The Mac is Back!

I was promised that the computer would be ready by 5:00 PM Sunday, so I figured that by Monday we would be good to go on the “being ready”. My mistake! I got to the Apple store and the poor tech guy came out with his best customer service smile on and gave me the “It’s not ready yet, I’m so sorry, please understand yada yada yada” speech. Then the another guy came out and talked to me about the specifics of why it wasn’t ready for the second time. We agreed on the changes that would need to be made so that I could get my computer fixed, Peyton and I agreed to roam around the mall for an hour or so and then we could be on our way.

When we returned to the store it was just in time to hear some guy giving one of the service reps an absolute riot act. It was embarrassing for everyone standing there to listen to, why people think they can treat others like that is beyond me. Even when I had my teary breakdown at the store, it wasn’t in anger at the guy, it wasn’t his fault, it was just frustration and boo hoo-ing over my own issues. This guy was being an ass. Poor yelled-at-guy had to come over and tell me that it was going to be another 20 minutes before the computer was ready to walk out the door and he looked at me like he was totally worried I was going to lose it right then and there.

I had to laugh. I told him that it was completely fine and not to worry about it, we could just hang out and play with the computers. After he returned with all my stuff we chatted for a few minutes and I asked him if he was ok, because he still looked shaken up by the confrontation. We talked about it for a few minutes and I told that young man that if the worst thing that was happening to that guy was that his computer was on the fritz, he should consider himself darn lucky. Most people don’t realize that they are just that lucky. Mac guy told me that he wished more of the customers were like me….haha, I guess he didn’t talk to the guy who had to tell me it wouldn’t be ready on Thursday….and I just shared with him that I live in a world where people know what troubles really are and everything else is inconsequential.

Here’s the cool and completely unexpected thing! He was doing my paperwork and I was purchasing an IPod shuffle for my niece’s birthday, and when I got my total it was half price!

“Is this on sale?”

“It’s for your inconvenience.”

“I wasn’t that terribly inconvenienced, but thank you!”

“Well, consider it for being the nicest person I talked to today.”

Awwwwww

I was the nicest person he talked to today.

He really needs to get out more.

Note to self, if you really shmooze the Mac guy, they are at liberty to give you nice discounts.

We had a ho-hum day. Which is completely awesome. It was just a normal, humdrum day with no excitement and I loved it. Peyton felt good, I got stuff done, the kids had good days at school and it is how it should be.

My Mother’s Day was precious and sad. I had jokingly told the kids that I wanted breakfast in bed, but I knew that Peter never gets out of bed before I did so it wasn’t going to happen. But it did! At 7 AM, I got a box of Cinnabons tossed on my chest. A BOX of 6 Cinnabons…those suckers are heavy…and the corners are sharp! But the kids were extraordinarily sweet with their cards and school-made gifts and rank morning breath kisses and hugs and love. I can’t think of a better way to wake up…unless we did it a couple of hours later.

We met up for lunch with Pete’s mom and our friends the Willis family. Natalie found our website by Google search after her daughter was diagnosed with an Optic Glioma and she just happened to live in Brandon, she emailed me, our kids adore each other, we’ve become special friends and that’s how God works.

After lunch we headed home because Peter had to pack up to leave for Alabama and that was the sad portion of our day. Made a little easier on the kids by Natalie’s offer to bring them over to play in their pool for the afternoon. I hope the constant “Can we leave now” didn’t make Peter feel unloved because when we got home and he wasn’t here, we were all blue and we were missing him something terrible.

A HUGE thank you to the Willis’s for having us over and specifically to Ronnie Willis for including me in his Mother’s Day celebration. He made dinner and served it up and cleaned everything up and I got to indulge in Mother’s Day laziness even when my hubby wasn’t home to be the doer. So, I guess that’s a Thank You from both Peter and myself.

The rest of our week becomes chaos after 8 AM tomorrow.

Tomorrow is Peyton’s first Little Tales in 3 weeks, I’m surprised she’ s not started trembling and going through some funky detox. After that we have clinic to see how counts are and get an idea of how she continues to rebound. We are also going to be getting some chemo and possibly be starting back to our full regimen. Then in the evening we have Rachael’s music program at school.

Wednesday Peyton is taking the afternoon with Grandma and I am going to the hospital to hang out with a friend while her son has some scans done. Lori’s husband works out of town as well and I know full well how hard it is to sit and wait and wait by yourself, so we’ll be sitting and waiting together. When Peyton had her bone marrow in the hospital, I was blessed to have my wonderful friend Kay Bertoch volunteer to come up to the hospital and hold my hand and be at the procedure with me. So I hope I can be as supportive of Lori as Kay was of me.

Thursday we have family group night at the CCC, but the kids and I will be heading there early. The Center revamped their website and one of the features they have added are photos featuring some of the families they help. The “Kids” have already gone up, so you can see them on the site, and they are getting ready to add the “Siblings” and Nathaniel and Rachael are going to be highlighted there.

Group is going to be difficult. Each month for the last 3 months we have lost a family from group that we love dearly. They go to a bereavement group now, no longer a part of the “in treatment” group. It’s so hard to look around and not see them week after week. I can only imagine how hard it is on their side to realize its Thursday and that they’re not going, and then the reality of why they’re not going. I will be praying for these friends, their loss, their grief and their healing.

Saturday the kids are heading out with Grandma for the day and then I am heading out for the evening!! Whoooo hooooo!!! The CCC and a Gasparilla Krewe put on a Scavenger Hunt each year that benefits the Center. Teams form and we have a list of places we have to go, things we have to do, stuff we have to accomplish and ways we have to publicly humiliate ourselves. Last year…well…let’s just put the words pajamas-bar dancing-backwards ABC’s together and you get a tiny glimpse of what the night is going to be. Peter and I were able to be on a team together last year and we had a fabulous time. The Center hosts teams for the parents to give us the chance to get out on the town and to give the other teams a chance to meet some of the families they are impacting.

I am heading up a team of moms. We are moms who are either without husbands or have husbands who can’t go, so we are going to rock it girl-power style! Each team has to pick a theme for their team and wear costumes accordingly, last year we went in our PJ’s, we had dr/nurses, army, kitty cats, it was hysterical. Our team this year is going Cheetah Girl! That was the hilarious costume hunt we had at the Goodwill on Saturday, if I didn’t make it to the scavenger hunt at all, that day at the Goodwill would have been worth it all.

The week is slammed. Pray for stamina and strength.

f.r.o.G…fully relying on God
–Anissa