An unwanted visitor...

After a busy and tiring week that consisted of two kids with strep, a house that still needs more unpacking, a broken down car and a stressed-out hubby, Friday night couldn't come fast enough. After watching some Olympics, I grabbed my book, "When Crickets Cry" (awesome book!), read a few chapters and easily dosed off to what I was hoping would be a good night's sleep. After what I later learned was only a couple of hours, I was awakened by a yelp of fear from Jason to see him standing with our door closed, phone in hand, eyes as big as saucers. I knew he was going to tell me someone was in the house (one of my biggest fears, by the way!) We were trying to stay as quiet as possible as Ben was asleep in our bed. Jason then announced, "There's a bat in our house!" I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. The bat was flying around in the living room and up and down the staircase. 

Jason called the police department. I'm sure a bat flying around in someone's house was a welcomed call from the police department compared to some of the calls they get, although they told Jason over the phone that all they would do is open doors and windows and try to get the bat to fly out. They then asked if he still wanted them to send someone over. Are you kidding me? Of course, he needed someone to help him; God knows, I wasn't going to!

We then looked around our room for some sort of weapon (note to self: we need a weapon in our bedroom!) and all we came up with was a screen that was in the closet. So, Jason, armed with a screen in front of his face and shaking it at the bat to keep it away from him, braved the staircase to wait for the policeman. In his mighty way of shaking the screen at the bat, the bat eagerly exited the front door soon after Jason opened it.

Now, I'm sitting in my bedroom, a little shaken, I'll admit, with the door closed, praying that my other two children will not come wandering out of their rooms. The policeman arrived and ended up staying for what felt like an hour. Now, we are the new neighbors on the street and I'm sure we've created a few rumors because after a while, there were two police cars sitting outside our house...

I then heard the policeman leave and Jason came upstairs, only to learn from him that the bat had actually exited the premises before the policeman arrived, but being that this policeman was from Texas, they decided they would share a Coke and chat for an hour. All the while, visions of bats taking over my house were dancing in my head. Thank goodness my reading was excellent enough to keep me preoccupied!

Where did the bat come from, I know you're wondering... 

Most likely the chimney.

Ah, never a dull moment in the Curtis household, I assure you!

P.S. In efforts to prevent nightmares and the concept of the family bed in our household, we are not telling our children this story...