A Woman's Work – Brooke Basically Blogging

If you missed my blog on the time that I paid $20 for a gallon of milk. You have to go back and read that drama in your free time.

Yesterday the kids and I were going to a presentation about our family at The University of Delaware. We have done this project for three years. We have always met at the same building. This year I didn’t realize we were meeting at the other Disability’s Center building.

We arrived at the wrong building with ten minutes to spare. I texted our girls to tell them we were downstairs. They said they would come and meet us.

It was 88 degrees and Syd was not feeling the heat. I never buy food from vending machines but I thought. Let me get them a snack to get through the presentations.

Well of course I didn’t have change. Or even a dollar bill. I calmly take a $5 bill and try to slide it in the machine. The machine spits it back out at me. This continues for about a minute with no luck. Meanwhile the girls are texting me informing me I’m at the wrong building.

Panic set in. I was hot. Syd was getting irritated and Harrison was trying to relay messages for me on my phone. The $5 bill isn’t working and Syd’s echolalia is in full effect. 140 gummy bears, 140 gummy bears. I got it Syd. I’ll push 140 as soon as this machines takes my money.

Now my hot flash has me ready to pass out. Since when did vending machines have a credit card option? If I paid $20 for a gallon of milk. I’ll use the credit card to buy gummy bears. After hearing 140, gummy bears for five minutes. I pushed 148 and got peanut butter crackers. Jesus take the wheel!

Now I’m searching for more money. Harrison programmed the directions to the building we need to get to. Their class has started and I’m thinking they will have to go on without us.

I found a $20 bill. This was my last chance as I had a flashback to the gallon of milk. I put the $20 bill into the machine and said a Hail Mary.

Of course the machine took my $20. You would have thought we hit the jackpot at the casino. I wasn’t touching that machine. The kids started selecting their snacks.

I was experiencing an autism coma. That’s a blog for later this week. College students were coming by and Copher’s Community offered them free snacks. They thought it was a practical joke. But they were glad to get a snack. We had $16.00 left and all I could think was will this machine shoot out my change in all coins?

Harrison was laughing so hard. Syd had her 140 gummy bears. We had 6 minutes to get to the right building.

We made it. The girls did an amazing presentation. The students and professors were very nice. They asked Harrison questions and he made me proud. Syd was enjoying the presentation. So we decided to stay for the last group and I’m glad I did. I learned so much from the other family’s video.

Thanks Autism for a fun night. My 12,000 steps, time with my family and an opportunity to feed snacks to college kids.