All I could do was laugh in disbelief.

It would appear that my fans have been waiting with baited breath for my next blog entry. And now, to satisfy the masses, I have an extra-long blog…

My parents bought Clinton and myself tickets to the Gospel Music Festival in Red Deer this past weekend. After the break up, Clinton decided he didn’t want to go. Understandable, I suppose, but I was still a little peeved about the situation.

I didn’t really want to go, first of all because I thought it would be ‘old school’ gospel (read: boring) and secondly because I was a little disheartened that now I had to go BY MYSELF (gasp). But the guilt of knowing that Dad had paid ‘good money for those tickets’ changed my mind; I decided that I would just go by myself and enjoy spending some time with mom and dad, even if the music was ‘old school’. So, come Friday afternoon, I got off work early, went home and had a nap, and got all dolled up to go to Red Deer.

En route to Mom and Dad’s place to drop of my stuff (so I could take care of the animals for the weekend), Dad called and asked me to pick up some stuff at the farm; his pills, his camera, and the pressure washer (because really, who doesn’t need a pressure washer while they’re at a music festival for the weekend). I think, “Ok; doesn’t sound that hard.” And bonus, Mom and Dad had graciously offered to let me take Mom’s Jeep; Mom’s Jeep is basically the same as mine except two years newer, with a better sound system, better fuel mileage, and a sunroof – all of which are crucial to a successful road trip to Red Deer.

I arrived at the farm late – spent too much time beautifying. I now have about 45 minutes to unload my cat and overnight bag, grab Dad’s stuff, load up the pressure washer and drive to Red Deer (a drive that usually takes 45 min to an hour). Frustrating, but possibly do-able if I break my newly instated ‘no speeding’ rule.

I realize that our newly three-legged and tail-less dog does not seem to be anywhere in sight. “What if he’s lying in a ditch? What if he tried to chase the coyotes and they got him?” After about 10 minutes of searching in sheer panic, Benjamin waltzes out from behind the other side of the house (I was sure I checked there). I’m glad he’s ok, but I’ve just wasted another 10 minutes.

I’m rushed, no time to calm done. Gotta go! Gotta go! I open the garage door and I now have to load a 1000 lb (I might be exaggerating) pressure washer into the back of Mom’s Jeep – but wait, the back door won’t open. Let this be a lesson to any future Jeep-buyer’s, they suck!

Now, I’ve just spent over an hour doing my hair and making sure that the makeup and clothing are ‘just right’. It’s about 30 degrees out, I’ve been running around looking for a dog, and heaving a pressure washer around; I’ve broken a sweat (uh oh).

About 10 minutes into my battle with the back door of Mom’s Jeep, my cat (Eden) runs out of the still-open garage door. I chase her around the yard; 5 minutes later, she’s back in the house with a scolding and a smack on the bum. I close the garage door.

“Well, if Mom’s back door won’t open, maybe mine will.” I try; I was wrong – mine’s decided not to work today either.

“Maybe I can fit it in Lisa’s car if I fold the seats down.” Lisa’s car doors all open, I struggle for a while to get the seats down, but now I’m ready to get the pressure washer loaded and get on my way. Oh no. The pressure washer may not weigh 1000 lbs, but it does way enough that I’m not able to lift it into the back of Lisa’s car by myself. And now that I’ve ‘evaluated the situation more closely’ I’m not convinced it would fit in even if I could lift it up that high.

At this point, I’m late; it’s 6 o’clock – the concert is starting in Red Deer. I’m frustrated. I’m crying. I may have even said a bad word or two. It’s at this point that Mom decides to call to see where I am; bad timing. I rant and rave; Mom tells me to just forget the pressure washer and start driving (carefully) to Red Deer. I really don’t want to go to the silly concert now, but Dad needs his pills. I’m ready to leave, and I see Roxy, Mom and Dad’s cat running outside “She must have escaped with Eden.” She ends up back in the house in much the same condition that Eden had.

I stop for gas along the highway and start on the drive to Red Deer. I hit Didsbury, nearly half way into the trip, before I realize that I forgot Dad’s camera and pills. “Hahaha. I can not believe this!” I turn around, drive back to the farm, and get Dad’s stuff. But now, Laurie (my brother) is at the farm, he thinks we should try the Jeep doors again – hmm, what a surprise, they still don’t work. It’s 7:20 when I get back on the highway, in Lisa’s car (cause it has air conditioning), and start the trek to Red Deer… again.

I find driving therapeutic; even if I am moving at the speed of sound. I’ve got the ‘God Rock’ pumping, I’m singing along, dancin’ it up, and flying down the highway. At 8:04 I’m walking through the halls of the Red Deer Centrium – and, *bonus*, the drive has given me just enough time to fix the damage done by the sweat and tears.

I find my parents, get some hugs, and settle down. It’s then that I realize, “Hey! This music is pretty good! I’m glad I came.” As the evening progressed, and my mood improved, I had a really good time. I met some very interesting people and got a chance to talk to some of the groups. And when I left to drive home, I was actually feeling really good, relaxed, and even happy I had been there ALONE.

So, time for my opinion poll; Did all of this happen to my day because…

A)…everybody has bad days sometimes.
B)…God has a crazy sense of humor.
C)…the Moon was in Venus, the Stars were going crazy, and my tea leaves predicted it.
D)…God wanted to remind me that sometimes there is a huge reward for doing things we don’t want or are scared to do.
E)…some other reason that you want to explain to me.