Vacation Horror Story
Oh it was going to be a fabulous vacation. We planned for months, saving our nickles and paying for things ahead of time. We rented a house with a swimming pool, multiple bedrooms and baths. This was the cheapest way to go considering there are 5 of us. Plane tickets are so outrageously priced and when you have a family as large as ours it is virtually impossible to pay for anything else after airline tickets. So, with our pockets full of savings, we left in our suburban for the only vacation we would ever plan or be able to take with the kids.
We live in Illinois so the trip was fairly long and boring on our way to the beautifully warm Orlando, Florida. We drove straight through. There was no budgeted money for hotel stops on the way. This left both my husband and I exhausted upon arrival. Yet, we were determined to make this a vacation something that all would enjoy and remember. Especially, since we would not be seeing any family over the holidays and because of the vacation expense there would be no Christmas presents on Christmas morning to open.
We arrived and the house was beautiful. We were very impressed with our living quarters for the week to come. We unloaded our vehicle and quickley the kids decided that a swim in the in ground pool was just what they needed. The oldest, growing everyday closer to being a man was the first to jump in and was almost brought out of his skin when he quickly realized the water was the temperature of the Chicago weather we left behind. We didn’t worry too much after all the pool had a heater. Even in Florida heaters become necessary in the cooler months. With this luxury at our disposal we went to make the big splurge of our money and turn on the pool heater. We were fully aware that we would be liable for the gas cost, that would be determined by a reading prior to our arrival and one made after our departure. This would be an expense that we dealt with after returning home. No big deal after all how much could it cost.
Well, we left that heater running for 2 days and the pool temperature would have warmed up more if we all had gotten on our hands and knees and blew on it, like you do on your hands while sledding in a Chicago snow storm. We finally realized we needed help. Well, we are slow and my husband is of the firm belief that he can do anything. So, maintenance finally shows at the end of the 2nd day and with in a few hours the water temperature begins to rise. Granted we didn’t sit by the pool this whole time, we did go enjoy the sites and sounds of Orlando. We had week passes to Disney and they were not to be wasted.
After enjoying 3 different Disney Theme Parks, we had all had enough. I guess we just didn’t enjoy this as much as others do. Although, I believe Epcot was the best. The fireworks were amazing. Never the less we decided to venture out to the other tourist places. So it is now December 24th, Christmas Eve and what better place to visit than The Kennedy Space Center. We loaded the vehicle with snacks, drinks and our trusty map and ventured out onto the Florida Highway System.
I personally have never encountered a person I couldn’t talk to or get along with in some way shape or form. Atleast not until this dreadful trip to the Kennedy Space Center. About half way there, my reliable suburban….died. No warning, no lights, no whistles, no nothing. We were just going down the highway and as fast as a bug crashes on the windshield the big blue vehicle came to be quieter than a cemetary. My husband was able to keep her on the road and steer her to the first available exit. Which was luckily a ramp going down. Yipee more speed, we will make it off the highway. Although for my husband that is not enough, we need to coast to a gas station or something with people. There are a lot of empty spaces in Florida, I never realized. Anyway, once again we do a little happy dance because there is a 7-11 gas station around the corner. When we came to the end of the ramp, we had a blind view. Ut oh, we had to hit the brakes. Only a little tap, but even though there were no cars at that moment, we didn’t make the left turn.
My husband and eldest son, thats right the one who’s almost a man, quickly jump out to push us to the side and I am to steer. They get us rolling, but not in time. Out of no where a traffic jam. I saw the vehicles coming and silently say to myself, yea they will help. I mean wouldn’t you? I would, if I saw an out of state vehicle with kids being pushed off to the side..ON CHRISTMAS EVE. Do you know not one car stopped. As much as I hate to say this, even a police officer in a squad car drove past us and didn’t stop. I am totally dumb founded at this point. Illinois may have it’s issues, but I always see the police pull over to help stranded motorists. I have even seen them do U-Turns on major highways to come to the aid of the stranded motorist. I know now not to expect this in Florida.
We ended up being stranded there for over 2 hours. We were finally rescued by and elderly couple who were visiting their son and his family and had stopped at the 7-11. They were brave enough to open their window and listen to my husbands desperate plea for a recommended mechanic or towing service in the area. They quickly let him know that they were not from around here, but they had heard their son talk about his mechanic whom he just loved. So, a quick search in the phone book and a lot of praying for the phone to be answered and a tow truck arrived. I will forever hold this couple in my prayers, I have no idea what we would have done if we were left only to the Floridians. I am still shocked by the Floridians and their police officers in ability to help our situation.
The mechanic said he would be closing at 12 noon for the holiday with his family and would not get to our vehicle until Monday. Oh no, we have to be out of the rental house by Saturday. I quickly rented a van from a local agency while my husband discussed the vehicle with the mechanic. It was Christmas we couldn’t ask this man to give up his holiday to fix our fuel pump on or truck. Our circumstances, were not his fault. So we gave him our cell phone numbers and said thank you for the time he could provided us and to call us when the vehicle was done.
Well, this totally ruined our day. The Kennedy Space Center would have to be experienced on another day. So we went back in our rental Nissan van, let me tell you the little box was not my suburban, to the strip by our rental. We were quiet, but trying to still provide the kids with some fun times and memories. So we decided to ride the G-Force, well at least my husband and eldest son. The G-Force is a vehicle that is on a track and takes one shot out like a rocket getting to speeds just under 200 mph, thus creating the G-Force. This provided me with what I call comic relief. As the vehicle blasted past, with my husband and child plastered in their seats, what do I hear….”my nuts”. Evidently the nuts can not withstand the pressure. Don’t worry they got off the ride fine. A couple hours trying miscellaneous things here and there then the cellphone rang.
It was the mechanic, he stayed at work and repaired our vehicle and we could pick it up if we got there with in the hour with cash. So, we flew, like the wind and picked up our truck. We gave him a little extra to say thanks. Finally a Floridian with a heart. We then went to return the little Nissan van and the lady wasn’t so friendly. I thought I would need the vehicle till Monday so when I tried to return it on the same day I loaned it out, well lets just say she didn’t like it. I ended up paying for 2 days, but atleast I didn’t have to pay for 5.
We did get to see the space center before we left and the rest of the trip was uneventful, but I will always be remorseful for the horrors we shared on that, our one and only REAL vacation. The vehicle ate up the majority of our cash that we had to spend, thank goodness for credit cards. I don’t like to use them, but there is a time and a place for everything. It’s too bad the gas bill that we returned to for the swimming pool couldn’t have been put on a charge card, that $200 bucks haunted our grocery bills for a couple of weeks after our return home.
