So for the second time in a month I have attempted to take the bus that stops close to the apartment. The first time I attempted to take it home from the grocery store. I had Samantha with me and we saw that Bus 360 had a stop across the street from the store and decided to get on and let it take us home. Well, we passed a couple of stops that we recognized and then the bus turned and kept going! It dumped us out at LaDefense, the huge Metro station! So a trip that should have taken and hour to an hour and half ended up taking about 3 hours. And the whole time Max was home alone in the apartment expecting us back after a short while. As a side note, Max was totally oblivious to how long we'd been gone when we got home!
Today I decided, once again, to take Bus 360 to the kid's bus stop to meet them after their first day of school. Well, again I passed streets I recognized and then some I didn't but I was sure it would turn and go back toward the direction I needed. I researched the line and saw that it stopped at the hospital and the kid's bus stop is right there. Well guess what ~ it took me beyond our town of Saint Cloud and into the next one and their hospital! Okay, I am supposed to meet the kids at their stop in about 10 minutes and know I am not going to make it! I called Patrick to get him to call the school and perhaps call the driver and tell them I was about 15 minutes away but I was coming!! Patrick attempted to call the Prefect's cell phone but it went straight to voicemail. I jump off the bus at the stop I KNOW and trucked it down the hill to the hospital. All the while I am hoping that the kids are okay and not too scared. I was scared, so of course they would be, right? WRONG! I get down to the stop and they aren't there!! I speed walk (and those who know me know I don't "speed" anything!) to the apartment and find their book bags outside the apartment door, but NO kids! WHAT!?!
So off I go again....into the elevator....down to the lobby and I see Samantha! Partial relief! "Where's your brother", I near about scream at her. "He was following me, but I don't know where he is now", she tells me. CRAP! Back up the street and who do I see......MAX! Okay, full relief! They were happy and immediately started telling me all about school and how they "just walked home when they didn't see me at the bus stop"!!!! After about 5 minutes of how cool the first day of school was they looked at me and said "I thought you were going to meet us". Just a question, no worry, no fear, no anxiety! WOW. When did they grow up? Today was the first day they had ever seen this bus stop and they had walked with Patrick JUST THIS MORNING and now they can find their way home!?!?! I can't find my car in a parking lot ~
So all is well that ends well even if my blood pressure is still dangerously high and I will probably be sore tomorrow from the "power walking" up and down hills! (Yep, St. Cloud is like Seattle or San Francisco - HILLY! Oh Joy!) The kids even asked me, "can we just walk home everyday by ourselves or do we have to wait for you?". Oh the shame....... I promised myself tomorrow I am walking the way I know tomorrow and you can bet I will be there EARLY!
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| Samantha ready for first day of school! |
Max refused to photographed! We will try again later!
She looks so cute in her uniform and wait to go Max for looking so handsome!
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