Will and I just after we were marriedgetting into our new Honda Odyssey!
Just for fun last week, I decided to look up hotel rates in Las Vegas and came across a three star hotel on the North end of the strip for $29 per night. At this rate, I thought to myself, I could get two rooms, sleep comfortably, AND afford it! I couldn't pass it up, so I booked two nights for my family having dreams of a wonderful little get-away before school started.
I have a friend who suggested one of her favorite traditions: pack only one days worth of clothes and buy all your clothes while on vacation so that every time you where them you're reminded the wonderful vacation you had. Thinking this was a great idea I packed only one outfit for myself and our kids. (I did bring plenty of undergarments for myself to last four days even though we only planned on staying two.) With high hopes we set out on our vacation Tuesday.
Half way through our trip we stopped to get some food and noticed that our breaks were smelling pretty bad. The TCS light was on in the car. We have had our Honda Odyssey since we bought it new in '99 BEFORE we were married. We knew it wasn't going to last forever and had decided months ago that when something major (thousands of dollars to fix) happened that we would just sell it and get another one. We thought the car just needed to rest a while and we'd be alright.
We made it to our hotel and were parking when we came to a dead end in a parking garage. As Will tried to put the car in reverse nothing happened. We couldn't back up. The transmission failed. Luckily we were able to turn around and find a space that we could drive out of when we needed to. We knew at that point though that we were in big trouble. Our car was falling apart all at once. While trying to figure out what to do, we then discovered that the van wouldn't go past second gear, thus limiting our driving to no more then 35 mph. After that discovery, we knew we wouldn't be able to get the car back home. Our entire first day of vacation was spent trying to figure out what to do. Will spent hours around the strip (without driving) doing research on selling a car and buying another one.
Will was lucky to find an internet cafe that was just around the corner from our hotel. After using the computer, a friend that lives in LV took him around to look at cars. When he offered to pay for our friends dinner and reached for his wallet, his heart sank as he realized he had left it at the internet cafe (located in a pretty scummy part of town). Thinking he was screwed, he went back only to find out that the owner, whom Will had struck up a conversation with while he was there previously, recognized him immediately and said "Had you been anyone else and I not talked with you before, this wallet would have been long gone."
Reality set in the next day when I woke up and it dawned on me that we weren't near any shopping malls and I had only ONE outfit. We aren't wealthy enough for me to just blow my money on the expensive clothes they had in the hotel, nor was I bold enough to take all four kids with me to walk down the strip trying to find a place that I would be satisfied with. To make matters worse, we had to extend our stay in order to solve our car crises, which meant wearing that same outfit even LONGER! I was SO GLAD I had brought clean underwear. Usually when I pack I way over prepare. This time, of course, I didn't and suffered for it. Now, every time I wear that outfit I will be forever reminded of this trip...funny, huh?
Extending the stay: So, thinking I'm an expert now on Hotwire, I told Will to just book another night at the same "3 star north of the strip" hotel and it should be the same hotel as it has been the past dozen or so times we've done it. At the internet cafe down the street, he does as he's told like a good little boy. When he confirms it, the hotel that shows up is NOT the same one....it's a mile and a half down the strip from where we were! "NO WAY" I yelled at him when he tells me the news. You see, about an hour before this, Will drove the van to Car Max and sold it to them. This meant, we had no car to take us to a new hotel. When we found out that a taxi (even a van) won't take more than five passengers and it would cost us more than $20 just to get us a mile away ONE WAY, we decided to be crazy and walk ourselves. Each kid rolled their share of luggage and we set off.
That walk was like the modern day pioneer trek. It was freekin hot and not easy, but our kids were total troopers. Daniel nearly ran people over he was so excited to be going to a new hotel and Ariel didn't complain one bit when we made her haul one of the heaviest bags. Abi was the only one who pretended to be in such pain that she could barely walk herself. When we finally got there, we spent the rest of the day letting the kids have a blast at Circus Circus in their "Adventure Dome" which was way worth the money. (The beds on the other hand were some of the WORST beds I've ever slept on and I'm not a hard person to please.)
In my mind, there were a few reasons for this trip. Some of my family live in St. George and I was planning on surprising them by driving up and eating dinner with them. I also have a friend that lives in LV that I was going go get together with. I just wanted to do something different. So, I didn't get to see any friends or family, but it certainly was different. I'm so glad my kids were young and just thought that a vacation meant spending hours in a hotel watching TV, swimming, and doing almost nothing. It was great for them.
After much shopping on Will's part, we decided that the best idea was to rent a van that we think we might be interested in to drive back home. Will then realized that he had left his license with the car dealership that he sold his car to. Now, he had to take a bus back to the dealer to get his license. Then, he had to take a bus to the airport to rent a van. (This took several hours.) Meanwhile, I was in the hotel with all the kids. They jumped like crazy from bed to bed to entertain themselves. The girls must have spent an hour playing hair dresser with each other. Ani pulled every tissue out of the box in the bathroom and Daniel and I played tag with a squishy ball I had brought. It would have been hilarious to see what Supernanny would have said about my parenting skills that day.
We ended up renting a Chrysler and thought it had a lot of great features, but the overall feel was that it was just cheap. We listened to a high pitched sound, like air coming out of a squeezed balloon, the whole way home and couldn't figure out where it was coming from. We hated the van. That night, we drive it back to Palm Springs to turn it in and were told that because we turned it in "early" we had a $15 fee! Will, of course, laughed his head off and told the lady to take the charge off. She did.
Although it seems like a disaster, I feel really blessed that we made it to our hotel, were able to sell our van for a fair price, got Will's wallet back, and still gave the kids a good time.
So, now the question is what to do with our van situation. I like the Odyssey and Will wants a Kia. I say we compromise and buy a used Odyssey. Will says we should save our money, not buy anything till we have another kid, and just take two cars everywhere. Any suggestions?
Crazy kids at Circus Circus
Daniels favorite ride: The swinging Pirate ship
Ariel and Abi going on the Roller Coaster for the tenth time!
Our trek from one hotel to another!
One of the fun rides Ariel and Will went on.
My crazy kids again who can't seem to just smile in a picture!
My crazy husband who also can't just smile for a picture.
The good sport, Ani, who watched all the others have fun!
Abi and Ariel's' obsession with their stuffed dolls.
Ariel and Abi enjoying their first night in the hotel.
Daniel pretending to sleep....he just can't stop smiling!
Looking down from the top of the Stratosphere.
Daniel fell asleep just like this the first night.Daniel on the mini roller coaster. Daniel, Ariel and Abi on the mini coaster.
