Day 5- Totally Screwed
June 26
4:15P - 100 miles to go to get to WADC
I think our kids are physically incapable of being quiet for more than 10 minutes. I don't know how many times we have told them to keep it down so that they won't wake up either Sarah or Brenna today. We just finished a quick little rest stop at a McDs and now the kids are playing in the backseat together; we moved Brenna back to her usual spot in the middle right seat as she just couldn't seem to get a good nap between the girls and her crankiness was beginning to wear thin. Bryce was not happy about being squished back there again, but that's life. Sarah didn't want to get in the carseat again either, and refused to sit down- now she is screaming at us from her seat. Brenna is jabbering away to herself (I don't think anyone is paying attention to what she is saying other than her), and the big kids are playing with the Car movie toys we've been picking up along the route at the various McD's which of course involves crashing them liberally into each other and the sides and seats of the van. We've told them to quiet down several times and it doesn't seem to be doing anything to the noise level for more than one minute before it goes back up again.
6:00P - we start to look for someplace to stop with a play area because Sarah woke up from her nap and is screaming again. The big kids in the back are getting a bit wild too and need some space. We finally hit the rain clouds on the outskirts of the greater DC area.
8:00P - We leave the BurgerKing that we found after spending a little over an hour there. The cartop carrier is soaked from the rain now; Mark bought a tarp to wrap the clothes bags in inside it. we will see how well that worked once we get to the hotel. Traffic on the beltway is backed up heading out of the city, luckily things are moving smoothly in the southerly direction we are heading.
9:00P - we get to the hotel in Alexandria and find out we are screwed. Mark thought he had a non-smoking, 2 bed/pullout couch room reserved for us and finds out that the reservation was only for a single, smoking room. The new government reservations system obviously does not work the way it is supposed to. And of course the hotel is full and so are all the other hotels around that area. The gal feels really bad about the screw-up though in no way is it her fault and she lets Mark use the hotel computer to get on the internet to try and find another room. We end up driving another 20 miles around the beltway to a Motel 6 and then get on the internet again to try and figure out where Mark has to go to catch the metro to get into downtown DC early tomorrow morning for the start of his conference, and try to find a room at another motel that can accomadate all of us. Let's face it, Motel 6 is cheap and functional and that is about it. So when work will pay for something better, you bet that we are going to take advantage of it all possible! So, instead of taking the kids down to the mall to see neat museums and monuments I will be putting everythign into the van and trying to find the new hotel and hoping and praying that they will let me check in without my husband's ID and government credit card in hand. I am not keen about trying to drive into DC by myself, so I don't think we will even go there tomorrow. Maybe I can find a movie theater and will take the kids to see Cars, or something. I guess I will see what is around the new hotel when I find it- here's hoping that that isn't too hard of a task. Mark will take the metro to the hotel after the conference is over for the day at 6P and hopefully meet us there around 7P tomorrow night. To say that Mark is unhappy about all of this is a mild understatement and someone will be getting an earful when we get home.
OK- it is superduper late, so I am off to send new hotel info for the next 2 nights to those who might actually need it and get a few hours sleep.
4:15P - 100 miles to go to get to WADC
I think our kids are physically incapable of being quiet for more than 10 minutes. I don't know how many times we have told them to keep it down so that they won't wake up either Sarah or Brenna today. We just finished a quick little rest stop at a McDs and now the kids are playing in the backseat together; we moved Brenna back to her usual spot in the middle right seat as she just couldn't seem to get a good nap between the girls and her crankiness was beginning to wear thin. Bryce was not happy about being squished back there again, but that's life. Sarah didn't want to get in the carseat again either, and refused to sit down- now she is screaming at us from her seat. Brenna is jabbering away to herself (I don't think anyone is paying attention to what she is saying other than her), and the big kids are playing with the Car movie toys we've been picking up along the route at the various McD's which of course involves crashing them liberally into each other and the sides and seats of the van. We've told them to quiet down several times and it doesn't seem to be doing anything to the noise level for more than one minute before it goes back up again.
6:00P - we start to look for someplace to stop with a play area because Sarah woke up from her nap and is screaming again. The big kids in the back are getting a bit wild too and need some space. We finally hit the rain clouds on the outskirts of the greater DC area.
8:00P - We leave the BurgerKing that we found after spending a little over an hour there. The cartop carrier is soaked from the rain now; Mark bought a tarp to wrap the clothes bags in inside it. we will see how well that worked once we get to the hotel. Traffic on the beltway is backed up heading out of the city, luckily things are moving smoothly in the southerly direction we are heading.
9:00P - we get to the hotel in Alexandria and find out we are screwed. Mark thought he had a non-smoking, 2 bed/pullout couch room reserved for us and finds out that the reservation was only for a single, smoking room. The new government reservations system obviously does not work the way it is supposed to. And of course the hotel is full and so are all the other hotels around that area. The gal feels really bad about the screw-up though in no way is it her fault and she lets Mark use the hotel computer to get on the internet to try and find another room. We end up driving another 20 miles around the beltway to a Motel 6 and then get on the internet again to try and figure out where Mark has to go to catch the metro to get into downtown DC early tomorrow morning for the start of his conference, and try to find a room at another motel that can accomadate all of us. Let's face it, Motel 6 is cheap and functional and that is about it. So when work will pay for something better, you bet that we are going to take advantage of it all possible! So, instead of taking the kids down to the mall to see neat museums and monuments I will be putting everythign into the van and trying to find the new hotel and hoping and praying that they will let me check in without my husband's ID and government credit card in hand. I am not keen about trying to drive into DC by myself, so I don't think we will even go there tomorrow. Maybe I can find a movie theater and will take the kids to see Cars, or something. I guess I will see what is around the new hotel when I find it- here's hoping that that isn't too hard of a task. Mark will take the metro to the hotel after the conference is over for the day at 6P and hopefully meet us there around 7P tomorrow night. To say that Mark is unhappy about all of this is a mild understatement and someone will be getting an earful when we get home.
OK- it is superduper late, so I am off to send new hotel info for the next 2 nights to those who might actually need it and get a few hours sleep.
posted by Melinda at 11:03 PM
3 Comments:
Good luck finding a new hotel!!!! I hope it all goes OK. I'm so sorry things arent' going as planned - seems to always happend on vacation no matter how hard you plan! But how cool that you are blogging and keeping us up to date! Even cooler that you are scrapping too! I saw one of your pages the other day and was wondering how it got there!!! Big hugs to you all!!!
Oh NO!!! I hope everything turns out okay, so sorry to hear of your misfortune, and if you do end up seeing Cars, it's so worth it!!
I WOULD LOSE MY MIND, LOL
goodness....great attitude sweetie...hope it all works out.smooches.
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