"Personally, I think I would make a great stripper!" 8/10 The End

[TeaForTulips]

Hi Dawn! Spent the last few days catching up!

I was a lurker on one of your other reports and will try not to lurk on this one. You crack me up all the time and I love reading about you and your family. You don't know me, but we could be best friends.

I vote spend the $100. When I was 19 or 20... (somewhere around that age) I drove from Erie, PA to Shreveport, LA which is about 19ish hours w/out gas and food breaks. To spare you the long story... I very much got lonesome and tired before the trip was done.

 

[Dizneydawn]

Chapter Six: Oh Glasses, my glasses, where for art my glasses!

We woke that Friday morning to great butterflies and excitement.

Maybe it was gas pains and hunger.

Hard to remember exact details ya know!

We had to be in Greenville, SC to pick up Taylor by 2:30. We also had to stop on the way and meet Allison to get some neat T-shirts she had made for me at the last minute! Allison lived in Asheville, NC which was on the way. If time allotted, a trip to the Biltmore shopping area for a cookbook I desired, some lemonade mixer, and cider blend the kids loved.

Time to leave we thought would be around eight.

Showered, packed and ready to roll and then, Baylor came to me asking if anyone had moved his glasses.

He was positive when he had laid down on the couch in the living room at Shannon's that he had placed his glasses on the end-table next to the couch.

Positive he said.

They were nowhere. We looked under the couch, over the couch, around the floor, up in the room he slept in and they were MIA. I assumed he had moved them again because kids often forget what they do with things and he was adamant that he had not moved them from there.

Susan said she had not seen them either. She was up - Shannon and Sam and the kids were gone already. I called Shannon and she had no idea either.

Caroline had her grandson with and he was young enough to have maybe tried them on so I went off to find him, hope he was awake and ask if he remembered seeing them.

You know you are desperate when a 3 year old's memory is your saving grace.

He was watching cartoons with Caroline and when I started to ask, Caroline said...

"Were they on the end table?"



I thought I was going to cry. 30 minutes of looking and maybe someone had a clue! They were not even a week old at this point!

She said she had thought they were her glasses. That she is always loosing glasses so she just picks them up when she sees them.

Now at this point, Susan, who is in the corner, in her comfy arm chair, reading the newspaper with the fireplace a-blazin and looking like she is ready for Garrison Keeler's Prairie Home Companion almanac...quietly says,

"My Dear, if you would have put them on your face rather than on your head, you would have known they were not yours."

And goes back to her newspaper.

Caroline, in a breathless sort of way (wearing a pair of cheaters on her head at that moment) says, "Aren't ya going to get up and help me look?"

Susan replies, "No. You lost them. You find them."

Now I have described Caroline before and I finally figured out she reminds me of a cross between Cybill Shepard and Kathleen Turner.

With indignation, Caroline tosses her locks and begins to scour the house.

We have all looked so we can only sit on the couch and watch her scurry back and forth between the rooms, the upstairs and downstairs and with each time she passes, listen to her quick jabs at Susan, who is as nonchalant as if she were watching a chess match vs a hamster on crack, stuck in a wheel.

Caroline: "I just don't know where they are?"

Susan: "I gathered."

Caroline: "I swear I thought they were mine."

Susan: "You always think everything is yours."

Caroline: "You could be more helpful if you wanted."

Susan: "That's true but I don't feel like it this morning."

And on and on they went. I kept thinking the price of a new pair of glasses might well be worth the entertainment value this is causing.

In one pass of the house maze, Caroline said she would be happy to pay for another pair of glasses. That she gets them all the time for only $10 at the local drug stores.

She looks a little relived at that thought and then, from the corner of the ring, Muhammad Ali came out again.

Susan: "That would be nice Caroline but you lost his brand new prescription glasses."

Caroline: "New ones? Like Brand new?"

Susan: "Yes. Not even a week old and now you have lost them."

At this point Baylor says, "Honestly, it is no big deal. I have my contacts. I can wear them."

Susan: "That's not necessary sweetheart. If Caroline lost them, she will buy you a new pair."

Then the rat race intensified and Caroline was non stop talking to herself about what she thought she did when she picked them up.

Meanwhile, Susan starts talking to us about glasses, contacts, lasik surgery and the family lineage on who needed them and who did not.

This just made Caroline more exasperated with each pass through.

Ya knew Susan was tormenting her sister and it was awesome. She needs to teach lessons because it is coy and yet pointed. Loved it!!

Finally, I tripped Caroline up in her manic passes when I asked, "What did you think you did right after you picked them up again?"

She said, "Well I thought I went into the office and used the computer. But I looked there and they are not in there."

At that, I went into the office and moved some papers around and low and behold...underneath a stack...

THE GLASSES!!!!

I yelled upstairs to Caroline and when she came down, we were all in the living room and she asked where they were.

I told her and she said, with her glasses on her head..."I never saw them there."

Susan, puts her newspaper down and says, "Imagine that," and goes back to reading.

Needless to say we did not leave there until closer to 9:00 a.m. It is 4 hours to Greenville and we had to be there by 2:30.

Here are some pics of Shannon's home:

Upstairs by overlooking the foyer!

Susan's MIL suite that she is beyond kind enough to let us stay in when there!

Susan and her, "Dawn, do you really need a pic of me?" pose!

Can you believe that Shannon and I did not get a single picture taken again!!!

We hugged goodbye, hit the road looking for the freeway. And then...like a beacon from God...we saw...

Yes, we were thrilled because in our haste to leave our town on the trip, we had forgotten to drop off a bag to our local Goodwill and had a bag full to donate. Now some would say I could have thrown it out and at each gas stop Dan offered to - but I am not a waster so I could not do that.

Do you know there is not one Goodwill in any small town we meandered through off the main drag from Wisconsin to Tennessee?

We decided we would send Baylor to drop it off. The truth is we all said not it and since he had headphones on, he was the loser! Sucks to be him!

He was not thrilled but we said he could pick out what he wanted to stop for breakfast at. In the may-lay of the glasses extravaganza - we had not eaten the food Shannon had for us!

Only our family would do this I swear! Both forget food prepared and search out a Goodwill after carrying clothes for donation for 15 hours!

He came back to the car and said, McDonald's!

There was one just down the drag and to the right. We ordered sandwich meals for everyone and after paying for it...were given the universal sign for "Move it along Bubba!"

I will say the service was fast!

Dan no more than got his change and we looked up to see:

Carsyn said they did not want the Booger impeding on the style of the joint for too long!

With food in da belly, we were on the way again and I called Allison to let her know we would be late. A bit late since we were supposed to have been there by then! We were 2 hours away still!

The road is still not used due the mudslide that is the major highway so we back woods it and saw the
"North"

sign!

Stopped for gas and saw this awesome truck!

and as soon as we were on the road... the beautiful views!

We met up with Allison just off the interstate and she had been kind enough to not only make us t-shirts but also a bag! I will show you guys them when we get to where I used them on the trip!

Now I know Dan took a picture of us but it is not on the camera anywhere. I will have to ask Carsyn if it by chance is on hers.

Allison was so cute and so charming! She made us maps to get to Biltmore from where we met up and also the fastest way from Biltmore to Greenville airport! I am indebted to her for always and would kill for her chocolate hair!

Up next: Taylor and Treyner oh my!!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Dawn - book the flight. $100 to fly there is way less expensive than the therapy bills you will need from worrying too much - not to mention the lack of sleep, etc while you wait for him to show up. Shoot - if it was sooner than May, I would just drive and get him but alas, May is the start of my insane season.

Tell Carsyn that she is beautiful the way she is. Size 3 is not attainable for many, many people and if she WAS size 3, she would be way too small to kick butt at Rugby! And on that note, I am so excited she is being scouted!! Although I hate to think of what your stress levels will be if you have 2 kids playing college sports. I can't wait to see prom pictures. I know she will be the best looking girl at that prom!

 

[ddstratton]

Oh, a couple of your pictures made me miss NC!! DH has family that lives in Asheville. That part of the country is just SO beautiful.

Love the story about the lost glasses! Hilarious! Glad you found 'em though. New glasses are pricey.


I agree, too -- book the flight. For that amount of money, it's worth the peace of mind. Also, you'd have to figure in gas/food costs if he were to drive.

 

[Dizneydawn]

I am going to book the flight for sure! Just to clarify...it is either Dan or I flying to Treyner in Atlanta and then driving back with him to MN.

He needs his vehicle up here this summer - might be selling it actually for something different.

The benefit of Dan going vs me is that he is mechanically adept and if something goes wrong, could potentially fix it.

I - would be calling for a tow if it was even a flat tire or windshield fluid!!

He would not have to miss work since it would be down and back.

We are renting a storage unit for $60 while he is up here for his microwave, toaster , fridge etc... so it will not be as packed as times in the past in his car or Dan's 6'6 frame would not have fit in the passenger seat with a fully loaded jeep!

 

[ddstratton]

I am going to book the flight for sure! Just to clarify...it is either Dan or I flying to Treyner in Atlanta and then driving back with him to MN.

He needs his vehicle up here this summer - might be selling it actually for something different.

Gotcha! It's still worth the peace of mind.

The benefit of Dan going vs me is that he is mechanically adept and if something goes wrong, could potentially fix it.

I - would be calling for a tow if it was even a flat tire or windshield fluid!!

I'm right there with ya! My DH is a mechanic, so he takes care of our cars. Actually, I think I can refill the wiper fluid... I don't usually have to, because he does that, but I think I could if I needed to.

 

[eliz991]

Great picture of the mountains! Asheville is so pretty...my dad's family is from a small town outside of there. In fact in the Smoky Mountains there is a scenic overlook named after my family.

Glad you found the glasses and got on your way!

 

[tlenzendorf]

Damm you work computer and your filters! I will have to wait to get home to see the pictures. It almost doesn't seem right to read a TR while having to wait for the photos

 

[Believeinfairytales]

I'm in! You are hilarious.

 

[MHTeacher]

I can't believe all the adventure your family has, and you've only gotten to North Carolina!

 

[SoccerDogWithEars]

What does ECY stand for and where is it at? Since I am being nosy...any ideas of a major?

ECU stands for East Carolina University. It's in Greenville, H Carolina (for clarification, please refer to the picture in your most recent update). G-vegas, as it is so fondly known by all of us Pirates, is about halfway between central NC and coastal NC. ECU is the only thing here. Literally. Our mall doesn't even have a cookie store, much to my chagrin

My major is Hospitality Management, with a focus in hotels and lodging. Essentially my plan is to, gasp, work for Disney at one of the resorts. The plan is to do the college program junior year, hopefully be invited back to do an internship senior year, and then go from there. But I'll be happy with whatever comes my way. I actually JUST (as in, Monday) got a job working on the waitstaff at a local convention center/country club place, so I'm hoping that will give me some good experience!

See, when you're nosy, I give you waaaaay more information than you could possibly care about. My friends call it talkative, I call it thorough.

 

[eliz991]

H Carolina.

Congrats on the job! Awesome!

 

[wdwdasiy]

So cool to see you tromping around where my DILs live. I'm looking forward to seeing Carsyn's prom dress pics. I finally learned how to post pics (yeah, I know ) so if you would still like to see my DD in her Cotillion dress then I'll post them...and one of Jason, my little "wanna be".

 

[burly]

Oh man those sisters!

 

[PrincessBetsy]

Gosh that update was too funny! Glad you found Baylor's glasses though.

 

[michellem1118]

Glad you managed to get things straightened out for Treynor. And way to go Carsyn, getting scouted in her first year playing rugby! You must be really proud of her! I'm looking forward to seeing the pictures of the prom dress.

 

[__disneygirl]

Dawn you are fab. Never a dull moment right? I am glad you/Dan are flying out to be with Treyner. I know that for my mom it would be worth not worrying alone.

I can't wait to hear if Treyner's GF was tied to the roof like you warned? I hope y'all got along! Hearing my aunt talk about her kids and who they date is always so hysterical.

 

[YukiPhnx]

Wow, all this action and you're not even close to WDW!

Susan and Caroline sound a lot like me and one of my younger siblings. I'm always right in the end of course

 

[tebi73]

Allison was so cute and so charming! She made us maps to get to Biltmore from where we met up and also the fastest way from Biltmore to Greenville airport! I am indebted to her for always and would kill for her chocolate hair!

Yeah me!!!! Mmmmmm.....chocolate.....That's a great way to describe my hair! You caught me not long after having it colored! My hairdresser always says "What color do you want this time". Ususally I just tell her to surprise me. It's been blonde, red, black, violet....you name it - my hair's been it! Chocolate is more the color I was born with! So glad you liked your goodies! Can't wait to see pics!

 

[Christy LOVES Disney]

Dang, I go to New Orleans for a week and look how much stuff happens. Well I'm back and waiting patiently for some more. I should have known y'all weren't going straight to Orlando, should have known there would be detours along the way. I'm sure my milage is way off.