My parents, with my son in tow, graciously picked me up at the airport on Monday afternoon after my long trip home from Santiago. We stopped for lunch on the way home and once we arrived, they helped me unload luggage and get settled in. One of the first things I needed to do (with my dad's help) was check the pool levels, filter, etc. "The water is low", my dad yelled from the backyard. "Let's hook up the hose and run it for 10-15 minutes", I said. I set the timer on the microwave and went about unpacking luggage and opening mail.

The timer beeped and I asked my dad to remove the hose from the pool. "Did you turn the water off? There's no water coming out?" Uh oh, I thought. I went inside and tried the sink faucet. Dry. Not even a drip. Our well was out of water.

After checking the pump in the basement and consulting my dad and my father-in-law, we decided that the best bet was to let the reservoir fill back up and replace the pump switch in the morning. Not many plumbing stores open on Labor Day.

The next morning we had water and I took a much needed shower. My father-in-law headed to Home Depot for parts and spent his morning fixing our pump switch. All was well. Have I mentioned how lucky we are to have two sets of parents close by? Luck-y.

After a full day of work for me and pre-school for my son, I headed to pick him up before closing time. I arrived and he shared the day's activities and an "excellent" status on his daily sheet, we laughed and hugged and headed to the car. I got him buckled in, got in turned the key and nothing happened. Not even a sound. Nothing. "You've GOT to be kidding me", I said out loud.

We went back inside the school so that I could get my son out of the heat and humidity, and I called my parents for help - again. They cheerfully arrived 20 minutes later to fetch their daughter and grandson, took us to the grocery store (since I hadn't been shopping in five days) and then home. Meanwhile, while my husband (who's now making calls from Chile) is talking with his dad about the car. His dad used to own a gas station and service center, so he's an invaluable resource when it comes to matters of this sort. The service station wouldn't be able to tow the car until the morning, so it would have to stay at daycare overnight. My son thought the whole ordeal was really "cool" for some reason.

The next morning my son and I head to school and work in our second car (we drove my husband to the airport for his trip over a week ago) and left the keys for my father-in-law. Unfortunately, he wasn't having any luck with the easy stuff - battery, etc. It was likely the starter which would require a tow and several hundred dollars.

My mother always said "things happen in threes". I, on the other hand, am just fine with two thank-you-very-much.