this is long, but i promise it’s worth it. 

this is how friday began:

this is how it ended:

and no, that’s not the same car. as you know by now, joe got a new car on friday. his old car started overheating two weeks ago and, since the mechanics at firestone didn’t find the real problem then, the cooling system leaked coolant into the engine, causing it to burn up.

we headed down to rome to the honda dealership where one of our friends works. we didn’t really have the option of shopping around: i had to be at work and the next destination was the final one for joe’s car.

about halfway to rome, joe’s car started overheating. we pulled over twice. the second time, you could smell the inside of the car burning. i honestly didn’t think we’d make it, and i was dreading paying for a wrecker. but, after letting it cool down and filling it with coolant, we were able to coast to the dealership.

a few hours later we were happy with a new car but sad about the passing of sasha. i won’t talk anymore about that, since i’m sure you’re all burned out. i hope you don’t think i was too sappy, but to me and joe, our cats are our family.

after putting sasha to sleep, i headed back to work and got a frantic call from joe who had forgotten we had to give out scholarships from our kiwanis club at a reception in a few hours. i hurriedly finished my work, and off we went to the reception. then, it was time for dinner, since we hadn’t had anything to eat.

i thought then we could bury sasha and then try to get some sleep. but, my bad luck wasn’t done. when joe was about halfway through digging sasha’s grave, i got a voicemail on my cell phone. it went something like this:

“hi, cady. this is ben at the theater. there’s a white mustang out front that’s been running with the doors locked for about two hours. is it yours?”

my first thought: why didn’t you call me two hours ago??

my second thought: he must be mistaken. i have my keys with me.

*sidenote: by theater, i mean the grand theatre, which is owned by my company. our offices are housed with the theater offices, and i usually leave my car there on fridays since joe picks me up for dinner.*

however, i checked my purse and discovered i didn’t have my keys. so, joe stopped digging to call a locksmith, and we headed back to the station. as soon as we pulled up, my car ran out of gas. fabulous. while we waited for the locksmith, we went to walmart to buy a gas can and put in some gas. by my estimates, my car was running for almost five hours, from the time i got back from the vet until ben called and we got down there.

finally, we were on our way home where we finished burying sasha and went to bed at 1:30 a.m.

i figured saturday would be a little bit better. boy, was i wrong. i stayed home from church since i was completely exhausted from the past few days and lack of sleep. we eventually headed out to atlanta to go to the braves game that night with joe’s friend, philip, and his new wife. on the way, we stopped by the gas station for some drinks.

now, at this gas station there is a cute little display at the counter with a hut made out of straw and bamboo and keychains with flip flops. there was a button on them, and joe thought they were laser pointers. he pushed the button to try one out, and the hut began burning. yes, it was a lighter, not a laser pointer, and my husband caught the display on fire! i was laughing hysterically as he tried to blow it out. the funny thing is, the entire bottom of the straw was black from *other* people lighting it on fire. haha. our question: who puts a display of lighters under straw?

that was the highlight of our day. we left our house 1 1/2 hours before game time. we got there about an hour after the game started. that’s almost three hours to make a 30 minute trip. we hit two construction sites and about three wrecks. sigh. we left the park at 10 p.m. and made it home promptly at 1:30 a.m. (there’s just something about that time). yes, it took us another 3 1/2 hours to get home, thanks to another wreck.

thankfully nothing has gone awry today. i know joe’s hoping it stays that way for his procedure tomorrow!