DRE-E-E-E-EAM, dream dream dre-eam

When you grow up, you assume your life is the normal life of all the other kids in the world.  When you get older, you realize just how non-normal your growing up actually was, well, compared to all the other non-normal lives you learn about as time goes on.  Confused yet?

All that to say, I grew up thinking everyone dreams in color.  I do.  Of course I’m not the weird one, am I?  Thanks to the internet, I have discovered that more than 80% of people dream in color.  Not so weird after all, thankyouverymuch.  Yet another fact caused me to pause and consider my abnormalness once again…. 95-99% of people forget their dreams. What?  Almost every night I have vivid dreams and can tell the tales of them the next day.  My children take great pleasure in asking me what I dreamt last night and then rolling on the floor holding their sides due to laughter induced dream tales.  Some dreams have stuck with me for years… for 24 years, in one case… like it was yesterday.  Some are so real that I write them down to ponder later.

While we were away at Christmas I had this great dream (that my children loved) about my husband wanting to redo the greenhouse (that we don’t have) on the back of the house (that we don’t live in).  He was all inspired and wanted to show me his plans, but he insisted the best view was from the neighbor’s back driveway.  The only glitch was that he was naked and I wasn’t walking outside with him.  I’m the modest one in the family, for goodness sakes alive, even in my dreams.  So he talked me into driving over to the neighbor’s back driveway in our station wagon with tasteful “wood” paneling on the sides.  He drove me over there and proceeded to do a 13 point turn in the little driveway until the car was facing our greenhouse (sideways on the driveway.)  But the inevitable happened and he backed up too far and we went down into the ditch and got stuck.  I told him I would climb out the window and go call AAA but he yelled, “You cannot call Triple A, I’m naked!”  And that was the end.  I did not find deep meaning in that dream.  I pray we never own that house or car!  But it WAS funny!

Sixteen years ago, after watching Father of the Bride 2, my husband decided we should move from Spruce Grove, Alberta to Phoenix, Arizona to be near my parents.  I whole heartily agreed.  We put the house on the market and prayed for a quick sale, it was winter after all. Then I had a dream about a lady coming to buy our house. I awoke quite relieved and explained in detail what she looked like to my husband. For ten long months, our house sat on the market and many people came to see it.  Every time I opened the front door, if it wasn’t the lady in my dream, I was disappointed.  Phoenix was calling my name, after all.  Finally one day she came.  I recognized her.  And she did buy our house.  Truly, I think God gave me the picture of her as a sign of hope that there was someone coming.  It gave me a measure of assurance.

Do you remember your dreams?

I love AAA

Yes, it’s true.  I appeared in public with foils on my head.  Yes, that is the AAA tow truck with lights flashing.  Yes, these two things would only happen simultaneously to ME!

Today started out like any other ordinary day…  we homeschooled; I dropped Keeve off for band; I finally went to the Social Security Administration to apply for Nora’s SS number (and they only printed it incorrectly once… that’s not bad); I picked up a refund check at the doctor’s office; I bought a few gifts at Target and then went to get my hair colored and cut.

Lo and behold, in between Target and the salon, I realized my front tire was flat.  Not just super low, FLAT.  Knowing that a color/cut takes an hour, I called AAA, knowing also that the tow truck driver NEVER arrives in less than an hour.  The timing was perfect in my little head.  As the picture shows…. it didn’t exactly turn out that way.  This was the fastest tow truck driver on the planet.  TWENTY minutes!  That’s it!  Just as the last foil went in, my cell phone rang, “I’m here!”  Oh brother…. and out into the warm afternoon I went, somewhat humiliated and embarrassed.

We are not putting one slim dime into this van with the flat tire.  My dear husband has tomorrow off work so we can go get a newer van and trade in this one.  It has over 220,000 miles and has served us well.  But right now it needs new shocks, new tires and the transmission changes gears randomly while driving, so that probably needs to be replaced as well.  I said all that to say, the tow truck driver got out the spare…. that has a bulge in it.  He put it on, but wouldn’t let me drive the van.  It wasn’t safe.  At all.  So he towed the van with the bulgy tire to our home 7 miles away…. and I stayed to get a shampoo, cut and style.

My husband was supposed to be passing by this area on the way home from work in about twenty minutes, so I called him and asked him to pick me up.  That sounds all well and good too, but there was a huge accident on the freeway and it took Rick 1 hr and 10 minutes to get to me.  “Frazzled” doesn’t quite do justice to my state of mind when he finally arrived.  I think he may have been going to ask me if I wanted to go to the movies…. but one look at me and he didn’t.  :o)  Wise man, my husband.

So, FYI: next time you schedule your hair appointment, don’t call AAA at the beginning of the procedure.

Highly Amusing

Some of you who know me well will find this tale tremendously, highly, even ridiculously amusing.  I awoke this morning at 6:58… even though the clock said 7:03…. I’m so onto Rick’s trick of setting it ahead.  I jumped into my bathing suit, (ok, maybe jumped was a bit of an exaggeration), grabbed my water bottle, Nike goggles, cover-up, BIG towel and headed out the door to meet Donna at the Tramonto lap pool. 

Clouds are not often seen in the great blue skies of Phoenix, but this morning they were plentiful.  When clouds do make an appearance, they are often white, puffy and here only for show…. no action.  This morning, some of their uglier grey cousins showed up to bare their teeth.  Donna and I felt the sparse raindrops but jumped in the pool anyway.  There was actually blue sky peeking at us from straight above.  We swam for 18 minutes and both surfaced simultaneously at different ends of the pool…. to hear rolls of thunder break the silence of the morning.  You’ve never seen two women scramble from a swimming pool so quickly….. earlier than originally planned, but SAFETY FIRST!

I’m always reading, as some of you know.  I always have a book with me.  This cloudy, thunderous morning was no exception.  Being that I was ahead of schedule, I went through Micky Dees for a $1 breakfast burrito.  I parked in the Albertson’s lot and slowly devoured my handful of Mexican goodness while reading International Adoption: Sensitive Advice for Prospective Parents.  I bought it yesterday afternoon and I’m on page 95.  It’s a good read.  I’m relating to the two women’s adoption fear, joy, anger, sadness, doubt, elation, etc. etc.

I finally realized that the breaky burrito was gone and I should probably head home to greet my children, who will undoubtedly be lying on the couch watching a movie…. and eating crackers.  My plans were foiled by a dead car battery.   Sheesh.  My first thought was “There is no way I’m asking for help in my bathing suit!”  I pulled my AAA card out of my wallet. (Anyone remember a few years back when I discovered I had been removed from the AAA family plan???)  Well, my card expired on July 31, 2009….. SIX DAYS AGO.  Stop laughing.  I phoned Rick to inquire of my AAA status.  He confirmed that I was indeed still covered by roadside assistance, but suggested I phone a friend instead of waiting an hour for my friendly tow truck driver.  I phoned Donna… no answer.  I phoned my Mom… Dad was gone.  I phoned my Dad… he was downtown getting his tires rotated.  I phoned Jill, who told me her long tale of woe regarding a wedding-gift-headboard-nightmare that was still ongoing.  Finally I asked if she could come save me…..  I told her that I had wet hair and was in my bathing suit.  She did her normal loud guffaw and agreed to come.  I continued reading.

Jill pulled up and when I climbed out of the van in my bathing suit and cover-up, she was positively disappointed that I had my cover-up.  She was hoping for just the bathing suit in Albertson’s parking lot.  Anyway, before we electrocuted ourselves with the jumper cables (even though we knew that red stands for the blood of Jesus and is positive) a kind elderly gentleman showed up and took care of business for us.

All this before 8:30 a.m.!!!

“Yes, M’am, I’m In a Safe Location”

Remember a few weeks back when my week was brought to you by the number 2?  Two flat tires…. two cars…   well, it was actually 5, yes F-I-V-E flat tires over a period of five weeks on our two cars.  The final one (I hope) was last week when I arrived at Keeve’s hockey practice.  I hopped out of the van to hear and watch the rear tire go flat in 15 seconds.  Quicker than usual, I thought. 

I called Rick and he confirmed that I should call AAA.  Believe me when I say that AAA is not making ANY money off of the Crosbys!  I’m so familiar with the drill that I save the AAA operator considerable time by answering her questions IN ORDER before she asks them.  “Hello, I am in a safe location.  I have a flat tire on my 2005 silver Dodge Caravan.  Here is my membership number and my cell phone number.” 

And you know things are not going exactly peachy when the AAA driver’s first words are, “Hey, I recognize you!”  Yeah, yeah, smarty pants, just fix the tire.  Not long afterward he added, “Good thing you got a full size spare!”  I wasn’t quite sure how to take that??? 

Seems there was a large crack in the tire.  Rick asked if I hit a curb or something bigger. I refrained from saying “You mean like the metal beam by your parking spot at the airport?”….. which he rubbed up against .  I’m slowly learning to be such a NICE wife.  It’s only taken me 21.4 years.

The needing-attention-flat tire in the back of the van has become so common place now, I keep a towel in the van to lay it on and I just stack the groceries on top of it…. and the hockey bags… and Jill’s card table for Bunko night.

All this does make my heart glad, however, for not long ago in a dire, out-of-town roadside situation I called AAA to discover that my sweet, economical husband had removed my name from the coverage plan.  What was he thinking?  I think I might just remove him from the laundry plan.  Before the shock wore off, I called Rick to see if the AAA lady was credible.  It was true.  Am I not worthy of roadside coverage???  His explanation, weak as it was, included illogical logic that I drive the reliable vehicle and HE is the only one who truly needs roadside assistance.  I don’t exactly remember my response to Rick at that moment. He probably does.  Kind of like when I mentally blocked the horror of my semi-Dorothy Hamill haircut in the 70s.  But within the hour, I had the AAA gold-package coverage and have used it at least four times since that memorable day.

Thank you, Honey, for taking care of me.

?#2 from My Sister’s Jar – Manly Attributes

What attributes do you possess that are unique to you as a woman/man?

So the question is really asking, “What manly traits do I have that most women don’t have?”  Sheesh – say what you mean, for Pete’s sake.

Well, I love to fish.  I know a few other gals that do too – but not many.  There’s just something about standing on the bank of a river and casting over and over and over again.  It’s soothing…. serene…. catatonic.

The first time Rick took me fishing was in Hope, BC where we used to camp.  The first day I fished for probably 8 or 9 hours… and I even caught 1 or 2 fish!  Of course, I won’t touch the slimy beasts – so I scream for Rick to come and de-hook the prize… so I could catch another… bigger… better… supper.

Math.  I love math… hence my sudoku addiction.  Math and numbers are straight up.  There’s no “almost right” answer.  It’s right or wrong.  It’s exact and I could figure it out.

Navigation.  Say “road trip” and I salivate.  A trip to AAA to get free maps is far superior to a trip to Victoria’s Secret… much to Rick’s dismay.  I usually navigate our road trips, a trait I inherited young.  I remember requesting the AAA trip-tik books, as a kid; following the yellow line from page to page…. delicious!