The Great Waterstraut Heat Wave of 2013

Surprise! I went to Ohio last weekend. I told you I couldn't tell you where I was off to. Mom was the purchaser of my plane ticket, and I was under strict instructions not to tell anyone. (I did tell my cousin Joanne in hopes to get her to come over to see me, turns out she was already headed to Ohio anyway).

But, before all that happened, we had a catastrophe. A real life, first world catastrophe. Our air condition went out! It was awful, really. It was out about 36 hours but it seemed like forever. We're not-so-affectionately referring to it as the Great Waterstraut Heat Wave of 2013.

Tuesday night we were skyping with mom, and it seemed like it wasn't quite cooling off in the house. While I listened to her tell us all about how hotels were wooing her to get some business, Asa was running around the house desperately trying to fix it, to no avail. We emailed our rental company without really expecting an answer as it was already 11 pm.

The next morning, it was super hot in the house, and we couldn't get a nailed down time or day that the AC guy would be coming. Usually our rental company is awesome, but they really dropped the ball on this one. So, we spent the day trying to stay cool. Neighbors and friends donated fans to the 'Keep the Waterstrauts Cool' campaign. We opened the front door in an attempt to get airflow through the house, moved furniture away from windows, and basically made a huge mess trying to keep the house cool. We made chicken stock ice cubes for the dogs, gave many cool down baths, and froze water bottles for the rabbit to lay next to. Seriously, you may think I'm exaggerating, but it was 95 degrees with 100 percent humidity. The carpet, and furniture.. just all sticky and gross. We were pretty miserable. Basically, we spent our Thursday complaining about how hot it was. The house topped out at 91 degrees at about 6:30. It eventually bottomed down at 82 that night, before climbing back up the next morning.

Nobody slept well Thursday night, so we gave Calib and Hayden the option to stay home. Calib preferred school (and air conditioning), while Hayden stayed home. By noon the house was already 90, so we headed out to the pool. Thankfully, the AC guy finally called while we were swimming and came to fix it. It took the house a day and a half to finally cool down. However, by that time I was in Ohio, where it wasn't even 60 degrees.  And trust me, the irony was not lost on me.

I flew in Friday night, and the boys started to enjoy their 'boys weekend'. Basically, a weekend filled with loud music, video games, and frozen pizza. They had a good time though, I think. I did manage to fit in dinner with my mom at Chuds though, a Fremont must stop.

Saturday, I got my hair cut in the morning. I needed it, but not nearly as bad as usual. Afterwards, I headed up to Toledo for a bridal shower. My cousin, Tim, is getting married in July in Seattle, and his fiancee, her mom, Tim, my Aunt and other cousin all flew in for a shower in Toledo with a lot of my family who can't make it out to the wedding. So, I wanted to be there for that. Plus, its nice when there are parties up there and I get to see lots of people at once. I hadn't gotten to see my cousin Joanne in over a year so I was happy she could come over from Pittsburgh. It was the funnest shower I've ever been to, I laughed so much my cheeks hurt for days. Oh, and as an added bonus I got to sit at the kids table. Which is always THE BEST time. I am not a huge Ohio fan, but it does certainly have its perks in the people that I get to see there.

Sunday I went to Toledo again, this time to go shopping with my mom. We hit Kohls, Savers, and Costco for various things. And, we met my good friend Ben for lunch. It's hard to believe I was Peyton's age when Ben started using me for my family's cool 5 disc CD changer. He's always a must see while I'm up. I had hoped to see other people: Nathan and Blair and Amanda, but I'll be back in July so hopefully then.

After shopping, I went over to grandma's to visit. Mom, while on her tour of hotels in Louisville, Kansas City, and Milwaukee, was at the Churchill Downs store and was talking about how she had watched the derby with grandma, and they loved the hats. So while trying to woo her, they offered to buy a hat and ship it home. I was glad I got to be there when mom gave it to grandma. So fun.

We had a cookout that night, with the family who was left in town. I don't get to see my Hannifin cousins often since they live in Seattle, so it was nice to spend time with them. We counted manly points, played some bowl-a-tronic, they taught me how to tie shoes, and I watched Bridgette eat her birthday cake that a clown clearly threw up on.

Monday morning, I didn't have a ton of time on my hands but I had to help my mom with a quilt she's working on for Tim and Emily's wedding, before heading to the airport. Aunt Patti and Bridgette were flying out the same time as me, so I hitched a ride to the airport. Bridgette and I decided we should travel somewhere cool, and that Sao Paulo would do. It was a good trip. However, this is the only photo we were able to take of the whole thing. 

This week has been busy, with school events and getting Calib's football physical in. I'm planning our summer theme weeks and activities, plus menu planning and scheduling. Just lots of lists and plans, so I don't have to do it every week this summer.

And tomorrow, is Calib's 13th birthday. Today is the last day for nearly 13 years that I will be teenager-less. Crazy. I'm not sure when he got this old. But it's alarming.

However, funny story.. so Calib has to go take his physical, right? And he has to answer this drug, and alcohol questionnaire. We hear him telling Peyton about it later, and he's all "It asked me if I ever chew Tab- e- co (yes, just like that). What is tab-e- co anyway?"