Quick Takes

-1-

I just bought plane tickets!!!!!!! I'm sweaty and a little shaky and very much on edge. I have no idea why but air travel stresses me out. Nine times out of ten, I'm a confident, level headed, rational person. But when you tell me to search for and book a flight I become a basket case. I had to quit looking last night because I was afraid I was going to have a panic attack. Am I the only one who stresses about this so much?

After I bought themt I emailed the confirmation to my mom then immediately shut the computer. I couldn't even think about it anymore. She calls and tells me that she's switching up our seats so we can be together and not over the wing, etc etc. WHAT? There's more? I thought I was done!

Stress.

-2-

I bought the tickets after my dear, sweet, generous, wonderful father heard that my doctor wanted me to stop every hour to get out and walk on the way home for Christmas and offered to fly us home instead. 12 hours (not counting stops), 31 weeks pregnant, toddler who hates the car, mom who can't ride in back with angry toddler because she'll get carsick, patient-loving-wonderful husband who would likely lose his mind in the process. Yeah-what were we thinking? So my parents bought us two plane tickets and I couldn't be happier.

Or more stressed.

Did I mention this stresses me out?

-3-

In other, non stress inducing news, at our appointment this week we found out baby is currently breech. Oh wait, that's still stressful. Dangit-we're obviously not past the stress yet.

I know there's still plenty of time for baby to turn, but I just don't want to take any chances. Operation-spin this baby commenced Wednesday and will not stop until this little head is wedged safely in my pelvis. Upcoming events include a trip to an acupuncturist on Monday and a chiropractor when we get back from our trip.

Stressful. But not even half as much as booking flights.

-4-

Wanna hear a crazy story? And yes, it's causing me some stress. I'll try to make this short.

For my birthday (in August) Ted bought me a gift certificate for a massage (love!). I hung onto it for a while, knowing I would want it when I was huge and achy (now). A few months later Ted got a call from the director of the massage therapy place telling them that when he bought the certificate (online) their credit card machine was down and he was never actually charged (true story, we checked our statements). He said that I would just pay for the massage when I came in to get it.

We thought it was over....until we got a call from a collection agency! This crazy massage lady turned us over to collections for not paying her! For a service she hasn't even provided! And a non-service that we haven't even been charged for! When Ted called her to chew her out ask her about the threats, she gave him some long sob story about her mom being handicapped and not being able to make the bills. Blah blah blah-I don't want to hear it.

More back and forth. More frustration. She's now emailing Ted telling him that she won't take him off the collection list until we come in and pay for the massage (yes, the one we haven't actually had). I called and left a message for her to call me back. I will not be as nice as Ted.

When telling my mom this whole story I said, "Oh I can be aggressive!" She said, "Oh I know, I've heard you talk to AT&T."  :)

-5-

Just as I finished writing #4, I saw something about a school shooting on facebook. I'm sure everyone has heard by now-so far 27 dead at an elementary school. I was offering up prayers as I continued to do nap time errands when Hannah woke up screaming because she had pooped. So instead of my  usual two hours to get things done, check blogs, and eat lunch-I scraped smelly poop and held a squirmy toddler in an uncomfortable rocking chair so she could get another hour of nap in. As I sat in that stinky room, my stomach growling from hunger, my nose full of stink, and my abdomen cramped beyond cramped from having a baby on the inside and a toddler on the out-I just thought, "God is telling me that I need to pray MUCH harder than I was for those affected by the shooting." He needed an entire hour, with plenty of small sacrifices to offer up. And although it's still so small compared to the suffering those poor families are experiencing, I thought it was actually pretty cool that I was provided with a little holy hour right here in my home at a time when many, many people needed it.

-6-

Ugh. As a facebook friend said-I just want my husband to get home so we can all be together. What a horribly sad day.

-7-

To end on some kind of positive note-our weekend plans include working on a Christmas present for Hannah, going to confession, going to Mass, attending our parish Christmas party, and hosting a Christmas party with some of our friends from Ted's office. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!