Ever had one of those days?

I was so prepared for an awesome day today! I had to teach two classes at our co-op today, so I spent much of the week and most of yesterday and last night preparing and gathering supplies. I woke up early (I'm not saying what time because my early is definitely later than a lot of others') so I could shower and get breakfast and ready children and be out of the house by 9, in order to complete my setting up in time.

All was going fine. I got kids up, everyone dressed in clothes laid out the night before, fed their faces and even combed hair. Hair combing doesn't always happen on co-op days here.

I loaded the car. Everyone got shoes on. I reached for my keys ... only they weren't there. I searched yesterday's pants pockets. Not there. I looked on the several shelves and counters they could be on. I hear child #3 shouting from the garage that the car is locked. I call back that I'm looking for the keys.

Feeling a sense of dread, I call hubby. I'm totally convinced he has pocketed my keys, for like the 5th time (did I say that??) and am struggling to remain calm. As we talk child #1 tries to talk to me, but stops when he sees I'm on the phone. Hubby declares himself innocent after a thorough double-check of his pockets. I hang up and the child tells me, "There's good news, and there's bad news. The good news is that the keys are found ... they're in the car. The bad news: I'm just kidding, the car is unlocked. The sliding doors won't open but the front is unlocked." Ha ha, he's so funny. That's what he was going to tell me when I was on the phone falsely accusing my husband.

That sliding door comment sets of an alarm in my brain though. Uh oh. Sure enough, I go outside and see keys in the ignition. And the ignition is partially turned. RATS. Dead battery. I remember that I had to eject the movie for the kids because they wanted to finish it inside, and that small slip in routine confused my poor brain enough that I forgot to turn the power back off.

Have no fear, though. I have killed my battery more times than I can count (once in the rain outside the INS office). We now have a battery-powered car jumper that I can do myself. (I still have to read the instructions every time, but still, I get 'er done.) The jumper works well when it's charged. I check the battery level on the jumper ... it's weak. NO! Still, worth a try. Except ... last time we took the car in for repair, some how they damaged the little lever that you depress to open the hood. And the hood WILL NOT open. I try and try. For like 10 minutes. Another call to hubby with some tears threatening to erupt, but kept in control. Magically, as soon as the man is on the phone, the hood opens. Yay! Glad electronics and automobiles will at least obey the man.

Takes me 4 tries to get the cables on properly, but I hear a magical "door ajar" chime, turn the key, and ... its chugs a bit ... then turns over! Ha ha, you thought it wasn't going to start, right? Gotcha. God has not completely shunned me. We might get there in time to scrape together a rushed set-up and still be ready.

Everyone is cheering and so happy. As I walk to the front of the car to unhook the cables, child #3 complains that the sliding door still won't open. I tell him to leave it, the battery may not be working and don't touch, I'll do it. I hear the passenger door slam. I walk back to the driver's door to use the button that opens the sliding doors. Click click. Driver's door is not opening. Click click. I keep pulling the handle, not comprehending. I look across the car and see that both locks are down. Down = locked. I can't believe it. Child #1 quickly points the finger at #3 and says he locked the door, thinking he was unlocking the unworking sliding door.

It was interesting how quickly my blood boiled, and I think I screamed. My next reaction was to grab some wood and smash open a window. I was SO. MAD. We had overcome so many obstacles in such a short time, only to be completely thwarted in the end by a child who wouldn't obey instructions. Hot tears began to gush. I'm sure my face was purple and I was wailing. I ordered the children inside (who also began crying, except for the culprit, but I think he was too scared to cry). Another call to hubby, this one loud and teary and full of repressed cussing. He agreed to come back home and rescue us and get our sorry butts on our way. The car was still sitting in the garage, running. And there was NO WAY we'd make it to co-op on time, let alone be able to set up. I had no idea what I was going to do.

Finally I composed myself and went in to comfort some sad kids. They were mostly sad that they wouldn't get to see their friends. We agreed that maybe it was all good; maybe we were being protected and all that stuff happened because if we had left in time we would have been in a bad accident or something. That helped us all feel a little better; we know Heavenly Father watches out for us so we could believe things were happening as they should.

I hear hubby's car door slam about 25 minutes later, just as the phone rings. I answer the phone while I wave to him and he opens my door and unlocks the car for me.

It's the co-op organizer. Classes are canceled today due to location issues.

Of course.

(You may be thinking I'm making this up, or exaggerating. If I hadn't lived through this I would think that myself.)