Tuesday, May 5, 2015

It finally happened

Growing up it was always the big joke at our house that my mom would frequently run out of gas.

I don't really know if it was because she would forget to check her gas gauge, or if she would just try to push out the last few drops of gas in vain and end up stranded on the side of the road. 

The funniest story was when I was actually in my wedding dress going to get my bridal portraits done.  
I don't exactly remember all the particulars of that story - but I do remember rolling in to the gas station on fumes and getting some very strange looks from people in other cars.

Well, I have always prided myself on keeping myself in check and never running out of gas.  
I've come pretty close a couple of times and had to pray myself to the gas station, but never had to walk with a gas can in hand back to a stranded car -- until last weekend.

I went on an adventure with Elora last Saturday.
We decided to attend my neice, Lexy's baptism in Utah.
We left bright and early, and I remembered the night before that I better remember to fill up the gas tank!

Unfortunately an hour and a half into our trip, as my speed started to slowly come down was when I remembered that I didn't actually fill it up!  

So I was in the middle of nowhere - I didn't even know where...... and I didn't know what to do!
Luckily I had a cell phone, and a pretty smart dad who could tell me what to do!
A really nice policeman drove me 20 minutes back to the nearest gas station (I had to purchase a gas can and $5 worth of gas), and we were on our way again.

Well, that wasn't even the worst part of my adventures that day.....
I'm completely directionally challenged (don't judge..... it's really a thing - and it's not fun!), I had to have a really nice stranger be my fake gps on the phone and tell me exactly how to get to the baptism while at least 50 people sat and waited for us to get there.  I know I looked like a complete freak when I walked into that church BUT AT LEAST I DIDN'T DRIVE 3 HOURS FOR NOTHING!!!  I GOT TO SEE MY NIECE GET BAPTIZED!!
And when you're used to much slower and safer traffic like my town...... Utah is kind of a scary place.  I got lost at least 5,000 times and I seriously thought I was going to die. It wasn't even funny at all and my daughter and her fiance (it's still weird to call him that...) totally laughed at me!  

So the moral of the story is this...........

I've decided that when I'm in Utah someone else should drive.

The End.

And I also figured something out while I was sitting in that police car after I ran out of gas.

I think that the reason my mom ran out of gas wasn't because she didn't check her gas gauge or because she was trying to push out the last few drops of gas...... it was probably because she was just too busy to get gas (running 7 kids around), or because she had so many other things on her mind to even think of one other thing.  I totally get that now.  
And I had an epiphany as I sat there thinking about my mom and me running out of gas.

I've become my mom..... and that is ok with me because my mom isn't just a funny lady who ran out of gas and did crazy things.  My mom is one of the most amazing women I know!  

My mom has always been my cheerleader, my support, and my most loyal, understanding, and best of friends!  

She is beautiful, dependable, intelligent, nurturing, patient, creative, generous, hardworking, religious, strong and wise.  

Saturday really was a weird day - a day full of reflection about myself.  
I'm certainly a work in progress.

Thank goodness there's a long life ahead of me to keep working on it!

My crazy and super fun mom and dad at one of our family reunions


good things:
home safe and sound
figuring out the gps
cell phones

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