Taste of Home and Flat Tires

Thursday when I got off work I picked up Nicole from school and my friend Liz at her house, then we left for Lyons and the Taste of Home Cooking Class. When we got to Lyons we went to another friend's house, Angie, and picked up her and her daughter, Cameryn.

We went to dinner at a Chinese Restaraunt that was NOT a buffet. (a rare thing in this part of Kansas) Next we went to the Celebration Center in Lyons for the Taste of Home Cooking Class where we met 2 more friends--Ellen and Leo.

From L to R, Nicole, Cameryn, Angie, Dedra, Liz, Leo & Ellen.

The Class was tons of fun! We learned some cooking secrets, got 2 new Taste of Home Magazines, and had some good laughs. There were 2 women sitting in front of Angie and I and they thought the cook was speaking directly to them. It made for some good laughs.

After the show Angie, Liz and I along with our little girls said goodbye to Ellen and Leo, then we went our separate ways.

When we got to our car I was glad that we backed into this muddy space because I thought we would have gotten stuck. We made our way out of the parking lot and just as I pulled onto the main road, I heard a noise that I've never heard before! I said, What is that?! Angie said, Either you have a flat tire or there is a ton of mud stuck in your tire. At that very moment I thought (and spoke outloud) it better be mud!!

I pulled off the road about 100 feet from where we got on and parked the car. As I went around the corner, I was sad to see that it was not mud.

I'm not going to lie to you, the first 2 words out of my mouth were not Christ like or lady like. Then I asked Angie to call her husband, Ben. None of us had ever changed a tire before. After Angie called Ben, we got back in the car and I called my Dad. The conversation went like this...

Dad: What?!

Me: I have a flat tire.

Dad: Change it.

Me: I don't know how. Angie just called her husband Ben.

Dad: Dedra Charlet

Me: Did you just call me by my middle name? You've never done that before!!

Dad: Yes I did. Charlet. (this time calling for my mom)

Mom: What?

Dad: Your daughter learned how to change a tire from you.

Me: I never changed a tire. Mom just signed my paper in Driver's Ed.

Dad: (talking to Mom) She says you just signed the form for her.

Dad: (talking to me) I've driven to Boise, Meridian and many more miles to change a tire for your mother. (what a good husband he is!)

Dedra: Can you change mine?

Dad: Goodbye Dedra.

After I hung up the phone, Liz suggested we try to change it ourselves. We were up to it. I think that was when I realized that I had a ton of stuff (crap) in my trunk that we had to empty out before we could even think about changing the tire. It took all 3 of us to get this giant box of fabric out of the trunk that Liz's husband, also named Ben, put in there on Sunday. Under that I found our missing and very overdue Library Book (it's still in the trunk). We pushed everything back and got the tire and jack out. Then I got back on the phone to ask my Dad what part of the car (in front or behind the tire) to put the jack.

My dad answered the phone by saying, "I don't have my tools with me!" Then he asked me what kind of jack it was and I told him a little black one. He wasn't happy with that answer. (I don't know why!) Then he asked about a scissor jack and I said it was a triangle with a base. He explained where to put it, then we went to work. Angie working on the Jack.
Me working on the jack, still getting instruction from Dad about lug nuts.
Luckily before we ever had to become acquaited with the lug nuts, Benshowed up to save our lives and change our tire. THANK YOU BEN!! I'll build you a cake or something.
Here are the little girls enjoying their left over chinese while we worked on the car.

It ended up working nicely. Ben took Angie and Cameryn home so we didn't have to drive out into the country to drop her off. I dropped Liz off at her house around 10:45-10:50 and Nicole and I were at home, in bed, and praying for a snow day by 11:00

The next day when I was talking to my Dad he told me I needed to learn how to change a tire when it wasn't flat so I'd know how next time. I'll be practicing after the snow melts.