THE DENT . . .

This should be a story about how our van ended up with a huge DENT in the back. . .

But the story is really about one of those days

where you hope no one meets you for the first time.

OK - I like to think I'm kinda hip - 

I mean I know I'm not the most gorgeous mom,

or the richest mom,

or the mom with the most style.

I'm not the mom who picks her kids up from school in designer jeans and high heels with the brand name purse flung over her shoulder talking on an I-phone,

but I'm not wearing a flower moo moo either.

So. . . I know you are asking already -

What does this have to do with the DENT?

OK so last week Grandma and Grandpa were out of town

so I took Kristopher and Karalyn over to water the plants in their backyard - 

now if you don't know Grandma and Grandpa's backyard let's just say -

Grandpa has 99% of the backyard on a drip system and it still takes us at least a half hour to water all the other flowers and plants in the backyard.

So worth the 30 minutes to spend time basking in the beauty!

So we are watering the backyard - 

and in the process we are having so much fun we start watering ourselves.

Karalyn had her own little watering can and loved dumping water in the mud and watching the water (now mud) splash back up onto her legs.

Kristopher and I even made a little mud hole and started stomping our feet in it!

We had so much fun!

So by the time we were done - you can imagine we were a little wet and a lot dirty.

After rinsing off their feet I decided their little legs could wait until we got home - after all we were headed straight home - who cares if they were a little dirty?

And who cares that the wonderful mom I am didn't pack an extra diaper and Kara's was sagging pretty much down to her ankles at this point.

WE WERE HEADED STRAIGHT HOME!

Well, we needed gas. In fact we needed gas so badly - that I had Kristopher say a little prayer when we got into the car that we would make it to the gas station.

WE DID.

I filled up that Mini-Van and headed out of the gas station thinking to myself. . .

"I have had the best day. I just spent almost 2 hours playing with my kids with no interruptions - no phone ringing - no impulses to go put a load of laundry in - nothing - just FUN!"

WHEN . . . you guessed it BANG!

We get REAR ENDED!

I look back and sure enough there is a GIGANTIC truck attached to my bumper.

I make eye-contact with the guy and motioned that I was going to pull over to the right hand side of the road - so when the light turned green I pulled over to the right  - and you better believe he peeled off to the LEFT!

YEP - a HIT AND RUN!

I was stunned.

Now at this point you are thinking -

she followed the guy right?

WRONG -

I had no cell phone - Kyle was in trial and took our cell phone to work with him - so following him would have done no good.

So, I am standing outside my car looking around desperately to see if anyone saw what happened - but no.

So I'm thinking I guess I'll just drive home.

But then I'm thinking for insurance purposes I want to cover all my bases.

So can you see where this is going yet?

I drive my dented van back into the gas station parking lot,

get my very dirty, grumpy children out of the car,

I start crying,

and I head to the PAY PHONE to call someone.

Did you know that pay phones are now 75 cents?

75 cents!

So with my dirty, wet, grumpy children

I head into the gas station to buy a pack of gum with the hopes I can get cash back with quarters.

(I even mustered a yes without tears - when the gas station attendant asked if we were OK)

So after a panicked phone call to Marissa (thank you for being home)

she made a call to the local police station and told them where I was.

(saving me 75 cents)

I gave her the phone number that was on the pay phone so she could call me back

and the waiting began. . .

Yep  - with my dented van, and my dirty children, and my emotional self we were waiting by a pay phone for it to RING!

To make this story short - 

police came -

took statement - 

gave me little hope that "man with gigantic truck" would ever be caught -

I said thank you - 

and took my dirty, grumpy, tired, soggy, and (mad that she couldn't play with the nasty pay phone) children home!

So there you have it.

The story.

I can just imagine what people were thinking of me that day.

especially that old lady who couldn't stop staring at us while Kara was having a screaming kicking meltdown - I bet she had some especially choice thoughts for me -

 if she only knew - 

I'm usually a kinda hip mom!