Remodel, Roosters and Amazing Grace

It's been a wild day so far. Here are some highlights:

First there was the calm before the storm. This is the part where Kellen was still asleep, Sweet Husband was already at work and the contractor hadn't arrived yet. This is when I asked myself...do I have time to shower or will someone arrive while I am indisposed? Got showered and dressed...now do I have time to run to Starbucks and back or will people arrive while I'm gone and be upset that I wasn't around to let them in? I went to Starbucks and back before anyone arrived.

Then everything...and I mean everything happened at once. It is now all such a blur, but I'll try to recap. First the contractor arrived. He was not at all happy with how things looked with the cabinets and island. The workers who installed those spoke Chinese and communication was non-existent. Contractor pointed out about six problems to me that he saw right off the bat. After this disturbing experience, Kellen wakes up and I help him get his bath water to the right temperature. After he gets in the tub there is a knock at the door and it is the delivery of the storage pod which goes in our driveway and will hold all of our worldly goods while our floors are refinished next week. The contractor answers the door and our dog runs out. It is impossible to catch her once she is loose and I can't possibly worry about it right now...so she takes off.

Then I find out that the pod will not fit in the section of the driveway where we had planned to put it, so we'll need to hitch up the contractor's trailer and move it out of the driveway. The only thing is, with our house in such a disarray, I have no idea where the key is to the padlock on the trailer. A call goes in to Sweet Husband who tries to help me find the key over the phone while in the back of my mind I am concerned that Kellen is still in the bath and could decide to walk out naked any minute. The key is found, the trailer is in the process of being moved so that the pod can be placed. I run back into the house to find Kellen standing up in bathtub...upset...because some shampoo or soap got into his eyes. As I am trying to help him out he cries "Amazing Grace!" at the top of his lungs. This makes me laugh so hard...and then the cell phone in my pocket rings. I figured I better answer it even though it isn't the best time to take a call...because it might be some important remodel information...or whatever.

I answer the call and it is a parent who needs help with problem-solving around his son's new diagnosis. I am about to launch into my "work mode"...when I realize...there is no way...I am going to be able to do any quality active listening in the state I'm in. I let him know that my dog just got loose, my son has shampoo in his eyes and we're in the middle of a kitchen remodel...and ask if it is alright if I call him back later. I get off the phone and know that he is probably thinking...this lady needs more help then I do.

...and that was my morning.

Then the dog came back home. Then the counter top man came over to do measurements. The contractor was still there so he helped me explain to him all of the problems there are with the cabinets and how those will probably effect his measurements. The only thing is the counter top guy speaks Spanish. We do our best...by I can tell between the Chinese and the Spanish...our contractor is about to blow a gasket.

In the midst of the measuring we hear a loud cockle-doodle-doo. I...am...not...joking. I look at the contractor. The contractor looks at me. The Spanish-speaking-counter-top-guy does not even bat an eye, just keeps measuring. We hear another cockle-doodle-doo. I am beginning to wonder if it is the roosters that were in the garage of the Mexican family next door. Maybe they are coming back to haunt me? Then finally I figure it out. The counter-top-guy must have a cell phone that has a rooster ringtone. Sure enough, he whips his phone out of his pocket and answers it.

By now, the contractor and I trying very hard not to laugh...but it's a losing battle.

The day can only get better from here.