Tip #15 "What a difference a day makes"

My family and I began a 500 mile journey to Tennessee on Spring Break this past Friday. After doing some calculations I figured the trip should take no longer than 10 hours(stops for kids, etc.) since Google Maps said it should take 8 hours 30 minutes. So, off we go in the afternoon....

The trip began with 4-6 inches of snow already on the ground when we left the Chicago area. But, the drive was smooth. We made it half way in 3 hour 45 minutes as we were just south of Indianapolis. Everything was going so well and then.....................................

We saw a sign that said HWY 65 was closed going southbound. I thought "Nah. They cannot be serious. Even if it is closed there is probably a quick way around it." So, we kept on driving. We stop off in the town just north of Seymour(where John Cougar Melloncamp grew up). We are inside getting refueled and fed. Several folks inside were chatting about why the road was closed.

It turns out that a man was pulled over for a routine traffic stop and decided to shoot himself. Yikes. So, the state troopers decided to shut down HWY 65 for the investigation. Traffic was reportedly backed up 20-40 miles. So, I started asking how we could get around the situation. "All of the roads are flooded accept for the highway." Oh boy...Let the fun begin.

We decided to drive south until we hit the tail lights aglow. This was about 20 miles north of the crime scene. We ended up on Hwy 11 South. We are travelling along the back roads on our way around to get to the other side. We notice some traffic ahead. A semi truck decided to try and make a turn that was impossible and ended up in a ditch. So, he is out directing traffic with one local sheriff. :-)

I am laughing at this point because it is pure comedy to me. My wife didn't feel the same way. The sun was setting and we had the laptop out seeking on the internet for a way around all of this. She was getting frustrated. Which in turn made me frustrated.

So, with little time to spare on these tiny back roads with no lights I decided to follow a guy that truly looked like he knew where he was going. It turns out that he did. Thank God. He led us back to Hwy 31 which runs somewhat parallel to 65. It was not flooded as originally expected.

We traveled on back roads for 40 miles and finally ended up back on Hwy 65. The kids were asleep and things we quiet. I was exhausted. So, it's time to switch drivers. We pull off and I trade seats with my lovely bride. We drive for a while and then the kids wake up and need to go to the restroom. So, we pull off....

We are sitting in a hotel parking lot and my wife puts the car in drive and gets stuck on a cement parking block. LOL. Oooops. She floors it in reverse and gets off the block. Now, I am angry because it sounded really bad. I was wondering if the front of the van was trashed and if she tore up the motor. We drive for a bit and I smell something burning. Is it my emotions or something in the vehicle? So, I tell her(not ask) to pull over.

I crawl under the vehicle and notice a lot of scratches. But, nothing is leaking. So, I sniff around and finally conclude that it was transmission fluid that was burning from the successful attempt to get off of the cement block.

Now, I am terrified to have my wife drive so I get behind the wheel again for the remaining 3 hours of the journey. About 2 hours away from Nashville our one year old son wakes up and starts screaming at the top of his lungs. :-( After 10 minutes of shreiking and screaming it starts to get to me. So, I crank up the music so I can focus on not being tired and completing our trip. This in turn upsets everyone.

The next 2 hours are just about as insane as humanly possible. Our son is screaming 90% of the time. I have the music blaring and my wife and I have lost it more than once. On a positive note our daughters were perfect angels the entire time.

Nearly 11 hours later we finally arrive at my brother and sister in laws around midnight. We are exhausted and ready for bed. We visit for a bit and go to sleep.

Soooooooooo, when you are having a rough day please keep in mind that tomorrow is a new day. Let's remember when we are upset and angry it may be time for silence. My wife made a wonderful simple suggestion during our time of havoc. "Let's just all be quiet and not talk the rest of the night until we calm down." That was quite helpful because she and I were ready to step into the boxing ring. I love her so much for calming down a chaotic situation.

The next day we wake up, eat, and begin the day with an Easter egg hunt in the neighborhood. There must have been 500 kids there. It was a wonderful time. That evening we visited with some friends and had a great time watching NCAA basketball, chatting, and goofing around while all of the kids were playing dress up and make believe. Other than my terrible picks for the NCAA tourney it was a great evening. Easter/Resurrection Sunday was also quite enjoyable.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....vacation the way it should be...relaxing.


Tip #15 "What a difference a day makes"