The cat was obviously stressed when we walked into the door but she's fine and adjusting to having us home again.
The house did NOT burn down, there was no earthquake and no one appears to have broken into the house. On a side note, it's actually amazing that the house didn't burn down. One of the lamps we set up on a timer before we left, had its lampshade melting onto the lightbulb!!! OH MY. Thank God nothing happened!
MG and I ran up to the school to find out who the boys' teachers are and who's in their classes next year (and by next year I mean: Monday.) I don't know anything about SBS's teacher so I'll be grilling the PTA moms on Monday. His favorite two friends are in his class so he's happy. One of his best buddies who I adore and whose mom I am friendly with is NOT in his class. I'm disappointed and I know his mom will be. (Grandpa Rocket Scientist - that's the mother with whom you had a loverly chat at the bowling party.)
We knew who MG's teacher would be already and we found out that his forever buddy is also in his class (yeah!) the kid who he thinks is his friend (insert my eyeroll here) is in his class, and the bully is NOT.
Ok, so on to the vacation part of our day:
This morning we woke up and the boys really wanted one more visit to the slide pool. We stopped for breakfast at the Bistro. Service wasn't as bad as last night but wasn't as good as the first two visits there. I don't know what's going on. I'm feeling like a Resort Snob, but the problem is that when you're surrounded by above and beyond service and people who are just eager as all get out to do whatever they can for you, calling you by name, and just royally kissing your cute and perky tush right and left, lame service realllllly sticks out.
After breakfast, we went straight to the pool. I went to the bar to see if Ashley was working today but sadly she was not. One of the other "kids" at the bar commented that Ashley really appreciated the tip we gave her yesterday. I asked "Well doesn't everyone do that? Aren't you supposed to?" and he said 'Yes, but she still appreciated it!"
Ok. In my world, this is what I call "Manners." Isn't that lovely?
So after we chatted for a bit about what a wonderful time we were having, how sweet Ashley was, blah blah blah, I asked for a Diet Coke, which they all eagerly got for me. I turned to walk away and then I said "Oh, wait! Don't you need my room number and name for this?" And they said "Nah! Don't worry about it!"
Yep, I got me a freeeee diet coke.
CS was a bit unhappy that DD didn't go into the water with him today to go down slides. But he did spend his time in the very shallow area and enjoyed playing with an inner tube very much. I got some darling photos.
SBS was still pouting because his goggles did not turn up. He and DD checked both bars near the pool and neither had seen them and housekeeping hadn't found them either. Eventually DD said: "Just go down the slide once and see how bad it is without the goggles. This is your LAST CHANCE and I don't want you to ruin it and regret it later if you didn't try it." He went down it and was fine.
MG made friends with some young teens. Let me put it this way: Imagine the kind of teenaged boy who would be hanging out at the waterslide pool with his parents.
Yes, very nice, intelligent young men. It was awesome. I felt bad that MG didn't have time to hang out with them more.
At about 11:15 we asked for a golf cart to be called and he arrived quickly to take us back to the suite. This guy took us on a route we'd never been on before and it was lovely! We saw flowering lilypads (the lilypads near our end of the resort were not flowering - are they called lotus flowers?) We got back to our room and they guy didn't even wait for a tip. See? Stupid Nathan was really Rude yesterday.
The boys went to the room to start packing and I ran up to the Spa to check some items from my treatment yesterday. (Ok, well, as much as one "runs" at 11:30 am when it's already well over 100 degrees outside.) In particular, I wanted to find out how much the oil cost so I could have it for future massages closer to home.
Yeah, well, uhm, the bottle was small - like 8 ounces max - and it cost 50 bucks.
I don't think so.
I was back to the room quickly to help in the mad packing dash. The goal was to get stuff in duffle bags. At this point, everything was going to be brought into the house when we got home. Everything needs to be washed. There's no reason to be delicate or neat and we're supposed to be checked out by noon. So we stuffed and zipped and zipped and stuffed. At 11:54 I called the front desk to let them know we were packed, we just didn't have the stuff out of the room yet. They said not to worry about it in the least. We eventually had everything in the car and Daddy Doc moved it to a shadier spot.
We got out the stroller for the VERY CRANKY CS and headed to the lobby by foot so we could capture some photos around the resort before we left.
We checked out and I accidentally glanced at the balance due on our bill.
I should've had DaddyDoc check us out. I really should've. He laughed at me when I gave him the bill. I asked the young man if I could please have an extra "dead" key to take home with me because I have three scrapbooks to make and only two keys. He gave me an extra and then gave me three fancy keys for their "super special" level guests. Well, I probably won't use those because really, who cares? We didn't get that super fancy stuff. They don't have President's Club Keys!
We stopped at the concierge desk to say good bye to Kelli, ask her to thank Barbara who made our dinner reservations for us, to tell her how wonderful the spa treatment was and to say that the Bistro service was really bad last night. SBS lost the lollipop she'd given him on Wednesday and MG had lost the half of his that he'd saved, so the boys all asked if they could have MORE lollipops which she gladly gave them. (They were funky shapes, not just regular lollies.)
There was a station with the wonderful iced tea from the spa yesterday so I filled up the cup I had with me with ice and more tea! Yum.
We walked back to the car taking more pictures along the way, DD refilled his cup with ice from a machine near the car and then we found our way back to the highway, headed west.
I keep forgetting to ask: what is UP with all the damn FLIES in Arizona? We live adjacent to a very horse-centric community. We shop and dine their regularly and we NEVER have such a problem with flies in our car. Even IN the bistro, we were fighting a fly at one of our meals INSIDE the restaurant. There were flies in our suite, too. Blech. There are a boatload of flies in Arizona, so if you go there, be forewarned.
So why is it that when we planned our travel time TO Arizona and within Arizona, our estimated travel times were always dead on the money, but whenever we drive home from any vacation, the ride home takes much longer than we ever plan???
There wasn't even any traffic!!??!!
Ok, I confess, I know part of the reason why it took a little longer...
Our plan was to stop for a quick bite to eat for lunch. DD and I had eaten a decent breakfast but none of the kids had much to eat. We KNEW that we would have to stop for something for the kids and we could get something light for the two of us.
Unfortunately, I-10 is littered with Cracker Barrel restaurants. We didn't see a SINGLE Whataburger! But we passed SEVERAL Cracker Barrels. When we finally stopped for a quick bite, there was a CB there and MG started in on us "Why don't we go back to Cracker Barrel? They have the BEST Macaroni and Cheese?? And we can get more game pieces for the game!"
And I was thinking: I could get some sourdough croutons to take home with me, too!
OK, FINE. We'll go to Cracker Barrel!
So that took a little longer than we planned... And wouldn't you know it? The greeter in the store is originally from a town 20 to 30 minutes east of ours so she knew our area well and she was just so tickled that we'd stopped in for lunch....
Unfortunately, MG had a meltdown before the food had even arrived. SBS was beating him in checkers and that touched it off. Add to that the fact that since lunchtime yesterday, he hadn't really eaten much of anything. He'd been swimming and playing HARD in the pool and I think that the pool and the heat suppressed his appetite. DD and I agreed that the next time we see this pattern, we'll force feed him better. Usually we're on top of this better but he's never gone that long without pigging out.
A walk outside with dad somewhat adjusted his attitude.
I did witness an adult with ruder behavior than any of my children. I don't think I've ever seen this before in my life and I was appalled. The man (who was in his mid-60s at best) ordered a glass of water but it was a Harry and Sally moment. It was a complicated glass of water. He wanted it filled to some level, he was specific about the ice. He wanted lemon in it but a certain amount of lemon. It was a crazy order.
The young man who was our mutual server did not get the water order precisely as he'd requested. I heard the guy tell him "Oh, see, you didn't understand what I said..." The server offered numerous times to take it back and fix it, which the guy refused and said it would be fine.
The server returned to the kitchen and the guy at the table picked up his glass, put it behind his chair, and POURED OUT SOME OF THE WATER AND ICE ONTO THE FLOOR BEHIND HIS TABLE.
CAN YOU BELIEVE HIM????????????????????
He brings new meaning to the phrase "Were you raised in a barn?"
Holy TOLEDO. What a first class royal butthole of massive proportions.
Seriously. I'd like to take my glass of diet coke and go pour it in the backseat of his car.
But I'm cute and perky not vengeful and disgusting. So I won't. But just be forewarned: There are very rude people that are traveling through or living in Buckeye, Arizona.
After CB the boys were complaining about their sunburn pain from the day before so I ran into a nearby, unnamed store that would sell pharmaceutical products (the only such establishment in the entire shopping area that included CB,) to purchase some solarcaine and get a free glass of water from the fast food establishment within the unnamed retail establishment. (DD and I still had our iced tea and water glasses from the Fairmont which we wanted to freshen with ice.)
Back on the road - that was really our only diversion! But it still took us much longer than it should have to get home. Our expected travel time was 5.5 hours. It took 7.5 hours and we did not spend 2.5 hours total along the way! There wasn't even traffic.
I-10 between Phoenix and Palm Springs is just a POS highway. It ain't no I-40 that's for SURE.
We just kept driving and driving and driving.
And CS was in a cranky poop mood. At the slide pool, he'd actually gotten out of the pool complaining of being very tired - so we'd expected him to SLEEP in the car. He regularly fell asleep during our long drives within AZ.
But "Not today, Zurg!" Finally at 4:30 we just turned off the DVD because we were tired of his yelling and bitchin'. We told the boys they were getting a 30 minute break. Within 5 minutes he was out. Unfortunately, he was awake in an hour. Fortunately, THAT bitching session only lasted 5 minutes and then he was fine for the rest of the ride home.
SBS at some point complained about his ear hurting. Genius Perky Mommy that I am, I immediately went to: Well for the past 24 hours he was in the pool more than he was out, must be swimmer's ear! I said "Well call Auntie Doc when we get home and she'll give us the formula to make medicine for your ear."
He said "Why do we need medicine drops? It hurts OUTSIDE of my ear. I think it's from my headphones."
Oh, yeah. I guess I should've asked more questions...
We FINALLY got to some gas station and we stopped to make everyone pee, DD and I got some diet pepsi and we gave each boy a short 8-oz can of Sierra Mist from the cooler. Do you know we've carried those things now for 2 weeks and we've never had a reason to use them? The kids just don't drink much soda.
Everyone was feeling much perkier after that, but by 7:30 we were only at Cabazon and the kids were getting hungry again. We didn't stop for the dinosaurs that were in Pee Wee's Big Adventure. (Although we pointed to them and said "Those are the dinosaurs that were in PW'sBA. Look!") We didn't stop at Harry and David's outlet at Cabazon to get the amazing almond sandwich cookies with jam filling that are divine. We stopped at MickeyD's, grabbed light snack for me & DD and kid meals for the kids (We had most of CS's mac and cheese from CB in the igloo. I'm sure someone will force herself to eat that tomorrow if MG doesn't get to it first.)
BACK on the damn highway.
Did I mention that there wasn't even traffic?
We're home as reported above. And again I'll have to beg your pardon while I postpone the photos. I will have a report of our statistics tomorrow along with two days of amusing and charming, cute and perky photos to share!
Thank you again for reading and especially for commenting.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment