Relatively unharmed

I should have known the day was going downhill.  I generally purpose to be optimistic about circumstances in life though because I truly believe attitude is half the battle. But when I start the day's activities off running late and then back-slapping a stranger in the face, I should have known better.  Of course I did not mean to hit a nice lady in the face on a hayride!  I was trying to get rid of a hair that I pulled off of Gwyn's shirt and didn't realize she had sat down beside me.  I don't know a lot if people in our new co-op yet, so this was a great introduction.  (Read all the sarcasm you want in that). Now she will always remember me - as that lady who hit her in her face.  I did apologize and we did do introductions, but then didn't talk afterwards.  Awkward! Yay for making new friends.

Fast forward to the cold drizzly rain that cut our farm visit short and all I wanted was to take a nap.  Somehow that never works out.  So onward and upward!

The girls were getting their costumes on and ready for the Halloween party at Jason's office.  I was trying to get Lyla's fairy make-up just right.  Gwyn and Celee in the meantime were really impatient to get the trick or treat bags out of the box in the attic.  I told them to get the ladder out for me and I'd get it.  Now, I think I knew what they were doing and I think I shouted out for them to be patient and I would get the stuff down when I finished with Lyla.  But the next moment we heard a crash and lots of screaming.  I rushed out of he bathroom to see Gwyn hanging from the opening in the attic and Celee holding the ladder but screaming.  I grabbed Gwyn and yanked her down and then tried to figure out how Celee was hurt.  I thought the ladder was on her foot, but actually she had been holding the ladder under the tray when Gwyn fell.  The tray collapsed pinching Celee's fingers where she could not get them out.  When I figured that out we did get her fingers out and thankfully they weren't broken, just pinched and hurting.

After everyone was somewhat calm again, I climbed up to get the treat bags. And I fell off the ladder.  I knew I wasn't seriously hurt, but it was the kind of hurt where you just have to lay in the floor for a little bit.  So the girls start freaking out again and Lyla is crying now.  And all I can do is laugh and tell Lyla not to ruin her makeup. 

We did make it out of the house, albeit a little late, but I was just thinking of the crazy story I could tell Jason when we got to his office.  Oh, but our "adventures" weren't over yet.

We take back roads to get to Jason's office from our house.  They are narrow, windy, and busy in the late afternoons.  What a perfect time for the van to break down!  In a curve.  With no shoulder.  It just stopped and would not crank again.  I called Jason and he set off to get us.  In the meantime, we sat in the car as traffic took turns going around us sitting in the road on Belfast.  The part of Belfast that seems like it is one and a half lanes wide.  I don't know how many cars went around us, but finally a guy who was out marking trees for BGE asked if he could push us with his truck to the next road to get us off of Belfast.  Yes!  That done, Jason got there and we decided to try to put gas in it and hope that fixed it.  *here I will say that the gas gauge had not been on empty, but we thought that would be a much preferable fix if it worked than a tow truck*  So the girls and I took off in the car while Jason sat in the van.  We were no where near any kind of place that would sell gas, so it took quite a while to drive into Hunt Valley and buy a can of gas and get back to the van.  The girls and I were praying the whole time that God would let the gas fix the car, but if it didn't to let us be calm and trust Him to provide what we needed.  

And He did.  The gas was what the car needed.  We made it to the Halloween party.  I wasn't really in a party mood, but the girls were all dressed up and the problems solved, so we went.  

Now we know we can't trust the gas gauge in the van.  And that the girls should not try to get in the attic.  And that I should be more careful when I get in the attic.  And that some days the only response left is to laugh.  Unless you can take a nap, that might work too.