Traumatized

Oh what an afternoon!  I picked up Derek from school yesterday and we headed to the grocery store to pick up some necessary items for school lunches and dinner.  Parking our new battle beast (which Jeff and the kids have affectionately named Rhino) in the small parking garage was a challenge, but I did it and we rushed into the store to try and get it done and home before the big kids got off the bus.  They only have city transit here so all the school kids have to change buses at least once before getting to school or back home. Well halfway through shopping I got a call from Aiden saying he'd gotten confused at the interchange and was waiting for me at a friend's house.  I asked if Aubrey was with him and he said he hadn't seen her after school or at the interchange.  I was worried so we quickly bought what I already had in the cart and hurried home.  Aiden's friend's mom had already dropped him off so he was there waiting when we got home.  It was time for Aubrey to be home and she wasn't there so I started making phone calls trying to figure out where she had gone.  no one was answering at the school so I decided to jump into the car and head over there in case she happened to be there.  Before doing so I gathered the boys to say a prayer, then I left Aiden with Derek and Darcy and jumped in the car.  I barely got past the driveway and felt like I should go home and make some more phone calls.  So I called my neighbor who tried to call the bus station.  There was no answer there, so that sweet lady jumped right in her car and headed to the bus depot to see what she could find out.  I then called some friends from church.  The wife was on her way to the school to pick up their daughter from a late practice,, so the husbband called her cell so she could watch for Aubrey on the way and once there.  At that point it was about 530 pm and Aubrey should have been home at 330.  I was about to pick up the phone to call the police when it rang.  It was the school registrar calling to say Aubrey was quite upset but with her at the school.  Aubrey had gotten on the wrong bus at the interchange.  We live at the edge of the southeast side of town.  She got off on the other side and walked well out of town.  She said she wandered for about an hour before she found a mechanics shop and the THANKFULLY very nice man took her back to the school where the registrar was just leaving for the day.  She couldn't remember our address or phone # so she couldn't call me or even ask anyone for directions... I'm so grateful the registrar was still at the school.  She offered to bring Aubrey home since she was on her way out anyway.  I won't even allow myself to imagine all of the things that could have happened.  I am just REALLY grateful that it turned out well in the end and needless to say I'm going to pick them all up from school for the next while til we are a little more familiar with our surroundings, AND make sure they know our address and phone number!!  Hopefully we will also be able to get cell phones soon with our phone numbers programmed in!