Summer Fun

Dave travels a lot. He is actually 1000 miles away as I write. He often asks me to come along, but as he is usually going to places like Minnesota in the winter, Alabama in the summer or New Jersey anytime of the year, I politely decline. But this summer, he had a 3 week job on Hilton Head Island, SC. Hmmmm, I thought, 3 weeks in the sun, no newborn or 1 yr old for the first summer in um, ever, and a house on the market that I cannot keep clean...This might work. So we tagged along.

It was actually the greatest vacation that I've ever had. Previous family vacations have always been so full of activities that the kids get overloaded and everyone gets miserable. But this time, because we knew we had 3 full weeks, we took it easy. While Dave worked, I would take the kids to the beach or the pool. We came back to the hotel (extended stay type with a kitchen) and had lunch and naps. Then we were re-energized for the evening with Daddy. It was the perfect, relaxing time that every woman needs during the third trimester of pregnancy.

But there were some moments. A few days into the trip, the kids and I were hanging out by the pool. Clam was sick and had diarrhea in his swim diaper. I only had my room key and a bottle of water with us, so we headed back to the room. My key did not work (the first of only a hundred times this would happen until I was politely told that keycards and cellphones are not compatible), so we headed, dripping and poopy, towards the front desk.

I politely informed the man on duty that I needed my card reactivated. He asked me my room number and, because he did not recognize me, my name. I told him, and he said my name was not on the registration. I gave him Dave's name. He said Dave was only listed as an occupant and was not the registered name. So I gave him Dave's company name and his direct supervisor's first name (all I knew). Strike three. He would not activate the card. He kept implying that I was trying to sneak into the room, unauthorized. I'm guessing because my pregnant belly, kids in tow disguise was not convincing enough. Now by this time, all 3 kids were whining; we were all shivering; Clam was really stinking; and I was about to blow. I kept my calm, however, and asked him if I could borrow his phone (mine was in the room). He asked if it was local and when I told him it was not he said, "Lady, I'm not going to let you make a long-distance call." That's when I walked outside. I was so close to losing it, but I just walked around for a minute trying to gather my thoughts. I knew Dave wouldn't be home for a few hours. The only thing within walking distance was a gas station and McDonalds, but I didn't have any money on me. I took a deep breath and went back to the front desk. I smiled politely and re-explained the situation to him. I asked him what he would recommend I do. He was the biggest jerk I have ever met. He told me, "Lady, it's not my problem." We went back and forth a few times, and I definitely was getting agitated, but I didn't go full force on him. So it shocked me when after pointing repeatedly to the sign stating No Unauthorized Persons will be Allowed in Rooms, he told me "Lady, if you raise your voice at me, I'm going to call the police." At that, I completely lost it. I told him, fine, call the police and I'm sure they'll personally open the door for me, etc... I actually managed not to curse in front of the kids. Then I burst into tears. I am not a crier, but I was pregnant and so frustrated (the kids were jabbering/whining/questioning the entire time). Thank God, Dave's co-worker happened to come back to the hotel to use the fax machine. He was walking down the hall during the last heated exhange and heard it all. He laid in on the man and provided whatever information was needed to get me back into the room. I have never been so happy to change a diaper in my life. I was absolutely livid for hours, as was Dave. We filed a complaint and so did several other guests who, unbeknownst to me, witnessed the scene. Dave and I discussed it and didn't really want to leave the hotel because the kids were established there. We had to make a conscious decision to continue to be kind to this man whom we were to see for the next 5 weeks. It ended up being a really great opportunity to show God's love and forgiveness to him, and to the kids. Mr. Butch ended up being one of the kids' favorite people there. He went out of his way to be kind to us once he realized we were doing the same. He brought water toys to the kids and shared stories with me about his own children. It was a nice end to a really horrible few hours.

We left the dog with MIL who drove us bonkers with her twaily (twice-daily) phone updates/complaints. So I decided to drive home, 10 days into the trip, and take the dog to be boarded. The trip down had taken about 8 hours, so I figured I could handle 8 hours driving by myself back home. Not even close. It took me 13 hours. 5 of which were just trying to get out of South Carolina. Being 7 months pregnant, at the time, I had to pee constantly. But I couldn't just stop and pee. I had to take each child out of his/her carseat and in with me. And I left during the day instead of at night, so they didn't really sleep at all. 13 hours of Kindermusik and I was ready to leave the truck to Asker and hitchhike home. The next morning, I discovered to my delight and glory that the deep freezer had been accidentally unplugged. The smell was horrifying. My super-sensitive pregnancy nostrils have never been so abused. I promptly plugged it back in and decided to leave the mess for the culprit to clean up. At that point, I wasn't sure if I would be returning as Clam was still sick. But Dave called and said he would probably be a few weeks longer than expected, so we packed up and left 2 days later. This time, I traveled by moonlight and Smashing Pumpkins and it was much, much faster (and saner).

We spent many hours at the beach, spent an unforgettable day at isolated Daufuskie Island (which is only accessible by ferry), caught a few sharks, watched fireworks, celebrated Toot's 4th birthday and had an amazing time of family bonding. It was definitely a summer to remember. But the greatest part of the trip may have been the moment when I realized that I had the best blog post unfolding right in front of me. More to come on that next time.