All Because of a Garage Door

We hopped in the van to head to piano lessons.

Emma was shutting the garage. We've never gotten a garage door opener installed. We have three garage door openers/children that function pretty well for us.

Except for when they don't.

The door got stuck on something and Emma put her considerable strength into it and soon the whole door was askew. I was yelling at her to stop (from inside the van) which wasn't working but Braeden jumped out of the van, eager to chide his sister.

I got the door opened but I couldn't get it closed.

I had Braeden go call our piano teacher, Sarah, to tell her that we would be late.

I studied the door, trying to summon any mechanical skills I possessed. I came up kind of empty.

I tried to call Adam who I knew was at a swank lunch with a visiting client. (We had leftovers for lunch, which was maybe as swank.)

Adam didn't answer the phone.

I wouldn't have either if I was at a swank lunch.

Which I wasn't.

I tried to call my dad. Obviously. Because he's 800 miles away and doesn't even own a garage.

He wasn't home.

I called my sister who wasn't home and talked to my niece to find out where my dad was.

She didn't know.

So I called my other sister.

She told me my parents were in Salt Lake City, at the dentist.

So I called my mom's cell phone.

My dad was just finishing at the dentist so I laid out the problem for his analysis. He told me how to fix it.

I also called Sarah to tell her maybe the whole lesson thing wasn't going to happen. She put her husband Rex on the phone. Since he's our home teacher. I told Rex that I thought I could do what my dad instructed but I'd call him back if I needed him.

Then Sarah pulled up in her car.

She said she could do the kids' piano lessons here.

I tried to fix the door.

It wasn't working.

I called my dad again.

My mom answered the phone and did her motherly duty by telling me to be careful. She told me Nick, the dentist who's also kind of related and a family friend, said people knock their teeth out trying to fix their garage doors.

I assured her I'd be careful.

I talked to my dad.

He gave me something new to try.

I had Braeden as my left hand man (which is more useful than a right hand man when you're left handed like me).

And guess what?

It worked.

I fixed my garage door all by myself unless you count the piano teacher, home teacher, Dad, Mom, niece, sister, dentist, and son that were all involved.

I think I'll just call it fixing it all by myself though.

It seems more impressive that way.