Just one of those days...

This is post is for my future kids because I'm not really good at posting about my testimony. So feel free to skip this one:) A few Fridays ago we had an interesting afternoon. I left work early so Dana could help out a family in the ward. We finished that up and decided to run errands: gas at Costco, dinner at Jimmy Johns, groceries and then a quiet evening at home with a movie. That was the plan. Ha!  We took off for Costco and were literally waiting in the line at the pump when Dana looked down at noticed our heating gage had spiked all the way up to the Danger! Danger! red line. Someone freaked out (guess who) and we pulled into the parking lot to try and self diagnose. Ummm...maybe it needs water? Like a dog, you know. No luck. Dana looks across the road and suggests we try the Toyota Dealership. The guys there were super nice but they said, yup, the thermostat is shot (which is the same problem we had in the Utah desert 4 years ago...long story) so the car needs to stay over the weekend. Great. Fabulous. Is this what we get for being good ward members? And wait, aren't we supposed to drive youth down to Tri-cities tomorrow for best of EFY? Yes, yes we are. Ah! We started calling rental car companies and I almost died (90 bucks a day, are you out of your mind Hertz?).

Finally, Dana got a guy at Enterprise who said he could give us a car for $10 a day except we couldn't leave the city limits. Swell. We got a ride over there and they hand over the keys to a disgusting, hot red, over-here-officer Dodge Charger. The thing literally smelled like skunks had been lighting up cuban cigars in the backseat. Plus, because we don't have comprehensive coverage on our car (remember, it's 17 years old), we got slapped with an extra liability coverage fee. Grrrrr.

On our way out, Dana suddenly realized he'd left the house key attached to the key ring at the Toyota Dealership, so we got to drive our atrocity back and pick up the keys.  Dana (sensing I was at my breaking point) decided we should still do Jimmy Johns, which was the highlight of the night, except it was freezing in the restaurant. I wolfed down my sandwich and off we went to wal-mart, which is never a good way to end a bad night. Turns out, the universe had more jokes for the Gailans. They were out of milk and my string cheese and the store was jammed. When we finally got to the register, Dana starts pulling out bags and goes, 'hmm, this one is all slimey'. We dig down deeper and discover our olive oil is leaking. Seriously! It made a nice puddle on the floor which all the people behind us stepped in. Grabbing it, I sprinted back to the aisle, switched it out, and returned with a new, non-leaky one. We paid, grabbed a movie on the way out and I went home to sulk. (As a side note, the donuts I bought as a consolation prize were stale. Boo.)

So that was our night. Where was my testimony in there? Right here. With all of that awfulness going on, Dana and I actual had a fun night and everything lined up just right for us to get what we needed done. It was no coincidence the Toyota Dealership was right across the street and was able to fix our car by Monday so we could return the rental on time. And Enterprise is only open until 6 on Fridays and we rolled in there at 5:45. That ugly Charger? It was an early return (from the skunks) which is why we got a great rate. In one phone call, I was able to find a willing parent to drive to tri-cities the next day, which was such a blessing. The Toyota Dealership stays open until 7 on Fridays so we were able to get our house keys instead of calling a locksmith. And because we were late to Jimmy Johns, I ran into a less active member who lives near us and was just starting her shift. No, I have no idea what the oil spill and stale donuts were supposed to teach me, but when we finally got home and Dana stopped laughing at my pouty face, I realized maybe there was a lesson in the night. So my testimony is things work out. Situations arise at inopportune times (and yes, sometimes even after you just did a big service for someone else) but I am so grateful for a husband who rolls with the punches, sees the good in stinky, but speedy Chargers, and always finds a silver lining.

To borrow a line for solo artist, Monica: It was just one of them days. Don't take it personal. (As a side note: the car is fine. They say we need to change our right wheel bearing as well, but so far the wheel hasn't jumped off and rolled into a field yet so we're good.)