This Had A Really Clever Title . . . but I forgot it

Yesterday it was proven, yet again, that nothing is certain in life except that God will get you through.

On the way to church on Sunday I was very dismayed to discover a new noise in my car. It was originating in the front right wheel and sounded like a busted wheel bearing to me. (My opinion is, of course, very well-informed: I heard a busted bearing once and it sounded like that.) So after sitting around on my thumbs for a few days, hoping it would go away if I just didn't drive anywhere, Daddy told me to head to Midas. He was even nice enough to set the appointment for me when Mommy's car was back in the shop for the second time within a week. Apparently this just ain't our month to save money on the cars.

Anyway, I took it in and told the lady that it was a busted bearing (since I'm the expert on such things). She said they'd take it for a test drive and let me know what they found.

So Dave and I headed out into the wild world to kill time. How does one kill time in a city? Spending money. But that was OK because I've been in dire need of a 2011 calendar ever since the year started. So we headed one block over to the Barnes & Noble; they've always got calendars. Cute ones, too.

After a brief search we discovered a small table display of four different calendars: some dirty TV show, half naked dudes, Boyd's Bears, and Twilight: Eclipse. Of those I was most inclined (shockingly enough) towards the last one, until I turned it around and discovered that there wasn't a single picture of the wolves as, well, wolves. I no longer had any interest in purchasing it or looking at it for the rest of the year. (Can you imagine an entire month of Edward's stoned visage? I don't think I could handle that.)

Then the hunt was on. Where does one buy a cute calendar for the current year at the end of January?

Bookstore? Nope.

Target? Nope.

DSW Shoe Outlet? . . . hehehe . . . Nope, no calendars there!

. . . Wal-Mart? Bingo.

Wal-Mart's selection wasn't exactly vast, but it had more variety than anywhere else we'd tried, and although I was tempted by the Justin Bieber one, I had to pass it over for the puppies. (Yes, that was sarcasm, please tell me you caught that!)

Along the way, I also purchased a few necessary items for my car, such as maps of the area, and rubber mats for the floors. Then I get a call from Midas (three dead hours later) saying that it wasn't a busted bearing at all. It was actually just a poor wear pattern on the tire that was making the noise. Despite being unable to visualize how that could possibly be the cause, I agreed to wait one more hour while they replaced the tire.

When it was all said and done, Dave and I had killed the entire afternoon in the pouring rain, and I'd spent over $500 in car repairs in less than two weeks of ownership. When I got home, I immediately checked my bank account online and was appalled at how low it had gotten: lower than it's been in the last four years. But as I was fretting over that, Mommy told me that I'd missed a phone call when I'd been out.

A few weeks back I'd gone to a job interview for a nanny position here in town, but hadn't gotten hired because I wasn't a strong swimmer. Turned out they decided somewhere between then and now that the lady they had hired wasn't going to work out. So they called and asked if I would be still be interested in working for them. Naturally, I agreed.

And so that is how I managed to go broke and get a job all in one day.

Drive Away with Absolutely No Cash!

My life was looking to be pretty boring in 2011: get a job and save money. There were possibilities of flitting hither and yon across the country to help family members in tough situations, but nothing was set in stone. So I settled in to the distasteful task of job hunting, but wasn't sure where to begin.

Somehow, in the mess of life plans, short term job possibilities, and wishful thinking, my wonderful father gave me the Go Ahead to adopt a dog. So I ran gleefully out to the shelter and brought home a sweet little Aussie Shepherd mutt named Zoey. Extremely distrusting and timid at first, she has since warmed up to the family and ingratiated herself with each of us. The stairs no longer represent a dark and cunning trap waiting to swallow her whole; and car trips no longer begin with the overwhelming fear of being dumped on the side of the road.

Within a few days of having this sweet addition to our family circle, it was also decided that I needed my own wheels. A sudden change in the car-eography of our family was going to leave us in a pinch once I finally get a job. So exactly one week after bringing home Da Baby, I was driving my own car off the Carmax lot: a really sweet 2007 Trailblazer.

Two days later I was sitting in Midas while they gave it the once over and replaced a leaky rear tire. The day after that, I was in the vet's office while they gave Zoey the once over and removed the stitches from her Snip-snip. And so, I have come to two large realizations: I'm an adult, and I need a job!