i'm "tired" out.

About a week and a half ago...my co-worker and visiting teacher warned me that my tires were low and told me where to go to get them aired up. I thanked her and gave myself a mental note to tell Connel to help me fix them. However, I forgot to tell him until about 10:30 PM that evening, so nothing was done about it. The next morning, we were in bit of a rush and the low tires were forgotten...until I, in all punctuality, leave early enough to run a few errands before work. It was then I realized that 3 out of the 4 tires were REALLY REALLY low and the 4th one was flat...thanks to my ever so gracious friend Kietra, I still made it to work in time.

Fast forward a bit to about a week later...my tires were looking fairly low again and so this time, I left early to fill them with air. I was in the process of "trying" to fill my tires with air...so, ok, I was in the process of getting really frustrated, because the air machine was NOT filling my tires with air, when the nice city garbage truck driver, came to my rescue...or at least he tried. He came up and asked if I needed some help. He told me that "if it was his wife, he would want someone to help her..." (awww...) When I said, "Well, my husband told me how to do it, I am just a little mechanically challenged..."to which he replied, "this is no job for a woman." Which, had he not been so nice and had my fingers not been frozen little sausages, I would have been sorely offended. So I chose to take it in the sense that my-husband-shoudn't-have-sent-his-woman-out-in-the-bitter-cold-before-a-big-storm kind of way. After a couple tries the nice trash man told me that he didn't think the air machine was working properly and so we both gave up. Luckily, I went to work and back fine, without any problems.

Later that evening, I made sure to remember to tell Connel that we needed air in the tires...

Now, remember that bitter-cold-before-the-storm?? Well, now it WAS the bitter storm and it was time to go out and fill the tires. Couldn't be caught with another flat tire in the morn... So, at 9:30 PM, in the biting Missouri wind, my loving husband decides it is the perfect time for giving instruction on filling a tire. (Obviously, he did NOT heed the trash man's "no job for a woman" advice). Okay, okay so my superman of a husband filled all 4 tires, by himself, while I sat in the car, but that was because I "so lovingly" assured him that this was NOT the time and place for an air lesson. All efforts that my generous husband put into the tire-filling were in vain, as the next morning, we woke up to the good news (for me) of a snow day and day off, I did not leave the house all day and did not drive the car.

The next day was another snow day and therefore, I did not drive the 4runner for another 24 hours. However, I did notice that the SUV was tilting backward a little toward the rear driver's side...Thursday morning (yesterday) brought a call to my friend Kim and she chauffered me to work and again for lunch and back...due to a flat tire (this time the flat was a different tire than the first...) I really do have great friends huh? I appreciated her dedicated friendship however, I still felt much like a high school student calling her mom, saying, "Can you come and get me?"

When Connel got home from work, he took the tire into the shop and they fixed it. You'd think that the story would end here... everything should be fine and dandy now...right?!?!

Well, we (or shall I say "I") had not had enough of this fun adventure and so as responsible as I think I was for leaving early to run some errands...

a flat...again...same tire... Just tell me, I know...get new tires...


So, I tried to hold composure as I scurried off (in the 4runner with the only partially flat tire) You are probably thinking "Hello Laura! You are driving on a FLAT TIRE!!! No wonder you are having problems!!! Well...I had to be at work in 45 minutes and so I went to out a little air in the tire then I drove to the tire store and patiently explained the dillemma. There was no way that they would be able to fix the tire by noon, so I called work to tell them I would be late...AND STARTED BAWLING LIKE A BABY ON THE PHONE! It's just that I HATE to be unreliable. I really do not like to destroy peoples expectations. It is really a bummer for me. I am sure that I did not destroy my job's expectations of me, and they were so nice about it. But I really just don't like to let people down...I also called Connel and bawled like a baby for bawling like a baby to my supervisor.

To end the story...the day actually happened to turn out okay...a blessing in a REALLY BIG disguise, if you will. I ended up being able to go to work later, I still was able to make it to pay rent, go to the bank, eat some fries, eat a large brownie and write this blog entry. (thank you for letting me vent BTW!)...oh, and I still get to go to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory tonight with the b-day group. I really think the day will turn out okay...

So my tires are full, the flat tire is fixed (for now). But just a few morals to this story...

#1 Buy good tires...when they are unreliable, you are unreliable.
#2 Don't let a woman fill the tires...
#3 Brownies, Fries, and Cheesecake can make you feel much better after a bad day. (But I already knew that one..)