Sometimes a series of extremely frustrating events occur that once the whole ordeal is over, you’re able to laugh (at least a little) and more importantly say, “We will have to tell that story!” Last weekend, that happened to us. It was a series of things that I honestly didn’t think would ever happen to me. While this story may be a bit long (especially because I tend to include every detail), we want to be sure to share it all because Audrey will definitely need to hear this story one day!
It was June 30, a Thursday. It started out like any other day. Jerry went to work, while Audrey and I hung out around the house. I was trying to get laundry done and some packing completed, as we were planning on leaving the next day to head to my parents’ house in Tennessee for the long weekend. Later that morning, Jerry called from work and said he was going to be able to leave sooner than we thought to head to TN and suggested we try to leave that afternoon in order to get the drive over with and have all day Friday with family. Immediately, I began scrambling around the house, packing for myself, Audrey, and even Betsy (our dog). Finally, Jerry got home from work, packed up, and we were on the road! We were excited to have our first family road trip in our new van and relieved to know we were driving a safer, more reliable vehicle than before.
I started the trip as the driver so Jerry could relax after a long day at work. I called my mom to let her know we were on the way around 6:00 PM. We were in for a late arrival, but we knew it’d be worth it the next day when we didn’t have to drive! As we cruised west on I-26, I started noticing a somewhat concerning noise. At first, I attributed it to getting used to the sounds of our new vehicle, but as it continued, I became more concerned. I looked down at the dashboard to see if any lights were on. Sure enough, a strange symbol had appeared to alert me of something.
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Unfortunately, our van didn’t come with an owner’s manual, but one was in the mail to us. Thanks to technology, Jerry searched the symbol’s meaning and told me it was regarding tire pressure. I could tell our tire wasn’t flat (we wouldn’t have been driving as smoothly!), so I assumed it possibly just needed some air. The tires were BRAND NEW, so it couldn’t be anything too serious, I thought. I finally reached an exit where we could stop and take a look. Exit 52: Clinton, SC. We pulled into a Pilot station near the air pump in case we needed to quickly air up the tire before getting back on the road. I hopped out of the car to see if I could spot which tire was giving us trouble. Immediately, my jaw dropped and stomach tightened. Our front driver’s side tire had a huge bubble in it that was as big as a softball! I called Jerry out of the van. The next several minutes were full of sighs, angry growls (from us both!), and questions. We pulled the van out of the way so we could figure out what to do next. I ran inside and was able to get the number of an after-hours repairman who I was told could help. Before calling him, I reminded myself that these tires were brand new (a.k.a. under warranty), so I called our salesman at the dealership. Luckily, he was still there. After a couple of phone calls, the repairman was able to deduce that it was a bad tire (as in faulty from the manufacturer—phew, we hadn’t done anything wrong!) and needed replaced. We talked again to our salesman, and it was decided that we were to get the tire replaced and keep the faulty one to give back to the dealership, who would “take care of it.” Well, to sum up the next part of the story, we sat at a picnic table outside of the McDonald’s next door waiting for what felt like years only to find out that the man did not have a tire our size available that night, and since all of the retail stores were closed by this time, we would have to wait until the morning if we wanted him to help. We had been told by him and a good friend of ours in the tire business not to risk driving all the way back home on the small spare tire, since our van was loaded down, and the speed limit on the interstate was 70. It was too dangerous to drive a maximum speed of 50 the whole way home with people trying to fly by us. Understandably, Jerry and I were NOT about to put our lives, or more importantly Audrey’s life, in danger. Also understandably, we were frustrated. It was hot, we hadn’t eaten, bugs were biting like crazy (even though I had spent $7.99 on bug repellent at the gas station), and we were stuck. This is one of the things that I naively thought would never happen to me. I called the hotel across the street (again, thank you Smart phones!) to ensure that we could stay the night and bring in our dog (yet another thing I never thought I’d need to do). Luckily, they allowed pets, so we ended up carefully driving the van across the street on the bad tire and checked into a room.
We ordered a pizza and settled in. Audrey enjoyed that bath more than any bath she’d taken in awhile! By the way, she was wonderful throughout the whole ordeal. I was so thankful that I did not have to deal with a screaming, crying child in the midst of the chaos. She stayed happy and napped while we were stuck at the McDonald’s picnic table.
In our hotel room, I attempted to create a bed for Audrey, but she wouldn’t go to sleep. Finally, she fell asleep beside me in the bed. Thankfully, we had a king size bed, so there was plenty of space, but sleeping with my infant was yet another thing on my list of things I never thought I would do. I pretty much felt like I never slept more than one hour at a time. I was uncomfortable, worried I was going to roll over onto my daughter, itchy from the zillion mosquito bites I had gotten earlier that night, and stressed.
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Betsy hanging out in the room.
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| Fresh and clean! Getting in her jammies and ready for bed after her bath! |
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Finally, morning came. After more waiting, the tire was replaced. We loaded up the van, a bit less organized this time (we even had to “buckle in” some things in the front seat to keep the stupid seat belt alarm from dinging), and Jerry went to check us out of the hotel. Surprise, surprise – another problem arises! Their credit/debit card machine wasn’t working properly. At first, they tried to say it was our cards, so we got slightly panicked. Eventually, the worker realized it was a problem on their end and told us to be on our way. She told Jerry that if the machine ended up accepting the payment we tried to make, then great. If not, we wouldn’t be charged (big surprise; it ended up working fine). This particular hotel employee was wonderful. In the midst of our frustration, she kept telling Jerry, "I know you and your wife have had to deal with a lot, but remember that God has a reason for everything. I believe He had this happen for a reason." Later, Jerry told me that her encouraging words really helped him calm down. We then had to drive back across the street to the gas station and use the ATM (which of course, charged us) to get out way too much cash to pay this man. At last, we were ready to head to Tennessee.
As I merged onto the interstate, I had to remind myself, “Goodness, we’re still in South Carolina.” Another thing I never planned on doing on a trip was staying the night at a hotel in the same state I LIVED in! Our journey continued, and we finally were at least in the state of TN. We thought we were about to experience another hiccup when at the Arby's drive-thru, I handed the cashier my debit card and waited...and waited...and waited. Jerry asked me what was going on and why it was taking so long. About that time, the employee came back and asked if we have a different form of payment. "WHAT?" we thought to ourselves. Another credit card issue? Turns out, their machine suddenly disconnected or something, so they were unable to accept payments other than cash. Lucky for us, we got free lunch! Things were looking up!
We ended up having a very nice weekend with my family in Tennessee. My grandparents had driven down to join in on the fun, so it was great for us to all be together. On Saturday evening, Jerry and I were rewarded for the misery we suffered. All of us were sitting in downtown Franklin, TN (outside of Nashville) having frozen yogurt at my sister’s favorite place, Sweet CeCe’s. Suddenly, my mom and sister say calmly, yet urgently, “Rachel, Rachel...RACHEL!” I answer, “What???” and am quickly told that the one and only BEN FOLDS is walking by! **Okay, now rewind… Ben Folds is one of mine and Jerry’s absolute FAVORITE musicians. We have seen him live 4 times, and our first dance at our wedding reception was to one of his songs. He lives with his family in Franklin, TN. My sister has been lucky enough to spot him twice in the area and even talked to him once. When she told us about her first spotting and conversation with him, I reamed her out for not getting a picture with him and vowed that if I EVER was lucky enough to see him, I would not even hesitate to ask for a picture. When we all arrived in Franklin that night to get frozen yogurt, Jerry and I joked about meeting him since we were in the same area Jill had seen him.**
So, back to the story. THERE HE IS! I see him with his family and immediately look at Jerry. I stand up and start walking! I turn to say, “Are you coming?!” to Jerry and see him following me. At this point, I feel my adrenaline start to pump and wonder how I am supposed to do this without being an annoying fan bothering a man with his family. Then, I realize I’m nobody to him, but he’s somebody awesome to me and think, “screw it!”
“Ben Folds!” I yell. He turns around, smiles, waves, and starts to walk away. Ooooh, no! He’s not getting away that easily! “Can we please take a picture? It’s okay if you say no!” I quickly sputter out. He doesn’t look annoyed, but he looks rushed. “Okay, but really fast, though, or I’ll be in trouble,” he answers. Panicked, I shout at Jerry to get out his phone and for my sister to snap the shot. AND WE GET IT.
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| July 2, 2011 with Ben Folds |
That’s right, folks. We got our picture with Ben Folds! YES!!! Jerry was sure to shake his hand and tell him what huge fans we are, while I begin to quiver and shake all over (the realization of what just took place started sinking in). Back at our now-melting ice cream, Jerry announces that all the trouble we went through is all worth it! We spent the remainder of the night on cloud nine, texting and Facebooking our friends, feeling giddy.
So, there’s our adventure. Thankfully, the rest of our trip was uneventful (in a good way), and we made it home Monday evening safe and sound. We’ve decided that we have had ENOUGH adventures for awhile and are staying close to home for awhile (so anyone who wants to see us – come visit!). Also, the dealership replaced the tire and paid for half of the bill of the repairman, so there’s some resolution as well. All in all, we experienced a true “grown up” situation, had a lesson in patience, and hey – we have a great story!
**More pictures (pretty much just Audrey pictures) from our time at my parents' house can be seen if you click here!
