"what's with today, today?"

(10 pts. to whoever can name the movie that quote is from...)

ben woke up at 6:15 - an hour and a bit earlier than normal. we got up with him and went about our morning routine but naptime came so early - he was back to bed at 8am. since it's so rare for naptime to be over by 10am, i thought we'd take this opportunity to hit up Open Playtime at the rec centre which goes on from 10 - 11:30am.

it took a little bit to get out the door but we still made it to the rec centre at about 10:25am. i get ben inside and stand in line to pay only to realize i'd forgotten my wallet. grr. we turn around to go back to the car and ben begins to wail because he wants to play. our house is a good 6-7min drive away - there and back, 14 minutes. it was starting to seem like a big hassle for some goodtimes in a bouncy castle. then i thought, "maybe tim's parents will be home" since they live 2 minutes from the rec centre. i pull into their driveway, leave ben in the truck, and run up to the door to ask my father in law for the $3 to get into Open Playtime. he laughs that i've stopped in for some money and willingly lends me some. we quickly return to the rec centre and ben plays until his heart's content. when 11:30am rolls around, we head back to the truck to go get some groceries.

i unlock the front door, throw my bag and keys onto the seat, press the unlock button and slam the door. i pick up ben and go to open the back door...only to discover that i pressed the lock button and not the unlock button. ohh noo. at least ben was with me and not in the car. i'm now locked out. i go back into the rec centre. the girl at the desk was super nice and i ask her if she can call BCAA for me - she does. she chats forever with them and then is telling me that tim will have to be here to show i.d. when they come. i'm shaking my head, holding a kiddo on my hip, and trying to tell her that that isn't going to work. she hands me the phone. yada, yada, yada - no help is coming. i get off the phone and am at a loss. she says, "i could give you a ride home?" and i burst into tears saying, "but i don't even have a house key!". she dials my inlaws - no answer. she dials tim - no answer. who else is left to dial? by now, i'm standing there crying and all these women who work there are standing around asking what's wrong. "i just cry easily! it's all okay!" i say, trying to make light of the situation. again she offers to drive me and i say that i can just call a cab. then i realize i won't be able to pay for a cab when i get to my house and have no house key. i take the offer of a ride home from her.

i had the idea to have her take me to tim's parents' house because i was pretty sure they'd be there and they are. she waits until i get in the door. wow. talk about going above and beyond for a stranger. i was so thankful to be sitting in the kitchen with my father-in-law, eating pretzels and drinking a diet coke when tim came home with the spare keys. now i'm home again, in one piece, waiting for ben's nap to end so that we can go buy a starbucks card and take it back to stephanie at the rec centre.