How was your week?

Technically Sunday starts a new week, but we all know that it really starts on the dreaded Monday morning, so this is a wrap-up of the previous week.

Actually I can start on Thursday because I already mentioned the tonsillectomy and the horrible day at work, which was how the first half of my week was consumed. Thursday at work was only slightly better, and I couldn't get out of there fast enough. As soon as I left work I received a text from my husband that made me really mad and we ended up having a big fight. We almost NEVER fight, so it was another really bad day.

Friday I took Harrison and Arlie to the orthodontist, and while I was there, I needed to square away our bill because there had been some confusion as to what we owed. In the end, I paid $840 on the spot to the ortho and set up auto-pay for the future. Good LORD, that was a lot of money. I wasn't even sure I had that in my checking account to cover it, but I paid it anyway and prayed. I sure hope my kids appreciate their straight teeth. I, for one, never got braces because my parents couldn't afford them and I still have crooked teeth! However, at this point in my life, I can't afford braces, nor do I want the hassle of them, so I'll live with my imperfect teeth. But my kids better appreciate their perfect ones. And wear their retainers!

Friday night I asked Jeff to look at the dryer because it had been making weird noises for weeks and the kids said it wouldn't turn on so we hadn't been using it for a few days. He "looked" at it, all right. It's now in several pieces in the laundry room and parts don't come in till Friday. We do laundry almost every day around here so this is a huge challenge for us. Today I washed eight towels (I counted how many bars were on the collapsible drying rack and only washed that many towels), and even drying on the rack all day with fans pointing at them, they are still damp. The thought of going to a laundromat is abhorrent, but I might have to break down. However, I know we can all go at LEAST a week without needing to wash clothes, I'm just not sure how "desperate" anyone's laundry situation was before the Great Dryer Debacle. I, for one, will probably be desperate for clean jeans by week's end.

Saturday morning Jeff participated in the Fire and Ice run in a nearby town. I volunteered for the race, and had a great time riding through the cornfields to my post on the back of a truck. My partner and I then set up our chairs (which we never sat in) and stood at our post, encouraging runners through the obstacles (ours were "The Bergs" - wood platforms set over mud and mud puddles and covered with soap to resemble slippery icebergs, and "Charcoal Hill" - a pile of old tires to clamber over). In all, there were 21 obstacles in a 5K run. It was cold, wet, muddy and fun! There was a HUGE mud puddle (more like a lake) at my post, and although it wasn't technically part of the race, I encouraged over 300 people to slog through the mud (and took pictures of all of them!) We both had a good time, collected our swag and free hot dogs, and headed home where the kids weren't even awake for the day yet! Lazy kids. We showered, changed into pajamas and took a 3 hour nap! Being productive that early on a Saturday really takes it out of you. Heh.

Saturday night was "date night." Jeff actually has this in his calendar on a rotating basis so he informs me when it's date night and we try to actually go on a date on those nights, although sometimes we're pretty lame - like the time we decided on dinner and a movie but after dinner we were too tired to go to a movie. This Saturday night we actually went out to a very nice dinner, basing our choice of restaurant on a Living Social deal we bought. However, $100 later, we found out the coupon was only good for Sunday-Thursday. Guess it pays to read the (very) fine print! But the dinner was amazing and the "Double Bastard" beer I consumed (two full pints) was enough to knock me on my ass. I'm a lightweight anyway, but I hadn't had a beer in AGES. Especially one that was 11% alcohol. Needless to say, I was a little drunk. But the rest of the date was just a trip to Home Depot so I stayed in the car while Jeff went in to find a special screwdriver, and then we came home and, despite my three-hour nap, I crashed around 10 only to wake up to Macklemore singing on SNL. Good times.

Today my awesome son treated me to coffee and a salted caramel cake pop. He is just so generous with his Starbucks card! Plus, the sun was out, so it was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy our treats. He even browsed in a few "girly" shops with me in the shopping center before we headed home to do homework (him) and read the paper (me) on the porch swing in the sun. Not quite balmy out, but it was sure nice to see the sun today. Later, I drove Hannah to the store so she could pick up the latest Twilight movie, which came with free popcorn and soda. We were then accosted by the Girl Scouts and brought home five boxes of cookies. I just enjoyed one of each. Cookies. Not boxes of cookies.

Oh! And I also got in a nice workout this morning with Hannah and Arlie. We "walked away the pounds" with Leslie Sansone on DVD. It was nice to check that off first thing in the morning.

And we finally took down all the Valentine decorations. Out with the hearts, in the with shamrocks! Only we didn't actually put up the St. Paddy's decorations yet. I'll get to it. Hopefully before March 17. How was your weekend?