Just for future reference, when the guy at Grease Monkey tells you on Tuesday that you need a new serpentine belt and takes you back to look at the frayed and old belt, maybe you should let him replace it for $69.99. If you don’t, someone might just be driving along to a soccer game in the early hours of a Saturday morning and that same belt might just break and come off, leaving that someone with no power steering and no way to charge the battery. Lucky for me, that someone was Ryan this time, and he just drove the car with no power steering. He made it all the way to the repair place by our house before the battery died. Then he and Megan walked home. It was “Dad and Megan’s amazing adventure”. I’m just glad it wasn’t Mom and Megan’s amazing adventure, because Mom doesn’t handle thing like belts breaking while driving quite as well as Dad does.

In other news, we’re in the grips of a flu bug here. In German the stomach flu is called the “Grippe”, and I know why. Because it gets you in it’s grips and never lets your family go. Natalie felt yucky on Thursday, but still went to volleyball practice, and then threw up on the way home. She threw up all night, stayed home from school on Friday, but then acted fine Saturday morning, but didn’t feel fine again Saturday afternoon. She stayed home from the wedding reception we went to last night, and Cole was her caretaker–just to be safe. The other three kids had a great time. Right up until John threw up in the car on the way home. Then Nobody was having a good time, I tell you. So, John threw up all night, and now Ryan isn’t feeling very good, and neither am I. It could all be phycosymatic in my case, though. I don’t do really well smelling….that smell.

So, stay away from us. And here’s some Purell. Just in case.

updated–Well, another one bites the dust. Two, actually. Natalie was the only child well enough to be in the Primary program today. John and Jenna and Ryan stayed home sick. And now Cole’s complaining about a headache and stomachache and I’m still not feeling all that good myself. I’m sure Megan will wait until a very busy school day to get sick–just to get the most out of her sickness. Stay Away. I repeat. Stay away from us all!