the next night even better.....just need to get back into the habit.
Speaking of habit, I also need to get back into the habit of the gym and eating better....I was away from the gym (obviously) while we were away, and let my eating habits go, too, so the weight jumped right back on, for the most part, and it's really hard to get back on track again...my friend is also away, so I don't have her to keep me accountable, either. I think she's back tomorrow, so hopefully a week and a bit of work will get the weight back down and keep it going down again.
Anyway, I guess I am pretty much caught up now, though I've likely forgotten a million things I wanted to mention. I think I'll go search for some chocolate....I just have to decide if it will be 75%, 86%, or 99% cocoa today.