Feeling Old (And Slightly Nuts)

Geez, I hope we're doing the right thing.  Today is our last day without a dog.  Our lives will change starting tomorrow!  Yesterday we set up Freddy's kennel ("room", according to my mom).  We ended up getting just a metal one, because we changed our mind about where it's going to be, and a wood one would have looked silly.  But we got his dishes, his food, a couple toys, and his little tag for his collar.  So I think we're pretty much ready!  I never made it to the grocery store yesterday, so I have to do that today, along with picking anything else up that I need for the pup.

So yesterday after running around getting dog stuff, hubby had the spur of the moment idea to take the kids to the Big 10 for some food.  The Big 10 is one of my favorite places to eat on the campus of the University of Minnesota, and we've taken the boys there before.  So we headed out, in hubby's ginormous monster truck.  I love going out to the campus.  It makes me nostalgic for my 18-24 year old self, but it also makes me feel at home.  I loved it there.  But yesterday was a bit different.

I didn't know we were going to end up there yesterday.  When we left the house, I thought we were going to Petco, and maybe running to a couple other pet-ish stores, with a possible trip to the grocery store.  So I was grubby.  I took no time to get ready before we left.  I was wearing sweatpants, my Crocs, and since I didn't do anything with my hair I just put my Santa hat on.  No biggie for the pet store, so I didn't give it too much thought.  Even when we ran into Miss Chihuahua and her family at the fleet farm.  I didn't care then, because well, she knows me already, and it's the fleet farm.

But a college campus?  And to make matters worse, I was wearing this big jacket that prominently advertises that I'm a MOM on it.  Which I am, and a proud one, but it just made me all the more, well, not-collegiate.  So I felt like a dork at the campus.  Old and a dork.  It was awesome.  Good think I don't know anybody out there anymore.  Because I'm now TWENTY years older than most of them.  AUGH!!!!

So that was fun.  Actually it was, once I got over myself.  I mean, vanity isn't a very big part of my personality, just in super-obvious moments like that.  We ate well, griped about what is happening to Washington Avenue, talked about how awesome the campus is, told the kids how much fun they're going to have in college, and came  home.

Then I had a mini-meltdown because the lights on my tree went out.  I was in the living room, folding laundry and watching my waste-of-brain-space soap, and the lights just went out.  I fiddled and fiddled with it, and ended up having to completely undecorate the tree, test the lights, re-string the lights, and re-decorate the tree.  I felt like Clark Griswold, for real.  When he's running around the yard kicking over his plastic Santa and reindeer set.  I actually told the kids to leave the room because I was very frustrated and did not want them watching me while I had my temper tantrum.

So I got it all figured out and re-done, and I even finished folding the laundry.  Crisis averted.  And I didn't break anything while I was pouting.  So bring on this dog--I can handle anything.