No Good, Very Bad Day

The last 24 hours have been very eventful and strange...not always in a good way.  As I mentioned in my previous post, my beloved cat was put to sleep yesterday evening. (Oh, and here's a tip: If looking at your recently departed pet makes you cry, maybe don't post a giant photo of her on your blog...unless you like staring into her sad eyes every time you visit your page.)

In a bizarre twist of fate, right around the time my cat was being euthanized, I got offered a well-paying project by someone I know and respect. The catch? It will force me to re-enter the lion's den...to return to my former corporate employer (albeit temporarily) and not just attend meetings, but lead them. But I'm a big girl, right? I can do this. It's been two and a half years! So why did my stomach immediately clench up? Seriously, we are beyond counting cars at this point. Stay tuned to see if this is what pushes me over the edge. 

So today started out nicely enough with a playdate at the park. Then right around lunch time, the sky started growing dark...and darker...and darker. Then the tornado sirens went on, so I gathered my boys and we went down to the basement. Naturally, I had the TV on to see if we were, in fact, going to be swept up in a funnel cloud, but in an effort to distract my little worrywart, Aidan, I decided we needed some lighter viewing. I was relieved to find a rerun of "America's Best Dance Crew," which easily took the boys' minds off of the storm...

Until the screen went black and a foreboding voice who identified himself as a member of the police force came on to tell us that we were under a severe thunderstorm warning, that the storm could be dangerous and that we should not call the police department unless there was an emergency. Did you know that could happen? I didn't. I thought cable provided a cocoon from local threats. So much for pretending all was well. 

Conveniently, the storm stopped in time for us to leave for the boys' 5-year check-up at the doctor's office (yes, I'm tardy on that one). In good news, there was not only no tornado, but also none of the promised hail. Just a lot of wind and rain.

So we are walking out the door for the doctor's appointment, when I see smoke coming from behind my garage. A tree that stands approximately one foot from my garage is on fire. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be caught in the power lines and is throwing sparks...a lot of sparks...very close to the roof of my garage. I call 911. In minutes, a volunteer firefighter comes walking up my driveway (he must be one of my neighbors - who knew?). He takes a look and tells me they'll get to it as soon as they can, but in the meantime, it's not going to burn my garage down. He seems like he probably knows what he's talking about, so off we go to the doctor's office...with me only mildly concerned that I might not have a garage when I return. 

The check-up goes fine -- the boys regale their doctor with detailed descriptions of both their birthday party and the Wii games they received at the party -- until it's time for the dreaded 5-year immunizations. Only, they didn't know to dread them because I didn't warn them ahead of time. I figured there was no reason to make them worry. I also figured they'd do fine now that they are older...

What I did not figure was that they didn't know what it meant to "get a shot" and by the time I realized their confusion, the needles (4 of them!) were already going into Aidan's arms. "Ow! It hurts!" he exclaimed, completely surprised and confused. "I know," I whispered, feeling terrible that I didn't give him a better idea of what to expect. 

And then there was my little Owen, who was sitting right there the whole time, but somehow managed to block out his brother's cries of pain and make his way onto the exam table completely oblivious to what was about to happen. Whereas Aidan had yelped, Owen screamed. "It hurts!" he yelled at me, expecting me to make it stop. "Please!" he cried at the nurses. And even though by then it was over, I couldn't help it, I cried too...he was just so shocked that anyone would hurt him on purpose, it was heartbreaking. 

I am happy to report that a couple of lollipops took the boys' minds off the shots (although now they are both complaining that their arms hurt) and my garage did not burn down while we were gone. However, I have had enough for one day...or two days, as it were. 

It's time for some brainless television and a glass of wine. I have to rest up...who knows what I might need my strength for tomorrow.