Valentines, chocolates, strawberries, hearts, roses, stuffies (you may refer to them as stuffed animals), and anything else red, can all pass for a special valentine's gift.
My valentines? I don't think that anything will out do what I received six years ago for my and Dean's valentine's day gift... I found out that I was having a baby... and eight months later there she was... Calley to be precise.
And our lives have never been the same since.
This year... this year Valentine's Day was like no other I have lived through. Other than Calley being sick, when I woke on Tuesday I knew I wanted to have a special day with my favorite valentines... Dean and Calley.
Bare in mind that on Sunday, my father-in-law called to let us know that he wanted us to come over for dinner and we were going to Skype with my brother-in-law and his family in Austin. When Dean shared these plans with me, I was okay with it.
Back in the day when we had our first Valentine's date and Dean had not made reservations (he didn't think he had too), well let's just say I knew that I would have to pick up the slack on valentines to come. We have either gone to dinner before the 14th, because I feel it is absolutely ridiculous to pay over and above what is generally charged for a meal... I feel the same for roses.. they may be beautiful and all, but a week later they're dead. I'd rather get a rose bush. wink, wink.
No I am not cheap... not by any means... Just smart. Why pay $300 for a crab and lobster dinner for two, when I can make it at home for $100 including cocktails! Let's not even bring up how much roses go up in price for that one day (and Mother's Day)!
So to get back to my story... I was okay with us celebrating on a different night.
When I woke up, I woke up to a lovely text from my husband, to Calley and I. We, Calley and I did our normal morning routine ... and then it was off to running errands.
No worries, we had to pick up Calley's prescription, go to the bank, get a rain check on our car wash and then pick up Mikey's medicine at the vet. Mikey being one of my in law's dogs- vet is a lot closer to us, than my in-laws.
No problem. Then, the fact that Dean wanted to come home and spend his break with his two best girls, did not spoil our plans either... we would just hurry back and call on our way home.
So off to the pharmacy, Calley's prescription was ready yesterday so this was an easy stop. Unbeknownst to us, when we got there, the prescription was not ready... not for another thirty minutes. Why do you have my phone number? Phone call would have been nice. I am on a tight schedule, but we'll be back.
Okay. Let's go to the bank. I will not let Walgreen's get to me and ruin my day.. Not today... No Way!!
Off to the bank... I send off the tube in drive thru and away we'll go! Except my account was overdrawn! My account was not overdrawn yesterday! How did that happen!? Okay... I will go get the car washed and then go to their bank and cash the check there.
Okay. Let's go to get the car washed [across the street]. I will not let the bank get to me and ruin my day.. Not today... No Way!!
Awesome.. No lines. I pulled right in and showed them my receipt.. I came back for my four day guarantee wash... Except that the same girl that had told me on Friday to come back was now telling me that I should have purchased the $24 car wash and that the guarantee was included in that one! OK.. I am not going crazy! She just told me on Friday to come back!... argh!!! So I tore out of there upset.
Okay. Let's go back to get your prescription Calley. Nothing else will happen today. I will not let the car wash get to me and ruin my day.. Not today... No Way!!
We went back to Walgreen's to pick up Calley medicine which there's no doubt that it should be ready.
As I started to reflect on what just happened, I should not have torn out of the car wash like that. I told Calley that when there's a problem we should not get upset like mommy just did. We need to handle things nicely.
So while waiting at the drive through window at Walgreen's, I called the car wash and asked to speak to the manager there. When Juan got on the phone I started off by saying that I had been their customer for over three years, and that I love their car wash. I then explained to him what happened, and then he said... "Oh, the explorer."
Yes, the explorer, I replied while looking for the first rock I could climb under. I apologized and proceeded to tell him what had happened to me before coming to his car wash, and even apologized again... it's not their fault that my prior stops had not been favorable ones... He asked for me to come back, offering to take care of my car. Big Smile.
What great timing... by the time I was done with my call, I was at the window being taken care of. I proceeded to tell the gal that my prescription was not ready when it was supposed to be... and she interrupted me and basically saying oh well it happens. OH NO SHE DIDN'T?!
Keep it together Carla, I started thinking... do not strangle the woman. Calley is witnessing everything I am doing and saying... So I proceed to ask the gal why they take my phone number and she replied in case something goes wrong with the prescription. I said, really? Then why was I not called being that this prescription was supposed to be picked up yesterday?! Of course she was apologetic and said she would let the manager know.
You know sometimes it is acknowledgement that we are looking for. All I said was...Thank you and have a nice day.
Okay that went smooth... lets go to the bank. I will not let any of this get to me and ruin my day.. Not today... No Way!!
Awesome again! No lines in the drive through. So there we went... but then we were greeted with I'm sorry we do not cash checks for non-members at the drive through... ARGH!! Okay... let's not loose it... let's go inside Calley.
Great again... we walked inside and were the first ones in line. Great. We get to the teller, she noticed the check was endorsed... so I proceeded in telling her my day's story, and that I had endorsed the check at my bank... Not a problem, but she was going to charge me $3 to cash it because I was not a member! Oh brother!! Not that it's a big thing, but IT IS!! Whatever happened to being able to cash a check drawn on someone else's bank?!
Darn economy! Yes I blame it on the economy... because now "the man" is finding new creative ways to make their money... ie charging $3 to a non-member at a bank!
Once Calley and I got to our car, I had to laugh. What started out being simple errands that should have taken oh maybe an hour and a half... well it's been more than two hours and we still haven't gotten the car washed!
Okay so we're off like a terd of hurtles , as my mother in law would say to her boys when they were little and off to school... translated to "off like a herd of turtles." So... off to eat crow and wash the car. I will not let the bank get to me and ruin my day.. Not today... No Way!!
Rest assure everything went well at the car wash. A little crow is good for the ego once in a while.
Finally we were off to our last stop. I was frantically trying to hurry so we could get a little time in with daddy today. So off we were to get Mikey's meds... EXCEPT for I ended up lost!! Oh yeah... tried calling mom a couple of times and couldn't get a hold of her... so I tried my luck in calling my brother in law... YAY!! I got a hold of him and quickly found out that I had made a wrong turn... and was finally headed in the right direction.
By this time I was laughing my butt off!! And I was quite proud of myself. The vitamins I am taking for my mood swings must really be working because I have managed to not completely loose it or ruin my day!
Luckily we picked up Mikey's meds without a gliche, but by this time Calley and I grew hungry. We spotted a burrito joint across the street and off we were like a terd of hurtles!
As we walked in, the door made such a ruckess that I knew for sure everyone knew we were there... everyone but the owners behind the counter that is. We stood there while these four ladies were gossiping for nearly seven minutes... yes I happened to check my phone when we walked in. I finally looked at Calley and stated that these ladies must be too busy to help us... so we left.
All in all... although a little bothered when we got to the car, I was okay with it all. Wow, I'm telling you the Black Cohosh and soy is really working!! I did not loose it!! I am so proud of myself!!
Even when my mother in law called me at six in the evening to cancel the evening festivities because they forgot it was Valentine's day... I did not get upset. She even asked me why I had not reminded her... well mom I just thought you guys were up to something. But no worries, even though I had not planned anything for dinner... it was ok.
I wasn't going to let anything bother me. I will not let any of this get to me and ruin my day.. Not today... No Way!!
It wasn't until the next day when mom asked me how I liked my song that I told her how my day had gone... we both could not stop laughing!! Especially when we had gotten to the part where mom had called me to cancel... I could not stop laughing.
My song? Yes, my husband creates songs and he gave me a song for Valentine's day.. a beautiful song. I only waited nearly eleven years for it... but I got it!!
I share with you that I "waited" because before that, my husband had written songs for two of our four dogs and my daughter... lol!
When he handed me the cd I really didn't think much of it... so it wasn't for another hour or two until I played it. I had no clue what he had done... I clicked on play and... and then I hear the strum of the guitar... and the waterworks started...
My very own love song!!
Needless to say I did not give my day a second thought!
Hope your Valentine's Day was a memorable one... mine sure was!
I didn't freak out!!
Carla I love you so, I'm never ever going to let you go... Love of my life, I am so blessed you are my wife... ~ Dean Karam
Blessings to all!!
112 days to go...
PS... for a, l and c. You are my sunshine(s).
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