Tales of an Ordinary Day.

Today was the first time that I can remember in our marriage of being early to church.

J got up with E this morning and then at 7:24am, the bedroom door flung open and he said that today was the start of something new. Called being on time.

Within 45 minutes,all of us were dressed and in the car on the way to church. Seriously, I don't know how many families can throw together four kids and themselves in that short time but somehow we did it.

As a result we were 30 minutes early for church. Even after picking up a coffee.

J was pleased with this. I was not.

There's something about the adrenaline rush I get when racing around, running in for just one more thing and riding to church knowing that by the time we get the kids to their classes and nursery we'll fly into service as the first song is finishing. I'm comfortable with it.

{In case you're wondering, this was my dad's church going style growing up. In the same way I love my dad's crazy driving, I also like this barely make it to church on time thing he modeled to me.}

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Then there's this afternoon. M received some movie passes to use with a friend for her birthday. The original plan had been that I would take her and her friend to see the Justin Beiber movie this afternoon but then we had all sorts of craziness going on with church and a late afternoon birthday party, a case of the 12's and J needing to get something done. So it was decided that M would go to the theater next to Chuck E Cheese while I was with the littles at said kid casino.

No big deal, right? She's ten. Her friend's ten. Both of them had their brothers cell phones to reach me if needed. Should be a smooth thing, right?

I dropped the girls off at the theater 30 minutes before showtime. I got their tickets and brought them into the snack counter.

"The theater opens in 10 minutes, so hang out out here and then buy your snacks and head in."

Ten minutes later as I am corraling my littles into the kid casino, my phone is ringing and M is scared.

Scared of what? Don't ask, she can't even tell me.

I reassure her, talk her off the ledge, remind her she will be just fine and move along.

Until she again calls. Now crying. And her fearless friend is now crying too.

To say I'm a tad bit annoyed at this point is an understatement. The thought of packing of H and E, leaving Chuck E Cheese to get them at the theater and come back does not sound the least bit enticing.

I tell M to sit down in the theater with their snacks and if when the previews start they are still scared to let me know.

So a little bit later she calls and says very calmly and matter of factly, "We're not scared anymore."

Though what she leaves out and I find out later is that some very nice woman named, Nancy, saved the day.

She saw the two of them crying near the snack bar and felt badly and switched her ticket from a "grown up movie" to see The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules so she could SIT WITH THEM.

She tells the girls that her kids are grown and she was just thinking this afternoon was a great time to go see a movie by herself so she came to see a movie. But then she saw the girls so sad and so scared so she decided to ask the theater to switch her ticket.

And then she gave up two hours of her afternoon watching a movie, laughing with two ten year old strangers.

Nancy, wherever and whoever you are, thank you for having a heart.

Just some tales from an ordinary day, friends. If we didn't laugh, we'd cry.

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Winner of the coffee gift card is #7: Gloria, who's favorite post is: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back. Gloria, shoot me an email here with your preference of Starbucks or Caribou and your address so I can get your prize to you!  Thanks to all of you who commented, send emails or FB messages or told me your favorites. It helped!