Technician: So you’ve been trapped for over 20 hours.
Me: Oh no, 12 hours really…..I was asleep for 8.
Mr. LBB and Boo went on a little trip by themselves for a few days. Yesterday I watched a few movies and got some work done.
I was happy as a clam….and then….
…the power went off.
When the power goes off and Mr. LBB is home: no big deal.
When the power goes off and Mr. LBB is NOT home: flashbacks of every horror movie I’ve ever seen: The Ring, Texas Chainsaw Massacre…..
The darkness = Boogie Man.
After I overcame my initial heart failure, I felt my way around in the pitch black darkness until I found a few candles. I pretended to be brave so that Diesel wouldn’t be scared. I folded some laundry by candlelight:
A few hours later the power came back on…..about the time that the temperature in the house reached 108 degrees.
And then…..around 11pm….the carbon monoxide detector went off. And it’s hardwired into our alarm system and they send a direct signal to the fire department.
And I could hear them coming….and I’m running around trying to find shorts because I don’t want to answer the door in my underwear.
Five firefighters and the huge ladder truck:
They didn’t find any carbon monoxide.
And……they thoroughly checked the house for the Boogie Man.
*****
I woke up at dawn on the verge of starvation….I guess I forgot to eat yesterday with all the excitement. I got up enough courage to drive Mr. LBB’s big diesel truck (scary). I figured out how to turn it on and get it into reverse….and then….the driveway gate malfunctioned. The driveway gate that we put in for security, securely trapped me in the driveway. After a few hours of not being able to figure it out…..I got out all the tools ready to dismantle the whole thing:
But Mr. LBB found someone to come and free me. And finally…..by about 7pm today….I made it out of my driveway:
And then I did what I always do when I have the weekend to myself….I ate dinner at Panda Express in the mall food court and browsed Barnes and Noble.
Then I accidentally ate my fortune…spitting it out, the only words I could make out were LCULATI. Sounds like a message from the Illuminati?! I think I’ll watch Pollyanna or Little House on the Prairie so I’ll be able to sleep again tonight.
******
You know….all kidding aside….those fireman who showed up at my door actually made me really emotional. I watched them as they walked around the house trying to figure out if I was going to be okay in my home for the night. One kept looking at me and asking questions “Do you feel okay? Light headed? Headache?” I told him I was a little shaky but that was only because my alarm had gone off 3 times….and it was really loud. But I was shaky because I was thinking about the 19 firefighters that lost their lives in AZ this past week. I live in the desert…and in the summer….it’s kind of like living on the surface of the sun. I think about those firefighters in that monster…trying to do their job and something goes horribly wrong….it’s just too haunting. I’ve been praying for those families all week. And then those Palm Desert firefighters showed up at my house…..I wanted to say something but I couldn’t come up with the right words. I wanted to tell them to be careful. I wanted to tell them thank you. It ended up coming out all jumbled: ok…well thank you so much…sorry you had to come all the way out here for nothing…phew sure is hot out…..I hope this is the most dangerous thing you have to do all night…take care you guys…..God bless. I hope they got the message.
As a wife of a firefighter I’ve felt sick since the tragedy in Arizona. Everyday that Tony has been at work since then has been hard.
Anyways, I’m glad that your power is back on and that you’re no longer stuck in the driveway ☺
Why does everything go wrong when our husbands are out of town?!? I seriously feel like the entire world decides to attack when Brandon’s gone. So sorry you had to go through all that! And yes, God bless those firefighters and all other servicemen and women! They are amazing!! xoxo
So, I’m merrily reading this story thinking about how action-packed your life is. Seriously, NOTHING like this ever happens to me. Well, I take that back. I do have a broken toilet upstairs that I can’t figure out because no water goes into it anymore, but really…how exciting is that??!! I love your stories, I love hearing about your life, you are hilarious…and then you bring me to tears. You are so right – God bless everyone who’s life it is to have it threatened every minute that they are at work. They are all who make this country so great. Let’s all pray for each and every one of them. So who’s going to put the gate back together??
Yes!
Thanks for this….
Goodyear, AZ
I know that this was serious but your retelling made me giggle…I can completely imagine this.
And yes, I can also imagine the reaction you had when the firefighters showed up, I’m not sure I would have done any better.
When my hubby isn’t here I ALWAYS eat something he would never eat, including food court Chinese food. 🙂
Hi Ashley! First, found your blog through Lauren at The Thinking Closet, and first I have to say I LOVE following you! I appreciate your funny, positive outlook on life, even when life gets scary. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 5 years ago when I was 18 {and invincible–or, so I thought} and the choose joy way of living life is something I’m only just now barely starting to figure out.
Anyway, I wanted to share this comic as I thought it was pretty topical: http://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences3/noise Maybe you’ve seen it?
Hugs!
<3 gabby
” God bless anyone and everyone that runs toward danger when the rest of us are running away from it.”
That sentence is perfection! I’m glad your time alone turned out ok. The last few sentences made me teary. I can’t stop thinking about the grief those families are going through. I think I will use your sentence in my prayers from now on.
Your last sentence made me a bit emotional. My husband of 12 years is a police officer in a very busy city. It is so nice to hear someone appreciate the danger first responders put themselves in every. single. day. in order to keep others safe while too many in our society bash them and the work they do. I’d like to see those haters run toward the danger instead and then provide comment. It isn’t just a robot running toward that danger…he is my soul mate, the father of my young children, a son/brother/uncle/friend to many others, and a human being. I know countless others reading your post can relate. Thanks for your words on this and your adventures you share with us.
I just came across your blog yesterday, I really enjoy your humor and style of writing!
I agree wholeheartedly with your last paragraph. I think we often forget how lucky we are to have men and women willingly risk their lives daily for us.
You have such a gift of telling a story that just reels us readers of your blog in. First you made me laugh and then you made me cry. This weeks tragedy has made many of us realize that the first responders are not just employees, but hero’s on many levels. Thank God your situation was not an emergency, but if it had been, it is good to know you would have more that likely been saved by these brave men and women!
Poor thing. I adore you so! Terrible, hard stuff losing the firefighters over here, So many families devastated by the loss. But Sweetie, YOU run toward danger every day, fighting to stay alive. Chemo is not for wimps.
Sending you Big Love,
Deb
Dear Ashley,
I love you. I don’t do as well as I used to alone either. And, my heart is breaking for all the suffering too. Your honesty helps.
Several years ago I was on the Billy Graham rapid response team and I came out to California for one of your many fires… Can’t remember the exact year,But this was the really big one. .??? Anyway, one of the “Samaritan Purse” teams that flew in at the same time was about 10 fire fighters from New York City! You know the ones, they rushed into the towers… Only these guys made it through that tragedy only to fly out to California on their vacation week to help the families that had lost everything in a fire. A M A Z I N G men!! I now LOVE firefighters! Every fiber in those guys is wired to serve!
I live in a small town in AZ and everytime I hear the sirens for the firetrucks (there’s a station not far from where I live) and/or the police, I say a prayer asking God to watch over the first responders. They risk their lives for us.
Your last sentence said exactly what I’ve been thinking….and then I got emotional. Thanks for putting my thoughts into words.
I love your stories, your adventures, your humility, your candidness.. all of it! You inspire me to start writing again. Thanks for always sharing with us readers. I always look forward to a new posting 🙂 You somehow find a way to speak for the masses (your last sentence was perfect), and I really appreciate that.
You are so funny, but you write so beautifully. The part about the 19 AZ Firefighters who lost their lives made tears run. It is so true that we need to appreciate more the men and women who protect us and like you said so well, who run towards danger when we are running away from it.
I totally laughed while I read this post. Not because I am mean , mind you, because this is so totally me and totally things that would happen to me. I can SO identify. Especially the Boogie Man part. And the Illuminati part even mroe hysterical.
Think the candles made your detector go off.
Would that driveway gate open if the power was off?
Best part was trying to find clothes with firemen coming
in. And yes, God bless those who run to danger for us.