Vacations from Hell...

So Princess and I spent a week at my Mom's in Illinois.

Okay, so technically not a week since our flight was delayed three times before it was finally cancelled and we had to spend the night in lovely Detroit, MI (cough, cough) because of tornado's.

Now I wouldn't normally mind, since we can't control Mother Nature, but.... Had we left for the hour long flight at the 2nd delay we would have missed all that, but you see Delta has a crappy scheduling group obviously, because we didn't have a CREW!!!

I don't get it - you book a flight but don't schedule a crew. WTF - oh well, they were nice enough to give me a $59 credit for my hotel room. Which I still had to pay out $80 cash, mind you. Nope, not a full comp - why, you ask? Because they coded it as an act of nature, there by negating any of their own responsibility. I would like to call them a lot of names for this infraction since I was out $100 before I ever even left the airport, but really what good is that going to do me. And then there was the delayed flight the next morning because there wasn't a pilot - again...WTF.

But with all said and done a full 26 hours later we were finally at my mom's in BFE, Illinois. No Internet, there were only 2 places in her house where my cell phone worked correctly and town (and I use this term loosely) was 6 miles away.

Yeah, here I am stuck with a 22 year old who has just been plucked down the rabbit hole and isn't afraid to say it. Yes, I needed a Xanax that night. ;-)

All in all the trip was nice. Mom was doing well, but I still need to figure out all the red tape to move her to Florida, because I can't stand for her to be practically alone in the middle of the country.

Up side - Princess and I went on daily 4 mile walks. Which, in the country, is very peaceful and didn't feel like exercise at all. For which, I was thankful and actually miss.

I was able to show my daughter where I grew up and hit a few bars with her in my hometown. Where, of course, she started a scandal. Being pretty and a new girl, it was comical to watch the boys fawn and the girls fume.

Now here is where I wish I had the pictures, but alas, Princess has been working non-stop since we returned. So while enjoying the company of some dear old friends at the bar in the middle of no-where, a school bus pulls up and low and behold a train of men (okay young boys) files out. Upon closer inspection we realize that this isn't just any ordinary school bus - this is the equivalent of the "Redneck Limo" and the boys were part of a bachelor party. So classic and perfect I couldn't have written the scene any better myself if I tried. And don't think this will not be in a book of mine.

So classic and ingenious - the "Redneck Limo" was and still is one of the highlights of my trip. It gave us all a great laugh and my only regret is that I didn't ask to see the inside to see if it was equipped with a stripper poll - now that would have been classic behind those dark tinted windows. (yes all 25 windows were darkly tinted)

Now we are home all safe and sound - after yet another delay getting out of Detroit, but we're here. I have more memories and special memories of being with my daughter and showing her a bit more about my old life, sharing in a birthday party for my oldest and dearest friends daughter, and laughs with mom and old friends.

Sometimes going home isn't so bad after all.

Any good stories from your travels?

Hugs,
LKap
Laurie