Oh y’all. We took a little road trip yesterday to Bryan/College Station with Gulley and her kids. Let me just say that the first words out of Caroline’s mouth when she woke up this morning were, “I don’t ever want to go home to San Antonio”.
Unfortunately for her, we are getting back on the road to head home in just a few short hours. And oh, will I have stories to tell. I’m just way too tired from all the fun right now.
Have a great day!
Well, it seems that seeing P driving the Volvo loaner was enough to motivate JoEL to get things going. The service guy called about 4:30 to let me know my car is ready, so first thing in the morning, I’ll be saying farewell to my friend, the loaner.
Au revoir sweet friend. I will miss you and your cool stereo that scrolls the name of the song and artist that are currently on the radio. Not to mention your thoughtfulness in automatically muting the radio every time I got on my cell phone. I feel like we really connected over the last 8 days. God speed.
And in other non-automotive news.
On Saturday afternoon, someone must have slipped something into my Diet Coke because all of a sudden I could hear my voice saying, “Caroline, how about we go to Sea World on Monday? Wouldn’t that be fun? Just you and Mama at Sea World?”
What? Who is this person with the boundless enthusiasm for taking a 3 year old to an aquatic themed amusement park all by herself?
Alas, on Sunday, when I woke with a clearer head, it was too late to back out because the child? Oh, you better believe she was going to Sea World on Monday. Going to Sea World to see SHAMU! AND THE FLYING MONKEY PEOPLE! AND THE SQUIDS AND THE OCTOPI! (except she didn’t really say Octopi, she’s only 3 1/2 people. Give her a break on the plurals)
Part of my Sea World compulsion is due to the fact that we have season passes. We bought season passes last summer and then upgraded them in the fall, to include this summer, for just $35.00. And heaven knows I can’t pass up a bargain. The problem is I have been under serious, self-imposed pressure to GET TO SEA WORLD immediately so that we can get our $70.00 worth.
Oh yes, we’re going to go so many times this summer that we will be completely sticking it to the man and his killer whale. And seeing as how it’s already mid-June, we needed to get going on my master plan to outwit and outlast Sea World, nevermind that they stay open through December…it’s now or never.
So, Monday morning. We woke up and ate a breakfast of homemade waffles to sustain us in our journey to the other side of town. I packed every bottle of sunscreen we own, multiple towels, a case of bottled water (because at the park they charge $52.00 per bottle), a few snacks, and our bathing suits. I would realize later it was a strategic error to not just wear our swimsuits, but at 9:00 a.m. I was innocent and naive and not aware this was a tactical mistake.
However, at 10:45 a.m. as we were changing into our swimsuits in the restroom at The Lost Lagoon and Caroline kept opening the door and exposing me to the free world, I realized I should have suited up at home and saved myself and the eyes of some poor, unwitting souls the sight of my white behind.
As soon as we got to Sea World, Caroline informed me she didn’t want to see Shamu or the dolphins or anything. And really, who goes to Sea World to see Shamu? That’s so last year. Instead, she wanted to go to Shamu’s Happy Harbor and ride the Shamu Coaster, the Penguin Pete ferris wheel and play some arcade games.
And look!
She won a Nicole Richie doll!
Oh, I kid because of the big head and the small body. This is actually a monkey that was immediately christened, appropriately enough, Silly. We won Silly about 10 minutes into our day at Sea World and got to haul him around for the rest of the day, along with the kitchen sink we packed. It was a treat.
The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent at The Lost Lagoon, which is the water park section. We had so much fun in the wave pool and I loved hearing Caroline laugh hysterically everytime a wave knocked her over. She is fearless. Then, we stopped for lunch at Castaway Cafe and she declared that she would, indeed, like to see Shamu. I looked at my schedule and realized the only way to make that happen was to trek to the other side of the park in about 10 minutes, so I loaded Caroline, Silly, and our bag ‘o stuff into the stroller and took off at breakneck speed. In a swimsuit. With a coverup (thank heaven for small mercies). And flip-flops.
We got there just in time, and Caroline insisted she wanted to sit right up front so that Shamu could splash us. We sat down so low that we had a perfect view of the trainers and the various Shamus swimming underwater. Caroline kept asking, “When is he gonna splash Mama? When is he gonna splash?”
Here she is, waiting for the splash.
And finally, he splashed.
You know, the trivia they showed on the big screen prior to the show, mentioned that Shamu’s water is 52 degrees. In theory, after a 35 mile sweaty hike while pushing a stroller, 52 degrees doesn’t sound too cold. But oh, when he finally splashed, we didn’t just get splashed, we were soaked in 52 degree, freezing cold, saltwater. Caroline started crying and wanted to leave, so we headed out. We made one stop for cotton candy and then got in the loaner car and drove home.
Later that night, I asked her what her favorite part of the day was. She said, “Oh! I LOVED getting splashed by Shamu”. She obviously subscribes to her mama’s theory of that which doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger. I mean, after all, I’m already talking about our next trip to Sea World.
The loaner, she is still with us. Day 7 and counting.
And in what can only be described as an incredible twist of irony or whatever, P drove the loaner to pick up some barbecue for dinner last night from our favorite barbecue place. They make the best barbecued turkey in the free world and I don’t even like turkey (why not ham for Thanksgiving? The Indians ate turkey because it was the only thing available. You can’t tell me the pilgrims wouldn’t have pulled up to a table with a Honeybaked Ham given the choice), yet this barbecued turkey with all the smoky, barbecued goodness compels me to eat it.
Oh, and the creamed corn? It is sinfully and wonderfully made.
I’m not implying that people are sinning in the making of the corn, I’m just saying it has a high fat content.
Just wanted to clarify.
Anyway, P is driving through the parking lot of the barbecue place when he notices about 4 or 5 men who have set up chairs in a kind of semi-circle configuration towards the back of the parking lot. He observes that they all have on ties and shirts and are hanging out in their lawn chairs and drinking beer. This is about 6:30 at night, so the temperature is still around 135 degrees and they are sitting out in the full sun.
We’re good friends with the owners of the barbecue place, so P calls Stew up and tells him about this group of men camping out in their parking lot. He tells him they don’t look shady or anything, it’s just kind of odd to see a group of grown men, dressed up, drinking beer in lawn chairs in the blazing heat, in a parking lot.
Stew says, “Oh, it’s no big deal. Those are just the salesmen from the Volvo dealership down the street. They sit out there and drink beer after work almost every day, even if it’s 135 degrees.”
P realizes, on closer inspection, that one of the men sitting there is, in fact, JoEL. And, they are all eyeing P as he drives off in the Volvo dealer loaner.
Suckers.
I’m thinking this scene speaks volumes about JoEL. God help him, he probably does think the service department is great because compared to sitting out in 185 degree heat in a concrete parking lot, while wearing a tie, anything is good.
Last Tuesday morning, I had to put my new car in the shop.
In the shop.
Last Tuesday.
Almost a week ago.
Granted, it’s a used car, but it’s new to me and it hardly seems possible that we’ve already reached this milestone of disappointment and betrayal. What happened to the love and the trust? Why did the honeymoon end so soon?
The good news is that part of the reason P and I decided on a used Volvo was because they offer a bumper to bumper warranty up to 100,000 miles.
Which is the only thought that kept me from weeping loudly when the car started to die on me periodically. If I had thought we were about to pay for a new transmission or flux capacitor or whatever, I would have been overwrought and there would have been crying and wailing and shaking of fists with declarations that begin with “As God is my witness…”.
Instead, I called the friendly Volvo service center that JoEL talked about so highly during his sales pitch and told them my check engine light was on, the car was dying on occasion (slightly inconvenient), and I needed to bring it in for service. I also informed them that I would be needing the complimentary loaner that was so hyped up during the aforementioned sales pitch.
They kindly let me know that a loaner would be available in 2 weeks.
It was all terribly convenient.
It’s not like I wasn’t enjoying the mild panic attacks I was experiencing every time my car died.
Anyway, I scheduled to bring it in once a loaner was available because there was no way I could survive without a car and everything is covered under the bumper to bumper warranty. What do I care if the engine blows up before a loaner is available? I have important places to go, like HEB and the pool.
And also, Hollywood Video to rent 3 year old crack in the form of Disney movies.
So, Tuesday was the day. I dropped off the car, lugged the carseat over to the loaner, and drove Caroline to school. I was especially thrilled to notice they had given me the loaner with less than 1/4 tank of gas because it’s not like gas costs thousands of dollars per gallon these days.
They called late Tuesday to tell me something was wrong with the fuel pump and gave me the estimate. I informed them the car was under warranty and therefore, repair away! Because it’s free! And throw in a new transmission while you’re in there!
Then service guy said something about needing my warranty information and my thought was, we bought it from you so why don’t you go ask JoEL if he can find it somewhere?
I called P and he said he’d handle it, which is my preferred method of handling things.
Then today, service guy called to tell me that since we’d just bought the car 5 weeks ago, a claim couldn’t be paid through the warranty yet, and they needed the loaner back, so could I please come in, pay for the repairs out of pocket with no hope of reimbursement and turn in the loaner?
Umm, that would be a no, but hats off to you for having the nerve to ask.
I called P with this update because, as y’all know, he’s my preferred method of handling things.
He drove over to the Volvo Center (but not in the loaner because we are clever like a band of foxes) and basically told them it wasn’t our problem. If they wanted the loaner, then they needed to give me back my car and then file the claim as soon as the warranty took effect.
Otherwise, the loaner? It’s a stayin’ with Big Mama.
I can’t believe JoEL wasn’t completely honest about the service we could expect from the Service Department.
It’s like you can’t even trust a used car salesman these days.
I’ve always been a daddy’s girl myself, so the bar was set pretty high for me. I know what it means to have a dad who wants to give you the world and thinks you’re about the greatest thing ever. A dad who will instill in his daughter that she can do anything she sets her mind to. A dad that wouldn’t trade having a girl for anything in the world.
And so does Caroline.
So, to my dad, I wish you a Happy Father’s Day. Thanks for setting the bar high.
And, to P on Father’s Day, watching the way you love Caroline makes me love you that much more. She is blessed to have you as her daddy. All those people who thought you wouldn’t know what to do with a little girl couldn’t have been more wrong.
Happy Father’s Day!
About a month ago, Boomama wrote a post about a friend of mine that owns a lavender farm in the Texas Hill Country. I had told Boomama about my friend’s lavender lotion and she had fallen in love with it with the same deep and abiding love as me. It is a lotion like no other, a lotion that makes other lotions weep with envy over their inferiority.
It’s natural, it’s aloe vera based, and it smells like 14 slices of heaven on a beautiful, china plate. I am addicted to it like it’s all natural crack.
And because of my addiction, I am constantly calling my friend to tell her to bring me a fresh stash. I’ve got to have the good stuff and I’ve got to have it now.
Anyway, a few weeks ago, she was dropping off a case of her Hummingbird Farms lotion at my house and brought me a new product to try, which proves she really is like a lavender aromatherapy pusher. She just feeds my addiction.
It’s a lavender spa treament salt scrub, otherwise known as the greatest beauty product I have ever used. When I use it on my feet and hands, it makes them softer than the day I was born. It is a miracle worker and the smell makes me happier than a bowl full of M&M’s.
But really, the main purpose of this post is to let y’all know she has started a blog called Lavender Chick. It’s about her life at Hummingbird Farms and just her life in general. So, go check it out. You’ll be so glad you did.
And make sure you don’t miss this post. It’s my favorite.
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