A very special episode...

Well, I did it. I thought I'd hold out a bit longer, but it simply couldn't be helped.
I had my very first post-deployment breakdown - on Thursday, August 14, at approximately 2:10 p.m.
Unfortunately, I was at work when the tears started. Ended up having to take some vacation time and go home because I simply couldn't stop crying.
What, you ask, led up to this? Something catastrophic? Something disastrous?
I hate to disappoint you, my three loyal readers, but it was really just a combination of a whole bunch of amazingly small annoyances that, in and of themselves, would have been manageable, but all bunched up together in the space of a few days and with no husband around to help out, led to complete mental meltdown.
Here's what happened:

1. Not used to driving my husband's gigantic pickup truck, but forced to due to the fact that my car lacks air conditioning and I don't have the $800 it would cost to fix it, I backed out of a parking space and smashed into the Honda Accord parked behind me. Small car + big truck = deep dent. Now, I did the right thing. I left a note on the car with my telephone number and name. I could have driven away - nobody saw me hit the car. But noooo, my damn conscience wouldn't let me do it. Stupid conscience. I hate it.
2. Came home last week to note on my door from the Greenville Water System...blah blah blah...came by to check your meter...you may have a water leak...please call if questions. Great. A water leak. That means more big bucks for my water bill.
3. Due to financial ineptitude, forgot to transfer funds from one account to another, paid rent, one account went into the red. Way into the red.
4. Supposed to be going on vacation in a few weeks with my family. Supposed to chip in a couple hundred bucks for the cabin. Looking at all of the above, it's becoming increasingly unclear where that couple hundred bucks will be coming from. Need vacation, though. Desperately.
5. Really really want to get rid of my house. I could have an extra $1,500 a month if I could get rid of that stupid house. Not only do we have to pay the mortgage on it, but we're also paying for someone to cut the grass every week so it will look presentable to potential buyers, plus we still have to pay the power bill and water bill out there too. So, we're paying for two houses, two water bills (one of which is sure to be spectacularly high due to #2 above) and two power bills. Just thinking about it makes me want to kick something.
6. I lost my favorite lipstick. And my debit card. I'm really more concerned about the lipstick, although the debit card thing is bad, too.
   

So, there it is, in all its ugliness and squalor. Feeling a little bit better this week. I filed an insurance claim for the dent, got paid so am back in the black in both accounts, decided not to bother about potential water leak right now (what's that saying about hard work paying off in the future, but laziness paying off right now? that's so me) and am determined to stop stressing about the house.

Went to the bank, cancelled missing debit card and ordered new one. Found lipstick. In the parking lot at work. Smashed into little waxy bits. Apparently it fell out of my purse. Oh, well, at least I won't drive myself crazy looking for it any more.

Got second job working in church nursery on Sunday nights, to make money to pay for much-needed vacation. Second job has major advantage of being able to take Drew with me, so yay! God does provide! Maybe He'll hook me up with someone who desperately wants to buy a four-bedroom, three-bathroom house in the country! Preferably someone who is pre-qualified!