The first day (a Monday) that Julie was gone, I woke up in a stupor. Now, you have to understand that I typically don't do mornings. This was a new thing to me. It had been literally years since I had experienced a sunrise - so this seemed like a whole new experience for me. A typical morning around my house is crazy. The kids need to get up for Seminary (a before-school scripture study class held at our church) and then somebody has to wait around for them until it is done and then drive them to school. Well... that was not a typical morning. My daughter (Bethany) was scheduled to work that morning and I had to take her. As I was fumbling with my things, trying to get ready to go, I dropped my phone on the floor. No big deal... this phone has hit the ground before a few times and survived much worse. This time, the phone didn't survive. This was certainly BAD timing to be without a phone.
As luck would have it, I had another phone that I bought at a yard sale for a dollar. I just didn't have it in my possession at the time. I had let somebody borrow it. One thing to understand at this point, is that Julie has the smaller vehicle... our minivan. My vehicle to use is a full-size 15-passenger van... basically a bus. Needless to say, this beast is NOT a pleasure to drive around. In the process of driving around trying to get my backup phone back, my broken phone rings. I go to pick it up... nothing. I close it and it rings again... nothing. It's certainly messed up. I get a text... and another... I can't read these texts. What if it is Julie? Has something happened??? Through a convoluted process, I was able to get my phone back and transferred everything over. No sweat - problem solved.
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| The "Drakemobile" spews out a cloud of steam |
Day 2: The head gasket blows on the Drakemobile. It was actually kind of comical, in a way, to be driving down the road with this huge cloud of steam billowing out of the tailpipe. Now I understand why those people were honking at me yesterday. It's not the end of the world... we've got choices - not necessarily the best to choose from, but nonetheless there ARE choices.
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| The BUTT - Butt Ugly Teal Truck |
Vehicle #3 - the BUTT. This pickup truck was nicknamed thus by its former owners. I am not sure exactly what the acronym stands for, but it is something like "Big Ugly Truck" or "Butt Ugly Truck" though I am not sure what the extra "T" in it is for... so my rendition of this is "Butt Ugly Teal Truck." It is sort of a teal color... mostly rust though. Now, the Drakemobile was a pain to drive. This is 10-times worse. Not only is it an old 4-wheel-drive beast with a standard transmission, but the thing stinks like a combination of old burning motor oil, coolant, dust, decaying upholstery and rat turds. The doors require the force of a Bubba to get them to close properly, so they never close properly... rattling at every bump (and you DO feel every bump with this thing). I don't really trust the BUTT. Every time I turn the key (if it is one of the times that the tumbler doesn't fall out) I am hopeful that it will start... and stay running. And every time, recently, it has started for me. So, each successful engine start is a victory and deep inside I am rejoicing. This pickup truck (whose sole purpose is to haul trash, firewood and landscaping supplies) has become my main staple - but hey... at least I still have a running vehicle. Life is good... sort of.
I made almost through the weekend of the first week. Yesssssssssss! I made it halfway through! Halfway through having to rattle kids out of bed every morning and driving that old stinky truck around and trying to sleep on the front seat every morning while the kids were in Seminary. Halfway through! I can make it!
Then the call came. I was just waking from my afternoon nap after a refreshing and recharging day at church. It was Julie. It was more than just a call to chat. It was bad news. She held together fairly well as she told me the news. Her father had just passed away.
I was stunned. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was the younger, stronger and healthier of the two. After I hung up, I wanted to call back and ask if I had heard it right. It was too sudden... too abrupt. I knew he had some health problems, but he always pulled through. What went wrong? Why this time? Julie was beside herself. The two-week road trip became an "indefinite" stay in Florida now. There were numerous options... all of them causing major disruptions and requiring some serious sacrifices. I wasn't ready for this. None of us were.
The Tuesday after that was a low point in my life. Not only did I lose a true friend in this life, but I felt like my family life was falling apart. I just felt numb... disconnected... apathetic. Not a whole lot got done at home. Julie wanted me to make a trip down to Florida for the funeral and to encourage the boys to do the same. Bethany (my 18-year-old daughter) was already packing and heading down there on a plane. I talked to the boys and none of the three wanted to go. I didn't fault them. They couldn't afford to take days off school or work. Me??? I didn't want to take the trip. Even though I loved my father-in-law, I just felt uneasy about leaving the boys behind to fend for themselves for almost a week.
Anyway... (to avoid making a novel out of this) I will make a long story short: With the help of some willing family members and friends, I DID make the plane trip down to Florida - MAN I LOVE IT DOWN THERE! It was a long trip, but not nearly as long as the trip that Julie took... driving straight through from Boise all the way to Central Florida (with two other drivers). I think that's a record speed trip for any of us. The funeral was wonderful with dear friends and family members attending. It was well worth it! I made it back the other day and I am finally adjusting back to "normal." It looks like the "indefinitely" part is only going to be an additional week or two. I think I can do this!
