How was your day? Mine was, well, hmmm...
I never know what to expect when my day begins. I think I know what's going to or should happen, but it never goes that way.
Today was interesting.
Get up, get ready, go to show property at 10, that was the plan. (Yes I still have a day job because you guys aren't buying enough books). Lunch with a friend for their birthday at noon and then the rest of the day was to be free.
So how'd it go? Glad you asked!
Get up, check. Get ready, check.
Swing through McDonald's to grab an egg sandwich, the line was literally 13 cars deep at 9:30am on Saturday. I jumped out and went inside and got my sandwich in 2 minutes. Gotta love America.
Dropped my truck off at a public parking lot and got picked up by my partner (hi Mom!) and we were off.
The showings went great, but there was a looming threat of another buyer later in the afternoon, or evening, or who the hell knows when.
After the first set of showings we stopped by the office. Now our office is by the beach, directly across from it in fact. Little did I know, while I was inside, a storm had begun and I was nearly dragged away in a sandstorm (this should have been my indicator to just go home and go back to bed.
Lunch was fun, everyone was in good spirits, and my lovely lady friend, Ashley, picked me up so we could shop a little while we waited for our now confirmed second round of showings at 5, we busted a move and got appointments, from the lunch table inside Bahama Breeze no less, for each of three short notice condo showings (no small feat).
Plans were in place, things were going just as they should. First stop, Target. Target was a mess. We couldn't turn down an aisle without being blocked by some meandering shopper. The initial plan involved groceries, but the change in itinerary no longer allowed for cold food, the deal we came to exploit ($10 gift card for spending $50 on food) became impossible, but not until we were five items deep in our cart - solution? Put everything back and hit the store after the showings. Cue the meandering shoppers again as we try to return the items from whence they came. Do your breathing and calming exercises and move on. It's fine, really, it's great. (By the way, I knocked Ashley's Starbucks out of her hand and got it all over the place in the meantime, just part of being around me, gotta always be ready to dodge flailing arms).
Next was World Market for green tea. After dodging three cars blowing stop signs, pedestrians crossing without looking, and a lady walking diagonally through the parking lot at the pace of a snail riding on the back of a tortoise and shouting for it to slow down, we find out that they are out of only one type of tea...green. Dodge the pedestrians and a Mercedes nearly side swiping us as they sneak through parking spots to cut us off and we're off to TJ Maxx to return something.
In the meantime, the customer for 5 has informed us it's looking more like 5:10-5:15. No problem.
The shopping center that hosts TJ Maxx is a mess (everywhere is a mess on Saturday, I should have expected nothing less). More stop sign running and a kamikaze pedestrian stepping in front of the car without looking, accompanied by smiling and waving, presumably a thank you for not killing them?
At this point the 5 pm customer is looking more like 5:30-5:45 - still an hour and half away, no problem. We check on the progress of my buddy's new house on our way to our next shopping plaza (you have a roof Chris and a ton of new neighbors!). Would you believe this parking lot features three more cars nearly hitting us, I'm beginning to think it's me, but I swear I follow traffic patterns.
It's around five now, so we starting making our way to the office to print listings and pick up the key for one of our showings. And we wait. And wait. And there's a weird lady pacing outside the office, who I swear was looking at us, but then she was gone and we waited more. 5:45, no word.
6:00 I'm laying on the floor falling asleep.
6:10 they aren't coming, an accident on 95. Ok, life goes on. Time to find some dinner.
But what? At this point we're exhausted. We still wanted to go get groceries, so we decided on one place near the store. Then we changed our minds. Then we decided not to get groceries and changed our minds again. Then we decided on a restaurant about 3 miles from home. But then we decided it's Saturday night and it's going to be packed and we won't be getting home until after 8:30 and we changed our minds again. This is common theme in our household.
We somehow end up at Publix for a smaller grocery run, but apparently everyone and their brother needed groceries for Easter Sunday and a two minute trip turns into twenty.
A quick stop at Chipotle for Ashley, in which she is asked for the third time by the same girl if she watches Grey's Anatomy because she looks like the girl who stars in it (she does not, look like her or watch the show) and nearly clobbered by someone getting out of their car without looking. Dinner for me from my favorite Chinese take out Green Tea (not to be confused with our earlier green tea the beverage) and we are headed home after a long day.
When we arrive home, we see our two striped overlords (ok they're just cats) waiting in the window and we wave, ready to settle in, eat dinner, and relax. But then at the same exact time we both realize the same thing and I mutter something unintelligible as I continue past the house without even slowing down.
"Your truck," Ashley said.
And I nodded, silently, pursing my lips.
The day never goes how you expect, it's loaded with ups and downs, and leaves you exhausted frequently, but I wouldn't trade my life for the world. Well, maybe if I could write full time, that would be...well, that would be swell.
So, how was your day?