The best laid plans

I really did have a good plan for yesterday evening. And when my plan fell apart, I even had back-up plans. But those didn't work, either.

My plan had been to run with Elizabeth in the babyjogger while Ella was at rock climbing practice. I carefully packed my bag with a dry shirt for after my run, a bottle of gatorade, my iPod, and a book just in case I had time to read (I'm reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and loving it). I loaded Elizabeth and Ella into the car and headed south.

The traffic was terrible. An accident on northbound MoPac had tied up traffic on both sides, but I wasn't worried about being late because we had left the house in plenty of time. All was going well.

Until I realized that I had left the one crucial piece of the plan at home - the babyjogger.

If the traffic hadn't been so bad, I could have doubled back to the house and grabbed the babyjogger and still made it to the gym in plenty of time. But that just wasn't an option.

I cursed and grumbled under my breath for a few moments and then came up with what I thought was a brilliant back-up plan. I called a friend who lives between where I was and the gym to see if I could borrow her jogger. Unfortunately, the friend wasn't home. I left a message hoping she'd call me back before I passed her house.

I called another friend who lived close enough that I could make an easy detour, but she wasn't home either. So I headed on to the gym.

While I was there, the second friend called back and said I could come get her jogger if I wanted. I told her I was on my way and loaded Elizabeth into the car. I was thrilled that my back-up plan was actually going to work.

Except for the traffic. Normally I can make the trip from the gym to that friend's house in about 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes after leaving the gym, I wasn't even halfway to my friend's house and Elizabeth was screaming in the back seat.

That's when I gave up on my plan of going running. My desperation to run had gotten to the point of being ridiculous. Instead, Elizabeth and I headed to Central Market and picked up some dinner. We had a nice little picnic at one of the outdoor tables and enjoyed the lovely weather.

Once I let go of my frustration that my plans didn't work, I managed to have a good time with Elizabeth. But next week when I take Ella to practice, I'm making sure to pack the babyjogger.