the black-cloud of a vacation

We just got back from one. hellacious. vacay. And not in a good way.

If I wrote all the details, you would very nearly turn to stone, so I will present it in bullet form, although I think you might need to get up and move around to keep rigor mortis at bay.

Day 1

• car trouble on the way to Mom's
• #1 coming down with sniffles (we think from the record-setting pollen count)

Day 2

• take car to (local, well-respected) fix it shop
• can't get to it until next week (so well-respected that they are absolutely slammed)
• leave it anyway and get a ballpark estimate of 2-3K!
• borrow mom's old convertible to have a "mini getaway" without kids
• drive 1 hour to feel like we are getting "away"
• have car trouble
• find auto repair place
• check into hotel, get the bad news that the day spa no longer offers couple massage
• walk to restaurant, amazing meal, walk back to hotel, collapse into bed

Day 3

• rent car, worry that the company was going to follow us around town and put dings in the car because we refuse to buy insurance coverage (as we are covered on on regular auto ins)
• take troubled convertible to fix it shop
• get told "probably the spark plugs", tune up = $200, but can't get to it until the next day
• leave car
• toodle around town in rental car, find one antique store, scope out restaurant for dinner
• back to hotel to watch Masters Par 3 Tournament
• go to dinner, have another amazing meal, go back to hotel
• get a call from sis saying #1 is feeling worse & where's the inhaler (didn't get packed)
• get call at midnight with the news that #1 can't breathe
• favorite sister knows all the right people and gets a nebulizer/Albeuterol for the weekend
• get zero sleep bc of worry

Day 4

• wake up sore bc of poor excuse for a mattress & aforementioned worry
• wish for the millionth time that the spa still offered couple massage
• get convertible picked up
• return rental car
• shop at two thrift stores
• grab lunch
• drive back to Mom's with the top up bc it looks like it is going to pour down rain any second (black skies, go figure!) but doesn't of course
• arrive at Mom's with the news that ALL the children have the same sniffles that #1 has
• Mom, favorite sis, and I go get pedicures (to drown our sorrows) my pedi chair doesn't work (were you expecting differently?) and the dude was too rough and I "bleeded"
• have amazing meal
• brave Wal Mart for bread, milk, cheese
• back to Mom's, collapse into bed listen to thunderstorm

Day 5

• gorgeous day
• clean up behind kids
• go to thrift store with favorite sister in convertible
• back at Mom's, sit in convertible watching the sky, talking, and laughing for 90 minutes (no one knew we had pulled into the driveway... we just wanted to see how long it would be before they found us)
• gave up bc of full bladders
• went to dinner
• woke up at midnight, 3am, and 6am with #4 wheezing
• thank God over and over again for a sister who handles crises well for her tottering, older sister
• no sleep bc of worry and uncomfortable, hammock-like bed

Day 6

• worry over #4 who is hyper from Albeuterol, yet lethargic due to wheezing/exhaustion
• borrow Mom's minivan, thank God for her generosity, drive home in a panic-stricken state, worried that something will happen to it
• rejoice at the rest #4 gets by sleeping most all the way home
• make it home in time to get to Mass
• go to King's dad's 75th birthday party
• write blog entry, looking over the crazy, "series of unfortunate events" type of week and thanking God that we survived and were blessed to have such a great extended family
• consider life as a recluse
• give serious thought to favorite sister's suggestion of getting an at-home tanning bed so I can become a brown recluse
• chuckle
• turn off computer and go to bed for 100 years