Day from Hell

Yesterday was the day from Hell for Graham and me.

It started with the shower head breaking mid shower. I grabbed my soap, shampoo, and towel and headed to our guest bathroom (which I've never used). I was already starting the day behind schedule.

The day quickly got worse when I got in my car to head to the office. My garage got half way up and then just hung there. I pushed the button a few more times, only making the problem worse. Remember this? Well, it left some lasting damage that reared it's ugly head. I was officially stuck in the garage. I called Graham. No answer. I called Mom and Dad and it was busy. Why is their phone busy at 8 am? I started to panic because I couldn't reach anyone and I didn't have my computer at home.

Finally Dad answered and offered to come be my taxi. I was a little surprised that he was willing to drive. He had surgery 2 weeks ago and hadn't driven yet. Mom must be really busy. When Dad got to my house he told me he had bad news. Brent Parks had died.

I've known Brent pretty much my whole life. His mother Rita and my mom were pregnant with Darbie and Brent at the same time. We had birthday parties together when we were little, spent some family vacations together, and even bickered about who was better when we went to rival high schools and colleges. Brent gave me my first beer on a cruise when I was 16 (sorry if that disappoints anyone). In college I'd run into him from time to time at Moondogs in Buckhead or when visiting Athens. Although we hadn't seen each other in a few years, I was still so saddened by his death, especially at the young age of 31.

Meanwhile, Dad and I get my garage door to open, but it was destroyed. My brother-in-law put me in contact with his trusty garage guy who walked me through measuring it and figuring out the model information. Luckily the door is still being manufactured and he had it in stock. The bad news is that he can't put it in until Thursday and it's going to cost $600. Numb at this point, I agreed.

When I finally got to the office, I was a mixture of frustrated, angry, and sad. Shortly after lunch I got a call from Graham. Could our day really get worse?

Graham, a PE teacher for FIVE years at Gwin Oaks Elementary, was calling to tell me that he had not only been displaced, but had also been transferred across the county. On Friday he will report for his first day as a HEALTH teacher in a classroom. He has 2.5 days to say goodbye to all his friends and students. We have a lot of frustration over the entire process and how Graham was chosen as the ONE teacher that would be displaced. It's very complicated and stressful and I will not delve into the details. Graham loved Gwin Oaks and all of his friends and will miss it terribly.

Gwin Oaks is near and dear to us both. I went to kindergarten there in 1984. It's where Graham met Terri, who set us up 3 years ago. It's also the school that baby Tucker will go to one day (it's in the neighborhood across the street). It was a great place for Graham and I hope he can return there one day. Not many people like their job. Even fewer LOVE their job. Graham is one of those rare few that loved his job.

So, that's pretty much yesterday in a nutshell. In positive news, I started water boot camp last night. It's going to be super hard, but at least I have the water to help me out. I didn't have any tail bone pain during or after the class. I actually felt better today than I have in a couple of weeks. Baby Tucker was very active the whole hour.

Please pray this week for our friends the Parks. Please also pray for Graham's transition to his new school and his new role on Friday.

To new beginnings,
Laurel