It all started when I volunteered to help unload things for the kids Hansel & Gretel performance. I figured I could give an hour of my time to help unload things from the trailer and put them in the auditorium. Weelllllll, when I got there at 9:00AM they had everything unloaded already and needed help hanging the houses on the poles that used to raise and lower the set for different scenes, and to hang up the back drop scenery etc. It ended up taking 4 of us 5 hours - yes FIVE hours. When I left the house the kids were finishing up their workboxes and I was planning on doing a little History and Science with them when I got back. I knew it was going to be a busy day so I wasn't too worried about much more than their workboxes.
After working on the houses for about an hour, my friend came into the auditorium and said hi to me and I asked her what she was doing there. She then backed out of the way and Quinn was standing in the hallway. Yes, he had walked all the way down to the Jr. High. I made him sit on a chair on the stage until we finished with the house we were working on, then I took him back home. When we got home, I checked on everyone and threatened Quinn not to leave the house again. (This spring he has gotten into the habit of chasing either myself or Bart down the street when we leave - like a dog chasing the car. GGGGRRRRRR!!!!! - Maybe he is having a little separation anxiety or something?????)
Anyway, I went back and finished helping set up. We finally got done at 2:00PM. I had to start running everyone to piano lessons at 2:00, 2:30, and 3:00. We had to be back down to the Jr. High with everyone in their costumes, and hair done etc. by 4:00 for the dress rehearsal. In the meantime, I was supposed to do dinner, but ended up not making dinner because I had to make treats for pack night (I am now the cubmaster for scouts). I just had everyone get a snack instead and we ran.
Dress rehearsal was supposed to be from 4:00 - 7:00 and I had pack night at 6:00. Luckily, we had the fire truck coming for the boys, so I didn't have to do much other than the treat. So my plan was to go to the dress rehearsal until 5:30, then Quinn, Hannah and I would go set up chairs at the church. I told Grant, McKinley, Jackie and Luke that if I didn't get back before rehearsal was over, that they were to stay together and walk home. Well Quinn was having fun running around and playing with Marshall (his friend that was in the performance) and did not want to leave the Jr. High. But with a little struggle, we got in the car and to the church (I did have to go back in to get toys that he left in the auditorium before we left though - double GGGGGRRRRR!!!!!!).
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| We love doing performances, even if it is hectic for the rehearsals. |
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| This is a picture with Marshall - our adopted brother. |
I was running around and setting up chairs and I told Quinn to stay in the YW room so that I knew where he was. Well, he and Hannah started playing with some of the kids that were there helping to set up too, but they were together so I didn't worry. At the last minute I remembered that I needed to get the flags out of the closet. So I went to get them and remembered that my key didn't open the closet, so I had to run home and get Bart's keys. As I was running back across the street, the fire truck pulled in. I set up the flags and immediately started the meeting. We had a prayer, and then did the flag ceremony, which I had to help with because only myself and Macy (the other leader) had our scout shirts on. So we did the flags. After the flags were done, I turned the time over to Ron Winn (the fireman that was talking to us about fire safety). Then I went to sit by Hannah and Ember and Quinn, but there was no Quinn.
I had been so busy setting up the flags and that mess that I forgot to make sure he was there when I got back from getting the flags out of the closet. So I ran out to the hall and "quietly" hollered for him while I was walking/running through the halls. Nothing. I ran to the Nursery room - nothing. I checked the bathroom - nothing. I ran home and hollered through the house - nothing. I ran back to the church and went through the overflow - nothing, the gym - nothing. I peeked back in the YW room and still no Quinn. I went to the phone in the hallway and called Bart to see if he was close that he could come and help me. He was up in Neola still at work. I hung up the phone and said under my breath, "Heavenly Father, please help me to find him." I decided to check the house again, on my way I had the thought that he had gone back to the Jr. High. I checked the house again - again NOTHING. I had left the expedition at the church, but was tired of running so I grabbed the keys to the truck and sped down to the Jr. High. I ran into the auditorium, and saw Marshall's mom and asked her if she had seen Quinn and she said he was there. So after a little more running I found him in the boys bathroom - yes I walked right in and got him.
We went back to pack night and I tied him to me with the lanyard of the keys. I told him that his punishment was that he could not co anywhere with me for two weeks and he had to skip his turn to go get groceries with me (which was a big deal to him).
You may think that this is the end of the story but it is not. I had already cried twice and was soooo done for the day. As I was cleaning up and putting the flags away, Carol Busk was helping me and her husband Jeb came in and was talking with us. He had Derek Potter with him and I figured that he was just waiting for her, so I chatted for a second and I don't really remember what was said that made me realize it, but it all of a sudden dawned on me that Brother Busk and Brother Potter were our home teachers. They said that they had called Bart and he said I was at the church and that he was going to be a few minutes, so they came over to help clean up or something. I wanted to cry again. I was so exhausted!!! They told me that they were wanting to come over and make resurrection rolls with the kids for their lesson. Didn't they know how scary our house was? I tried to explain, that it was messy and that I had been running all day, but they didn't understand. They said, "that's okay, our houses get messy too, we understand". But I hadn't been there all day, and I had been going in and out and not picked up a single thing. The kitchen was even worse than the living room!!!!!!!!! It was completely trashed!!! I think we still had breakfast dishes on the table and probably dinner dishes from the night before in the sink. I was horrified.
I tried to argue with them that they were supposed to come on Thursday not Tuesday, but I started feeling guilty that they had left their families to come to visit us and prepared a fun activity. . . . Then I asked if they had been to the house, which they had and no one was there, so I said that I needed to go get the other kids from the Jr. High. By this time it was 7:45 or so, so rehearsal had gone late and Bart still wasn't home. So I told them to come back at 8:00 and hopefully we would be ready for them. I went to the Jr. High and collected everyone and left around 8:10. So in my mind I was thinking that they probably showed up and left when no one was there. Nope - they were just getting to the door when we pulled in. Bart told them to come in and they asked, "are you sure, we can come back, it seems like you have had a busy day". But Bart said, "no come on in", even though I was giving him threatening looks behind their backs.
So needless to say, they came in and saw the mess. I told them that they had to sign a waiver that they would never disclose the mess they were seeing. It took me about 10 minutes to clean off the table so that we could make their resurrection rolls. While the rolls were baking, they gave us a great lesson and then they left. At least the day ended on a spiritual note.
I had been so busy setting up the flags and that mess that I forgot to make sure he was there when I got back from getting the flags out of the closet. So I ran out to the hall and "quietly" hollered for him while I was walking/running through the halls. Nothing. I ran to the Nursery room - nothing. I checked the bathroom - nothing. I ran home and hollered through the house - nothing. I ran back to the church and went through the overflow - nothing, the gym - nothing. I peeked back in the YW room and still no Quinn. I went to the phone in the hallway and called Bart to see if he was close that he could come and help me. He was up in Neola still at work. I hung up the phone and said under my breath, "Heavenly Father, please help me to find him." I decided to check the house again, on my way I had the thought that he had gone back to the Jr. High. I checked the house again - again NOTHING. I had left the expedition at the church, but was tired of running so I grabbed the keys to the truck and sped down to the Jr. High. I ran into the auditorium, and saw Marshall's mom and asked her if she had seen Quinn and she said he was there. So after a little more running I found him in the boys bathroom - yes I walked right in and got him.
We went back to pack night and I tied him to me with the lanyard of the keys. I told him that his punishment was that he could not co anywhere with me for two weeks and he had to skip his turn to go get groceries with me (which was a big deal to him).
You may think that this is the end of the story but it is not. I had already cried twice and was soooo done for the day. As I was cleaning up and putting the flags away, Carol Busk was helping me and her husband Jeb came in and was talking with us. He had Derek Potter with him and I figured that he was just waiting for her, so I chatted for a second and I don't really remember what was said that made me realize it, but it all of a sudden dawned on me that Brother Busk and Brother Potter were our home teachers. They said that they had called Bart and he said I was at the church and that he was going to be a few minutes, so they came over to help clean up or something. I wanted to cry again. I was so exhausted!!! They told me that they were wanting to come over and make resurrection rolls with the kids for their lesson. Didn't they know how scary our house was? I tried to explain, that it was messy and that I had been running all day, but they didn't understand. They said, "that's okay, our houses get messy too, we understand". But I hadn't been there all day, and I had been going in and out and not picked up a single thing. The kitchen was even worse than the living room!!!!!!!!! It was completely trashed!!! I think we still had breakfast dishes on the table and probably dinner dishes from the night before in the sink. I was horrified.
I tried to argue with them that they were supposed to come on Thursday not Tuesday, but I started feeling guilty that they had left their families to come to visit us and prepared a fun activity. . . . Then I asked if they had been to the house, which they had and no one was there, so I said that I needed to go get the other kids from the Jr. High. By this time it was 7:45 or so, so rehearsal had gone late and Bart still wasn't home. So I told them to come back at 8:00 and hopefully we would be ready for them. I went to the Jr. High and collected everyone and left around 8:10. So in my mind I was thinking that they probably showed up and left when no one was there. Nope - they were just getting to the door when we pulled in. Bart told them to come in and they asked, "are you sure, we can come back, it seems like you have had a busy day". But Bart said, "no come on in", even though I was giving him threatening looks behind their backs.
So needless to say, they came in and saw the mess. I told them that they had to sign a waiver that they would never disclose the mess they were seeing. It took me about 10 minutes to clean off the table so that we could make their resurrection rolls. While the rolls were baking, they gave us a great lesson and then they left. At least the day ended on a spiritual note.
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I am so glad that not every day is as crazy as this day was.
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