FRIDAY!

I don't know that I can fully express how wonderful it is to finally be living this evening! This week has been NUTS!
MONDAY: Overslept the alarm (thought I hit snooze, but evidently hit dismiss) so I didn't get to shower in the morning and worked all day-in the afternoon Jason went to a friends', so I mainly had Brian and we played lots of games and I whooped up on him in Trouble and Sorry! :)

TUESDAY: I didn't have to work at the Y, but ran errands and then worked in Milton and Jason had a friend over so I was a little bored because both the boys were occupied. Also found out that I wouldn't be working the next morning because the family I work for had to attend a funeral.

WEDNESDAY: Slept in a little since I didn't have to work early, and then went for a haircut since I had the time and I hadn't had my hair cut in 3 months, so it was about time. Even though I really liked the length my hair had reached, I knew that losing that inch would be better in the long-run. So I am back to a slightly awkward length, but by the time school starts in a couple weeks it will be back to normal.

Anywho, I drove down to Milton, picked up the boys, and Jason went over to a friends' house. It was a fairly normal day aside from Brian's pity party (he wasn't too happy with the enforcement of the limited sugary snack rule). On the way back up the highway the car decided to freak out. I had just gotten on the highway and a few minutes into my drive I noticed that my steering was extremely tight and both my brake light and battery light had come on! Needless to say it freaked me out and I was praying that I would just make it back to the house without having to stop or getting in an accident. I had to use all of my strength to make the 90 degree turns off the highway and on the back roads to the house, but [Praise God!] thankfully I made it back without the car dying or anything like that! I knew that I couldn't drive it to work the next day, so I let my boss at the Y know that I wouldn't be in first thing in the morning. This was going to be tough because Thursday was scheduled to be our largest attendance day this week and we were already short counselors.

THURSDAY: Thankfully, Larry and Cindy were such a blessing and helped me take the car to a nearby shop they usually use. Since they were leaving the same morning for a few days of their family vacation, Larry let me use his car so that I could drive to work since I didn't know when my car would be fixed. Anyway, I drove down to Reading/Wakefield to work and as soon as I got there Mike (our boss) was called to go drive another group of kids somewhere and wouldn't be back until 11, so nobody got any breaks on Thursday and we shuffled around all day trying to stay within ratio (1 counselor per 10 campers). I got off at about 1 and found out that my car was finished. I realized that since I had to work late that evening and then had to work the entire next day I should try to go back and pick up the car. So, I called Cindy's neighbor (who I had never met) and asked if she could drive me to the shop. Thankfully she had time and was heading out to run an errand anyway so I drove back up to the house, picked up the car, switched my stuff from car to car, and then drove down to Boston! Not only that, it was a 90+ degree day and this was the heat of the day so I was dying from the heat.
I spent the late afternoon and evening with the boys which was actually enjoyable and fairly uneventful! :) David told me that one of the boys had a doctor's appointment the next day so I didn't have to come down to pick them up-YAY for Fridays!
I left their house to drive back to Tewksbury and everything was fine until I went to turn onto Main Street and I don't see any lights on at the four-way intersection. Usually it is all lit up by the gas stations and signs around, and of course the actual stop-light. However, this night there were no lights and a line of cars at each of the four points, so the stop was being treated as a 4-way stop. I turned onto Main Street thinking that the light was just out and then realized as I drove down that the ENTIRE street was out. Even the side street the house is on was out and it was all dark and quiet. Since I didn't have any candles, matches, or a flashlight, and didn't want to risk killing myself by trying to take a shower, I hopped back in the car and ran to Wal-mart to pick up a few things. I got back and the lights were still off so I tried to clean up by the light of my cell phone! haha-if only I could see myself shuffling around the house with my cell phone as a candle! It was so dark, quiet, and hot that I tried to just lay still and sleep but I wasn't relaxed and couldn't get there. I had almost fallen asleep a little after 11 when the electricity came back on! I was jolted awake by the sudden whir, buzzing, beeping, and a bunch of lights flashing on. So, I ran around half-asleep turning everything back off and hoping to fall back asleep. I still didn't sleep well...

FRIDAY: I had set my travel alarm clock just in case my cell phone died during the night, but it never went off the next morning. Thankfully I woke up about the time I should've and I spent the next ten minutes thanking God for waking me up! I was so tired, but was thrilled it was Friday and my last day at the Y. I was opening camp, so I was the first one there that morning. They have been doing construction and milling work on the street in front of the church for the past week or so, but we haven't had a major problem with it because they never shut the street down. (this street is the ONLY way in/out of the church as it is located on a cul-de-sac)
Not long after I weaved my way through the trucks and obstructions they blocked off the ENTIRE street. Not only did they close it off, but they began laying new asphalt so everyone was late coming in, and most people had to park a ways away and trek half-way around the lack to get there! Mike and Costa ended up driving over the hot tar to get in, ticking a policeman off in the process. It was a crazy start to the 100 degree day.
Since it was nearly 100 degrees, staying inside sounded like a good option until our not-so-wonderful air conditioner sucked all the tar fumes into "the big room" where we keep about 30 kids for most of the day. The kids were supposed to have free swim time in the morning, but since they were laying the new asphalt the bus wasn't allowed to drive out to take them to their scheduled swim time. :( We ended up going outside to the playground and constantly sending the kids to the water fountain for drinks--it was better than being cooped up in the heat with all the fumes! Thankfully a portion of the road was finished in time for Mike and I to leave after lunch-he was headed out on vacation and I only worked until 1pm anyway. Since I didn't have to work in Boston, I came back to the house, turned on the AC and relaxed.
It was a beautiful Friday afternoon to tie up such a strange week! :)

Sunday I am headed to AR, and my original flight has already been cancelled and I have been re-booked on a later flight, so who knows what the next week will entail! God Bless!

-mri