Sheesh

Monday was rough.  We had an awesome morning, ran TONS of errands, I was being SO productive and then.... I pulled a Kirsta.  Like I've done at least a dozen times before, I lost my wallet. I put it on the hood of my car and drove off, onto 120th Ave in mid-afternoon traffic.  Before I even got home I realized my mistake so I whipped the car around and searched.  I searched and searched and SEARCHED.  I got out on every instersection, running up and down the side of the road and even sometimes the median; I went back to the parking lot TWICE (in case I'm blind) and went back into the store we were at when I'd been such an idiot... NO WALLET.  So after an hour (all 3 kids in the car the whole time, mind you) I gave up, went home, and called the credit card companies to get everything cancelled.  There's certainly nothing good about losing a wallet, but the silver lining is that I didn't have much cash in it, my drivers' license was already expired, and I wanted to buy a new wallet but hadn't gotten around to it.

Today was rough. I needed to get a new license, and there is NEVER a good time for that, so we bit the bullet and went.  First, though, I called to make sure I had the documentation I needed, and they gave me their location, which I mapquested before I left: 11900 N. Washington.  So prepared!  We were even out the door by 9:00.  I got to about where the DMV should be (on mapquest), and it's the post office.  So I went into the post office to ask, it must be next door or something and I'm blind (still considering that as an option), but they assured me it was down the road around Washington and Malley.  I drive down, and my empty light comes on.  I drive around and around, it's a dilapidated old strip mall and the parking lot is EMPTY so surely this ISN'T the DMV, where it's always packed.  I have to get gas, so I head down to the nearest gas station.  There happen to be a cop, he assures me the DMV is IN the dilapidated old strip-mall parking lot, so I am SURE of it this time.  I drive around a minute, and THERE IT IS - with a sign on the door, last week it relocated to 11900 N. Washington!! Just opened up yesterday.  I've been driving around for an HOUR by now (again, 3 kids in the car) and we finally find it - ACROSS THE STREET from the freaking post office. In yet another dilapidated strip-mall parking lot.

It's packed, of course, but because I don't have an old license to surrender I have to take a ticket rather than stand in line.  I'm watching the ticket ticker, watching the line, watching the ticker, watching the line... if I'd had my old license I would have been done in an hour, flat.  With my ticket it took TWO hours (with 3 kids, mind you) to get my stinkin' license, which was expired anyway but I didn't have it to surrender.  We ended up taking a side-trip to Walgreens before my number got called to pick up snacks since what should have been one hours somehow turned into three... so it cost me $21 for a license, $6.50 for snacks, $15 for gas (I only have cash, you know, what with no credit cards and reserving $21 for that license) and $4.40 for a bottle of aspirin for the headache that has become my life.

I got a phone call at 3:00 today from some nice, old, honest man that he HAS MY WALLET and has been calling me since Monday (I seriously stink at checking my messages - WHY?!?!?) so I can come get it.  I could have saved myself one hour on 120th driving up and down, plus one hour at the DMV in line instead of with a ticket, and probably another hour on the phone, calling about cancelling my cards, PLUS my tank would not have been on empty from all that stupid driving around.  GARRRRR!!!!

I really hate it when I pull a Kirsta.