not without a car!

I tried to busy myself preparing for Sunday’s party.  I wanted to take a nap since I woke  up crazy early with gluten issues.  Eddie wanted to know who was going to drive him to basketball camp.  I gave up on the pool party being postponed or cancelled.  I told him to just take the car, and then I went up to bed.  

I was in my bed still unable to sleep despite being crazy tired.  Damn gluten.  After I laid there for about 15 minutes, I heard the garage door go up.  I was only wearing a huge t-shirt, but I jogged down the stairs and opened the garage door.  I got Eddie’s attention just as he was backing out of the driveway.  He stopped and looked upset.

I told him to hop out of the driver seat, so I could drive him to basketball.  I was not about to get out of the car in just a t-shirt to switch seats at the high school.  I explained while we drove that since I was still awake, I thought I may as well just drive him.

Eddie hates being driven somewhere.  He likes to know he can walk out of the building and drive away.  Heaven forbid that he have to wait for someone to come get him.

I mumbled about the fact that I realized I should have a car to drive Mini to this party anyway.  I knew she could get a ride from a friend, but both ways?  That was pushing it.  I just couldn’t get my brain to clear.  

I dropped Ed off at basketball practice and headed home.  I put the garage door up and there was Mini standing in the door.   Her mouth was moving but I didn’t know what she was shouting at me.  I rolled down the window:  ‘The party is cancelled.  We are going to Indianapolis!’  What?!  

In my rush to stop Eddie from driving away in the car, I had forgotten my phone at home.  Mini told me that one of the moms hosting the pool party had called my cell to let me know they were cancelling the grad pool party.  With the party cancelled, we could try to make it to Indianapolis for Mini to compete in the Friday Irish dancing competition (feis).

This photo is a recreation. 
I absolutely did not take the time
to snap a photo of
me loading my cooler.  Had I done that,
 this picture would look a bit more like a
grocery cart being dumped on its side
in my kitchen as I tossed food into
 piles on the floor in front of the fridge.  

It usually takes me a few hours to pack up the car to leave for a feis (Irish dancing competition).  Now it was almost noon.  The competition started at 4. It was 3 hours away.  I had no time to think about how crazy this was.

I started to call out orders.  ‘Girls pack your bags.  Grab a cami (worn under dancing dress).  PJs.  Toothbrushes.  Clothes to wear when you aren’t dancing.  A book for the car.  Run!’

I opened the fridge and ordered Reg to get me the cooler on wheels. I planned a meal for later that night and breakfast for the next morning and lunch and snacks for the drive home (let’s hope we would be driving home by lunch the next day).  Bringing our own food.  Tradition.    

I headed in one direction to grab something before I stopped myself and remembered something else I needed to get in the other direction.  The kitchen was a flurry of me shoving food in the cooler and barking at people:  ‘Dance shoe bags!  Remind me to get the dresses we are selling out of the front hall closet.  Reg grab my running shoes from the front hall closet.  Unplug my phone charger and throw it in my purse.’  

We rallied.  I kept telling Mini it was all going to be fine.  The competition didn’t start for another 4 hours and it was a 3 hour drive.  We had this!  Right?