It is a Co-op Thursday...

...And the rain is coming.

Reminds me of this
day last year.
Hopefully we don't do this again today!

Yesterday was one of those days! You know the kind where the harder you try to get ahead the farther behind you fall? Usually on Thursdays we are slower paced in the morning and kind of gear up for Co-op. Our morning started out that way and then took a crazy turn.
We had planned to go look at a potential building for our church but before that I wanted to stop at Georgia's to drop something off and had told her the night before to expect me. She lives next door!
It was absolutely pouring rain so I decided that rather than run across the yards like normal I would just pull in as we left.
Anyway...about a half hour before we needed to leave, Chelsea came to me and said that she couldn't find her bag of Scrapbooking supplies for her class. She was very upset because the teacher had said at one point, "If you don't bring your supplies, don't bother coming to class." Sounds harsh? I know this teacher, she wouldn't hurt a flea...but the kids got the message loud and strong and Chelsea was terribly upset. We began the search for her scrapbooking supplies and I expected to go to the piano and pick up my music book.
Not There! Not in the living room bookcase! Not in the Family Room! Not in the office by the computer! Not anywhere!
So, the scrapbooking supplies were missing and my music, including background track!, were gone! GONE! My wheels start turning. Hmmm...what did we do last week after co-op. We waited for some friends and then went bowling. We checked the car and van....a couple of times. Nope, not there.
By now it was too late to stop at Georgia's and I had to call pastor Mike and tell him I would meet him ten minutes late and call Georgia and tell her I don't have time to "run next door"!
We were forced to leave without our supplies.
I was thinking and thinking about what we could have done with it. My best hope was that when we were waiting at the Church the week before that we had set it all down and left without it.
With my mind churning hard enough to make butter, we pulled out of the driveway and turned the wrong way! Being strong willed as I am, we kept going the wrong way even though it took us longer to go that way. I wonder why I didn't just turn around? Is it admission of defeat to turn around? What was that?!? Well, I'll have to analyze that another day.
We pulled in to meet Mike about 10 minutes late and it was still pouring. Folks down south, I do not mean to complain about the rain. I know how much you need it but it does seriously factor into this story. Long story short, this building was too small and the owner had a crew there putting walls up to make each space even smaller. No go. So...we stood in the rain a couple of minutes, Mike talked and said that while he was out the evening before his glass shower door had exploded into a million pieces and that was how he found it when returning home. Had he started talking about the weather or even this building I would have felt very comfortable pointing out that it was raining and I am a girl and don't want to go to Co-op looking like a drowned rat...but his shower door "Blew up!" Now this is something that just doesn't happen every day and how was he going to explain to his landlord..."I was out for the evening at friends, watching a show about ghosts, and when I returned my shower door was in pieces." So, I stood in the rain and empathized, really I do...it is terrible!, and got really wet. After the appropriate amount of empathy I hopped into the car and headed...the wrong way! Not my choice. This is another reason not to want this building. It is on a divided highway with no access in the front of the building to the other side of the road.
Feel my blood pressure rising? We have no scrapbooking supplies and I have no music for my two classes. I decide that even though we will be an hour early we will go to the church and see if it is there.
We arrive. It is still pouring so I get a fabulous parking spot near the door. This lot is usually reserved for the gym classes...but they won't be using them on this day. We run into the building and with trepidation I check the lost and found area. Nothing. I go down the stairs to the Moms' Room. Nope, not lying around in there. Our wonderful Moms' Room Coordinator shows up. I ask, with much hope in my voice if she has found a bag of Scrapbooking supplies....YES! She has. They are in the closet. I look to see if they are ours? YES! There is Chelsea's bag. Now to see if I placed my music in the bag... NOPE! Not there.
Up to the music room, no music...well there is lots of music in there, but none of it was mine...down the hall to find the kids...no kids. Back down the stairs. Oh, here are the kids. I tell them that we are going to run home and look again for my music...one half hour each way! They plead with me to be allowed to stay so they won't be late for class. I agree to do this if I can find a mom willing to oversee them. One agrees and off I go.
The rain and wind are now at an all time high. It was unbelievable. I am slipping an sliding because of the water on the road.
Meanwhile...back at Co-op. The fire alarm goes off and all of the people in the building are forced out into the downpour. Wouldn't you know, the ONE time I leave my children there this happens! The fire trucks came...it was chaos. I am oblivious to this, however, and am hurtling myself through major water lying on the roadways and being blown around, thinking about the price of gas, and how upset Warren would be at me for making this extra trip. I am a grown up and should know where my things are! Isn't this what we tell our children..all the time????
I arrive at home and search all of the places already searched. Nothing. So, I did what all addicted bloggers would do. I came down to check my inbox. New comments to the blog! Yeah! So, I guess that calmed my head enough that I thought to check just one more place...the garage, in a bin, under another bin. There it was! Apparently, I had done a quick car clean out and then this bin got placed on top of the one ....oh you get the drift.
Back in the car I go and fly up to Co-op. Everything appears to be normal so I have no clue about the fire alarm and the near drowning of my children. At least that is how they saw it.
I pause at Chelsea's scrapbooking class and her teacher says, teasingly, "Chelsea pulled the fire alarm." I laugh with her and think that this is a weird thing to think of as a joke...right then. Then they tell me that the fire alarm did go off and they were all outside for more than a half hour! Thankfully some friends pulled in and allowed my kids into their car while they waited at some point during the evacuation.
It turns out that the rain leaked through the roof of the church and shorted the fire alarm causing it to go off. Now, this cause was a major relief to us on the co-op committee because one year a student pulled the alarm and it caused us some grief with our host church.
My classes went on, with interruption. The Yearbook editor came and took pictures of the girls in the ensemble. They had to fix hair and makeup...time lost...they sang "flat", the room was HOT! It just was not a good day.
The 4-6th graders were not at their best, either. Here we are with 2 more practices and everyone is falling apart! Oh well, it must have been the day. Lets just hope that on concert day it is not raining and I know where my music is.
Might as well laugh! No sense in raising the blood pressure!

Nope, don't need another day like that...but it is the gold standard of
craziness in days!

Blessings to you!

Becky K.