There Was a Mouse in My Room

Pull up a chair. Grab a cup of coffee. Let me tell you a tale of panic attacks and bravery, mystery and the heeby-jeebies, deep breaths and courage. Let me tell you about the mouse.

We spent most of last week at the Flying L Ranch in Bandera, Texas. We were there for our annual Cousin Camp with my parents, my sisters, their husbands, and all of our kids. We've been to the Flying L Ranch before and loved it, and we loved it once again this time around. The kids had a blast, they rode horses, and played in an awesome water park every day. It was a great trip. 

But I had an experience that needs to be shared with y'all. 

With my whole family there, we stayed in 2 different "villas" - little houses with a small kitchenette and a little living area. Essentially, we were in two different cabins. My parents and the "big kids" stayed in one villa, while my sisters and their husbands, as well as me and Grant and Ellie stayed in the other villa. Thankfully they were right next door to each other so we just walked back and forth a lot. 

One day, we were done swimming and I had gone back to my villa to get Ellie's change of clothes to bring back to the other house so I could just change her there. I was in the house alone. 

I stood at the dresser and opened the top drawer. I pulled out her little Bubble Guppies panties and a little t-shirt and shorts. It was while I was standing there that I saw something scurry from the closet across the floor, under the bed. 

I froze.

Okay. Okay. Okay. 

Something ran under the bed.

It's probably a roach. It's a roach. It's a big, Texas roach. We're at a ranch, it's a roach. Be a big girl, Jenny, and get a shoe and kill the roach. Just buck up and do it. 

I picked up my sturdiest flip-flop, because that's all I had. 

I lowered my pregnant self down onto the floor. I looked under the bed. There was only one thing under the bed. A little gray mouse. Staring at me. 

Oh. Dear. Lord. Help. Me.

I stood up. 

"Okay. Oh God. Okay."

I started talking to myself, out loud. Because I am a sane person, and because there was a mouse in my room. 

So, after standing there silently for about 8 seconds, I did what any normal person would do. 

I shut the door behind me and ran out of the house.

Grant had already left the ranch to go to California for work, so naturally I ran straight to my dad. 

"DAD. DAD. I HAVE A SITUATION. THERE'S A MOUSE IN MY ROOM."

My mom and sisters responded appropriately with their panicked expressions and the comments and the sympathy.

Dad quickly responded with "Well, a mouse isn't going to hurt you, Jen." I know this. I know a mouse isn't going to attack me. Regardless, I'm gonna need someone to remedy this situation.

Dad called the front desk of Flying L and they said they would send someone out with a trap.

They later called back to tell us that they were going to just go ahead and move me to a whole different villa. I found this to be an excellent solution. Except for one thing: I had to go back into that room (THE ROOM WITH THE MOUSE) and get all my stuff and Ellie's stuff out. I had to return to the mouse room. 

Grant called in the middle of all this drama to check in and say hello. I told him that it wasn't a good time, that I was about to have to move to another cabin because there was a mouse in our room. 

"Babe, a mouse isn't going to hurt you."

YES I AM AWARE THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I DON'T THINK IT'S GOING TO EAT ME, I JUST BELIEVE THAT MY DAUGHTER AND I CAN NOT SLEEP IN THERE WITH A MOUSE SHARING OUR ROOM WITH US THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 

Mom bravely volunteered to go in there with me to help me throw my things in bags. We just threw things into various duffle bags, shaking everything out piece my piece to make sure we weren't going to be transporting a mouse to my new cabin. My heart was racing. 

I had to reach my hand behind the bed to unplug my phone charger. 

THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE SCARIEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE.

Then, Mom and I high tailed it out of there and into my new digs. There was no mouse in there. 

Later in the week though, I opened the door to my parents' villa to find a snake coiled up on the front step. 

You've never seen someone slam a door so quickly. 

And then, later in the week, my nephew Dean got stung by a hornet, SO IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE THE RANCH. 

I loved Cousin Camp (and will do a full post with pics later this week!) but I think I had met my outdoor time quota. I love all of God's creation but there was a moment that I felt like me and nature had had enough of each other. 

It was all very traumatic as it brought back memories of the Great Frog Incident of 2014 that you may have read about before. 

Would you have slept in a room with a mouse? Tell me I'm not alone here....