Murphey's Law Came To Camelot This Weekend !!

If I  read this story ,  I most definitely would think it were fiction at it's best! They say that life is better than fiction, I am here to say AIN'T IT THE TRUTH! A few months ago, I re-named my blog . It changed from The Adventures of The Christensens to The Christensen's Camelot... I love the term Camelot, it comes from the capitol of King Arthur's Kingdom... according to the legend, truth, beauty and goodness reigned in Camelot. 

 There is also a correlation to the Kennedy Years and their version of Camelot. An article I found stated that; 

"It was because of President Kennedy's love of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table that Jackie came up with the term "Camelot". This was one of John Kennedy's favorite stories since his childhood, as he loved stories that were full of heroes. Heroes were fascinating to John Kennedy, because he had been born with an idealistic mindset.

In 1960, a musical entitled "Camelot" came to Broadway, running for 873 performances and receiving four Tony Awards. An original cast album was created, as well, and became America's top selling record for 60 weeks. President Kennedy loved the show so much that he purchased the album and listened to it every night before he went to sleep.

According to Jackie, the song that President Kennedy enjoyed most contained the line "Don't let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot". After the President died, Jackie remarked many times that the line just kept replaying over and over in her mind. It helped the term "Camelot" to became synonymous in her own thinking of the Kennedy family's time in office.

John and Jackie Kennedy and their two children were one of the youngest and most attractive first families in American history. The Kennedy's had an aristocratic aura about them that a prior administration had never really had. The Kennedys became more like celebrities than just a family in politics. Jackie's use of the term "Camelot" was widely accepted because she saw the reality- that there was a quality the administration held that was never duplicated before or since."  

Well, I am here to tell you this weekend has been FAR from Camelot here at the Christensen home! Full of adventure though! This weekend is my husband's weekend to be gone with the Reserves. 

Friday was my Glucose Tolerance test. I got dressed and out of bed-rest to go to the lab with Rich so I could take this test before he left.. I called prior to the test to inform the lab that I cannot sit for three straight hours. After the first blood test, I was exhausted . The little chairs were most uncomfortable so, I went downstairs to the parking lot to lay down in my reclined car seat. After returning back to the lab, over and over; I was finally finished, and the Lab -tech scolds me for leaving. She said I ruined the test and had to take it over again. I saw RED! She said that they have no way of knowing if I went out to eat or drink something when I left; which would make my test results inaccurate. I told her to trust me, I'm not going to repeat these past three hours and that I did not eat or drink anything! I also informed her of their negligence of following up with me needing a cot or something. She said, " Oh, we have a bed, didn't know you needed one, well, we will trust you and use this test."

Meanwhile, my mom is at her house babysitting Robbie. After the three hour glucose test, we arrived home to find Robbie and Gigi desperately throwing blankets, pillows, clothes, and towels into large trash bags. Mom is coughing and Robbie is walking around asking. "What is that smell?" Mom had to round-up her cats, fix several cat boxes, prepare water and food bowls (enough for 4 days). She left a huge load of mid-cycle laundry in the washing machine, covered her new plants, wrapped up all the Christmas boxes she had left outside until Dad could help her put them in the garage. She was like a mad woman running around. 

What occurred was, Robbie and Gigi were in the back yard playing Soccer, when Robbie started coughing and Gigi saw some men tenting her neighbor's back house. This neighbor has known us all for thirty years and even attended my graduations and wedding. This neighbor knows that I am pregnant with twins staying on bed rest at my parent's house while my house is being renovated.  Gigi ran next door to investigate. She saw her neighbor hurriedly packing up her own car. By the time Gigi entered her yard, the neighbor had driven away. Mom asked one of the workmen what was going on. He told her, in very broken English: she is safe, not to worry and that the neighbor was having her guest house fumigated. My mom immediately called Poison Control who was very NON committal. They said the worst time would most likely be when the tent is removed. "Just hope the wind doesn't blow your way." Then he told my mom to call the fumigating company and ask them what gas they are using and if it is safe!!! Like they are going to say, Oh no, just sue us if anything happens.

Meanwhile, our house has been subjected to a huge case of Murphy's law. In early December . . .  in the pouring rain, My dad, my mom, Robbie and myself; all drove to Anaheim to a marble warehouse to choose my counter top. After hours of looking, We chose a beautiful piece of Italian marble. We ordered it, and in the meantime, my dad and Rich copper plumbed the kitchen and reinforced my new farmhouse sink. Finally, my beautiful counter tops were installed. By this time, I am on strict bed rest. Just before Christmas, as the men were installing my beautiful marble counter tops, Rich noticed a small crack on the very corner of the counter top. The tile man tried to fool us by saying that the crack on the very corner of my marble was just a deep vein. We all knew it was a CRACK!! Thousands of dollars and he tried to pass the crack off as a vein! So, now the rest of the back splash and painting and tiling had to all be put on hold until Mr. tile man made it right. More weeks, more stress, and another trip for Rich to choose more marble and now it is almost the middle of January and as I lay here and type, the final touches are being made to my counter tops and backsplash and will all be installed today, (HOPEFULLY!) 

So, here we all are at my house, because of mom's thoughtful neighbor who did not give us a heads up that she was tenting! We have no running water in the kitchen because of the construction. We are sharing one bathroom because the other is being repaired and prepped for tile floors. I am on a twin mattress my dad brought from Gigi's  house, Rich is in a sleeping bag because he returns home from work at 8:00 each evening. Mom is on the couch and Robbie is in his toddler bed in the living room. My mom bought Robbie a toddler bed for her house, and my dad bought him one for his own bedroom, so we have an extra one, thank God! We are eating every meal out because my new beautiful Kitchen aid stove needs to be connected to the gas when my dad gets a day off. Right now, there is a tile man doing my backslash and another man bringing in the new marble. Mom is trying to find refuge because she is in her night gown. I don't care, I speak to them wearing my nightie. Rich is at work, dad is painting, and my mom's back is out. She is hiding in a back room crying in pain. Robbie wants to go back to Gigi's house and I guess this is just life. :) 

To add insult to injury...Mom went to her house last night to take a quick shower and to check on her cats. The thoughtful neighbor left a nice long message on mom's answering machine,... paraphrased something like this... I think with your grandson and Sarah expecting, you should leave your house. The smell is just terrible. The workmen double-bagged everything in my house and I am at the Marriott, which is very cold here. I am concerned about your turtles and your cats. I boarded mine. So don't go in your backyard at all for at least 3 days. My mom saw them fumigate in the early afternoon, she receives this warning/phone call hours later that evening, long after we were settled at my house! My mother was livid and very, very upset! We keep telling Robbie that we are pretending we are camping. He said he doesn't want to camp anymore. LOL! My dad hurt a muscle in his arm while trying to be superman and lifting everything by himself. Mom can hardly walk, they are fighting over the heating pad, ha!  Mom said, "Do you have any drugs, any of you?" Robbie is tired of Max and Ruby and most of the Disney movies I have had on repeat for this poor little guy the past few days, Jake and Joey have turned into jumping beans and I am walking around wondering how it will all get done. Mom said if she was still a Catholic, she would need to go to confession for her thoughts. :)

Our Camelot is taking A LOT !!! But as always, we will press-on and fight the good fight!

Blessings needed for all, Happy Sunday!