My nightmare

Yep. That describes my whole day.
DH was gone so I was all alone to enjoy the crisis.

Today I woke up with high hopes. Eldest was going to march in his first parade.
I bought his 'farmer' outfit, I had the chairs, the water bottle and the money for the rides all set. We were going to go to the fair after the parade. We even had ideal beautiful sunny yet cool-ish weather. Perfection.

All went well. I didn't think too much about youngest's wish to walk all the way up the main road until he came to the street his buddy lived on.
I should have.
All was fun and entertaining until my son and his band came by playing a very fun song. The first inkling of disaster came when I realized 1- he had NO idea where we were sitting to find us. 2- he was supposed to go back to the school to pick up his instrument case after they were done, to go by bus and be picked up from there.

Big issue with #2. My car was in a lot that I could not get out of because of the parade. HOW would I get him? He'd be left standing at this school for over 1 1/2 hours until I"d be able to go and get him?

And I had another child to think of. What do I DO? Beg the father of other child that my youngest was talking to and ask if my kid could stay there. He said yes and within a minute, I'm doing a brisk walk down the main street trying to catch up with the band, to get him before he boards that shuttle.

I make it. I also have to decide to have him leave the case at the school and hope it's there for him come Monday. Monday I'll have to figure out HOW to transport a trumpet without a case on a school bus. One nightmare at a time.

Now, we have to walk all the way back up to where I left my other kid. My eldest sees the buddy he's going to spend some time with at the fair and says'Mom, I need money." I give it to him and I said, I'll meet you at her shop!

Parade ends and I have to carry the chair and my youngest has to carry his chair and his hoard of candy he got from the parade participants. He loves it when they throw candy because most of it is peanut-free. It's so nice.

We get there and I have to drive out of the parking lot to find another parking lot closer to the fair. Still a decent amount of walking, but doable, until I realize that I have to walk from the new parking lot (at our local bank) to the shop. By the time I got there and dodged people, horses and more people, the shop was closed and the mom was just about to leave. My son and hers had already left for the fair across the street. I never had a chance to talk to him. Don't ask me if I talked to him when we were walking up earlier. I can't talk and walk - I"m that out of shape.

So, I and my youngest go to the fair. The next hour was pleasant. We went on the Scrambler and the Tilt 0'Whirl and a few others. We bumped into my son twice. Both times I tried to tell him, to remind him where our meeting place was and both times, he ran off with his buddy, never hearing me and a sea of people closed in between us and I lost sight of him.

And I really lost sight of him when it came time for meeting at the rendezvous spot and he's not there. Nor does he show up. I lost him. For over an hour I looked. I went to the police and the fair's Lost & Found and went to every person I knew who I knew, knew what my eldest looked like.

Eventually, he was found by one of the mom's I'd asked for help from. Thank Goodness.
So, after crying and feeling completely, totally emotionally wrung out like a wet dish rag, I said, we're going home now.

Except, we could not.

Remember I had to find another parking lot closer to the fair grounds??
Well get this.

AS I TYPE THIS , MY CAR IS STILL THERE!

The attendents allowed my car to get boxed in and I could not leave!
I had to call my DH to come and get us.

And.
Just now?
DH just found out that our boiler is leaking. A valve or something let go.

CAN THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE????