Books!!!

I love road trips.  At least, I love them when they go well.

We’re Thanksgiving-ing with my folks, et al, and then using tomorrow to try to get the house to look like it didn’t get ransacked (just in case the kid who feeds the chickens/gets the mail/brings in packages peeks into the living room and thinks we’ve been robbed). 

After THAT, however, we’re throwing the kids in the car and heading off to San Diego!  YAY!!!!! 

We’re hoping John can get a long nap in Friday, enabling us to leave just as the kids are falling asleep.  I could never keep my eyes open driving all night like that, but John can.  He’s Superman in disguise, remember.  His secret weapon for such a drive is to stay up all night talking with me.

The only problem with that plan is keeping me awake.  Even as a passenger with the emminent threat of the driver nodding off and killing us all, I can’t resist the lull of darkness and the gentle hum of a car on the freeway.  Mmm… sleep…..

So also on hold at the library were a few audio books – the other secret weapon.  He should be set.

In preparation for our grand excursion, I also put a few books on hold for me.  Nothing like a road trip and a week+ on vacation for a little light reading.  I’ve gone to the library twice now during the last week, hoping to pick up what we’ll need — but each time, though, I haven’t quite succeeded.

Can’t imagine why. 

“Doodle, for the love of books, please stay where I can see you!” 

“Yes, Cinderella, you can get that too – Don’t leave it on the floor – It doesn’t go there.”

“No, I don’t can’t hold it – I’m holding Eagle.  Put it on the stroller.”

“Ack!  Doodle!  One at a time, k?”

“Cinderella, will you grab his binky for me?  He dropped it again.”

“Oh, drat.  Cinderella, where’s Doodle?”

You get the idea.  I’m still not quite sure what we’ve got in the way of books for the kids, but we maxed out Daddy’s card when we left.  Hopefully that means we’ll be set.  And hopefully they’ll sleep the whole drive down anyway.  It’s mostly the drive back up I’m not sure about… And all the driving back and forth in San Diego traffic when we’re there.  BLEH!  I definitely don’t miss that.  At.  All.

Back to my books on hold.  The library closed at 6 yesterday – and driving back up from Pie Fest @ my parent’s, I was in our neighborhood at 5:40pm.  Ack!  I can’t not have those books!  The boys are both asleep – but I really can’t leave them in the car when I run in real fast.  Could I?  No, I really shouldn’t….

John to the rescue!  I picked him up and we sped over, pulling in the parking lot @ 5:45.  SWEET!  Man, I love having my car’s clock set 5 minutes fast.  He babysits the quiet little angels (who did, by the way, stay asleep that whole time anyway), and I had 5 blissful minutes in my favorite place.

Amazing , xxxxxxxxxxxcxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx how I got more done in thxosxe rushed 5 minutes than in the pxxxxrxevoxioxsxxxx x xxx2xxxxxxxxxxxxxxjxxhoursx trixps.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pathetic, how I relished (and tried to extend) the conversation with the nice librarian that helped me check ‘em out.  Oh, to talk with a grown up without my kids hanging on me!  I’m such a dork.

Exciting, all the books waiting for me there.  “Do you need a bag?”  No, I didn’t.  I have experience with this, having carted armfuls of my kids’ childrens books back upstairs where they go on a weekly basis. weexxxcxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Hitting the handicap-button to open the doors for me was pretty easy.  That’s what hips are for.  Opening the passenger door, however, took a little skill, as my lovely little stack came up past my nose.

“That’s a lot of books, dear!”

“I know!  Isn’t it GREAT?!”

And it was.  I think I’m looking forward to the books just as much as anything else about this vacation.  Including the possibility of Disneyland.

I hugged my little stack all the way home.