My Amazing Neighbor

Alternate Title #1: How I Drove the First Counselor in Our Ward Insane
Alternate Title #2: Why My Next Door Neighbor Hates Me
Alternate Title #3: Tips on How to Loose a Ward in 3 Days

I'm completely and totally positive that my next door neighbor must hate me right now. Why you ask? Let me explain how it all started...(warning: long winded post ahead)

Tuesday Night:
I have a sudden realization that if Dad has to go in for chemo next week, there's a good chance he won't be able to attend Liam's blessing on the 13th. Enter Panic Mode.

Call Mom, ask if she thinks I should try to get the blessing switched to this weekend since family will be in town anyway. She is patient. Reassures me that it might not be necessary but tells me to do it if I think that will be the best thing. (Fabulous, isn't she?)

Still in Panic Mode. Call Bishop's house and leave a message. It's YM/YW night, he's probably at the Church right? Feel a little bit better. Wait for him to call back. Give up and go to sleep.

Wednesday:
Wonder all day why I haven't yet heard from the Bishop. Decide to call when I get home from work.

Call his house around dinner time. Guess what? He's out of town. Enter Panic Mode again. Call next door neighbor who is the first counselor. He's not home. He's helping his son with his Eagle Project at the hospital. (What a nice guy!) Ask his wife to have him call me when he gets home. She says she's a flake (???) and might forget so call back at 9 if he hasn't called by then.

Carry my cell phone everywhere I go around the house until he finally calls at about 9:15. I explain the situation to him...he says he has to call the Bishop to check if it's okay. He'll try in the morning and call me back. I ask him to please call as soon as he finds out. I'm sure I'm sounding desperate at this point.

Thursday:
Repeat of the carrying cell phone thing. No call. Get home, putter around the house. Do laundry. Feed children. Talk to mother-in-law to warn her what might be coming. During this phone call, have an epiphany. It's Easter weekend...that means Easter Jeep Safari. That means the male portion of this side of the family is all out of town. Say a few choice words (in my head only people!). Also feel a huge surge of guilt as I realize that mother-in-law has a huge paper due tomorrow and she still wants to make the boy's blessing outfit. She says she will call and see when the guys are planning on coming home. Feel more guilt that they might have to leave their trip early.

Call mom. Feel even more guilt. She just wants to know by Saturday night so they can run to the grocery store to get food to help me out with the family gathering afterwards. Wonder how I have such a cool family...I certainly don't belong here.

Around 6:30 I finally decide to call the neighbor. He hasn't been able to contact the Bishop. I explain that I have family in other states that need to know this information so as soon as he finds out if he could please call. He says he'll call the Stake President. (This is when he starts hating me...)

He calls me back a little while later. The Stake President says it's fine. We'll just treat it like a normal Fast Sunday and do the blessing after the Sacrament. What?! Wait, he didn't understand me. I (thought I) said that we needed to do a little private shindig for this. He hates me more, but is still nice. Oh, let me call and see what I can find out about THAT. (I'm sure he says this while making a mental note to start looking for another house so he can get away from me...)

Talk to MIL. The guys have to check out of their hotel at 10. They can be home by Sunday afternoon. Yay. I'm not shortening their trip after all. Sigh of relief. A little less guilt. She says she's almost done with the paper and it shouldn't be a big deal to sew the outfit. MIL suggests to start around 4 on Sunday. Not what my family was originally thinking, but could work. I have to call and see when my brother is going home.

Call mom. She asks brother, they're not going home til around 5:30 Sunday night. Yay! We found a time when everyone can be there.

Call Matt to tell him the good news. I tell him. Silence. OH CRAP. He has to work. THE HUSBAND CAN'T BE THERE AT THAT TIME IDIOT. Yeah. Feel this big. He says he'll see what he can work out. Guilt that went away? BACK NOW. BIG TIME.

Counselor calls back. Stake President says that's okay. He now has to call the Second Counselor who is also out of town to find out if he can "officiate" at the thing since he is SICK. More guilt. This poor man! I apologize profusely, thank him a million times and he says he'll call me back when he finds out.

(Hang in there...almost done)

He calls back again. Second counselor thinks he can be there but has to check with his wife (yeah, that's right, I'm taking him away from his family on Easter Sunday. Go me.)

He calls back again. Second Counselor's Wife is a saint. He can make it. 4:00 on Sunday, my house (PANIC....house needs to be cleaned....when am I going to fit that in!). Great! Thank you! I owe you something big!

We have it all worked out now.

If only Matt can make it.