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be careful what you pray for.

My plan for Friday was to move into my new classroom. This is a little tough with a 2 year old, but I talked Shaun into borrowing a big giant dolly and meeting me at the school for lunch. I figured one of us could carry tubs, the other carry Owen.

I got a phone call inviting me to storytime, lunch and then swimming. Dilemma, work or play?? I almost always pick play……but Shaun is meeting me, the room is open and we have a dolly. Maybe I can do both. I pack a swim bag with and take off.I make it to B&N ( did I mention it is the one in SW Fort Worth) in plenty of time. I did see an accident on the other side of the highway. Mental note, try and avoid that on the way back. So my plan is a typical plan a lot into a short time, I –can-do-everything-plan.
Go to story time, leave about 11:30.
15 –minutes to get home
10 – minutes to load the truck ( yes I know that was a lofty goal, b/c it is a lot of stuff. 2 cars worth of stuff, but 90% of it is in plastic tubs and I can really move under pressure)
10 minutes to get to school
20-30 minutes to unload ( I am on the second floor and down a few hallways…..)
20 minutes back to Tina’s. Back by 1. I miss lunch but there is still plenty of swim time.
On the way to B&N, I think if I leave Owen at Tina’s I can do the hole moving thing even faster – maybe pick up some sonic drinks on the way back as a thank you.

Most people would laugh at my plans, but I am Michelle. I am super fast paced. I read fast, I write fast, I talk fast, I eat fast. I have never been one for details…….I’m all about quantity. My friends joke that if you give me 15 minutes I can mow the lawn, go to starbucks and write a blog.
So story time sucked. Owen was screaming about the trains and we missed most of the stories and the craft. High pitched screaming and tears when he had to share the trains. I got him outside and slightly calmed down and into tina’s car and I was off. The clock was ticking.

And then I see the sign that says “due to accident, expect LONG delays”. Ughhhhhh. I start looking for my escape route. I remember the wreck and the problem was that the service roads by the wreck do not connect.. They take you right back on the interstate still stuck. I consider for a minute to just turn around and go back……….but figure it will just put me a little bit behind. When else will have help and the dolly. I finally make it off I20 and hit my back road. Lots of other people had this idea too. All I can see are cars, but at least we are moving ( occasionally) unlike the cars where I came from. I call Shaun and adjust our plan. I ask him to pick up lunch and meet me at the school. I take a minor wrong turn, but eventually make it back to my exit. I pull into my driveway and note the time. 12:20 --- it took me over 45 minutes to get home. Panic. I call Tina and tell her it will be more like 1:30. I also noticed that traffic was also blocked going the opposite direction behind the wreck. Mental note find a new way back.

I start loading in a fury. The tubs are heavy. Really heavy. But the stress of a time crunch has made me super girl and I lift like crazy. Shaun pulls in. What isn’t he supposed to meet me at school?? O-well he has a sandwhich with my name on it and we load in less than 7 minutes ( at least something is ahead of schedule). Shaun goes in and I eat and wait on him. 3 minutes tick by ( can you tell I am in a hurry) and I go in after him. He says he will meet me there and to go on ahead. I fly to school ( 1 minute less than I budgeted) and figure I’ll take a few loads up while I wait. A few turned into 5 and Shaun finally pulls in. He is feeling a bit ill, but that doesn’t stop me from loading up his dolly in a hurry. I want to show him my new beautiful campus but instead I am sprinting. We dump the load by the door and go back down for one more. Sweating and panting we are finished in less than 20 minutes. I check my watch, about 1:15 – I can almost make it.
Shaun advises me on the back road to take to get there. So far so good, and then I see one of those signs. Be prepared to Stop, and then brake lights. Lots and lots of brake lights. One side of the road goes for about 5 minutes, and then the other. Ughhh. Of course he stops my group just in front of me! The clock is ticking and I feel bad about them watching Owen. Swimming with 4 is no easy task, and when I last left Owen he was in an all out tantrum. I finally make it through and take the over pass onto 20. Odd. There are 4 police cars stopping everyone in front of me on top of the overpass. Crumbling bridges in the news start running through my mind, but sadly I think I am worried more about how long this delay is going to take rather than my own safety. Only a few minutes and then I am moving again. Of course there is a cop directly in front of me …so I can’t make up on any time I lost by speeding. I go through my ipod trying to find a good song. The slow ones don’t match my pumping adrenaline, the fast ones only make me edgier. And then it hits me. I asked for this.
I am doing a study with some friends. Last week’s was on the 1 corinthians definition of love. You know the whole love is patient, love is kind…thing. I need practical application so I suggested that we each pick one of those things and really work on it and come back next week with a solid example of how we practiced it. Mine of course was patience. I figured Shaun and Owen would provide me with plenty of chances. I, however, did not remember to practice my patience in any of them. I guess God figured I needed some extra help. I finally breathe a little bit easier, settle into a mellow song and drive the speed limit the rest of the way.

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