Chunks

Do you ever have those moments where you feel like you’re going out of way to do EVERYTHING right, and yet the Universe is basically just spanking you in the rear showing you that you’re, in fact, doing everything kinda wrong?  Do ya?  Do you know what I mean? 

 

Here’s how it went down: so, we enjoy eating out.  We used to eat out fairly frequently (at least a couple of times a month).  We ate out A LOT when the house was on the market and we’d get a call at 4pm saying, “We’ll be there to see your house at 5:30.”  Not a ton of healthy-home cooked meals were a-happenin’.  BUT, now that we’re on a much tighter budget, we rarely eating out.  And that is why we DID eat out last night.

 

We know the boys love Red Robin and we’re able to get gift cards through points earned with our credit card.  So, we’ve been saving the RR gift card to go for a special near-Matthew’s birthday outing.  We even had a free meal coupon to use as well.  My dear friend Rachel is staying with us for a couple of days, so she also could join in the festivities.  All around, it seemed like a good idea, right?

 

Well, shortly after arriving, Kayli started to be a fit-throwing toddler-rage person.  She’s been a picky eater lately and my guess is that she was kinda starving since she hasn’t been eating all that much at meals.  Then, Mike and I discovered that we didn’t actually have the RR gift card with us.  The whole point of going to Red Robin, the whole reason we could do it in the first place, was because of this gift card.  But we’d already ordered food and couldn’t just pack up and leave, so…there was that.  Then, after eating a little bit, Zach suddenly announced that he felt like he was going to throw up.  If you know us, you know that we’re kind of a pukey people.  It’s what we do.  And we’re pretty good at it.  Mike quickly steered Zach towards the restroom only to find a couple of people standing in the way, blocking the door.  I don’t know if they were coming or going or if loitering outside Red Robin restrooms is something they do for kicks, but unfortunately they were doing it at the wrong place and at the wrong time.  Zachary proceeded to vomit all over the floor.  Awesome.

 

We can now add Red Robin to the list of restaurants that we have, er, marked.  Also on that list are: The Olive Garden – ‘when you’re there, you’re family’ and I guess we felt just a little too at home.  McDonalds – that Zachary sprayed with Easter candy rainbow vomit, and Jack in the Box, where Matthew finally let his ‘car sick’ outta the car. I don’t think anyone will ever invite us out ever and really, I don’t think we SHOULD eat out for a VERY long time…or maybe ever.

 

Mike left to take Zachary and Kayli home while Rachel, Matthew and I calmly finished our meal and then split the check (the sweetheart!) for the meal that we really shouldn’t have had to pay for and sadly didn’t really manage to enjoy.

 

So, the money thing: we’re on a tighter budget now, which I DO think is a good thing.  It’s definitely more stressful, but it makes us count every penny we spend.  We eat home, so we’re eating healthier food; the kids know that they’re not going to get whatever they ask for (though I’d like to think that they didn’t even before either); we’re just getting more creative and spending less.  Anyway, I feel like, again, we’re doing a good job, we’re trying anyway and yet…and yet…we had to get new tires and breaks for the minivan – Boom $$$.  We had to buy a new furnace (which we knew we’d have to do) – BOOM $$$$$!!!  We got the bill for Kayliana’s trip to the ER on our anniversary – OUCH $$$$!!  We got the bill for her second elbow relocation – OWIE $$$.  Mike and I haven’t been to the dentist in two years (yikes!), but his work doesn’t provide dental, so we’d have to pay out of pocket for that.  Not gonna happen right now. The boys are now due for a dentist check-up, and I dread setting up the appointment because of what it will cost.  Wah wah wah. Whine whine whine.

 

Obviously, we CHOSE to move, we KNEW we’d have a bigger mortgage and a tighter budget, I just wish the universe would stop pooping on us!

 

But then, just when I’m so super frustrated with things going just kinda-a-little-puke-ily wrong, something amazing happens.  Kayliana and I nearly get hit by a car.  This was amazing because we WEREN’T hit by a car.  We were walking from Spin at the gym today down the shopping complex to the Safeway.  Kayli wanted to walk and kept stopping and was taking her sweet time which was fine with me as we weren’t in a big hurry, so I let her linger.  We’d just started walking after another little for-whatever-reason break, when an old man floored it instead of stepping on the break and proceeded to drive his car (about twenty feet in front of us) on to the sidewalk and up against the brick wall of the building.  Without much pause, he quickly threw the car into reverse and went to a different parking spot in the lot as if nothing had really happened and he hadn’t just smashed his car into a building, leaving chunks of his hood and bumper on the sidewalk. 

 

I’m thankful that we weren’t the chunks on the sidewalk.  Thank you, Universe.  Thank you, God!