I Am Being Tested, But I Will Not Crack!

So, it would seem by our credit card charges, that Buttercup and Cuckoo and I are already on our trip to Kansas City.  Someone spent $105 at a grocery store in Illinois yesterday (Tuesday) using our credit card number.  The card company called us to see if it was us.  It was not.  Our card number has been stolen.

Do you know what happens when a person's credit card has been stolen?  I do.  It happens to us approximately once a year.  The credit card company closes the account and sends a new card.  Normally, it doesn't bother us much, seeing as how we don't use it all that often.  Unfortunately, we are not in a normal situation.

The day after our account is closed (today), I am renting a car and driving to Kansas, where I will be staying 3-4 nights in a hotel.  Basically, a day when I will be wanting to use my credit card quite a bit.  But I can't.  Because we don't have one.

Yes, I have a debit card to use.  And I have the money in the account to cover the spending.  Too bad the rental car place and the hotel can't trust me and will require a credit check in order to do so.  I do have the choice to carry hundreds of dollars in cash to pay for the hotel, but the way our luck is running lately, you know I'd get mugged somewhere in Podunk, Missouri, and be up a creek without a credit card.

Prepare for a quick change of topic without a segue...

I love hearing people talk when they are losing their voices.  That cracked quality, with the squeaks and breaks make me laugh.  I always wanted to lose my voice like that.

Well, I don't anymore.

Three days ago, I started coughing for no reason I can tell.  I never got a stuffy nose.  I've never had allergies.  I just started coughing.  And then on Monday afternoon, my voice started to go.  Horribly.

No one could understand half of what I said.  To illustrate:

At work, Bryan's phone is connected to his email.  Whenever someone leaves a voicemail, his computer will translate it and put it in an email for him.  I called on Tuesday to ask him if he had emailed the guy who I had backed into in the parking lot.  This is what the translator emailed to him...

 Voice Mail Preview:

 

Hey I was just calling to see if you her email tried paging I completely forgot about it but it's prod you on that if you have any bye bye.

It has been ridiculous.  My mom laughs at me when I call her.  Buttercup says, "You sound awful" every time I try to speak.  Normally, it would be a nuisance, seeing as how it's really hard to call for a child who is upstairs.  It's really a nuisance when I'm trying to have a serious chat with a certain 4 year old about his naughty behavior.  It's a big problem when I have to discuss England plans with my friend who will be picking me up from the airport.

Have you ever seen the "Quick Change" people?  They do a lot of pro basketball half time shows and they've been on America's Got Talent.  I change topics faster than they change gowns.

Soccer mayhem has been at an all-time high this week.  Tryouts were Monday night, and things got shaken up.    Many texts and phone calls were had.  Decisions were made.  One coach was finally told off.  And it all happened while I was playing Settlers of Catan with the boys.  (I normally don't have my phone with me when I'm home, but decisions had to be made within the hour.) I was seriously distracted and lost the game.

Last topic change, I promise.

The nice lady from my surgeon's office called.  My surgery had to be moved.  I'm now going under on July 8 instead of 1st.  That means I will only have 10 days to recover before we leave for vacation.  Sure, my dad will be happy, since I can now bring the kids for his 4th of July party, but I will be useless on vacation.

Oh, wait.  One more.  I just caught a glimpse in the mirror and reminded me.

I have been in desperate need of a haircut for weeks now.  Last night, I had an hour to kill between dropping two kids off at different locations and decided to just go to Great Clips real quick.  I've been there many, many times and even if it isn't the best haircut, it's something I can work with.  It's pretty hard to mess up curly hair.  The curls (or a straight iron) cover plenty of mistakes.  Not so this time.  Without even asking me how short I wanted it, she just started hacking away at my hair.  She never once checked to see that she was cutting evenly on both sides.  I didn't have a whole lot of choices at that point, so I soldiered on.  I knew I was in trouble when I asked her to straighten the bangs for me with her hair dryer.  They had curled at a funky angle, and I had places to go after the cut.  She couldn't do it.  And not completely because she didn't know how.  The worst haircut I have ever had.  Hands down.

There is no working with it.  It's too short to work with.  Just in time to meet two of my best blogging friends.

Basically, Dyanne will think I'm going incognito.  My hair is a disaster and my voice is indecipherable.  Just in case this blind meet-up doesn't go as well as planned, she won't ever be able to pick me out of a crowd.

OK, enough complaining about all that's going wrong around here.  There are still good things happening!

Come back over the weekend to see.  I've already written my Ten Things of Thankful list.

I'm going to make it, no matter what gets thrown at me.

Everyone now please pause to knock on some wood.

And say many prayers that no other calamities befall us.

I'd appreciate it.

Have a lovely day!