phew

Well, today was supposed to be full, but we added to it as we went.

First thing was to clear out our bedroom to make ready for the new bed. This included stuffing our old queen size mattress onto the girls' full size futon bed to make it bigger and more comfy.

Then I headed to the commissary for the "case lot" sale. It was a bit of a bust, but I did get a couple of things.

When I got home Bob loaded the old box springs on top of the van, put the empty boxes in the back, and we went to the recycle center to dispose of it.

Next was to get the new bed. Bob had a guy from work offer to help with his pickup, but he didn't answer the phone. So we went on to Feltwell and gave the warehouse guy our receipt. He came back with a stack of new mattresses, so Bob had to point out that we'd bought a 'second' and the guy had to call and find out where it was, and go get it. We put that up on the van, and he went after a box spring. He got it half-way on the van and noticed it had a couple of spots on it, and asked if we wanted a discount or another one. We opted for the discount, which meant he had to call again and settle that, and I had to walk around to the front to get the money - $27. Bob got it all strapped down, and home we went.

As we headed into Hockwold, I was talking about the way the mattress was positioned, remarking in a very roundabout way that it looked all right. Well, Bob tried to check his mirror, and in doing so he veered a little into a side road. I saw he was headed to the curb ("kerb" over here) and hollered, "Curb, CURB!" But by the time he heard and reacted it was too late. Bang, POP, grind. We blew out the front driver's side tire ("tyre" over here). So Bob backed into a pub parking lot just across the street, and proceeded to show me how to change a tire on this van. It's really cool how the jack handle works to lower the spare, take off the hubcap, unscrew the lug nuts, and still crank the jack up and down.

So on home. Unload the mattress and springs, get the tire size and call the car care center. They had our size in stock! But the mechanic was "leaving" so we rushed over in time to get the new tire mounted on the old rim. Now!

Over to Mildenhall to shop for Naysha's birthday presents. We walked through, didn't see too much, and went out to eat in the food court. After eating I went back to buy. Everything I found was made in China, which I'm doing my best to boycott. So I didn't get the hula hoop or the horses or the sidewalk chalk... I found a game made in USA, and some stickers.

On the way home, I remembered passport photos. Before we can rent a car in Inverness (in 7 weeks), Bob has to have an international drivers license, which has to be issued by the home country, which I found a mail-in form for, but takes 6-8 weeks to get here. And it has to have a passport-size photo. So we went back onto Lakenheath to the picture place at the BX. As we were waiting for Bob, I decided to go in, too and see if there was something there that Naysha would like. No sidewalk chalk, no pretty hair things, no lip gloss... I guess the game and the skate party will have to do.

We finally made it home. Now we put the children to bed and I get to finish the cake. And maybe take a shower again since I feel dirty as well as sneezy from being out in the dust and pollen all day. At least I get a comfy new mattress to sleep on tonight. Yeah, after we take it upstairs and make it up...