Finally the Day is Over

Oh where to begin...today has been a day like none other.  Seriously like none other.  I guess I have to start with this past Sunday.

We were at church and talking with a girlfriend.  She was telling us how both her boys and herself had strep throat this last week.  They were on the mends and no longer contagious.  So fast forward to Tuesday.  Brian had the day off of work and we had planned an outing to Coney Island.  I was really looking forward to it, but Tuesday morning Luna woke up with a sore throat and a bit of a cough.  So we decided not to do such a big outing, instead we ran a bunch errands.  Fun times.  Wednesday she still was complaining about her throat and she was getting more of a cough.  So Thursday morning she wakes up and still has a sore throat and a cough, we decide to take her in to the doctor.

She sees the doctor and she does in fact have strep throat so we get a prescription and I head to the closest pharmacy.  The pharmacist takes the prescription and tells me it will be an hour.  An HOUR?  We are just getting amoxicillin, mind you nothing crazy here, but he said an hour.  So I have to decide what to do for an hour with my sick kid and Rachel.  We head over to the park and Rachel plays around while I push Luna on the swing.  We head back to the pharmacy after a hour and 10 minutes.  I wanted to make sure it was ready.   It is now 11:30 in the morning both kids are thirsty and hungry, I was ill prepared for how long it was all going to take.  Luna is not feeling good and just wants to be carried.

We get to the pharmacy and the pharmacist does not even acknowledge I am there, he is on the phone.  So we wait and wait, after 15 minutes the store manager comes over and I tell him how I dropped off a prescription and was told an hour, that it had been a hour and now I was back.  So he looks through all the prescriptions and can not find it so he goes to ask the pharmacist and the pharmacists ignores him!  The manager continues to try to get things figured out with the pharmacist but is not getting anywhere.  Finally I say "If you can't fill it just give it back so I can take it to another pharmacy."  The pharmacist does not even acknowledge that I've spoken.  I am getting mad.  I have a sick kiddo in my arms, I just want her medicine and the pharmacist is not doing anything but looking at a computer.  So I wait and wait, after another 15 minutes the pharmacist walks back over to me and hands me the prescription and says "sorry she is not in our computer."  I just about die, I want to scream "Well add her!  She is new!"  But instead I tell him how it is outrageous to tell a customer to wait an hour and then make them wait a hour and a half only to tell them you can not fill it.    I also tell the store manager the same thing on my way out.

Back to square one.  I don't know what to do, I have no idea where another pharmacy is.  So I head back to my building and ask one of the porters.  I just love the porters, have I mentioned that before?  He tells me where another one is and even pulls it up on his phone so I can see where it is on the map.  We head to the new pharmacy.  It goes much more smoothly but when I asked how long, she says and hour, that the pharmacist is on her lunch break.  Are you joking me? At this point I am missing my good old Safeway Pharmacy back in Washington, my wait was always 15 minutes.

I want to get the medicine as quickly as possible so I really want to wait.  I thought we could grab a bite to eat and then come back.  But both girls are melting down, they need food and naps ASAP. So I walk back to the apartment carrying a sick and crying Luna and pushing Rachel.  I am exhausted.  They get lunch and a nap.  I relax but am starting to not feel so good myself.   I touch base with Brian and we decide we should have Rachel checked for strep as well since we leave for vacation on Saturday.

After their naps we have to head back out to get the prescription.  In my mind, this was going to be a quick outing, there and back. So I brought nothing but the girls and my wallet.  No diaper, snacks, umbrella, or drinks.   It is hot hot hot out and by this point I am starting to feel worse and worse.  So as we are walking I get nauseous and vomit on the side of the road.  It was horrible.  I am feeling horrible.  Luna is feeling horrible and Rachel is just her delightful little self.  As we are walking Brian calls to say we got an appointment for Rachel, she needs to be there in 45 minutes, so much for my quick outing.  We get the prescription and then head to Jamba Juice for a snack before Rachel's appointment.

When we walk into Jamba Juice it was sunny out and when it is time to leave it is pouring buckets.  Literally it is as if the shower is turned on full blast. I have nothing to cover us with, again I am ill prepared.  We find an awning and wait.  It is now time for her appointment. I have to make a decision: brave it in the pouring rain and get there or miss the appointment but stay dry.  I had no idea how long the storm would last.  I decide to go for it (bad decision).  We get maybe a 1/2 block. We are soaking wet and both kids are screaming.   I am running pushing the stroller across the street trying to beat the light and lose my flip flop.  I have to leave it there.  I get the kids under another awning and wait for the light so I can go back and get my flip flop.  Water is running down my face.  Once I get my flip flop we take off again.  The kids are crying and I am laughing, I can not believe this is my day.  Boy am I missing my air conditioned car right about now.   As I am running down the street in the pouring rain I realize I am on the wrong street!  Remember I am not feeling well myself so I am not functioning well.  The kids and myself are drenched, water just running off of us.  We stop under another awning so I can decide what to do.

Just then the door of the awning we stopped under opens up and a man invites us into the store.  I gladly take him up on the offer and I push the girls in to a male barber shop with about 15 men in there either getting or giving hair cuts.  They all turn to stare and us, soaking wet and crying.  Oh man, it was a sight.  They take us to the back of the store and give us towels to dry off with.  I take the kids shirts off and ring them out in their sink.  While I am ringing their shirts out, Luna says "Look Mom, it's sunny now."  Lovely just lovely,  I only had to wait another 10 minutes and we would still have been dry and probably at the appointment.

Needless to say we headed directly home.  Rachel gets an appointment for later in the day, which Daddy takes her to and it turns out she does have strep as well.  So now both girls are home, in bed and have had their first doses of amoxicillin.  This Momma is ready for bed.  Tomorrow I am going to have to get myself to a doctor to see if I have it as well, my guess is that I do...