I am Michelle D. Carter

Last Friday was CRAZY! I always think I have to get EVERYTHING done before I leave for any kind of trip. It helps me to relax. Tim thinks I have an OCD. The only thing Tim asked me to do before I left was go to the grocery store. By 6:00 pm, I still hadn’t been.

Earlier in the day, I was getting things accomplished. I mowed the yard so Tim wouldn’t have to worry about it. Then Andy began complaining that his ear hurt. He’s been prone to ear infections. Not wanting to leave Tim with a sick child, we rushed to the urgent care clinic before they closed at 11:00 am.

Sure enough, he has an ear infection. When we finally made it out of the doctor’s office, it was time for lunch. We make a quick run through McDonald’s drive-thru on our way to Target. I needed to get some toiletries for the trip.

After running our errands, I decided it was time for my shower and pedicure. Alyssa decided she was ready to do the same. However, when it came time to paint her nails, she wanted a fancy design. I knew the pressures of getting ready for the trip didn’t leave me with enough patience to even attempt intricate toenail art. Trust me, there isn’t much canvas on an 8-year old.

Despite the additional last minute items added to my day, we were doing fairly well on time so I asked her if she wanted to get them done at a local nail salon. Generally you can get in and out of this salon rather quickly. However, since I was on a tight schedule, it was not the case. They kept telling us, “Just a few more minutes.”

Alex had a loose tooth that I had been keeping an eye on. OK, I admit it, I was obsessing over it. While passing the time waiting at the nail salon, I did my usual inspection and realized it was REALLY loose. This is his first loose tooth and I was afraid it would come out while I was gone. I couldn’t let that happen. I needed to “work” on it.

I asked him if I could pull on it. Surprisingly, he let me. One yank and he lets out an, “Owie” that could be heard in the back of the salon. Blood filled his mouth. I ran to the van to get some tissue. I couldn’t work effectively without drying things up a little. Even more surprisingly, he continued to let me manipulate it. I grabbed it firmly, gave it another good yank and the tooth was in my hand. YES, success!!

The expression on his face told you that he couldn’t decide how to react. It hurt, a little. However, the tooth in his hand meant the tooth fairy would be visiting. He summed things up with one word, “Cool.”

He couldn’t wait to call Daddy to let him know the good news. “Daddy, guess who’s coming tonight?”

He also asked if we could keep the doors unlocked so the tooth fairy could come in at night. I told him we didn’t need to because she could get in, even with the doors locked.

“Does she have a key?”

Trying to keep this as simple as possible, I said “Yes.”

“Does she have a key to everyone’s house?”

“Yes.” Imagine carrying all those keys in her purse. She must be one strong woman!!

Playing dentist did help to pass the time however; we still spent two hours getting Alyssa’s nails fancy. I finally made it to the grocery store after dinner. Tim was very appreciative. It was the least I could do since he made our hotel arrangements.

In the middle of the night, Alex came running to our bedroom, “The tooth fairy’s been. I got money.” It was so cute. I don’t regret pulling that tooth out for one second. I would have hated to miss that.

Alyssa and I left for St. Louis at 10:00 am Saturday and returned around 9:30 pm last night, Wednesday. We had an awesome time. Watch for upcoming blogs on our adventures.

By the way, I returned to a few REALLY nice surprises. Tim re-potted some plants and ran drip lines so I don’t have to water them. There weren’t any dirty dishes or laundry waiting for me. Our kitchen island wasn’t stacked to the ceiling with “stuff.” He even worked on my fence staining project and the huge pile of mulch in the driveway was gone. Thanks honey pie!