Crazy/Busy/WRONG!

Whew! What a week it's been! From last Tuesday until today, it's been crazy/busy! Up & down the hill to be with Mary Kay, who is recovering nicely, daily chores, and rescues. Yes, rescues....of sorts anyway.

We had a family picnic on Sunday at Ramona Oaks Park. My niece Willow and her family were coming, so I called her with directions, thinking she was coming East Hwy 78 from the Escondido area (they're camping in Temecula). No worries, right? WRONG! Her hubby Kevin called me about 2:30. 'Willow's van broke down on Hwy 79.' What??? 'Whaddya mean Hwy 79? She's coming 78 Kev.' 'Nope, she's coming Hwy 79 Aunt Penny'....Ok let me call her & find out just where she is...yep, sure enough, she's on Hwy 79. I'm thinking she took a wrong turn somewhere and is headed for Julian! So I asked her what the cross street nearest to her is. 'Ramona Trails Road, Aunt Penny'...'Ok , I know exactly where you are hon. Stay put (like they're going anywhere???) and I'll be there as soon as I can.' She had come the 'back way' from Temecula, and never would have arrived because I'd given her directions from an entirely different direction! But long story short, we got everyone and everything thing loaded into what Shannon calls my 'Granny van' and we made it to the picnic.

Now, the main reason we decided on Ramona Oaks Park is because Brian was on duty, so we thought the station could come join us and eat & visit for a bit, which they did. Willow, the kids, and I arrive at the park a little after 4pm... Good, they're still here! We can visit, and I can see my son for a bit.....WRONG again! As I approach the picnic area, they get up and start walking. Turns out they got a call (of course!), so they're outta there! Well crud, ok, duty calls....fortunately it turned out to be nothing serious, so they came back for a few minutes. Ok so I only got to visit with him for a few, but no worries, we can always come out to the station this week and visit for a bit.... WRONG! Brian called last night-they were headed up north to Big Sur today to relieve the other firefighters that have been up there for 35 days now. UGH-ok well, I knew when HE signed up, WE signed up too...again, duty calls, so be it. THEY need him more than we do right now. Go ahead son, and be safe.

Got an awesome surprise this morning around 9:30-ish. Shannon called and told me that Brian was going to be on KUSI News live at 10am. I'd just arrived at the rehab facility and was getting ready to go up to Mary's room. I called Jim at work and told him to be sure and watch. 10:00 came, and sure enough, there was Brian, big as life, giving an absolutely professional interview. Boy was THIS mama ever proud! Gotta find someone who recorded it-Shannon said hopefully Jess LaTour did (I HOPE so!). Anyway, everyone was loading up the bus to head out, and Brian gave a very professional and knowledgeable to the reporter, explaining exactly why they were going, and what everyone, including himself, would be doing. I'm sure that Brian will be buying ALOT of ice cream in the near future! To have your pic in the media, or give an interview, among other things, is constituted as 'an ice cream offense' among firefighters. Maybe he'd better buy stock in Cold Stone, or Breyer's huh? They've packed a 21 day supply of everything, so looks like he'll be gone for a few weeks. When asked if he was leaving family, he said yes, his beautiful wife Katie, and their 6 month old daughter Peyton. What a neat guy! Of course we'll all miss him like crazy, and we pray for his & everyone else's safety up there, and a safe return home. Can't come fast enough for us, but I know it REALLY can't come fast enough for Katie! Bless her heart, she's such a trooper, and takes Brian's career in stride, and supports him, and that endears her to us all the more. She's SO awesome!

Back to Willow's van. Someone is ROYALLY trying to screw them over! Grrr! AAA towed it to our mechanic here in town. Turns out it's the transmission, and they only service trannies, they don't repair them, so the mechanic referred them to a tranny place in Escondido. Get the van towed down there, and not only does this place (Rapid Transmission) charge them over $600 just to LOOK at it, but is NOW telling them that it'll cost almost $5,000 to fix it! ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS???? I told Willow & Kev to maybe call some places up here & shop around, see if they can get a better deal somewhere else. Seriously, does it REALYY cost $5,000 to fix a tranny these days? I really don't know, but c'mon already! They need a financial blessing, and they need it NOW.

So much more I want to say, but I think I'll save it for next time. We have a wedding coming up soon, so I'll definitely be blogging about that! I can't wait!!!

Until we meet again....blessings to you~