Humdrum.

We're a one car family. And this morning, I simply wanted to drop the Mr. off at work, & then casually head out to cross some errands off my list of 'Things To Do'.

But my plans were thwarted. The dumb van has a flattening tire. (It's not all the way flat, but on its way. And when we drive, the tire makes a rhythmic thumping noise, which is unsettling to my nerves. I can't help but picture a random blowout at the most inopportune time & me screaming wildly as the van bobbles out of control.) So, the ghetto van got dropped at a local tire shop where we got the WORST customer service. And, due to the wait, the whole process of patching our tire will take about 3 hours.

The Mr. & I took a leisurely walk from the tire shop to the church. And so here I sit at his desk blogging. (And blogging about exciting things as you can see.) There is so much I can be doing right now at home. Like kicking my feet up on the cozy purple couch, & finding an Indie film to watch while I knit. Major stuff like that. Not to mention those errands.

Why didn't I bring some yarn?? This is horrible. And I'm bored. And on top of that I'm tired. I've been averaging 4.5 hours of sleep the last couple of nights. And I just ate some Girl Scout cookies because I didn't get breakfast before I left home. Which means I'm grumpy because these cookies don't satisfy like a plate of fluffy white scrambled eggs smothered with finely shredded cheddar would. And I'm picturing my cup of coffee right where I left it at home: nestled next to the sofa on the carpet, beside my pile of knitting happiness. Wah!!!!

And, because I'm bored, I start to play silly games. Like that one where you imagine you're in a Zombie Apocalypse & you have to grab the closest thing to your left & use that as your weapon. The closest thing to the left of me is a pile of junk mail.
DEAD.
That was a fun game.

At least a book. Why didn't I bring a book? Well, maybe because the book I'm reading at home is currently a snoozefest. Moby Dick. It seriously started out pretty interesting. I was digging Ishmael & the relationship with his new cannibal friend Queegueg. But now the book has gone all scientific & textbook on me & the classification of whales is about as uninteresting as well...this blog post.

 How bored am I?
I just looked up the word "thesaurus" IN the thesaurus.

3 hours later...
Hallelujah! I have never been so happy to see our ugly van! Apparently there was a nail in one tire & a bolt in another. A regular Frankenstein, that van of ours.
Anyhoo.
Not an entire day wasted. I did confiscate the Mr's laptop afterall, so I was able to world-wide-web it to my heart's content. And we walked to a greasy diner for lunch.

From now on, though, whenever I leave the house I am carrying a fun bag.
And a shotgun. (For the zombies.)
♥

It's the Little Things...

After doing some necessary crafty & graduation gift shopping yesterday (in the rain), the hubby & I enjoyed a very casual, very relaxing afternoon at a coffee house. I plopped down beside my man, his face intently studying the sermon he was composing on the laptop. After drinking a large cup of convenience store coffee this morning, on the 40 mile drive over, the Mr. decided to order a double shot of espresso to continue the process of waking up his extremely sleepy head. (He would down 2 more shots in the next few hours.) Potent stuff that would have eaten up my tummy. But, gosh, the tiny mugs were so cute. Like dolly teacups.

Our barstool seats by the windows would not have been my first choice. But the only cozy couchy chairs in the place I had hoped to settle back in were being sat upon by a group of elderly ladies. And those ladies seemed intent on gabbing with no apparant plans to ski-daddle. I quickly decided to make the best of my scenario & realized I did rather like my view: The drizzling raindrops, the passers-by, the coffeehouse guests coming & going, the neon "OPEN" sign, the only crafty store in town right across the street, & the natural light coming in through the large windows.

I was giddy about this trip since the night before. I dreamed of sipping iced chai, making things, & photoging my happy afternoon. And that's just what I did.

I crafted fabric bracelets. I worked on another knitted square of my giant blanket-- a work in progress. I munched on a delicious chicken salad croissanwich & slurped vegetable barley soup. I clicked photo after iphone photo of my surroundings. I facebooked. I people watched. I smiled real big.

There was a lady in the coffee shop talking really loudly & I wondered if she realized how much her voice magnified. There was a gentleman on a laptop, earphones in his ears. Every once in a while he'd let out a REALLY BIG sigh. I mean, I've never heard anyone sigh that loud. I figured he didn't realize how loud he was sighing because his earphones were in. But that lady had no excuse. Oh well, I didn't let it get to me.

The hubby & I had a tab open & kept adding caffeinated drinks & munchies as the early afternoon turned to later afternoon. The service at Cappucino & Co. is really amazing. (And so are the chicken salad croissanwiches!) I think it's my new favorite place.

I didn't want to leave. I was super content kickin' it with my other 1/2. I was genuinely blissful making happy things with my hands. And, bonus: Eventually the couch became available. I pounced on that opportunity, & spread my creative mess all over, just like I do at home.

Sometime during our stay the hubby chuckled at our matching black Converse.

Yesterday I had absolutely no complaints. Not even about Ms. Loudmouth. Because, really, she was part of that busy exterior I love in a place like that, while I sat serene in my own little bubble.

In the end, the time did come that we had to pack up our gear & head home to pick up the girls from school. I sat in the passenger seat on the ride back, peaceful from my dreamy afternoon.

♥