It was a little rough around here today. Upon returning from taking Ryan to work, I saw our hausmeister (building manager who lives across the hall) and said Good Morning! He got rather red faced as he approached me and began visibly shaking as he attempted to control himself. My boys had thrown jagged fist-sized rocks into his yard yesterday afternoon and he was very upset about it. He motioned that I should go see it with him and acted like he was going to go with us. I turned to call the boys out of the van and when I turned back, the hausmeister had jumped in his car and was speeding away!
I don't do well with confrontation. I'm a people pleaser to a fault, unless you're family that lives with me. (Boy do I wish I could reprogram this!) Anyhow, I was really shaken up by this confrontation and took the next twenty minutes crying off and on while getting the boys ready for kindergarten. How could I rectify the situation? Would I need an intermediary to convey enough humility? If I called my friend down the street, would I just be more embarrassed in front of my new friend by whatever accusations might fly? I had made the boys come in yesterday because I found them throwing rocks in our yard, but it hadn't crossed my mind to check next door.
My neighbor, the hausmeister, has an immaculate yard with really nice furniture and ornaments. My jungle leaves much to be desired and I'm embarrassed. I had great intentions this spring, but it's just not coming together for me right now. I left the house trying to figure out a game plan.
I went to visit my friend who recently had her baby when Ryan called me there. I was a little surprised and when I heard him say "police" I almost had a panic attack. I thought the hausmeister had called the cops! I'm telling you, he loves his yard! Then I calmed myself down to listen to what Ryan was saying. I was to meet with the German police about the accident I had in April. [My mind begins swirling over that unfortunate event and what I would say and was it accurate?] Oh what a doozy!
It was a day of running here and there. I ran and got the boys from kindergarten, fed them lunch and we were on our way to the police station in Boeblingen. We arrived on time looking completely confused trying to open doors the wrong way and when I got the receptionist, she must have thought I was quite the loony. Apparently Ryan had just called. I was supposed to meet the German police on the American base, not at the police station. This meant I was now going to be at least a half hour late. Oh joy, kiss the babies one last time just in case they lock me up! Actually, maybe that's not such a bad idea. Can I bring my book and some chocolate covered almonds?
It turned out to be the shortest meeting in history. The two policemen were there to tell me my charge through a translator - failure to yield the right of way causing bodily injury - and take my statement to that fact. I signed a paper saying I would like to speak to a lawyer and now the public defender will decide whether or not to press charges or assess a fine. The other driver decided not to press charges and was not injured badly I was told. [When the accident occurred, he was more concerned that it had been his fault but in the end, I am held liable for the road rule. Bad intersection, obstructed view.] We shall see what happens next.
Got done with that and grabbed the boys from Ryan in his office. We now had a couple hours to kill on base until he was off work. After going a couple places, we headed to the commissary to pick up some groceries. Oh I should never shop with the boys!!! They consider the aisles as their personal racing lanes. Easton has taken to running and then sliding-into-home-plate maneuvers for which he was almost run over twice. If looks could kill from those women to me and from me to him! McKay just likes to take off to run "super fast" or is lagging 15 yards behind sucking his thumb. No matter how many time-outs, threats, and scoldings I gave, they just would not behave for more than a minute! Then I turn around and McKay has grabbed a peach and is happily eating it! He just looks at me and says, "I like it!" Oh, where is the nearest hole I can crawl into?!!
Once home, we tried to go do our apology over the rocks and were successful on our second attempt. I was so glad Ryan was home to do it with me because I wasn't sure what to expect. This man is very sweet and has been very shy to speak what good English he knows. We caught him coming home from work. He was very apologetic and said something about how this morning he had not been amused, but now he was better. Not amused, eh? He had even brought the boys a soccer ball and shook their hands. I felt bad that Easton was doing the apology when I KNOW it was McKay throwing the rocks, my little destroyer.
In the end, all of the day's goings on weren't that big a deal. I'm sure this was a piece of cake compared to what I have yet to experience. That's a real comforting thought. But it sure made for one roller coaster of a day!
Showing posts with label Honda wreck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Honda wreck. Show all posts
Friday, July 10
Friday, April 24
A certain Wednesday
This week Easton’s class met Monday – Thursday in the forest right outside of town. He came home happy, filthy, and tick-free each day. They checked in on the tadpoles in a nearby pond, gathered sticks and made a bench together, got a pony ride, and explored to their heart’s content. They do this for a week each month during nice weather.
My friend Heike and I shared carpooling to the forest and Wednesday was my day. We loaded up the fam to drive Ryan in to work a little after 7:30am so I could have the car for the day. Unfortunately traffic was backed up along his usual 20 minute back roads commute took us a little over an hour and then I hit the same mild “stau” on the way back. I was so anxious that Easton and his friend Mason would miss the field trip but all turned out well in the end. I got to walk the boys into the forest to meet up with their class which McKay loved until he got pricked by a bush.
After dropping them off, I was grateful to have a chance to do some grocery shopping minus one kid so we headed back to base. When we finished, we drove back to Schonaich to pick up the boys in the forest. But we never made it. I approached a blind intersection and
I had come to a stop and then proceeded through the intersection when I struck this vehicle on my right that hadn’t slowed for the intersection and was going about 30mph. In Germany, the law states you yield to traffic on your right. Thankfully, no one was injured. McKay and Morgan screamed after impact, being so abruptly awaken from their naps. We were all pretty well shaken up. McKay had a little skin burn on his neck where the seat belt harness rubbed it on impact since his head was slouched to the side while napping. The only other accident I've ever been in as a driver was back in high school when someone ran a red and hit me as I was making a left hand turn at an intersection. I've been so blessed both times with no injuries.
People of the neighborhood swarmed the scene and I was so grateful to a couple of ladies who came to my rescue. One woman, Susie, stayed the whole time with me, translated for me, comforted me through bursts of tears, brought McKay a pretzel and sippy cup, let me use her phone, and held Morgan the rest of the time. My very own angel! I was so shaken I couldn’t remember any phone numbers – Ryan’s work, Ryan’s cell, my phone number, any of our friends, and almost our address!
I am so impressed that so many Germans speak English! Americans really are at a disadvantage for not incorporating learning languages into our education system. My family’s exchange student is from here in Stuttgart and she had to choose between learning English or French. She chose English and her sister chose French.
Since I had just been to the commissary, I had a trunk full of groceries. Two of the half gallons of milk had exploded and were leaking on to the pavement along with all the other car fluids. I spotted an old man from the neighborhood bending down and finger dipping the liquids and TASTING THEM! The milk really puzzled them all until I opened the trunk and they saw what had happened.
The German police came and they called in the tow trucks. I was finally able to remember Ryan’s number and called him. One of the other mothers from the school stopped to see what she could do and was able to notify the teacher and my friend Heike. Nothing like being the dumb American in front of your kids’ friends, teachers, and their families! They were so kind. Easton’s teacher gave him a ride back to the school and even distracted Easton while she drove by the accident so he wouldn’t see it.
Ryan's coworker, Shawn, brought Ryan to the scene and helped us load all our stuff into his car. He drove us to Panzer where the tow truck was taking our car, dropped us off at home and ran Ryan to the car rental place near their work. It's so nice to have great friends here!
McKay kept saying, “Mom, the cars bonked. Now they are broken, huh.” The English speaking Germans around us thought this was adorable. When I later told Easton what had happened he got sad. I told him he didn’t have to be sad because no one got hurt. He said he was sad for our car because he liked that car. He keeps asking where our car went. Ryan donated it’s remains because the cost of repair exceeds it’s current value.
Ryan has been handling the aftermath and I can’t thank him enough for that!!! Turns out that we only had liability insurance and there’s a good chance that we’ll have to pay out of pocket for the damages I made to the other car because I don’t have an international license yet. I really should have done that by now with our 90 day “visitor pass”, but while nursing Morgan I just couldn’t figure out a way to leave her with someone for four hours and preserve the friendship. Boy am I’m kicking myself now! And just last week we had begun planning to look for a minivan this year so we wouldn't be a one car family and have space for visiting family whenever they can come.
My friend had picked Easton up from school for me and so when I went to pick him up, I ended up staying to chat for two hours and cry on her shoulder. This day also marked the initial 24 hour period of no nursing so my pain level was high and emotions out of whack on top of the accident. For those who are long overdue to nurse their babies, imagine the pain when I had to pick up and sooth McKay and Morgan right after the accident ! Agony! But snuggle we did and still do regardless because we need it, it's vital!
The silver lining of this ordeal came later in the form of Ryan’s chocolate chip cookies and . . .
Morgan letting Easton feed her! Man I love my family and am so blessed!!!
I resisted the urge to have a lazy pity party yesterday and spent the day cleaning and cooking one of Ryan’s favorite dinners so my jarred body wouldn’t get stiff. I felt it was only fair because I knew Ryan was enduring the headache of information gathering and haggling with insurance and financers. I treated myself to some homemade chicken salad on a croissant, using my favorite Randy Bibe recipe, complete with cashews and swiss cheese. Nothing says spring to me like perfect sunny cool weather, tulips, daffodils, strawberries, and Randy's chicken salad!
Within the first two weeks after arriving in Germany, my mom endured me whining about being stuck in the hotel with the kids. She simply said, “When you’re feeling low, it always feels better to serve someone else.” So I called our new friends who just moved into town with their brand new baby and asked if they wanted enchiladas too. Great advice, Mom! With the chicken salad and strawberries, it made my day to get to know them and chat a bit!
My friend Heike and I shared carpooling to the forest and Wednesday was my day. We loaded up the fam to drive Ryan in to work a little after 7:30am so I could have the car for the day. Unfortunately traffic was backed up along his usual 20 minute back roads commute took us a little over an hour and then I hit the same mild “stau” on the way back. I was so anxious that Easton and his friend Mason would miss the field trip but all turned out well in the end. I got to walk the boys into the forest to meet up with their class which McKay loved until he got pricked by a bush.
After dropping them off, I was grateful to have a chance to do some grocery shopping minus one kid so we headed back to base. When we finished, we drove back to Schonaich to pick up the boys in the forest. But we never made it. I approached a blind intersection and
I had come to a stop and then proceeded through the intersection when I struck this vehicle on my right that hadn’t slowed for the intersection and was going about 30mph. In Germany, the law states you yield to traffic on your right. Thankfully, no one was injured. McKay and Morgan screamed after impact, being so abruptly awaken from their naps. We were all pretty well shaken up. McKay had a little skin burn on his neck where the seat belt harness rubbed it on impact since his head was slouched to the side while napping. The only other accident I've ever been in as a driver was back in high school when someone ran a red and hit me as I was making a left hand turn at an intersection. I've been so blessed both times with no injuries.People of the neighborhood swarmed the scene and I was so grateful to a couple of ladies who came to my rescue. One woman, Susie, stayed the whole time with me, translated for me, comforted me through bursts of tears, brought McKay a pretzel and sippy cup, let me use her phone, and held Morgan the rest of the time. My very own angel! I was so shaken I couldn’t remember any phone numbers – Ryan’s work, Ryan’s cell, my phone number, any of our friends, and almost our address!
I am so impressed that so many Germans speak English! Americans really are at a disadvantage for not incorporating learning languages into our education system. My family’s exchange student is from here in Stuttgart and she had to choose between learning English or French. She chose English and her sister chose French.
Since I had just been to the commissary, I had a trunk full of groceries. Two of the half gallons of milk had exploded and were leaking on to the pavement along with all the other car fluids. I spotted an old man from the neighborhood bending down and finger dipping the liquids and TASTING THEM! The milk really puzzled them all until I opened the trunk and they saw what had happened.
The German police came and they called in the tow trucks. I was finally able to remember Ryan’s number and called him. One of the other mothers from the school stopped to see what she could do and was able to notify the teacher and my friend Heike. Nothing like being the dumb American in front of your kids’ friends, teachers, and their families! They were so kind. Easton’s teacher gave him a ride back to the school and even distracted Easton while she drove by the accident so he wouldn’t see it.Ryan's coworker, Shawn, brought Ryan to the scene and helped us load all our stuff into his car. He drove us to Panzer where the tow truck was taking our car, dropped us off at home and ran Ryan to the car rental place near their work. It's so nice to have great friends here!
McKay kept saying, “Mom, the cars bonked. Now they are broken, huh.” The English speaking Germans around us thought this was adorable. When I later told Easton what had happened he got sad. I told him he didn’t have to be sad because no one got hurt. He said he was sad for our car because he liked that car. He keeps asking where our car went. Ryan donated it’s remains because the cost of repair exceeds it’s current value.
Ryan has been handling the aftermath and I can’t thank him enough for that!!! Turns out that we only had liability insurance and there’s a good chance that we’ll have to pay out of pocket for the damages I made to the other car because I don’t have an international license yet. I really should have done that by now with our 90 day “visitor pass”, but while nursing Morgan I just couldn’t figure out a way to leave her with someone for four hours and preserve the friendship. Boy am I’m kicking myself now! And just last week we had begun planning to look for a minivan this year so we wouldn't be a one car family and have space for visiting family whenever they can come.
My friend had picked Easton up from school for me and so when I went to pick him up, I ended up staying to chat for two hours and cry on her shoulder. This day also marked the initial 24 hour period of no nursing so my pain level was high and emotions out of whack on top of the accident. For those who are long overdue to nurse their babies, imagine the pain when I had to pick up and sooth McKay and Morgan right after the accident ! Agony! But snuggle we did and still do regardless because we need it, it's vital!
The silver lining of this ordeal came later in the form of Ryan’s chocolate chip cookies and . . .
Morgan letting Easton feed her! Man I love my family and am so blessed!!!
I resisted the urge to have a lazy pity party yesterday and spent the day cleaning and cooking one of Ryan’s favorite dinners so my jarred body wouldn’t get stiff. I felt it was only fair because I knew Ryan was enduring the headache of information gathering and haggling with insurance and financers. I treated myself to some homemade chicken salad on a croissant, using my favorite Randy Bibe recipe, complete with cashews and swiss cheese. Nothing says spring to me like perfect sunny cool weather, tulips, daffodils, strawberries, and Randy's chicken salad!
Within the first two weeks after arriving in Germany, my mom endured me whining about being stuck in the hotel with the kids. She simply said, “When you’re feeling low, it always feels better to serve someone else.” So I called our new friends who just moved into town with their brand new baby and asked if they wanted enchiladas too. Great advice, Mom! With the chicken salad and strawberries, it made my day to get to know them and chat a bit!
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