7:08am~Alarm goes off again. This time I get up....because I can not, for the life of me, figure out how to turn it off.
7:22am~I am ready to begin the day, my baby is crying, I change her diaper.
7:37am~I wake up Alex, feed my baby, try to get her to stop crying.
8:08am~Alex is now ready, the baby has stopped crying, we grab a bottle of water and a Cherry Coke for breakfast, and the three of us leave in Grandma's car to attempt to get a spot for an unscheduled driver's test. We should be back for lunch.
8:28am~Arrive at testing center....with at least 30 other cars!!!
9:18am~Still sitting in line, have moved only about three car lengths in the last hour.
9:48am~We begin to move!
10:20am~We are now officially in the que lot...we are labelled #19. However, several people have already given up and gone home, so we are really 11th in the "Extras" lot.
11:15am~No one in our lot has moved. It is 83 degrees and humid. There is no shade. I call Tracey with the unfortunate update....but we still have hopes to see her today.
12:15pm~Still no one has moved from our lot of cars. It must be near 90 degrees. We are hungry. It is SO VERY HOT in that car with the sun beating away at us mercilessly. Scheduled appointments continue to fill the first three lanes. Things do not look good. Alex and I strike a deal that if no one moves by 1pm, we are going to break out of this torture chamber and go home.
12:50pm~We just finished our longest "game" of "How long can we leave the air conditioner off?" We made it to 50 minutes. I am ready to croak. I am winning the game "How many cigarrettes is that guy going to smoke before he gets picked?" He is currently on #7. The men in the front row who have been here since 7:30am are still hanging out by their cars, having what looks like a tailgating party. How can they be so jovial in this oppressing heat? The crazy lady in a tube top made for someone at least 30 years younger than she, has now finished her pizza that was delivered here an hour ago which she shared with her mother in the car ahead of us. The baby is doing remarkably well, and is getting ready to nurse for her second time in the car. We close the doors and windows and turn on the engine, welcoming the cooler air. OH! Oh!! Someone from our lot has finally been picked!!!
1:15~People continue to be chosen from our lot, as 3 more testers have arrived on the scene, and the scheduled appointments have temporarilly ceased. We are now 7th in line!
1:35~We are next! We are next to be chosen! SHOOT! The appointment lanes fill up again....there are six of them over there.
1:45~Still so many of them over there. And they just keep coming. We don't have a chance. This place closes in like, 2-1/2 hours.
1:50~The next scheduled appointment has left their car and is no where to be found. All the other appointments are behind this car and can not move forward. We hear the tester say, "well, I am going to take an Extra then". Is it true? Or am I imagining things? I'm so hot, I can't see straight, so I may not be hearing well either. It's true! He's coming this way! I jump out of the car with the baby. "Good luck, Alex!", and we high-tail it into the air-conditioned building.
2:10pm~Bethany has been smiling and cooing, charming all the uber quiet people in the waiting room. Alex returns. He doesn't look happy. My stomach drops. "Did you pass?" "Yeah-I have a headache". Poor kid. He passed!!!
2:20pm~Waiting in a long line to get license paperwork completed, but it is air conditioned, so, who cares?
2:30pm~Still waiting. Can't find Alex's permit. Gee whiz. Alex's head is about to explode. The baby has been crying for 10 minutes. Everyone is glaring at us. Such a bunch of crabby people in this building. The air conditioning is no longer comforting given our present circumstances.
2:45pm~The tester brings in Alex's permit which he found under the front of our parked car two blocks away. Thank you!
2:50pm~Finally at the front of the line. Sent to the back as the paperwork has not been completely filled out. Where was the sign regarding these instructions?
3:00pm~Now done with paperwork, and photo. Baby quietly asleep. Alex is ready to die. Walking to the car.
3:15pm~Driving through Caribou for a huge coffee for Alex. He looks terrible. Good gravy, is the window teller happy and spunky!!
3:20pm~No one here at Grandma's. Where are they? Alex lays down for a nap. I am worried about him. I jump into a cold shower. The baby starts screaming.
3:45pm~The kids return from a VERY HOT walk to the park and back. They only played there for about 10 minutes because of the heat. I am consoling the baby. Grandma gets swimsuits on the kids.
4:00pm~Feeding the baby. Kids running through the sprinkler. On my third glass of water. Beginning to feel a little better.
4:30pm~Kids playing in sprinkler and makeshift water table. Baby asleep. Beginning to feel less and less beaten by the heat. Alex is still OUT.
5:30pm~Grandpa's home! Alex wakes up. What is that? Oh! It's a smile on his face!
6:30pm~Enjoying a delicious meal from Smashburger. Yummy!
7:00pm~Laura begins making cupcakes with her new gift from Auntie Tracey. She is dressed in her beautiful new outfit, still convinced we are going to visit them again today.
8:15pm~Still making cupcakes, one by one.
9:00pm~Finished cleaning up cupcake mess. Loading truck to go home.
10:15pm~Shuttled kids inside. Shooed them upstairs. We are all going to bed now. Goodnight!
2 comments:
I loved this. I don't think I would have survived that line. You must have been motivated.
Your mom must have really enjoyed the cupcake maker : )
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