The Car Saga Continues
Please enjoy this post about basically nothing.
As you may remember, a few weeks ago, the wheel on my car flew off at 70 miles per hour. You can read that story here if you missed it. Silly me, I thought that we’d get the car towed to the body shop, jump into a rental, and away I’d go, carefree for a week or so and then I’d get my car back and figure out the next step.
Well, that’s not how it went. I got the rental car. It was a 2014 Toyota Corolla. I was pretty excited to sync my phone with the bluetooth and drive around chatting with people…life was grand, it’s the little things. I got about 1/2 a mile from the rental lot when I noticed the check engine light was on. I called the guy at the rental place and told him and he assured me there was no possible way the car could need maintenance since it only had 5,000 miles on it, and so, I continued home. I got home and grabbed the bases to the carseats and skipped out to the car, feeling giddy that I was almost all set up in my “new” car. And then I saw that the back tire was flat. Yes, I got a flat tire on a rental with 5,000 miles on it just one day after the entire wheel had flown off my car. I guess I should have (?) and certainly could have thrown a bigger fit and made the people at the rental lot bring me a new car. Instead, I went around the corner to the local mechanic and had him take a look. There was apparently a giant screw in the tire, so he fixed it and I drove all the way back across town to get a new rental car because there was no way I was going to drive around town with something possibly wrong with the tire. No way. No way. No way.
Fast forward about a week…I had spent the week car shopping because the thought of driving while wheels fly off is terrifying, and we were thinking of upgrading anyway. It’s a little tough to fit two adults, two babies, two dogs, a double stroller, and all the other stuff having two babies requires into a Subaru Outback. So I found a car I thought I liked way, way across town (like…farther than the rental car place) and Patrick had one day off that week, one precious day off. There was no way I was going to buy a car without him seeing it first, so I checked the dealership website to be sure the car was still listed in their inventory, and away we went.
When we arrived at the dealership I didn’t see the car but figured it had been moved to a different part of the lot. We went in and asked for it. Suddenly, two or three salesmen were frantically digging through file cabinets and binders while one furiously clicked away on the computer. The keys were gone. The car was gone. They thought one of the other salesmen had taken it home for the weekend (which is stupid and annoying if you ask me). So…back across town we go. And then, CLUNK. What’s that you say? No way I could have more tire problems? Wrong you are! I ran over a GIANT hunk of metal on our way home (thank goodness babies weren’t with us). I called Hertz roadside assistance because I paid for the insurance, and dag-nab-it, I was going to use it! But alas, rental car insurance does not cover “mounting a spare,” so my dear husband got to change the tire on rental car #2 on his one day off all week.
Seriously, what is that thing? And why was it in the road?!
I’m sure this is how Patrick wanted to spend his one day off right before he worked 12 in a row.
The next morning, I called the dealership about the new car. Turns out, the car was sold over the weekend. Thanks for updating your website and your salespeople, jerks.
So, then I got ANOTHER rental car which was a real piece of crap that smelled like old cigarettes. When I finally got my own car (the one with the flying wheel) back, I had convinced myself that I didn’t need to purchase a new car, that this one would be fine for the next several years. I was about 3 miles from the auto body shop and the check engine light came on…and that was the last straw! I now have a new car!
Disclaimer: I left out a huge part of this story that involves me leaving my phone, drivers license, and wallet in three different places around town in a span of 2 days, you’re welcome.
The World is Full of Trickery
I guess I’ll have to wait to post the continued drama surrounding our little car accident, since I did promise a post about Final Vespers from the eyes of a staff member…In case you missed the first two installments of this series, you can find them here and here.
As a staff member, Final Vespers at the end of the first term of camp meant saying goodbye to one group of kids and the excitement of saying hello to another group. It meant that everyone would have an extra day off (or half day) between terms, it meant that massive amounts of cleaning and manual labor were about to be done. It meant getting the property, which had been well used for four full weeks, back to looking like no one had used it all summer.
Final Vespers at the end of the second term of camp was a bit of a different story. It was a welcome occasion, as it meant the end of long, hot work days and the return of “real life.” But, even though there was a lot of burn out and most people were ready for camp to end, Final Vespers had a way of putting it all into perspective and it gave everyone a chance to reflect on how full the summer had been, the laughter and joy, the challenges of living in close quarters, the smell of rain in the mountains, the brightness of the stars, the chilly waters of the Pecos River, the view from Brush Ranch Rock, hiking to the top of Rosilla Peak for sunrise, all of the traditions, and most of all, the lifelong friendships that were forged on those hot summer days.
In preparation for Final Vespers the administrative staff would assign everyone parts. This was a bit arbitrary, but a daunting task nonetheless. There was a handheld candle with a heavy paper (think posterboard heavy) circle at the bottom to keep the wax from dripping onto their hands. There were two pieces of paper glued to each candle, one was the reading assigned to the candle holder and the other was the reading assigned to the person who would be reading just before the person holding the candle. During rehearsals, this always seemed to confuse people. Most people weren’t paying enough attention to what was read before them to realize it was their turn to read! There were also always parts that made people giggle a bit (giggling that had to be stifled during the actual performance). My personal favorite was this line, read by one of our counselors from the UK:
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. (with lots of emphasis on the word “trickery”)
(This line was a part of the larger Desiderata which you can read here.)
We always stumbled through rehearsal a bit and I’m sure my dad had his doubts about whether or not we’d actually pull off a good performance! Somehow, it all always came together!
When I was a camper I always wondered how it all worked out so well. How the torches stayed burning, how the grass didn’t burn, how all the staff knew all the words to the songs…And now I know. The torches were great big metal pipes with towels soaked in diesel attached to them with chicken wire. They were lit just before the staff walked up the hill from the marsh and then placed in the fire pit on top of the wood that was also diesel soaked (who needs lighter fluid when you have diesel?!). The diesel must have burned off quickly because I don’t remember ever thinking that the forest reeked of burning fuel! The grass around the fire pit was usually soaked down before the performance and there was a huge firehose at the ready just in case things got out of hand. To my knowledge, they never did. And, the staff had all the words to the songs on their candles and somehow were able to read them and sing in the dark! I’ve just given away lots of secrets, but now you know how to start a huge bonfire in a matter of seconds and how 40 people can pull off a 20 minute performance with about an hours worth of rehearsal!
I think I enjoyed Final Vespers as much during my time on staff as I did when I was a camper. I loved waiting down the hill and hearing the footsteps of the silent campers coming into the meadow. And I loved walking up the hill in the near dark to see tears glimmering on their little faces as their eyes lit up in awe of the huge torches and candles. I also loved the sense of closure Final Vespers brought to each summer. It was the best possible way to say goodbye to new and old friends, campfires, s’mores, sleeping under the stars, dew in the morning grass, mosquitos, the gurgling river, and the long sunny days.
You Are a Child of the Universe
As promised, a post about final Vespers as a camper:
The night before camp was over everyone would gather for a few last activities. The evening started with a dress rehearsal performance of the dance, drama, and music show that would be performed for campers parents the following day. Everyone would gather in the Dance Pavillion to watch the show while the staff went to prepare for final Vespers. Once the show was over and it was almost dark, everyone would walk north thorough camp about 1/2 a mile and stop in the driveway of the house where I grew up. At that point, everyone was asked to walk in silence the remaining 1/4 of a mile or so. The girls would all be linked by their elbows, with silent tears running down their faces, the boys would walk quietly with heads down. Summer camp flings would end the next day and there were lots of little broken hearts. That 1/4 mile of silence made everyone focus on the fact that things were coming to an end for the summer.
Final Vespers was held in the Upper Meadow and the audience (campers) sat on the ground on the east side of the meadow so that they could see the entire rest of the meadow. I always loved the Upper Meadow, there was a HUGE ponderosa pine on either end and one in the middle, and a beautiful grove of small aspen trees on the north east side, just below the rock slide, and on the west side, it dropped off down a small hill into a marsh area. The grass was always green and the shade plentiful. Where the campers sat was a lovely grass area with a big stump at the back. I remember sitting on the stump when I was a very small child so I could see over the crowd. The audience faced a large fire pit, and we always waited until it was completely dark for Vespers to start.
Once darkness settled in, an orange glow became visible from the low marsh area on the west side of the meadow, just down the hill. The entire staff walked up the hill and emerged with their faces illuminated with light from 4 huge torches carried by a few staff members, and candles carried by everyone else. They arranged themselves in a semi-circle in two rows around the fire pit, with the torch bearers in the front. (And when I say torches, I mean TORCHES. They were huge balls of fire on top of giant poles that were 6 or 8 feet long.) The torches were lowered into the fire pit and their flames engulfed the stack of wood that was already in place.
From behind the huge ponderosa in the middle of the meadow came two figures dressed in all black who began dancing in front of the fire as the Desiderata for the Young was read in parts by each staff member:
Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.
This was always my favorite part of Vespers. I loved the way each voice bounced off the mountain side and that each person had a small portion to read. This is a poem that will always stick with me and each time I read it I’m inspired about my life all over again.
After the reading, the staff sang two songs:
Each campfire light anew
The flame of friendship true.
The joy we’ve had in knowing you
Will last our whole life through.
And as the embers die away
We wish that we might ever stay
But since we cannot have our way
We’ll meet again some other day.
And my all time favorite (this was always the part that made me start crying…something about strawberries):
Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine,
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine.
A million tomorrows shall all pass away, ‘ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today.
I’ll be a dandy and I’ll be a rover, you’ll know who I am by the songs that I sing.
I’ll feast at your table, I’ll sleep in your clover, who cares what tomorrow shall bring?
Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine,
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine.
A million tomorrows shall all pass away, ‘ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today.
I can’t be contented with yesterday’s glory, I can’t live on promises winter to spring.
Today is my moment, now is my story, I’ll laugh and I’ll cry and I’ll sing.
Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine,
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine.
A million tomorrows shall all pass away, ‘ere I forget all the joy that is mine, today.
At the end of all the songs and reading, Camper of the Week was announced. I always wanted to be named Camper of the Week the last week of camp because it seemed so special to be called out of the sobbing crowd during final Vespers. As was tradition, the entire crowd would then stand, cross arms and hold hands, and sing taps:
Day is done
Gone the sun.
From the lakes
From the hills
From the sky
All is well
Safely rest.
God is nigh.
Then my parents and the campers of the week would begin to lead the way back to the main camp. The staff would follow them and would stand on either side of the path, with the torches and candles lighting the way. They would all be singing:
Goodnight, goodnight
Time sends a warning call
Sweet rest descends on all
Time, time sends a warning call.
(I think I may have posted a different version of this song in my last post, this is the one we used during final Vespers.)
There were lots of tears and hugs as everyone made their way back to the tents and cabins to try to get some rest before their parents began arriving at 8:00 the next morning.
The impact that final Vespers had on me each summer, twice per summer, was immeasurable. I remember it like it was yesterday and each time I hear one of the songs it all comes flooding back. Recently, I’ve started singing the songs of final Vespers to my children (I’m sure my more than lovely voice is terribly soothing to them…ha). I may add the Desiderata to my bedtime ritual!
Unfortunately, I think I must have thought that the Upper Meadow and final Vespers would always be a part of my life because I absolutely cannot find any photos of either! If you have any that you’d care to share, please email them to me at alden@youretheheartofus.com !
Goodnight, Goodnight, Time Sends a Warning Call
As the summer draws to an end, I’m struck with new waves of nostalgia and a bit of sadness. This is not a new feeling for me at the end of the summer, rather, one I’ve lived with my entire life. Yes, I was always excited for school to start in the fall and to see all my friends I hadn’t seen all summer, but the end of the summer meant the end of camp and it meant that all my new friends would be leaving to go back to their homes and that I wouldn’t see them for an entire year. It also meant that our lives would go from being packed with people and activity to a quiet country life with not much going on. When I was a bit older and working at camp instead of attending, the end of camp was a bit more welcome, as it meant the end of working 6 days a week and very long hours. It didn’t matter how happy, sad, burned out, fed up, homesick, or otherwise, the last night of camp always seemed to bring out the emotion in everyone. (Granted, sometimes this meant staff trying not to laugh during the Vespers service, but mostly it meant lots of tears.)
It was a Brush Ranch tradition that each Sunday evening there was a Vespers service. This was often similar to the Devotional service, but was usually much more somber and serious. There was always an underlying theme or message and it was delivered in various ways. My favorite Vespers services were the ones that included our oldest and most skilled campers performing a modern dance routine through the trees in the forest. There were stories read, songs sung, and lessons learned. Sunday night Vespers was also when the Camper of the Week was announced. Being Camper of the Week was a REALLY big deal, I’ll have to write another post that will go into detail about that…And then, each Vespers service ended with the entire camp singing Taps:
Day is done
Gone the sun.
From the lakes
From the hills
From the sky
All is well
Safely rest.
God is nigh.
(Side note: in 2002, I was backpacking through the Dolomites in Italy and it was dumping snow on us and there was a goat herder playing taps on a horn. It echoed through the canyon we were descending into and made the entire scene very surreal.)
On the last night of camp (even if it wasn’t a Sunday), the entire staff came together for Vespers and performed several songs, spoke words of wisdom, and danced in the forest, all around a huge bonfire with the campers watching, flames reflecting in their tearful eyes.
I was a part of many, many final Vespers services, both as a camper and as a staff member. The experience from both sides is quite different and I’d like to share each one, however, this post would be far too long if I shared it with you all at once, so I’ll be posting about the rest of Vespers in the days to come. Until then, I’ll leave you with one of the songs we traditionally sung at final Vespers:
Goodnight, goodnight
Time sends a warning call
Sweet dreams descend on all
Time, time sends a warning call
Does anyone have any photos of final Vespers? I can’t find any in my collection!
When Bad Could Have Been Way Worse
I’ve been really slacking writing blog posts lately and there are a few reasons: Scandal (I had to hurry up and finish watching season 3), Shutterfly (they were doing a 40% off everything that expired the other day), residency, twins.
But…I’ve had a few posts planned that I wanted to write this week, and still will. The one I’d planned for today about traveling with twins will have to wait because I have to tell you what happened around 2:00 today.
My mom and I took a little road trip with the twins this week to visit my aunt, uncle, cousin, and grandmother in the southern part of the state. The babies were awesome the whole way. It’s only 3 hours, but still…the babies could have screamed the entire way. We had two great days in the mountains and headed back early this afternoon.
Around 2:00, we were out in the very middle of nowhere, and I really do mean the middle of nowhere. There wasn’t a town for 25 miles, no rest areas, no cell service, no cattle, no ranches, no nothing at all. I had been snoozing and little miss Neala started squeaking so mom woke me up to see if she was ok. She was fine (come to find out later that she had a GIANT full diaper). A few minutes later there was a very loud “thunk” on the back passenger side of the car and it felt like we had blown a tire or something. Mom is an amazing driver and very, very calmly started pumping the brakes to slow down as gracefully as possible. She put her blinker on and started to pull off the road. Shortly thereafter, we felt another clunk and I looked out the window to see the entire wheel rolling up beside us, up the embankment, and back down right about the time we scraped to a halt. I say scraped, because the part of the car that the wheel attaches to literally scraped along the pavement (I’m sure there were sparks flying) until we came to a complete stop. The wheel had sheared off at the bolts! As far as we could tell the tire was not flat, and there was no real damage to it, but the entire dang thing just flew off! The babies were silent through the entire thing!
See! There’s nothing left!!
Luckily, and thankfully, there was a family driving two cars traveling behind us and they immediately pulled over to help us. We spent almost no time on the side of the road, a place I’ve been terrified of my entire lift, and they drove us to the nearest town. Once we finally got into cell phone service, we called various husbands, dads, brothers, grandfathers to come to the rescue (that’s really just 3 people…my hubby, my dad, and my brother). We spent the next 2 hours chilling out with the babies in the gas station turned ice cream shop in San Antonio, New Mexico, population…maybe 10? We took over one of two booths in the place with our carseats, diaper bag, breast pump, diapers, etc. Don’t worry, I took some really quality photos in case you were having a difficult time imagining what our afternoon looked like. You’re welcome.
And this is where we spent our afternoon.
It was a lovely place, really.
We were all so comfortable.
Especially Neala.
So, basically, our day could have been much worse. We could have flipped the car, thank you mom for saving the day. Those nice people might not have been right behind us and stopped. It could have been raining. The babies could have been screaming. Any number of things could have made our afternoon way, way worse. But…we are fine, the babies are fine, and the ice cream was tasty!
Daddy was SO happy we made it home safe and sound!
Being Mom to Twins: How I’m Making it Work
I read and read and read about how being a mom to twins would be difficult and scary and time consuming, and it is. There are days like today when both kids have a fever and just want to be held after screaming most of the night. There are days when the amount of vomit coming out seems to be far more than the food that actually went in. There are days when 4:30 rolls around and I can’t believe that I’m getting out of bed to feed our little rugrats. But, there are a few things that I instituted in my life right after we got the kids home from the hospital that we’ve stuck to that are really helping make this journey fun, memorable (of course, that is, if the sleep deprivation will allow me to actually keep any memories), and rewarding.
Obligatory twin pic. I mean, they’re too cute not to post pictures of, right?
1. Leave the house EVERY day. I think there have been two days since the kids were out of the hospital that I have not left the house. The majority of the time I take the kids with me. We often start our day (after the 4:30 feed/pump) with a walk or a run to one of our favorite coffee shops. Sometimes we go with people, sometimes not. It is a great way to start the day and the kids seem to really love the stroller at that time of day. Other days I go out by myself to the grocery store, or to the doctor (oh joy!), play in a soccer game, or just to run a quick errand. I leave the kids at home with the dogs and nothing’s gone wrong yet. Just kidding…wanted to make sure you were still paying attention. The lovely grandparents have been awesome about helping me achieve my goal of leaving the house once a day.
2. Keep a schedule. This is still a work in progress, but we are getting there. We finally have a regular feeding schedule and that has allowed me to organize my days a bit better than when we were just feeding willy-nilly. The nap schedule is still a moving target, but I hope to have that nailed down a bit better in the next 3 weeks or so. Keeping a strict (feeding) schedule has really helped me plan what I’m doing each day, when I should make appointments, what time is most helpful (and not helpful) for people to come over to help, and when I can plan to eat too!
3. Accept help! This is something I’ve never been good at. I don’t like asking for help and I don’t like accepting help. I’m not good at delegating, like…really not good. But, I’m learning! I’m learning in small ways, learning that it’s ok to let someone else do my laundry or dishes, because when the heck am I going to get them done!? I’m learning that when someone shows up to help, let them do what they’re comfortable with. My dad, for instance, doesn’t really love changing diapers (I know, can you believe it?!), but he is awesome at doing dishes and steps right up to the sink when he arrives and goes to town! Also, if someone is coming over and offers to go to the store for you, ask for Oreos, always ask for Oreos.
4. Sleep whenever possible. Notice I did not say, “sleep when the babies are sleeping.” It’s impossible to sleep every time the babies are sleeping. On days after we’ve had a particularly bad night (last night), I try to take a nap at some point. Sometimes it’s when the babies are sleeping, sometimes it’s when someone else is here lending a helping hand and entertaining babies. Usually, all I need is a little power nap, about 20 minutes, to recharge my batteries, and the rest of the day doesn’t look so bleak.
5. Have a better attitude. There have been a few days that have started out pretty terrible, and I was ready to throw in the towel, or burp cloth, as the case may be, and give up (although I don’t know how I’d actually do that since I love my babies to pieces). And then, I take a deep breath and readjust my attitude. Each day will be different. Each day will have difficult moments and joyful, easy moments. Each day will come to an end. I’m pretty sure the screams of two babies never actually killed anyone, and, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? Thanks for that quote Kelly Clarkson, you’re so deep.
So, that’s how I make it work. Anyone else have any parenting tips and tricks? What works/doesn’t work for you?