Today was One of Those Days for Troy and me, and as we were kind of laughing about it later (though still in the Cranky Zone), we decided it would make a fitting story for the blog, just in case I’m making it sound like everything is perfect in our new adventure.  Because remember, no matter how many happy pictures you see on Facebook or delightful zingers you read, we all have a bunch of Bad Moods.  Take us, for instance.  We’ve got a whole lot of near-perfect going on what with the house and the town and the people and the fun, but we don’t have actual jobs.  Just imagine if everyone in your family was officially unemployed.  (Whose idea was this anyway?) I regularly pray with a panic-stricken voice something like this: “Please give us jobs and I promise to always have compassion on everyone else from now on no matter what.” Our neighbors are probably beginning to wonder if we are ever going to leave during the day for a significant amount of time.  This morning the neighbor across the street saw me off to walk the dog with a cup of coffee in my hand, and then an hour later I checked the mail with a glass of iced tea.  At this rate if he checks me in the back yard later tonight he’ll probably find me with a half empty bottle of bourbon.  Some days the anxiety of both being unemployed is too much for me, what with my Hottman Wiring (as my little sister Jeni accurately refers to it), and I depend on Troy’s calm and trusting voice to assure me that we’ll be fine.

But back to today.  Troy and Huck walked off to school and I puttered around doing this and that while our very nervous dog Sunny stayed in her usual spot in the back yard darting her suspicious eyes back and forth in hopes that no one attacks her.  A little bit later Troy suggested we check out a dog park, so we put the leash on her and coaxed her into the car, and we three set off for what would be a truly awful hour.  After lots of confused driving, we discovered the first dog park was part of an animal shelter and decided that would be too scary for Sunny. Then we spent over half an hour trying to locate the second dog park until finally giving up in a deep state of frustration.  (I think at one point I might have gotten out of the driver’s seat in a huff and switched places with Troy because I was so sick and tired of his terrible directions.)  And then Sunny puked all over the back seat.  Once we got home and cleaned everything up, Troy realized he’d missed a phone message from the pre-school (where he’s been waiting to substitute teach) offering him work six hours ago.  I then had a amazing job interview at a GROCERY STORE which did not make me feel very good about myself. Then Huck got home and Sunny ran off to hide because Huck is TERRIFYING.

Troy thinks we are like Sunny sometimes, scared of things that aren’t actually scary.  (I think he’s referring mainly to me.)

Now then, the day also included plans for my sister & her family to visit, plans for dear friends’ upcoming visits, good news of a friend’s recovery from serious surgery, the successful purchase of health insurance for the next few months, some fantastic emails, wonderful news from Huck’s school, and TheatreSquared’s opening night for Troy.  Sunny has spent the whole evening beside me in the living room, which is very social of her, and Troy gets to substitute teach tomorrow after all.  So I guess it wasn’t ALL bad.

But lest you think all is perfectly well … come and smell the back seat of our car.