Flashback Friday...Stranded!

This flashback is a little bit different. It was triggered by an experience we had today. We had to travel to San Diego to get our military passports. We have to get 2 different kinds...(By the way, there are SO many appointments, expenses and shots that come along with going overseas. We had our second round of shots this morning...the first appt., last week I got SIX shots...the family record! Today was only one for each of us, luckily.)

Anyhoo...we finally get all the paperwork in order and turned in (after THE stereo-typical civil service employee tries every thing he can NOT to help us) and we leave 32nd St. and head for Party City for some last minute costume needs before Trunk or Treat tonight.

We come out of Party City very satisfied, only to find that our van will not start. We think the battery is fried from the summer heat, because it's been struggling to start lately. Same thing happened after last summer. Anyway, we are up against a curb in a CROWDED parking lot. Cliff sends us into Wendy's for some beverages while he tries to flag someone down with cables AND wait for one of the parking places next to us to free up (luckily, he's in uniform, that should help win someone over!

As the kids and I are inside, waiting for our drinks, something occurs to me that cracks me up...you have to keep in mind, it is RARE that I sew...VERY rare!


This is us...over 3 years ago. Cliff had just been asked to "prayerfully consider" switching his orders to NAF El Centro (he was supposed to go to Balboa Naval Hospital). Sidebar: Do pilot detailers ask you to prayerfully consider orders? Maybe Clint or Jeff can answer that one for me? In the Chaplain Corps..."prayerfully consider" is the nice way to say, "We're sending you here, in reality you have no choice, but we'd like you to believe you play a part in the decision. It just helps us all to feel good about it."

Since it was only 2 hours away, we all jumped in the car to get the lay of the land. It was a Friday afternoon in July. Our ward's Pioneer Day celebration was the next day, so I was finishing Coree's costume on the drive (pictured below...I also made her wear it that year for Halloween..I'm getting as much mileage as possible from my effort!)


And this is our van being towed to Pep Boys when it wouldn't start...the fuel pump went out. Ironically, they had to order the part from San Diego (where we had just come from). So we had to stay a night at the base and rent a car to drive back to San Diego. We missed Pioneer Day.


So that was the flashback part...now fast forward to today...


Cliff getting prepped for someone to give us a jump.


Me sewing the finishing touches to Coree's Halloween costume on the drive.

So this is what made me chuckle...

3 years ago, we drove from San Diego to El Centro while I sewed a costume for Coree. We got stranded in El Centro.

Today, we drove from El Centro to San Diego...while I sewed a costume for Coree. We got stranded in San Diego (but at least we made it back JUST IN TIME for Trunk or Treat).

Patrick said I'm not allowed to sew on the drive anymore...