I took a lot of deep breaths (mostly to keep myself from crying) and turned the van around. While the car seemed fine, I just couldn’t take the kids and myself on a 300 plus mile drive where a lot of that drive is in the middle of nowhere. Naturally there isn’t a service station open to be found so we just stayed home. The princess and I braved the crowds to get her brother a present and then I took a nap. I’d been running on adrenaline and when that stopped suddenly I was beyond exhausted and not coping well.

This morning I was up before dawn and at the Honda dealership 10 minutes after it opened. I had hoped to be able to have the van looked at and fixed right away. But no, there were 83 appointments on their calendar today. After explaining my dilemma and asking for suggestions of where else I can take it, the service rep became a little more accommodating (without promising me anything). Since I didn’t have a way home and the van needed a service anyway, if I got the service today I’d get a free rental car (free, heh, their 75000 mile service costs $223, yikes, I’d say the free rental was built into that cost). Wheels, okay fine. At least we’re not stranded in our house.

So here I sit, typing an entry, thinking about braving the mall for the santa picture, dealing with a crying girl who wants to see her grandparents, realizing that I won’t see my dad and stepmom after all (today was the day to spend with them, they get on an airplane tomorrow to go visit my brother) and generally feeling a bit down. I’ve lost my momentum and I don’t even want to go anymore. I’d just say screw it all and stay here but the kids wouldn’t go for that so hopefully the darned van will be fixed today, not cost too much (heh) and nothing traumatic will happen on the drive down.

Wish me luck.