I haven't been able to shake a headache for several days. Last night, I went to bed and my head hurt so bad and I had already had 8 Motrin in one day and couldn't take any more. UGH! When I woke up this morning, and it was some better...I laid in bed and stayed very still.
All that to say that my morning was s-l-o-w.
But I did drag myself to the kitchen to make muffins. Because it's Monday...and because I always make muffins on Mondays if I know what's good for me. AND I DO.
Clark and Faith left last night a little after 7 p.m. We had hoped that they would get gone a little earlier, so they could get back down to school and get settled...and they both had reading homework to do. BUT that is not the way they roll at ALL. And it stresses me out at times, but it doesn't bother them AT ALL...so the best thing is for me to learn to go with the flow.
Which, I am a pretty laid-back, go-with-the-flow Mom already. I just need to learn to go with THEIR flow.
It's hard.
They left here, like I said, a little after 7. Were they gassed up and ready to go? No, no they were not.
And not only that, but Faith was bringing her 10 GALLON FISH TANK to college...so let that just sink in for a minute.
Okay?
She had cleaned it out, and it was in the backseat, along with all of the equipment and food. And the fish were in large baggies in a plastic container in the front seat that Faith was holding on her lap.
I know.
AND, apparently, earlier in the afternoon...Faith had gone to the pet store and bought 2 MORE fish...and ONE OF THEM HAD ALREADY DIED.
In, like, less than two hours.
Because it is important to buy fish when you are trying to get out of town and have a nearly 2 hour drive ahead of you.
No, it's not important to me, but was to her. And I love her sweet heart.
So they headed out from here with no gas. Faith was not only holding a plastic container full of LIVE fish in baggies...she was also holding a baggie with one dead fish floating upside down.
Just let that image stay with you a minute.
Then they headed BACK to Petco to return the dead fish and get another new, LIVE fish.
(breathe...breathe...breathe...)
As they pulled out of the driveway, I said, "NOW LISTEN...do not get distracted in the pet store. Get your fish and get back in the car...YOU CANNOT LEAVE ALL OF THOSE FISH IN THE CAR OR THEY WILL ALL OVERHEAT AND DIE." They assured me that they knew this, and they drove away.
About 45 minutes later, Clark called Jim to tell him that Faith's car (they had come home in Faith's car, because her Dad was going to take it to be serviced) was "smoking." Jim said, "okay...did you call Faith's Dad?" Clark said, "yes, sir." Jim said, "where are y'all? Are you in a safe place?" Clark said, "yes, sir. We're at Baskin-Robbins."
THEY HAD NOT EVEN LEFT TOWN AND THEY WERE AT THE ICE-CREAM PLACE.
See what I mean about these two free-spirited kids? Completely unconcerned about the time and the drive and the FISH...they wanted ice-cream before they got out on the road.
Bless them.
So, Faith's dad came and he decided to let them take HIS car, and he said he will take her car to be checked out. Again. So they had to unload EVERYTHING from one car...into the other...and they took off. Faith's mom texted to let me know they were on their way. I responded with this text: "they each have their wallets, purses, ID's, room keys, etc...right?"
Well, I never heard back from her...which, as Jim would say: THERE'S YOUR SIGN...but the next thing I know, Clark is calling Jim again, telling him that they realized he had left his wallet under the seat of Faith's car...and they were going to come back and get it. These kids are 19 and 20...but they have never been away from home. So this year should (hopefully) be very eye-opening for them, and they will (hopefully) remember this incident and (hopefully) think long and hard about everything they need or might need or may have forgotten...BEFORE they get in a car to go somewhere. Hopefully.
While they were waiting on Faith's parents to come to them, I texted Clark and Faith and asked them if they were okay. They said they were fine. I asked if they were stressed with each other or fussing with each other, and Clark said, "not at all." (which, bless these youngest-born children, because Jim and I are first-borns, and we probably would've killed each other by this point). I told them that before they did another thing, they needed to stop and pray. Faith said, "oh, we already did." :)
They FINALLY got gone, and I finally heard from them a little before 11...they had hoped to be there by 8:30, sooooooo...
Jim and I were so thankful that they made it and that they were SAFE. Clark had not felt great all weekend, and Faith texted me last night to say that Clark was running a fever. How she knew this, I do not know...but that was enough to make me want to jump in my car and drive down there and get him.
I know.
This morning, I texted him...no response. I waited a while and texted him again. Still no response. It was almost enough to make me want to jump in my car and drive down there and strangle him. It's just the worst when your kids are sick at college and you aren't there to look at them and know if they are seriously sick or just so-so sick...and then there will be a story on the news about a kid who started feeling bad at college and then died the next day of some weird kind of thing.
Every time.
Faith texted me to say that they were both going to go to the nurse today...so that made me feel better, and even more concerned. Should I go down there? I don't know.
I texted him again. No response. Faith finally texted me to say that she had fallen asleep in her dorm room after classes, and that Clark had fallen asleep in HIS dorm room after classes...and they were both feeling a little better when they woke up. She said that "something" was going around at school, and a lot of students were sick with similar symptoms.
Great.
She said they went to their local Wal-Marks, and bought some cough drops and Emergen-C and soft Kleenex because, according to Faith, Clark was" using toilet paper to blow his nose, and his nose was getting raw." Which, I sent soft tissues AND Charmin, and you know Charmin is soft...but whatever.
Faith was going to some sort of campus activity with a couple of her new friends, and Clark said he was going to the Library to study. About an hour ago, he sent me a picture of the two of them in the Library, and he captioned it, "busy nourishing and cherishing."
A friend of mine used that phrase to describe the relationship between one of my sons and one of hers...we moved away, and while she and I stayed close, and our husbands stayed close...our boys did not. She told me that they did not "nourish and cherish" their friendship...so that's something my kids say now.
Clark and Faith have been dating a while...this month will make 3 years. And they really haven't had many distractions that have kept them from spending time together. I want them to get involved in campus life and make new friends and all of that...but I also told Clark to make sure that he spends enough time with Faith, and that they continue to value their relationship. He is making more friends than he's had in the past 3 years, and I know he's excited about that. It has been such a blessing, because these last 3 years have been hard. His 2 best friends from our old town are twins, and they are going to different schools.
So, to get the picture with that caption made me smile. And they both look good...for whatever that means. I mean, as moms, can't we just look at our kids and tell how they are feeling?
I'm heading to bed...trusting God to watch over them when we can't. And asking Him to calm our hearts.
"I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, Lord, make me live in safety." Psalm 4:8
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