I Dub Thee the Longest Day Ever.

Today started just fine.

Got up, got ready, packed my suitcase, ate some food, sent a text to my fiance... all pretty much the same old.

Got to work, keyed claims for two hours and then everyone from the 4th floor made their way to the Manor House in Mason, OH. Today was "EyeMed's Got Talent!", also known as the mandatory off-site event. My friend Sara and I squished ourselves into my jam-packed-full car and headed over together, and then sat through two hours of some of the most hilarious skits I think I've ever seen, ate some wondrous food, and then listened to Dessie Williams, a famous motivational speaker, for two straight hours.

Get.
Excited.

Just kidding, he was actually really fun to listen to. Oh, and the room we were in was frigidly cold and Sara and I shivered through everything and were super excited to get outside in the warm.

Anyway, so, I drop Sara off at her car after this shindig ends and head off to my apartment, where I was going to check the mail for RSVPs. (We have finally hit the 100 mark out of ALL the people we have invited). I waited for, like, half an hour because I saw the mail truck at the other end of the lot and I figured he just hadn't made his way down to my end yet.

Waited.
And Waited.
Still didn't move.

So I got fed up and checked and guess what? He had already been to my end, probably before I even got there. Epic fail on my part. Speed off from my apt because I needed to get out of Cinci before rush hour.

Driving up the interstate and I'm nearly to an exit for Mason where I was going to get gas when suddenly my car won't accelerate. I stomped down on the pedal and nothing happened, so I slowly pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. Turned off my car. Tried, and it wouldn't turn on. Tried again. Nothing. I called Johnny, called my Dad, tried to turn the car on again, it turned on. So I, in my infinite car wisdom, immediately turned it off again, not feeling safe driving it anywhere, even if was just to head down the ramp to the Speedway. Dad thought it could be the oil so he had me check and it was low. So I start my trek down the ramp, heading for Speedway. Dangerous place to be on foot, let me tell you, but I made it. Found oil but realized I couldn't remember what kind I needed. So I guessed and decided I'd ask when I go to the counter.

I also bought Twizzlers.

Just go with me here.

Get up to the counter and I ask the guy if he knows anything at all about cars and told him I just wanted to know if I got the right thing. The guy in line behind me knew, so he helped out, and I tell them that I'm that car up there that's broken down and suddenly everyone has advice, none of them think that it's the oil, etc, etc.

The guy behind me, however, was very helpful and said that it sounded to him like the alternator and then was going to offer me a ride in his big moving truck but there wasn't room (I wouldn't have accepted anyway, I've seen too much SVU and NCIS for that...) so he starts talking about figuring out where the police station is when the Sheriff pulls in. This man has no fear and just really wanted to help a damsel in distress so he approaches the Sheriff to ask him if he'd give me a ride.

Next thing I know I'm sitting in the back of the cop car (the passenger seat had a box of stuff in it) and he's making his roundabout way back to I-71 North to my car. I told him he didn't need to stick around so he dropped me off and I put the oil in and try the ignition and wonder of wonder it starts! However, the battery light stayed on, so I once again turned the car off and called my dad and he wanted me to look up AutoZone so I could have them check my battery. Well then I try the ignition again and... no dice. So AutoZone is no go.

All this time I'm calling Johnny and my Dad alternately to update them on the situation and I'm on the verge of tears but hold it back. Call my friend Dave, who knows cars and lives nearby. He makes his way to me through rush hour traffic. Checks my car, decides it's not the battery, the oil, the alternator, but that it could be the fuel system or the electrical. But he wasn't sure, and we couldn't get the car on, so Allstate Roadside Assistance was called and I called Johnny and my sister to arrange my rides north considering the whole reason I'm going is because my third bridal shower is tomorrow and I kind of need to be there...

Forty-five minutes later the tow truck appears and tows my poor Penny over to a dealership that Dave recommended. Left my spare key in the night drop with the necessary information and now I'm sitting at Dave's house writing this while waiting for my sister to come get me. She should be here at any time.

This whole ordeal began around 4pm. I got to Dave's at 7:30pm.

*sigh*

SO the last thing I need right now...

and still trying to figure how I'll get back...

Aaaaannnndd....

Time just keeps getting shorter! Only 17 days till the wedding now, the RSVP deadline is this Saturday, as is my final shower. My bosses are leaning towards a "yes" for me working from home (um, can you say 'score!'?) and there's only a couple of trips left for my apartment to be empty. Every night this week will be spent packing everything up room by room. I've already done my bedroom and the living room. Tonight I tackle the bathroom and the kitchen, since the bathroom won't take long. I bought bubble wrap for my breakables and Johnny and I have spent time trying to figure exactly what pieces of furniture will fit in our cars so we can get it up to the house without having to drive the truck all the way down here. However, I have a feeling that the truck will be in my near future...

Be that as it may, on my drive home Sunday it suddenly struck me that the boys are wearing brown dress shirts and Johnny is wearing a brown tux... but what if the two shades don't mix well? What if Johnny's tux isn't a warm enough brown and they just clash when standing next to each other? And what if I don't have enough flowers? Who will start the fire before everyone gets to the reception? We need to make a playlist! And buy bubbles, where did Anne get her bubbles? What if the flowers and other decorations for the reception don't look good and it just looks like my crazy brain exploded all over the inside of a tent? What if no one has fun because we're not having dancing?!? On and on and on and on and ever since then I've been a crazy person. I was so wired by the time I got back to Cinci that I couldn't fall asleep and had to read a book to calm myself down.

I've been running every day I can because a.) the weather is gorgeousness and b.) it helps to de-stress while giving me energy and motivation to get stuff done. This whole wedding thing is stressful. As is moving without a moving truck, waiting to hear whether I have to quit my job, and knowing that in 17 days this will all be over and everything will calm down. So I'll just take this one day at a time...