Chaos in The Car

Some days, I gotta' move a little faster than others...

Today, I gotta' really hustle, and try not to put my carpool companion out on the curb in the process.

It's Wed..no Thursday morning, 8:45 a.m.
And the house is unusually quiet. Too quiet. Quiet like...."the breadwinner is going to be late for work" quiet.
I hop out of bed frantically, and forcefully awaken The Assassin.

"DUDE! Are you going to work today?"
"unnnrrghhhh.
"It's like, a quarter to nine!"
"I think you need to drive me."
"Then, we gotta' hustle. Let's go!"

I'm already behind today, which is odd, because I woke unusually early! I depend on the sound of the shower running, to kind of prompt me that it's time for the day to begin. Well that, and the sound of The Bodyguard bouncing off the walls. But there's none of that today.
Say.... where is he? He's quiet too....

(Source: danoah.com)

the one morning he's not up at 4:00 a.m.....

Trying to drag The Bodyguard out of bed for an impromptu morning drive, I locate the hidden foot dynamite known as Legos on the Star Wars carpet with my left heel.

(Source memecenter.com)
Oh sweet. It's the missing piece he's been looking for. Super stoked.
Now, grab some toast, and let's hit the door, little fella.

We're picking up the pace, and as we get into the car to drive, we continue the momentum.
I'm doing a fairly good job, timing the lights to try to hit all of them green. It's proving challenging, but I get into a hot streak occasionally.

(Source: teepr.com)

Do you want me to drive?
Wha?? You told me I needed to drive you.
Well, yeah, but...I mean if it's too hard.
I'm literally driving you right now. Traveling at 38 mph, presently. Not hard.
But..your driving kinda' aggressively. I don't wanna' get in a wreck because you're driving crazy to rush back to something you have in the oven.
(I had something in the oven.)
Hon, if we get into a wreck because of anything, it'll be the grinding halt we'll eventually fail to come to, when our Flintstone brake pads finally give out.
Be sure and nag me about it for the 400th time.
(sips coffee)

(Source: pintrest.com)

Luckily, at this point, "Take On Me" by a-ha has cued up on the radio for the duration of the trip. The Bodyguard loves this song. We blast it!
We arrive at our destination, sans accidents, and drop The Assassin off at work, a little after 9 a.m. Quick u-turn back to the house to finish kitchen duty, where the first round of today's cook-a-thon is already underway.
If I time everything juuuuust riiiight, I can have the cakes finish cooking, while the bread is rising. Then, cool the cakes, while the bread is baking. Finally, cool the bread while the ribs are in the oven. But, I haven't a minute to miscalculate! If I'm gonna' pull it all off, there can be no more unexpected surprises or delays.

Cakes are looking good, cooking away, so I start on the bread dough.
(A simple sandwich bread recipe I'll be posting very soon on how to make yourself, at home)

Dough is resting to rise. Everything seems to be going on track.
Ding! Cakes are done! And only 10 more minutes left until I have to "punch down the dough", and shape it int....

RING, RING!!!

There were more unexpected surprises and delays.

It's The Assassin calling. He's not gonna' make it a full day. He's ready for us to come pick him up.
Damn. It.

Ok, one more quick round trip across town, and I can get back here before this dough has risen for too long. I know as soon as I walk through the door though, I'm going to need to work fast and methodically. So, as soon as I turn the key in the door, one foot in, BAM! I'm making a beeline for the kitchen.

And so are the rest of The Inmates. Including The Agent, who wasn't interested in riding in the car, "if the brakes still sound funny." Including the furry, 4-legged one, who just came in to knock over his water bowl, best I can tell.
But everyone wants lunch, and Jane needs, well...space.

I just kinda' need everyone outta' my kitchen.
This isn't your kitchen, Jane! It's our kitchen.
Well, I have a dozen things going on in here, so if you would sit down and relax, I'll bring whatever you need from the kitchen to you, k?
I need a cigarette

(Source: foursquare.com)

At this point, I'm so stressed out. I'm convinced I've overworked this dough, and am having hell trying to shape it into a loaf.
I'm certain this is going to be the toughest brick I've ever produced. I relent finally, and surrender the misshapen loaf to the bread pan. It doesn't rise quite like what I'm used to, and I groused about it the whole time, but...it turned out to be the best loaf of bread I've ever made!

Even with all the unforeseen events trying to hijack my day, in the end, everything turned out better than expected.
I guess that's my daily lesson in learning how to let go of trying to control everything, and just deal with whatever results lie ahead.
Could it be that if I just set a few of these heavy stones down, this satchel may seem lighter?
How about if I just leave this whole collection of baggage right here? How much more carefree would each day be, if I didn't pick up this heavy bag of bricks? Bricks labelled "shame", "guilt", "sorrow", "anger", etc.
What if I refused to haul them around, suffering, any longer?
I'm interested in finding out.

But for now, speaking of "bricks", The Bodyguard has some Legos to pick up.

(Source: knowyourmeme.com)

Tomaato, Tomahto. You step on one, you step on 'em all. They all hurt the same.
Nothing is harder on your feet than stepping on a brick, no matter the brand.
Well...almost nothing.

High heels run a tight campaign for the title.

(Source: amandabeker)

Thanks for reading!! Please consider upvoting and resteeming, if you enjoyed it! I look forward to reading your comments below!! Follow me for sporadic antics.
~Jane