Monday September 24th Alex, Katie and I headed down to Kerrville Texas to visit our aunt and uncle. It took us about 11 hours to get down there. Our drive down was lots of fun. We stopped at rest areas with parks and played. We chilled at a couple of picnic areas. Played at a restaurant (probably McDonalds). A very enjoyable trip down for sure.
We also had so much fun while we were there. Playing in a park near the Guadalupe river. Taking drives during the kids' nap time in surrounding areas since they wouldn't sleep in the house. There are such beautiful hills and sights around there. We conquered one of the hills on our daily mile walks around the neighborhood. We loved visiting with our family and their three schnauzers. Alas, all good things must eventually end.
When we headed home on Saturday September 29th I had no idea our trip would end with a 14 hour stress filled drive. It rained the entire drive which meant no stops to play in the parks or chill outdoors. We got lost after leaving a McDonalds during an intense part of the storm. And worse of all in Jared Texas we needed assistance from the local police and fire department to come get Katie out of the truck.
Yep. I was *that* mother. Granted the whole event took maybe 20 minutes, but at the time it sure felt like it took hours. After filling up with gas I pulled Alex out of the back seat and shut and locked the doors. Then I walked around to get Katie. Guess what? Yes you guessed it. Her doors were locked. Locked up nice and tight. No biggie. I'll just get my keys... oh yeah, those keys along with my cell phone are sitting on the drivers' seat right next to the other locked doors. Can we say complete and total panic??? Being the rational person I am my first response was to check my shoes to see if I had heels on to break a window. Nope, rubber sole tennis shoes - not helpful. My next thought was the tire jack but it was dismissed just as quickly due to the fact it was under the back seat where my beautiful daughter sits.
I rushed inside the gas station and asked them for help calling a locksmith. Of course they didn't have a pay phone and the entire time I was panicking and watching the truck through the huge glass windows while they searched for a number. I told them what was going on and requested they call the police or fire department. The cashier was kind enough to call using her cell phone and Lt. Thompson answered the call and immediately sent the fire department out. The fire department quickly used their tools to unlock my door and let me get my beautiful baby girl out. They were of course concerned with the possibility of scratching the paint on the truck but I flat out told them they could break all the windows or scratch any of the paint they needed to for me to have my girl back.
Filling out the paperwork and answering the questions for the fire and police departments took longer than what the whole incident did. They amused me by asking where my husband was and one fire department man actually made a comment about my husband "letting me" take such a big trip with two toddlers. They were all very kind and helpful and I am so grateful they were there. By the way, you will be happy to know there are no warrants for my arrest in Texas or Louisiana. Yep, I laughed when they told me that.
We finally arrived home late that night after many, many hours of stress filled driving and stops. I am so thankful for my friends who let me ramble on the phone with them about everything I could think of my last two hours of the trip. They helped me stay awake when I was overwhelmed with exhaustion.
It was a fun trip but I am very glad that the next trip I make down there will be in my new minivan. Not only does it have a lot more room than the extended cab truck, but it does not have manual locks so I will hopefully never again think a door is unlocked already and find out it is not.
