The Poor Wife...or The Unimpressed Girlfriend

Yes, Travis has had a few of his own blunders.

We had quite a storm yesterday!  Thankfully, it was a warm one, but boy, did the wind blow and boy, was there a lot of rain!  So much so in fact that school got cancelled (nice) and my classroom got flooded (not nice).  I'll be travelling from class to class to teach Music tomorrow.  It will be like old times!

Driving home yesterday was a bit like driving through a car wash, only without the big metal things that crush your car.  Very wet, had to drive slow (well, you're not SUPPOSED to actually drive in a drive-through car wash, but we all know that story...), water splashing on the windows from all four sides of the car...you get the picture.  As I was driving through the third largest puddle I was reminded of a story...

*Dream sequence*

*That's an overused phrase, btw.  Have I written about those yet?*

Travis and I were dating.  I was quite young and he was, well, while 5 years older than I, he was still a guy who was living in his age of invincibility.  We had a terrible storm that lasted for days.  There was so much rain and wind and, unlike the storm we just had, it was cold.    Even the  main streets had parts that you couldn't drive through because of the flooding.

Unless you're Travis.

After some sort of young adult function (young adults are kids who are out of high school and don't think they are still kids, but aren't ready to grow up and hang out with "real" adults), Travis and one other guy thought it would be fun to go for a drive...

in the rain...

around signs that read, "flooded..."

and straight through puddles...psh!  more like PONDS!

And we're not talking about an Expedition or big 'ol monster truck.  Oh, no.  This was his beloved Honda Accord!  The first nice car he ever owned.  Apparently he thought that Honda Accords doubled as submarines.

Well, away he and his friend went to check out all the mess the storm had made and make a few big splashes while they were at it.  The road dipped down a bit, but had you been driving on this road when it was dry, you likely wouldn't have even noticed it.  But had you been driving it this night, you probably wouldn't have noticed it at all because the road was nice and level...

well, only level if you are looking at WATER!

Oh, yes.  They drove on down the road ever so slow, watching the joyous fountain of water spray up on their windows.  I can only imagine their delight.

They drove on.  Despite the fact that they were the ONLY ones driving through this part of the road, they continued their adventure.

Eventually the water became deep enough that the fountains of water stopped spraying.  It must have gotten quiet, or so I imagine, as the boys no longer had that bit of amusement.  But then...I can only imagine how much noise they made when...

the water began to spill under the doors and into the car!  And oh, I have to wonder...did it get quiet when the car stalled?  How about when the car wouldn't start?  At what point did they start laughing again?  When the people driving by began to point or shake their heads?  When the tow truck came?  Or perhaps Travis laughed when the car did finally start but was not fully operational?  I'll bet the sound of the car running all night for 2-3 days with the heat on full blast made him giddy.  I'll bet the blow dryers running had him ROFLOL.

Alas, the car did finally dry out and although he was told that it was an impossibility, the car was fully operational within a few days.

I was indeed an unimpressed girlfriend.  Unimpressed with his submarine skills, but still totally and completely in love with him...

and that has not changed.  I am continually impressed with his dedication to God and his unending love and commitment to his family.  I married well.  I have one of the rare ones that many women are hoping to find...

unless they are looking for someone who drives a submarine.

p.s.  Travis, I love you with all my heart.  Thank you for marrying me and loving me through all my own blunders.  *insert kiss*

The Blackjack and What I'm Going to Do About It

Found myself a phone...finally!

I spent lots of time on Craigslist trying to find the perfect deal.  Emailed lots of people, checked listings incessantly over the weekend, emailed some more people...and a few people twice by mistake!

And after hours of hard work, I now own a blackjack.  AT&T reluctantly told me that if I stick my sim card into a smart phone they would never know and I would NOT be automatically given a data plan and I could use my phone however I wanted.  Pay per minute for data usage of course, but I don't have to buy a prepaid phone, thank goodness!  I like the qwerty too much.

I'm loving my new phone!  The last one I had was a Blackjack II and while I'm "downsizing" to get the forerunner, I think I actually like it better.  Not so bulky.  Thank you to the Craigslist poster who sold me this phone!  :)  I enjoyed meeting you and your daughter.  :)

So, as I promised myself, I am asking, "So what am I going to do about it?"

I habitually lose phones and here's what I'm going to do about it.

I bought a purse.  (How many girls do you know who can get a purse out of losing a cell phone?)  It's a tiny little thing, just big enough to fit some cards, my keys, and a cell phone, but just big enough to have a nice long strap that I can hang across my body.

You see, I carry around this huge handbag and I keep filling it with stuff.  I don't really know where all the stuff comes from, but I think there's a brownie (Spiderwick Chronicles reference) that follows me around and sticks stuff in there.  He better be careful or he  might go flying off the top of my car and who knows if he'll be found like the rest of my stuff!

Anyway, big handbag.  I hate taking it in stores because I refuse to put my purse in the cart.  How am I supposed to keep track of three kids and a purse?  So, instead of hauling this mini-suitcase into the car, I take out my wallet, keys, and cell phone.  I'm usually wearing a dress or slacks without pockets and so I wind up holding a wallet, keys, and a cell phone in one hand and grab groceries and children with the other.  Not entirely convenient, but better than having my purse stolen out of my cart or picking up all my stuff off the floor when I bend over to check prices and everything comes spilling out.  Embarrassing.  Not that I would know or anything.

I digress.  I keep jumping off my train of thought and taking a bus.

So... now I have this little purse thingy that I wear into the store.  When I get in the car, the purse thingy DOES NOT COME OFF!  No, no.  If it did I would probably forget it, especially if I was hauling the moving van-I mean handbag.  So, I keep the purse strapped to me, open up the little flap, and plug in the cell phone charger.

Yup!  I charge my phone INSIDE my purse WHILE wearing it!

I tell you, I get odder and odder all the time...  Even I have to admit that one!

BUT...!  If it works then I don't mind the oddness.  The phone remains on my body until I get home and then I place it next to the external charger.  The phone actually came with an extra battery, so I keep a battery charging at all times.

Ta-da!  I've gone from forgetting the phone in the car or carrying it around haphazardly in my hands while shopping WITH a battery that's near dead much of the time...and that's when I can find it!... to having the cell phone strapped to me with a fresh battery everyday.  Sort of like underwear.

How does one go from cell phones to underwear?  Must be the trauma of childhood underwear horror stories.  (Story 1)  (Story 2)  (Story that's a little over-the-top.  That's right.  There's no link.)

Well, there you have it!  The tale of the cell phone.  I'd call it complete, but not until I get an iPhone...

I'll keep you posted.  (POSTED!  Ha!  Pun not intended.  Oh, dear.  That was a Rachael Joke.)