Weekend from Hell

I had the worst day on Saturday and Sunday wasn't much better! A little background, Justin's grandfather passed away on Thursday and Justin's cousin and her 16 month old son were due to come stay with us on Sunday. I had plans to go to a concert (see previous post) on Friday and had volunteered to work our church's concession stand at the OSU game on Saturday. In short, I had two days to get my house clean and relatively toddler proof.

I had to be at our church at 8 AM on Sautrday morning. I got up, got dressed in my black pants and white polo (bought that week from Wal-Mart), and ate breakfast. Justin had gotten me McDonalds, and it's a good thing he did as you will read later. Justin was meeting his friend Steve at Steve's house at 8:30 or so to attend the game as well. So I get to the church and get in a van with some other workers and head to the stadium.

When we got there, we checked in and headed up to our stand which is on the A deck level. I was quickly taught the ropes of being a cashier. There was a price list, a pen, a calculator, and a pad of paper at each station. I had to rely on my mental math skills. I thought, "Oh great. This will be a challenge." At ten, the gates opened and we soon got busy. I quickly became a pro at adding up orders in my head and pouring drinks from the fountain. I'd shout "Pretzel" and "Nachos no peppers" to the runners and fulfill orders. I'd count back people's change and swipe their credit cards. I was getting the hang of it.

Saturday was a cold, rainy day in Columbus. The game against Minnesota was also a blow out. These two things combined to make being inside and getting concessions a very popular thing to do. I had a solid line of people from 10:30 until the beginning of the fourth quarter. From people who'd worked the stand before, there is usually a lull during every quarter when they take turns taking breaks and going to the restroom. We as workers were allowed two hot dogs each during our breaks. I'd also brought some money thinking I could buy myself some food. I finially got a break at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and by that time we'd run out of hot dogs at our stand, so no freebies and forget about having time to buy myself food. I went to the restroom and drank a small courtesy cup of Diet Coke. I was back at my station soon after and then the rain started. We couldn't keep coffee made and hot chocolate was selling like crazy. After the game, we closed up shop and began cleaning. We wiped down the counters and cleaned the nozzles on the soda fountains. After most of the stand was cleaned, my group walked back to the van and drove back to the church.

I got home after 5. I'd texted Justin and told him I needed to eat and he'd ordered a pizza, but both Justin and the pizza were still a long way off by the time I got home. I ate a banana and sat down. I was cranky from not eating. I was exhausted from standing and working all day. I was stressed from trying to quickly fulfill orders. I was also milling over a large to-do list before our out of town company arrived.

Justin got home and the pizza arrived. I inhaled about four pieces and tried to relax. I figured I'd give myself some time to recoup before starting to clean. Justin fell asleep and I cleaned my bathroom. I started a load of laundry with the shower curtain and bath mats. I scrubbed the shower, toilet and sink, about asphyxiating myself on bathroom cleanser fumes. I wanted to get some dusting done or the grocery shopping taken care of, but I was too exhausted.

Justin didn't see the urgency of the situation and we ended up fighting. I wanted him to show a little more of a sense of urgency, and he wanted me to stress less. His attitude was just adding to my stress. I decided to go to bed early and start fresh in the morning. I called my mom quickly to let her know that Justin's grandfather's service was scheduled for the following Thursday. As I hung up the phone I saw that my cat, Maggie was in the bedroom. I didn't want her to cry and want out in the middle of the night, thus waking me from some much needed slumber. So I tried to get her to get out of the bedroom. I stood at the door and called to her. No dice. I got some treats and tried to lure her out of the room. At this point I collapsed in the hall and started crying. I was just done. Done with the day. Justin intervened and tried to scare her out from under the bed. He shook the bed but I didn't want the middle support to become undone. He wanted the broom, but I didn't want him to scare the cat. So we ended up fighting some more. He got a hold of the cat and took her out of the room, and I went to bed where I promptly fell asleep.

Sunday was a busy day, but we got everything done. We bought some needed supplies at Target. We finished the laundry. We dusted, vacuumed, and scrubbed the kitchen floor. We had to rush, but we got some groceries in the house. We checked the status of his cousin's flight and saw it was to arrive early, so we headed to the airport around 3:30 to pick her up. The visit is going well, and our house looks nice. There was just so much stress that had to go into it!

So now we are enjoying hanging out with Justin's cousin and her son. He is so much fun to have around the house. He's very well behaved and an all around happy kid. So I guess it all turned out okay. She doesn't think we live in a pig sty, so I'm happy. I'm just never going to work the concession stand again.

Zac Brown Band show

Friday, Oct. 23rd I attended the Zac Brown Band concert with my friend Sarah. I had gotten an email from Ticketmaster with a presale code and had gotten two tickets in the 10th row of the center section. The morning I got the email I tried to coordinate something with Sarah and her husband Nathan, but niether of them would answer their phones or email, so I got two tickets for either myself and Justin or myself and Sarah. Luckily Sarah was able to go, so we had a girls' night. She is quickly becoming my concert buddy.

Last week was not a good one for me or Justin. I had been coughing and feeling sick since the Saturday before and finially was down for the count on Tuesday evening. I stayed home sick on Wednesday and Thursday hoping that I'd be back to myself by the show on Friday. I did start to feel better Thursday, but then we got the news that Justin's grandfather passed away. Justin took it very well since he'd had the last three weeks to come to terms. Still, I was not in my usual pre-concert mindset.

Come Friday I was feeling better, and Justin seemed to be dealing well, so I was able to get excited for the show. I rushed home from work, changed into jeans and my cowgirl boots and drove to pick up Sarah.

We got the the Schott right around the stated showtime and were just about to enter and find our seats when we saw the lights dim and music began to play. When they said 7:30, they meant 7:30! We found our way in the dark to an usher who showed us our seats. They weren't front row like Poison or anything, but they were a close second! 10th row was great. Far enough away so that we weren't looking straight up, but close enough that they guys looked like people, not ants.

The openers were three artists that are on Zac Brown's new label, Southern Ground. Zac himself actually took the stage with each one! The first guy, Levi Lowrey, was great. The second was a girl named Sonia Leigh, and she had a cool voice. The third was a guy named Nic Cowan, and to be honest I didn't like him as much. Just not my style.

Luckily, a fight broke out during the Nic Cowan set. I'm not sure how it started, but a guy (1) and his girlfriend (2) were having it out with two guys (3 & 4) about four rows in front of us. Guy 1 and Guy 3 were having words and Girlfriend 2 and Guy 4 were also going at it. the littlest usher I've ever seen (like 5'2") was trying to get between them. Another concert goer was trying to hold 1 or 3 back, but 1 ended up throwing a punch and bloodying 3's lip. He staggered back, and someone offered him a chair right across the aisle from us. The couple behind us tried to help him out since he was bleeding on the floor. Bloody lip guy (3) ended up sitting and bleeding behind us, while they tried to get him help as punching guy (1) was hauled away. Meanwhile, Girlfriend 2 was getting fired up and punched Guy 4. He didn't lay a hand on her, and someone pulled her away. All four ended up leaving. A chair was placed over the bloody puddle, and no one seemed to know what to do with it. You mean to tell me that there is no protocol in the Schottenstein Center for cleaning up blood? It took forever for someone to come clean it up, and even then it was a woman with gloves and a towel. Seems like there should be a bodily fluid kit with that absorbant powder stuff, gloves, and some kind of Lysol. Just saying.

In any case, the fight had died down by the time the Zac Brown Band took the stage. I've got to say that musically, that was the best show I've ever been to. The level of musicianship was unparalleled. The group of guys were so talented and true masters of their instruments and voices. I was blown away.

Like any band touring it's first album, they filled gaps with new material, but they also played covers including The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, The Devil Went Down to Georgia, and Blackbird. I was amazed that not many people in the audience seemed to know The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. I was the only person sitting around us singing along, even with the "na-na-na" part. The audience did react better to Devil Went Down to Georgia. The whole place went crazy and people started cheering. The fiddle player is just awesome anyway, so it was great to hear his talent showcased with that song. Again, no one seemed to recongnize Blackbird, but what can you do? Kids these days.

The musician that sang Blackbird is a guy named Clay Cook who was part of the band Lo-Fi Masters with John Mayer. He wrote with John Mayer and his material appears on Room for Squares. In any case, Clay Cook is now part of the Zac Brown Band. He has a great voice, is an awesome guitar player, and also plays the keyboard for the band. He is just another example of the tremendous level of musicianship displayed by the band that night. Truely awesome.

If I was only a casual Zac Brown Band fan before the show, I am definitely a devoted follower afterward. Those guys are not your typical country musicians. They aren't pretty. They aren't clean cut. They aren't a cog in the Nashville machine. They are guys with true talent for music and songwriting. They work hard and tour hard. I am so glad that they've found success depite the unconventional approach to country music. It reminds me of the way The Outlaws album changed the direction of country in the 70s. It wasn't typical, but it was popular. The Zac Brown Band doesn't fit an image, but it's great music. Quite resreshing to say the least.

There's not really anything big going on right now with me. There's a lot of little stuff that seems to occupy my time. Justin's grandpa is still ill and is at a rehabilitation nursing home in Pickerington. We visited last week when Justin returned from San Antonio, and Justin plans to go visit tonight.

Tonight I have my last softball game for the fall season. It is actually the make up games from a few weeks ago when we got rained out. The weather is a bit warmer, so I'm hoping it isn't quite as cold as it has been. We play an undefeated team tonight. They even beat the team that beat us last week. I hope we have a good turn out and that everyone is playing their best tonight. It'd be nice to go out on a high note. I, myself, am unsure if I'll be playing at 100%. I've had a cough and chest pains since decorating the front porch with corn stalks on Saturday. We shall see.

Later on this week, I have the Zac Brown Band concert at the Schott. I began following the band on Twitter, and saw a tweet about a street team stuffing goodie bags before the shows. I emailed my interest and I'm going to go on Friday afternoon and do that. According to the post, you get to meet the band. My friend Sarah is attending the show with me but is not able to get off work to do the goodie bags. I asked the person coordinating the thing if I'd have time to meet her before the show and she said I would. I hope it all works out. It'd be awesome to meet the band!

Saturday morning I have to be up early because I've volunteered to work the church's concession stand at OSU. They had called Justin and asked if he'd work, but he is going to the game with a coworker, so I thought I'd volunteer. I'm kind of kicking myself for several reasons. First, I don't feel well right now and the thought of getting up early to bust my ass just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe I will feel better by Saturday and this will change. Second, I forgot about the concert on Friday. I will probably be tired and not want to get up early. Third, I was informed last night that I need to wear black pants and a white polo, so looks like I have to go out this week and try to find a white polo somewherer. I'm trying to put all these things out of my head and enjoy the experience and all that. We'll see how it all works out on Saturday.

Asstastic Weekend

I had one of the best weekends I've had in a long time! After a hella creazy week (see previous posts) I was ready for some fun and some relaxation.

I'd been planning an outing to see Vince Vaughn's newest movie, Couples Retreat, for months. I'd been following the film on discussion borads and internet since its infancy, and I couldn't wait for it to come out. It was sort of my dream movie: original idea by Vince and Jon Favreau, orginal script by Favs, fined tuned by Vince and Dana Fox, directed by Peter Billingsley, and starring Vince, Favs, Faizon Love (Big Worm!), Jason Bateman, and miss Vmars herself, Kristin Bell. I wanted to do something akin to the night out I had for opening night of Wedding Crashers in '05, so I created a Facebook event and invited a bunch of friends. Approaching the date, it looked like the group wasn't going to be very big, but we had at least one couple, Sarah and Nathan, that were a definite to join us. The night of, we ended up with 8 people out for dinner at BDs Mongolian BBQ, then another two joined us for the movie.

The movie was great. I was worried that my friends would hate it since it got terrible reviews, but they enjoyed it as well. Yes, it was cheesey and a bit predictable. The editing seemed a bit sloppy in parts, but it delivered on the laughs and the story was heartfelt. One of the funniest parts is a scene in which Jon Favreau's character sets himself up for a little self-love. As the scene goes on, it becomes more apparent what he's up to, first looking at a bikini-clad girl on a brochure, then eyeing some complementary lotions, and finally grabbing some tissues and pulling his shirt over his head. Vince has his fair share of funny lines of course, and the banter between him and Favs is just great. Throw Bateman into the mix a few times, and you've got a funny movie. Oh, there is also a cameo by none other than Vernon Vaughn, Vince's dad, making his fifth appearance in Vince's films.

After the movie, we headed out with one of the couples, Catey and Ryan, to Butter's Bar in Gahanna. This used to be OUR bar. It is in Vista Plaza, near the Vistas, where Justin lived when we met and where we lived when we were first married. There have been many a night spend there and many a walk back to the apartment. It was fun for nostalgia's sake, but also fun to hang out with a couple our age and do things people our age do. We talked about work, about their wedding plans, about baseball. It was good times.

After staying out until after 2 am, we slept in on Saturday. Our plan was to do nothing on Saturday, and I'm proud to say that we accomplished our goals and then some. I made a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and grits for the two of us, then I decided to go back to bed and take a nap. Justin ran an errand or two, but I never left the house. I did shower, but wore warm-up pants and a sweatshirt all day. We watched the Buckeye's kick some Badger ass, ordered a pizza, and then rooted for the Hawkeyes as they defeated Michigan.

Justin left for San Antonio, Texas early Sunday morning. I went to church where I gave blood on the blood mobile for the first time since, I believe, high school. I had a couple bad experiences giving blood, and I kind of shied away from it for a bit. I tend to give quickly, and the last two times I gave in under five minutes, causing me to get light headed and feel sick. Remembering this, I told the girl as she hooked me up that I tend to give quickly and I think she slowed whatever machine they use. I didn't feel "wierd" or light headed at all. Perhaps I will give again on a more regular basis. I have a relatively rare blood type, b-, so the Red Cross used to call me often. We shall see if they begin to do so again.

Sunday night was the first official youth small groups. We decided to cover the topic of gossip. I had typed out a little worksheet of sorts to help steer the girls into discussion and try to keep them on topic. It went really well. They had a lot to stay and we talked about some really key issues like, even if it's true it's still gossip, and helping a friend by telling a trusted adult about a situation is not gossip. The girls really want to do an overnight, so we are planning on that for November and we are going to use it as a time to do a service project, putting together boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

So that was my weekend. Justin returns from San Antonio on Tuesday afternoon. His grandpa is supposed to be moved to a rehabilitation nursing home today. I haven't had an update in the last few days, so I'm not really sure where we're at with that. I think it's still touch and go. But hoepfully, our week will the a little less stressed than last.

Couples Retreat Tonight!

Couples Retreat is opening today and I've got a group to go see it tonight. Six of us are having dinner before being joined by four more for the movie. I love seeing movies with big groups of people. It reminds me of college. The movie is not getting good reviews, but I know I will enjoy it anyway. I hope my friends don't hate me afterward though.

Update on Jusitn's grandpa, he is still at Mt. Carmel East and hanging on. Today he will most likely be moving to a nursing home with hospice care. More family has been around and getting involved, so that situation has improved. We've been going to the hospital every night this week until late, so it will be nice to go out and be with friends tonight.

Taxing Week

It's only Tuesday, but this has been a taxing week. It all started on Friday when Justin and I were set to leave for Stow. I was participating in the Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk at Blossom on Saturday, so we wanted to get there Friday night. The plan was to go up on Friday, walk on Saturday, spend time with friends on Saturday night, then go to Josh's birthday party on Sunday.

Thursday night, we went to visit Justin's parents and were told that Justin's grandfather wasn't doing well at all. Justin's mom was over at his assisted living facility when we got to their house, but she came home shortly before we left. She said that it was not good and they were considering bringing in a visiting hospice care. Upon hearing that we decided not to leave Milo with them over the weekend and asked if we could stay with my sister.

On Friday night, we packed up Milo and headed to Stow. It was really up in the air about going or not going. I volunteered to go by myself just for the walk and then come home, but Justin insisted we go together and spend the weekend. Unfotunatley come Saturday night, things has turned worse and his grandpa was running a fever. We decided to head home so that we could spend the day Sunday at the assisted living place.

We were able to visit with him on Sunday, but not much. He only woke up for short periods of time. He'd wake up for a few minutes, sometimes fully lucid other times still in a daze. When we was awake and lucid, he'd joke and talk to everyone. He knew who everyone was and called them by name.

On Monday the woman that works at the assisted living place had told Justin's mom that she thought it might be beneficial to see what other measures could be taken. She convinced Justin's mom that one more last ditch effort should be taken, so they took Justin's grandpa to Mt. Carmel East. There, they determined he had pnuemonia in his left lung. Justin left work early to go be with his mom and I headed over ther after work Monday. We didn't get home until after eight.

As of now, there is really no change. It's hard to say what's going on. I'm not sure if they hope to treat the pneumonia and then release him or if they just think that it's all just part of the end.

What I really don't understand is the lack of concern on anyone's part except Justin's mom, Justin, and myself. A few of Justin's cousins visited on Sunday and his aunt has helped somewhat, but other than that everything has fallen on Justin's mom. She has spent the night with him and basically been with him since Thursday. Justin's aunt is in and out while his uncle is taking his sweet time getting in from out of town. Maybe my family is weird, but when crisis occurs in our family, we gather around eachother. I expected Justin's parents' house to be crowded with concerned family, but it's not. I thought they would all gather at the hospital, but no one was there last night besides us. The most surprising of all is the lack of support for Justin's mom by his dad and his brother. I saw Aaron for maybe a half and hour on Sunday and haven't seen Justin's dad at all. Is it jsut that my family is too close and overreacts, or is this strange?