It's always the chihuahuas

I wish I had pictures to share, but I honestly had no free hands to take ANY pictures!

Today. Oh my. Today was quite an adventure. You may or may not know that we are a one-car household right now. The reasons are simple: Patrick's car died-and we donated it, my car is paid off and we don't want a car payment from buying a second car, our auto insurance right now is CHEAP!!, and we're going to pay cash for our next car-which will probably be sometime early next year. Long story short, we're making it work. Oh by the way, did I tell you my car has 200K miles on it? :) Ha ha ha. There are some other challenges with it too...like the fact that it has only 2 doors...and getting a car seat in and out of the backseat of a 2-door vehicle, not an easy task. 
This is what my car looks like. Except mine is keyed on the right side, has taillight tape all over the left light, no moonroof like this one, and the headlights are starting to yellow. Oh yeah, and a Central Christian Church sticker, and a Scentsy sticker. What can I say, its definitely broken in. Billy Bob-that's what I call my car-was half a gift to me from my parents for my 18th birthday AND high school graduation. The other half I paid for. So it was PERFECT for me in HS. It was even perfect for me in college. Um, it was doable when I got married. And now that there are 2 adults, 1 baby, and 2 dogs in our family, it's a little...cumbersome with those two doors and minimal space.

So back to today. Today was the day that the Animal Shelter was giving free rabies shots and other discounted shots for dogs. Well, being the frugal people we are, of course we were going to take advantage of FREE rabies shots. Both Kiri and Ella need them anyway, and it beats a $300 bill from the vet for the exact same thing.

So strategically we planned this trip. I was at home with the car, and Patrick was at work. I was going to load up both dogs (large dogs by the way), the baby, pick up Patrick from work, then go to the Animal Shelter. Not as easy as it sounds. In fact, it was sort of a joke-me trying to load up two really excited dogs into my 2-door car, then a baby. I pull up to Schwab and Patrick starts walking to the car. He sees what can only be described as a clown car (us) and starts laughing. In life, laughter is good. But I was a little stressed out. I get in the backseat with one baby and one dog, and Patrick drives to Phoenix. Ella is his co-pilot.

We get there and the dogs go crazy from seeing all the other dogs...and the line is out the door, to the parking lot. Of course. It's free shot day, why wouldn't there be a LONG line? No parking spots close by, so Patrick pulls up to a red curb and we pause to figure out what to do. It's decided he's going to take the dogs and stand in line while I go with baby to find a parking spot somewhere else. Sweet, I like plans. Patrick gets out with the dogs and joins the pack. The pack of wild and incredibly unmannered and misbehaved dogs. The chihuahuas were the worst. Always the chihuahuas.

So I look for a parking spot farther away-nothing. And keep in mind I have to carry the car seat with baby in it, plus a diaper bag. Then Patrick calls me, "Hey, this line is really really long. What if you go get dinner while I wait here." "Okay." Baby is still asleep, so I venture my way out to 27th ave and Van Buren. Imagine industrial, trashy, area. The kind of area you wouldn't be caught dead in (or actually you might) late at night. I think I remember a police officer telling me this area is one of the more popular tracks in Phoenix. Tracks-n. an area in which prostitutes loiter to find...well you know. Cue bladder message to brain-I have to pee. Great. Well, there's no way I'm getting out of the car here...wow, I just saw a drug deal...and Lord knows I'm not taking my baby out so I can go to the bathroom. Just going to hold it. I finally find a Jack in the Box. Drive thru it is. I order quickly, get the food and drive back to where I left Patrick. I probably could have just followed the sound of the barking chihuahuas.

Anyway. I get there, chow down my food, get the car seat w/baby, diaper bag, Jack in the Box bag and soda all out of the car and stumble to where Patrick is waiting in line. You can call me Andrea the pack mule Jones. Patrick is still waiting outside the building in line. The dogs (our dogs) are staying so close to him and to me, which is not like them, but I quickly learn why. The dogs (and really, the owners) that come to these free rabies shot days are not real...uhh...dignified people. There are some pretty aggressive dogs there. Some obnoxious dogs, and owners. And some real loud mouth dogs. Some people have leashes. You know, like the kind you buy in a store. But other people have chains, rope and various other restraint mechanisms. I even saw the chain from a light fixture used as a leash. Interesting.

It didn't take long for us to decide that it would be best if I waited in the car with D. Glad I did too. It took exactly 2 hours for us to be done at that place, and it was a long 2 hours. But we got what we came for: free rabies shots. On the way home we sort of laughed about our "family trip." There was a person and/or dog in every seat. 5 seats, and someone/thing occupied every one. And you know the small little middle seat in the back? Yeah, that's where I sat. Next to a car seat that took up more than one seat, and an 81 pound dog that just couldn't get comfortable. And that my friends is what you call an adventurous family outing. At least we saved some money :)