Thankfulness

Little One had a swim meet today in Hillsborough, NC, which is quite a drive for us. Fortunately, she did not have warmups at 7:30am, as she usually does, which would have required us to get up at dark:thirty, am, and get on the road. No, today she did not have to be in the water till 11:30. She swam 3 events, each less than 3 minutes long, and we left the facility at 4pm.

Almost 4 weeks ago, her flute developed a sticky valve and Mr. Band Director sent it off to the music shop. She has been politely sitting in band class since, watching the other kids play. (No loaners are available at this time.) She has mentioned several, SEVERAL, times how frustrating it is, not to be able to play, and how concerned she is that she is falling behind the other players. We could certainly understand. However, Mr. BD was handling the flute repair. (We own the flute.)

About a week-and-a-half ago, he began saying, "I'm going to get the flute tomorrow." Then tomorrow, he would say, "I'm going today," or tomorrow, or this afternoon. We love him dearly but LO is still fluteless and this has been quite some time. We are unclear as to whether the elapsed time is his fault or the music repair shop's, and don't really care -- she just needs her flute. The music shop is about 60 miles away so it was not a simple matter of our bopping over to pick it up. He had several instruments to pick up, so we left it in his hands.

So, today, as we completed the swim meet, DH called us on the cell phone. He had been unable to go with us b/c he was called in to work last night and did not get home til 5:30 am. He had found a flute on the other side of Raleigh on Craig's List, and wondered if we would go check it out so she could have a 2nd flute? OK, and off we went.

I called the owner of the flute who gave me crystal-clear directions to his house. Problem was, the exit to the state highway off the interstate, is closed for a month. So I had to call him back for an alternate route. Whew. It was quite a haul. Finally got there, after dark, and she assembled and played the flute. Liked it. Owner wanted cash so I got directions to an ATM and went, came back, paid him, and left with the flute and more directions to get back to the interstate without going on the state highway, whose entrance and exit ramps to the interstate are closed for a month.

We got home from today's swim meet at 8pm WITH a flute. LO played it in the car and once we got home, played for almost an hour in her room. Intrigued, she also tooted on a throwaway trumpet some old neighbors gave DH a zillion years ago.

She is finally tucked in bed and we promised to go out and see falling stars in a short half-hour.

I started this posting, intending to share about our Thankfulness Conversation on the way home, in the dark, but am too exhausted to get that far. The flute is enough for now. :)