SUBMIT

Last week for Joe's birthday we went on a "lunch" date to Applebees. I put lunch in parenthesis because by the time we got the two littlests down for nap and everyone settled with my parents it was after 2 pm! Regardless it was nice to go out just the two of us.  (Beggars can't be choosers.) But really we are so thankful to have family willing to watch our kids! It's a huge blessing and one we are so very grateful for after years of living far away from family. Although admittedly once we were seated at the restaurant we questioned our wisdom in going out...an afternoon nap was sounding extremely appealing to our sleep deprived bodies. But we persevered and enjoyed a peaceful meal just the two of us. It was tough but someone had to do it!

And then after lunch because I am super practical and not romantic in the least we made a quick(ish) trip to Walmart. I had printed a few pictures of Levi and wanted to pick them up...plus we needed a few other essentials. Toilet paper and toilet bowl cleaner. See? Not romantic. 

(In hindsight I now realize I should have picked up something...anything...for the birthday boy as well! Instead he got a "Happy Birthday" from me this year. Lame! I know.) 

Since it was just a few items and it was FREEZING outside Joe dropped me off at the door and he waited in the (running) car. I quickly grabbed the toilet paper and toilet bowl cleaner and made my way to the photo counter. When the first clerk couldn't find my pictures she called in reinforcements...an elderly manager. The manager asked for my last name and came up empty-handed. He tried searching using my telephone number. Again no pictures! Strange. I had just put the order in two hours earlier. The manager then leaned over the counter towards me and very sloooowly and loudly asked "DID YOU HIT SUBMIT?" To which I responded "Um yeah. I think so..."  Again I was asked (this time with the elderly manager miming clicking a mouse) "DID YOU HIT SUBMIT? Because you have to submit the order in order for it to print!"  At this point my confidence in the fact that I had actually hit submit was waning. It was all too much for my very tired, sleep deprived brain to recollect. So I sheepishly said "Maybe I didn't. I'll have to go home and check" and tried to hurry away. But the photo manager generously offered to let me pay for my items at the photo counter (which at Walmart is a HUGE time saver) so I gladly accepted. 

He scanned the items and I handed him a gift card to use as payment. He scanned it. Nothing happened. This process repeated itself half a dozen times without success. So he called over another employee to help. Yep that's THREE employees all to help me, the girl who didn't actually have any pictures to purchase at the photo counter! The new clerk tried several times to scan my gift card without any luck. But then just as I was about to hand her a new form of payment it worked...only for her to discover the card had a ZERO balance. I could have hung my head in embarrassment at this point! Instead I handed over my credit card and inwardly cursed sleep deprivation! 

Because it's a real thing. And it renders me barely functional on a daily...sometimes hourly basis these days. It's cruel really. Trying to function in the world with very little sleep. Those Walmart employees must have thought I was the biggest space cadet. I promise I'm not. I'm just tired. Really really tired. The kind of tired that can't be fixed with a can of Pepsi unfortunately. 

Later that evening when I turned on my computer (to do something else because at that point I had completely forgotten about the pictures)...there was my photo order staring at me. Sitting in the "shopping cart"...waiting for me to click SUBMIT. Mocking me. And reminding me just how much I miss good quality sleep.