Relief!!!

Well, I have to admit I was getting worried. In both of the last 2 posts, I promised my entire mass of 2 readers an infertility-free blog post.

So I sat and waited. And did some thinking. And waited some more. I had nuthin'. Zero. Not that my whole life has been consumed by this invitro crud --- well, actually it kind of has. But I just can't say there's been a whole lot of remarkable things happening in the Clanahan household. Nothing really blog worthy at least. The past week truly has been crammed full of work, meetings, carnivals, driving, driving some more, more night meetings, sleep and more work.

The past 2 days I actually have been so busy for work that I haven't made it to the shower before 5:00pm. Well, I don't know if I can blame that on work as much as I can just plain laziness - but still. Pretty sad. My goal now is to be showered with hair partially dry by the time Matt gets home just so he doesn't know that I hang out in my Target finest loungewear all day.

Not that I am lounging. Because I am sooooo not. I just stare at a computer monitor all day, answer emails and attempt to write clever newsletters and bulletin items.

I would like to take this moment to clear up a few misconceptions of people who work from home though.

Just because I work from home does NOT mean that I am responsible for keeping a sparkling house. I work 8-10 hour days and that does not include time for laundry folding.

I'm just saying. No one's said anything to me - yet - but I sometimes see that questioning look in my sweet husband's tired eyes when he comes home and the dishwasher has yet to be unloaded and there are clothes strewn about. I tell him to pretend I was at an office all day b/c all be darned if I am going to feel guilty for working full-time from home and not cleaning during my work hours.

Ok, now that I've gotten that off my chest -- I finally do have some blog fodder to write about. I should have known all it would take was a trip to Wal Mart at 7am. Yes, in the morning. Because I am a huge procrastinator.

I volunteered to cook a meal for a family at church this week. I agreed to do this Sunday so I have had more than ample time to get my rear to the grocery store. However, it was POURING on Monday & Tuesday afternoon - and while Wal Mart is bad at 5:30pm on just a regular afternoon, throw a little mini-hurricane in there, and it's just downright miserable.

So in order to not subject my freshly washed hair to the perils of Wally World yesterday (does it really make sense by the way to shower & clean up prior to going to Wal Mart??? I'm just going to let you think about that one for a second), I decided to head out at 7am today.

Why so early? Well, because I happen to be expecting a very important package filled with 16 different medications and types of syringes/needles/patches/etc today.

Fed Ex said they would deliver between 8am and 3pm.

And I have to be here to sign for it (not that I would want them to leave that box 'o preciousness on my doorstep)

Who wants to bet that they will arrive at 2:59pm and 59 seconds?

So, off I headed this morning with my little print out of 2 Paula Deen recipes, one for a chicken casserole and one for taco soup.

Cause I don't know if you heard, but H-town had a little cold front move through here and the high is only supposed to be like 78 today. I felt that little bit of cool breeze and decided to break out the winter recipes. I mean, who doesn't want to sweat over a bowl of steaming taco soup when you aren't feeling well??

Only 10 more degrees cooler and I get to dust off my Uggs and Matt will be eating sweet potatoes and stuffing for the next 4 months (b/c that's what I serve as soon as just the tiniest bit of fall hits our humidity-laden town - if you wait for it to be 35 degrees outside...well, you will never eat "fall food" here)

So back to Paula. While I am entertained by her on tv and was really excited to see her restaurant in Savannah, I very rarely cook her recipes. I mean, they all look and sound delicious but they are to be saved for special occasions and days where you don't care that you are eating a pound of butter. Not for everyday meals. I've become pretty skilled over the years learning how to substitute lowerfat ingredients for the full-fat variety but even I don't have the skills to mess with her recipes.

But for a family that needs some meals - Paula Deen is just the answer.

I was pleasantly surprised when I pulled up at the Wal Mart and the parking lot was almost barren. I obviously hit them on shift change because just as I was walking in about 4 or 5 red-eyed employees were stumbling out, shoving cigarettes into their mouths as fast as humanly possible.

Nothing like starting my grocery shopping with walking through a plume of smoke into the "fresh" produce aisle. Yummy.

So I made my way through Wal Mart picking up the various assortment of ingredients I needed. Because it was a taco soup and a casserole, I spent the majority of my time on the canned tomato aisle. Good lord. All I can say is thank goodness I had time to scan the shelves without people running me over with their carts because Paula sure likes her canned tomatoes. In all different varieties.

I started to get a little stressed because I couldn't find the precise can of Petite diced tomatoes with green chilies and was trying to make up my mind whether I could subsitute a couple of cans of Rotel, because really isn't that pretty close to the same thing? As the stress sweat was slowly dripping down my face (remember, I had to be back home for the 8am delivery - just in case Fed Ex decided to get their act together and hit my house first. Wishful thinking but I could just so see me racing back to my neighborhood and passing the Fed Ex truck on the way out and me chasing him down, blowing on my horn, begging for him to bring back my $3000 medications.)

Anyway, boo -yah - found it! (It's a Hunt's variety in case anyone was wondering... "Great Value" - Wal Mart's generic brand does NOT make it. They need to get into the game)

So, I made it through the rest of my shopping pretty uneventfully. But I will say that I was truly expecting someone to ask me if I was planning on dropping off some donations to the Fort Bend Food Pantry or something. I literally had about a dozen cans overflowing in my cart.

And praise the Lord, it was only 7:30am. Plenty of time to check out. Head for the check out counters. Wouldn't you know...."shift change" apparently wasn't so much a change as it was a full on departure.

Because there was only 1 checker IN THE ENTIRE WAL MART. Oh, save for the express lane, wayyyyy at the other end - and because of Paula and her 3 dozen can taco soup, I obviously didn't qualify.

But before I could get too worked up, the 2 people in line ahead of me finished up rather quickly and then halleliuah, it was my turn!

I was just completing the unloading of my can-laden cart when I noticed the gentleman behind me holding only a bouquet of flowers and nothing else. I took a quick scan of the 30 or so items I had laid out, glanced at my watch again, and took pity on the man.

"Sir, would you like to go ahead of me?" followed by some lame joke that I either don't remember or don't want to recall here.

He mumbled something (and let me tell you it wasn't like a gracious thank you or anything) and charged ahead of me. The lady rang up his $5.99 bundle of tulips and he paid and was on his way. Now I know it wasn't an earth-shattering favor, but the fact remains I could have made him wait the 8 minutes it was going to take me to check out and I wouldn't have been wrong to do so.

I gots places to be, too, Mister.

But I let him go ahead of me. Do you know that man never looked back, never said a word, nary a thank you, nod, or glance??!! Quite honestly, I was flabbergasted. Whenever someone does that for me, I always say thank you at the very least. My momma taught me some manners. And some grammar.

No wonder he was buying flowers. At first when I saw him, I thought "How wonderful, he's buying flowers to take up to his wife's office" or something equally sugary sweet with a gag me reflex.

However, now I am quite sure that angry little man was probably just as rude to his signficant other as he was to me and was being forced to bring home flowers just so he could get in the door tonight and get a little dinner and a spot on the couch.

So after the ALM (angry little man) left, I like an idiot, glanced back again and saw another woman waiting behind me, this time with 2 items, nail polish remover and Ajax or something. Quite the combo - and who can just walk into Wal Mart and buy 1 or 2 things anyway?

Not me. There's always some special treats I just must pick up - honey flavored pretzels? Don't mind if I do.

2 for 1 liquid soaps? Yes, please!

So, after taking stock of her items and looking again at mine, I was railroaded with a critical decision to make. Do I let her go ahead of me and risk being even later or get my stuff checked out already???

After the quite yucky response I received from the ALM, and my conscious be darned, I decided it was MY turn instead. Sorry, lady. You're just going to have to wait. Fed Ex won't wait for me.

The lovely Wal Mart lady got me checked out in record time - we were quite the team, throwing cans in bags (she even double-bagged!! How thoughtful!) and tossing them in the cart. Then I went to my wallet to pay.

No debit card.

WTH.

Not 3 weeks ago I made some sort of snotty comment on facebook about people who write checks and they need to come into the 21st century of debit cards and quit holding up important people like me because they can't get with the program. It was met with varying degrees of "Amen, sister" to the one I won't forget, "Give them a break, Meagan. Maybe they left their debit card at home like I did today." At the time, I was all high and mighty-like "who leaves their debit card at home when they are going grocery shopping.?"

And now I know. People like me. Who play on the computer late at night and purchase things on etsy. (like the 17th baby gift I have bought this year for a friend). And then it's late and they are lazy, so they don't carry their debit card back to their wallet, and make the all-important "mental note" to return it to it's proper home first thing the next morning. So didn't happen.

I was that person today. That held up the line at Wal Mart. I totally should have let that lady go in front of me. Thank you, God, as always for humbling me.

Now, it's back to my cooking. I need a new can opener by the way.

And I'll be darned - there was the doorbell. Fed Ex is here!!!! And it's only 9:29am. The tides, they are a changin'. It may be my day after all.