good evening all!! I am here in the internet room of the hotel. Its free even

We are havintg a blast. I left a message on Beth's vm just after she left about how much money I spent!! Its a good thing I don't have a dh to report back to on the money I spent!!
So here is our story:
A Comedy of Errors best Told in Three Acts
Act One We planned to leave at 6 but Astrid was stuck at school late so we decided to leave at 615. I was a few minutes late and then decided I had to have a Star Bucks carmel (double shot) frappaccino in the gallon size bucket.
We actually hit the road at 703! Traffic had finally started moving so we didn't hit the delays that had happened earlier (we decided we would create our own delays

) We drove just fine for the first hour and a half, we were pretty darn confident in our traveling abilities. I found the 95 to washington and we were well on our way when Astrid said "Hey we need to go thatta way!" oops! I missed the 295 by pass. How could I see it, I had one hand full of a gallon iced coffee and the other was flapping in the air as I talked! No problem I say, we can take the scenic route through downtown Richmond on 95.
We were driving and talking so it was no big deal. Well, Astrid sees a sign that says "295 to Charlottesville to 64" Go that way she says! zipping across three lanes and managing to avoid the semi in my way we hit the exit....dum da dum dum...Hey, I say, this doesn't look quite right. Oh @#$% we are going completely west (last time I had checked DC was north!...but then again I failed geography...I couldn't even find my way to take the damn test). Uh! How do I get off this thing and get back!
I do the only logical thing...I take the next turn on to a road that *looks* like it might go someplace I want to go. uh....crap....now where are we going (some placed called Chesterfield). so I grab the phone, hit speed dial, and yell
mommy!!!!!!!!!!!!!She gets the map and says stay where you are...you can never return the way you came. So we spend the next 35 minutes taking the long way around Richmond. ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the way around Richmond. Suddenly I see a building and whoop with glee, "Hey Astrid....we saw that same building an hour ago!! WE are on the right road finally!" yes my friends, we made one giant loop around our capital city and ended up right back to where we first screwed up!! The next hour was spent chanting "Stay on 95, Stay on 95, Stay on 95"
Act Two Our second adventure was getting to sterling. I'll do the short version.
Where's 66 West? Don't see it, but find 267. Take 267, ask toll booth operator how to get to 66 west...she says.."get off here do u-turn, pay toll again, you'll see it".....get off, u-turn, pay toll, see.....66
EAST oh @#$% times 2. Wrong way. Call Bethi
HELP! Beth we are lost!!again She gives directions...get on 267 the other way and go until you see the signs!!

Do another u turn and suddenly we're on 66 West

(<- that's what Astrid and I looked like). So we drove chanting "66 West, 66 West"....we finally arrived at the hotel at 12:30am!! ugh! We could hae been clear to NYC after all that time! (for those of you time challenged that's 5.5 hours to go less than 4 hours!
Act Three Then the comedy of errors continued with the front desk girl not understanding that we were paying for 2 nights with each one of us paying for one night. We knew it would be bad when she said, "Uh...I think I can do this...uh...."
her: I have to print new rate cards this is wrong"
me: That's the rate I was quoted
her: but I have to figure out how much half of it is so I can charge you each the right amount (she goes to calculator to figure half of $80.10!

)
Astrid: why don't we just pay for the second night tomorrow.
her: no I can figure this out it will just take a while
me to astrid:

me: uh...we are each paying for one night, that means we each pay $80.10 total. (duh!!)
her: OH, now I get it!! The computer was right after all!!
Me to the little voice inside me head, "no crap sherlock!" to her:
This whole story is much better in person when you can see Astrid and I reenacting the whole thing!
Okay, going to bed now! Now that I've bored you all to tears with my long winded story!
I enjoyed meeting Jon and Pam and Valerie.
Back to chat tomrrow night!! hugs to all!
tara