Tales from the road

We survived our week-long trip to PA with the elder Latonas. It was a good week, and there were no major problems, until the airport delays on the last day. (UGH!!!) Since everyone else shares the funny things their kids say during trips like this, I decided that I could share some funny stories about the parents. They know we love them.

Day 1
After landing in Pittsburgh, driving in the rented BLUE DODGE CHARGER for an hour, and stopping for lunch: We had our lunch and paid our check, then I went to the bathroom with Mom for one last pit stop. On the way back to the dining room, she took a wrong turn and went out the back door of the restaurant. I ran out the door after her, hollering, "Mom, where are you going?!??" She said, "I'm going to the car. It's the black one up there, isn't it?"

Meanwhile, at the front of the restaurant: David had watched me run out the back door after Mom, and he headed out the front to check on Dad, who was smoking a cigarette. After the cigarette was done, Dad started to walk down the sidewalk to our car. David said, "Dad, where are you going?!??" He said, "I'm going to the car. It's the red one right here."

More Day 1
In the hallway of the hotel, as we were heading out to dinner, Mom said: I hate to say this, but I wish I was back at home!!!

Day 2
In their hotel room: On the afternoon of day 1, we left a sheet of paper on the dresser stating our room number and the approximate time we would be leaving to go have dinner.

In our hotel room the morning of day 2: [knock, knock, knock] David said, "Is someone knocking on our door?" I went to check, and when I opened the door, Dad was knocking on the door of the room NEXT TO OURS. He had come to tell me that mom couldn't figure out how to turn on the water in the shower, and that she told him to come get us in room 111 (we were in 109) so we could come and help her. When I went to turn the water on for her, she was quite frustrated, as she had been trying to get the shower on for over 10 minutes and couldn't figure it out.

More Day 2
After 3 hours on a plane to Pittsburgh, 2 1/2 hours in a rental car driving to Altoona, and an overnight at the hotel in Altoona, we checked out of our hotel and continued on our journey to Lucinda. On the way out of town, Dad said, "Oh, we're going this way to Pittsburgh?"

Day 8
In the back seat: Dad complained that it was too hot. He started to take off his sweater, and he opened the rear a/c vent (for the first time the entire trip). Mom said, huffily, "Why are you doing THAT if you're HOT???"

In the front seat: We exchanged raised-eyebrow glances, knowing full well that when you are hot and you want to be cooler, you open A/C vents and take off your sweater. Hmmm....

Day 8 was particularly long; our 5:20 flight from PIT to ATL was delayed because of thunderstorms in Atlanta. We sat on the plane for over 2 hours (wheelchair assisted people get on first and get off last) with Mom & Dad huddled in sweaters & blankets trying to escape the A/C, and eventually the plane had to go back to the terminal, and we all had to get off. David got off first while I waited with the parents. He got us some dinner, and we hurriedly ate at the gate before they put us back on the plane. We departed PIT at 9:00pm.
In Atlanta at 11pm, I zipped off the plane first and was thrilled to see that our connection home was delayed from the original 8:30 departure time to 12:11am. I asked for the wheelchairs so they would be ready when Mom & Dad & David finally came off the plane, and got the gate info for the next flight. We hurried to that gate, 2 concourses away, pushing Mom & Dad's wheelchairs ourselves and toting the carry-ons & rolling suitcase, since there were not many wheelchair-pushers on duty that late. We got to the gate at 11:45, and the video board at the gate did not show a departure time of 12:11... it showed 11:38. AAAAACK!!!!! I begged David to ask an agent if the plane had really left, and as it turned out the plane was still sitting there since a crew was not yet available to get the plane away from the gate. We quickly and thankfully boarded (with 3 other VERY thankful people).
Back home (around 12:30am), a strong storm had come through and damaged the tunnel/ramp used for passengers to board the plane, so the only way to get off was the steep & narrow steps. We had to wait for the staff to bring a lift with which they brought Mom & Dad down from the plane one at a time. By the time I got into the terminal, David had found our car, found our luggage, and loaded it in the car. I was SO ready to go home.

In the wee hours of unplanned Day 9, at about 12:45am: As we were getting in the car Dad said, "So Dave, are we gonna go get coffee and a doughnut?"