Non-Disney trip report: The Trip to Insanity, or What I Did On My Summer Vacation! About This Page:

[graygables]

The Mission: To be in Tulsa, OK, for DD1’s high school graduation on 6/1/2004
The Passengers: Me (too-young-to-have-a-graduate), DD2 (15), DD3 (8) and DD4 (5)

We had planned to leave Sunday, May30th at 545 am to Tulsa, via Chicago (dad‘s a retiree from American, so we fly stand-by). DD2 found out she didn’t have to work, and was off Saturday, so after checking the flights, we decided it would be better to leave at 5pm than 5am, so off we went to Cleveland. Got all checked in and they announced a tower delay from Chicago, so we would be leaving a little “late”, but if we had a connection after “about 640”, we would be fine. Our connection was at 644, so I asked if we would be OK and the gate agent told me that flight was delayed until 705, so we’d have “plenty of time”. We finally got our boarding passes (1st class!) and were on our way. And on and on and on, around and around and around. We finally landed and I rushed off the plane with Dds at 645, asked the gate agent where the Tulsa flight was and was told that it had already left. What?!? Yes, it was on time, even if we weren’t. There were no other flight to Tulsa and in the “dealings” with a gate agent a few fries short of a happy meal, it was determined that we missed anything to OKC, too, during her fumbling around. We finally asked to go to Dallas and I called my parents. They left at 730 to drive to DFW to meet us and we got on our next flight (also 1st class!) We arrived in Dallas about 1015pm and my parents were still 1 and ½ hours away, so we sat in the *empty* (creepy!) airport, calling at impatient intervals and they finally arrived.

My dad isn’t the best driver in the world, esp at night, so I volunteered to get us home. He drove us to a gas station for a potty break and a fill up and I took over. I tried to go out of the station back to the road we were on, but he yelled at me to “turn right, turn right!” Even though I knew it was the wrong direction…whatever. So, we cruised Grapevine and Plano, Texas and all points in between for an hour until I finally came upon the highway we needed and headed north. My brother called after midnight and asked if my oldest DD was in bed back in Tulsa (she was) b/c he’d been trying to call her since they had tornado warnings/sirens/sightings, so my mom took up the calls and finally woke her up. There were several calls back and forth, but everyone wound up OK. 8yo DD was trying to talk to me from the back of the van and 15yo DD wasn’t helping me hear her over the blowers and such, so they quieted down and I thought they all went to sleep. A little way into OK, my Dad wanted to stop, so we found a truck stop and went in for a potty break. This is where I learned that my 8yo had had an “accident” in her one and only nice dress we brought and all over my parents leather seats!!! We bought her a t-shirt to change into (since our suitcases were somewhere between Clevleland and Tulsa) and cleaned up as best we could. Hit the road again and pulled in the drive a little before 5 am…gee…we could be at the airport now, getting on all the right flights!!!

Sunday we went out to my other brother’s and my parents’ “place” (that’s what they call barren, scrub-oaked land in Oklahoma ) for a picnic. It was stinking hot (that’s what we call 85 in Ohio! ) and there were little bugs my dad called “midges” all over us. They were in our hair, on our clothes, we were inhaling them…they were AWFUL, but we couldn’t get anyone to let us leave! Whenever you get me, my 2 brothers, and families together, it’s always a carefully veiled snide remark fest, so that was great fun. I have 8 nieces and nephews, plus my 4, so there were too many kids, too many midges, too many brothers!!! We left there and went by to see my grandma, then to one of my brother’s houses (didn’t we *just* see him?!?) b/c my mom wanted to deliver a desktop catapult she bought him (egads!!!) There was an ice cream place on the way home that I must have a limeade, extra sweet from on each visit, so we stopped to overload everyone on sugar at 10pm before heading home.

Monday we went to the mall, only to have 5yo meltdown b/c we didn’t bring her stroller (she has chronic fatigue and does tire easily, but I thought she might make it to Build a Bear….I was wrong). I went to rent one only to find that her knees wouldn’t fit, so I bought a cheapy umbrella at JCPenney. We did some shopping and went home. 8yo DD wanted to hit the Chinese buffet for dinner, so we did that. This was the best day of the bunch, even with the meltdowns!

Tuesday was graduation day. DD1 had practice and such and my mom wanted to start dinner prep, so I took little Dds to the Tulsa Zoo. Great zoo if anyone is interested! We were there about an hour when the power went out. We couldn’t even go potty! I finally let the little ones play, then we saw a few of their favorites and went home. I picked up my mom and DD1 and we went to the new Oklahoma Aquarium (another great place!). We had a nice time there and headed for home. When we arrived, my SIL had dropped off my grandma, so my mom suggested that we drop off Dds and she and I hit a few shops (she doesn’t like my Gma), so we did that then went home to finish dinner. My brother came from work, but my SIL said she couldn’t go to graduation (long story, but we don’t like her anyway), so she went home.

Graduation was at 8pm, DD had to be there at 715, so my parents told me to drive her in her car and they would bring everyone else later. I took DD to the venue only to find NO PARKING. Anywhere. I have a bad knee, but no handicap sticker, so I just pulled off in the grass behind some other cars and we got out. DD decided to take her purse, then handed it to me as she rushed off into the “graduate only” door. I was trying to catch her to take a photo (or two, for Pete’s sake) and arrange a meeting, but she was gone and I couldn’t go after her. I went up and waited and waited and waited for my family. Come to find out, there was another graduation ceremony going on (hence the no parking spots) and it was just crazy. I finally found my grandma who directed me to the rest of my “kin”. She wouldn’t sit with us, though, b/c my mom had gone down too many steps for her, so my brother sat with her instead.

My mom handed me their digital (new, I was unfamiliar with it) camera and told me to take pictures. ARG. Graduation started about 810 and DD4 was starting meltdowns b/c it was late and she was tired. I tried to take pictures, but it was a disaster. I had these people in the row in front of me with a huge bouquet of mylar balloons and they had to wave and scream at everyone in the place. They were in front of *SO* many pictures, I was about to whack them with my purse! I did miss the photo of DD getting her diploma and several other candids I wanted. I finally gave my parents their stupid camera back and let 5yo climb on my lap. She was zonked in about 30 seconds (despite the air horns, the screaming, etc)

As an aside here, my graduations were celebratory, but still had a sense of solemnity…this was a high school assembly gone amok. It was the most disgraceful display I had seen in some time. It didn’t help that I was ticked at the “cheerleaders” in front of me.

OK, so after the ceremony, we assemble in the corridor looking for the rest of the family and the graduate. I’m carrying my sleeping 50 pounder and trying to balance purses, which my 15yo eventually takes. My parents finally sent the 15yo to find her sister, but then she is nowhere to be found. I have to set 5yo down (my back was spasming) and she melts down, so I told my parents I was going to walk with them to look for DD1, too. I left the building (grads were all outside) and wandered around with no luck. I returned to the building to find my family, only to be told that there was “no re-entry”. I tried to explain, but was shut out with my 2 little ones. My dad came to get me, but she told him the same thing and he started yelling to see a manager. I saw that he now had my purse, so I told him to give it to me and I would go to DD1’s car and drive the little ones to the “dessert place”. No, no, I was not to leave until I had DD1. OK, fine. I’m going to the car anyway. So, I drag tired Dds (this is 940pm by now) to the car and, lo and behold, there sits DD1, on her car, yelling at me about the $30 parking ticket she got from the campus police b/c I parked “in a fire zone” (it wasn’t, it was in the grass, by the parking lot, not the marked fire zone, thank you very much). I asked DD why she hadn’t tried to find us, but of course, we are supposed to know her well enough after 18 years to know that she would go straight to her car. SO…we got no pictures of DD in her cap and gown with any family members like we wanted or at the venue, or anywhere for that matter. I was not a happy camper. I dropped DD1 off at the venue where I left my parents to see if she could find them and circled around. Picked her up to find that they were not there, so I said, whatever, let’s go. As I drove past the venue, my parents were signaling to turn left in front of me, so I motioned them across, but they saw me, waved and turned right instead. I followed them across town to our “dessert” place, but they got there well before me b/c of traffic. I went in and we had a few moments of the “where were you game” with DD1 when I asked where DD2 was. My mother was stricken when she realized that they had LEFT HER AT THE UNIVERSITY!!!!!

I stormed out (I was A-N-G-R-Y), grabbed my cell phone from my mom’s car where it had been charging and took DD1’s car back to pick up my hysterical, bipolar 15yo. I pulled up to find her sitting with another girl and a teacher. The other girl was in the graduating class and a friend had taken her purse (phone, car keys) and had left, so she was stranded, too. The teacher had to go chaperone an event, so I stayed with the other girl while she called her mom from my cell phone (girl: “Mom, I need help”, mom:”You graduated, call AAA”) ARG!!! I wound up taking this poor, crying girl to the school-sponsored after grad party and signed her in. We didn’t get out of there until 1130 pm. Got back to the “dessert” place (never did get any dessert) and 15yo went in SCREAMING at my parents in front of the whole restaurant, so I had to send her back out to the car. There was much hysterics and gnashing of teeth, but we finally got everyone home (I counted fingers and divided by 10! ) It took forever to calm down and get them to sleep.

Wednesday was going home day. Flights looked OK, but not great. Before we left, they looked bad. Got to the airport to “wait it out” and was AGAIN chosen for the “quad S screening”, so had to go thru that. I knew we wouldn’t make this flight so my parents and DD1 waited outside the security area to take us to dinner before the 7pm flight. It clouded over and started to rain and rain…and rain. Then the wind began to blow and it was looking very scary (with us right by a window). They announced that they were moving the jet bridges and evacuating the planes “in case the wind blows them around”. Then they announced that 1/4th of the roof had blown off the concourse we were in and we were to proceed immediately AWAY from the windows and to the 1st floor. I asked the agent to roll me over to the next flight and set out to find my parents. We met up and the police came and directed us to the lower level under the baggage claim where we stayed for 30 minutes or so. It was a horrible storm and I hope all my fellow Okies are OK!!!

We got the car and went to dinner (Mexican, yuck). DD3 started with a tummy problem (she does NOT handle weather well!) so I was medicating her. We got back to the airport and another quad S screening, but we got on the 7pm flight without much problem (except we had to sit in “second class” according to 5yo dD! ) This flight never saw the fasten seatbelt sign turned off and the FA’s were told to sit down several times. After we landed, the captain told us to give them a round of applause for handling their “cabin duties” so well, which we did. It was too “Space Mountain” for me, so I joined DD in the queasy tummy club for the 2 hour flight. We landed in Chicago and had a 30 minute layover. Btw, I had arranged “back up cars” with Avis in case any of our flights didn’t work out (DD4 has an important dr appt Friday am), so I was ready to drive 5 hrs from Chicago if needed. Thank goodness, it wasn’t’ necessary and we got on the last flight to Cleveland. We arrived home about 1230 am, exhausted and insane and have sworn that we will never, EVER stand-by again nor travel 1,000 miles for an event that DD1 isn’t even going to appreciate.

Footnote…I also learned on this trip that my brother and his family are coming to stay with us next week (I don’t remember asking them or their asking me!) Anyone know a good pyschotherapist?!?

[ripkensnana]

Murphy's Law must have been working overtime!!! It sounds as if anything that could have gone wrong did! How did you ever survive it?

[luvnwdwgal]

OMG!! This could be a movie........a horror movie!!! I hope next week goes better for you!

[Colexis Mom]

Gosh Dawn, what an experience Sending you lots of pixie that you make it thru next week

[GATechGal]

Gees Dawn. It's the trip from HELL!! I'll agree with you on the graduation thing. DD graduated from elementary school, and we, of course, politly clapped. But the folks behind us screamed and yelled for about every other kid! It was embarrassing. I hope this is not the way it goes at our new school.

[statelady01]

OMG- I think I would have been going insane myself!

[ripkensnana]

[ QUOTE ]
As an aside here, my graduations were celebratory, but still had a sense of solemnity…this was a high school assembly gone amok. It was the most disgraceful display I had seen in some time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm nowadays. I was shocked at my youngest son's graduation - the cheering for each graduate (many of whom sauntered across the stage, grinning at the audience, waving at their families, etc.) was way out of control. It was apalling!

[graygables]

[ QUOTE ]
Murphy's Law must have been working overtime!!! It sounds as if anything that could have gone wrong did! How did you ever survive it?

[/ QUOTE ]

I had to LOL at this...my grandma's maiden name is Murphy, so we say it genetically applies!