Family Vacation...the bad beginning...

It took me three days to pack the van...I had kids putting their suitcases in the car on Wed., we weren't leaving till Sunday. We thought we were so smart this year to do a Sunday to Sunday rental so we wouldn't need to hassle with the traffic and get a good start to Outer Banks, NC. We left promptly at 6am.

We were doing great and the kids were being pretty good, we were making great time. We had the van packed with Grandma and seven of our kids. Following behind was my sister and three of the teenagers. We drove great for about four and and a half hours till I heard a clunk. I looked at my husband and he gave me one of those looks...you know the one that says don't say anything right now. He pulled to the side of the road and try to figure out the problem. The car was not starting and it looked pretty bad. It was hot and the kids were starting to sweat, so I took my very pregnant self over to my sister's car with the four littlest kids and kicked out the teenagers. We sat there trying to find a car rental on a SUNDAY, that had a van big enough for ten of us. We couldn't find any and we had to rent two cars from the airport fifteen miles in the wrong direction...but, we were desperate and hot.

My husband got in touch with a tow truck through triple A and contacted a taxi service to send TWO taxi's. So here we went two taxi's, my sister following with the three babies, and a tow truck with my husband and two boys following. As I was telling the taxi driver our woes. He felt really bad for us, especially since we couldn't find a van and had to go in the wrong direction to get two cars to rent. So he got on the phone and got me a number of a car rental really close to the triple A that was actually open on a Sunday and had a van!!!

I can't tell you how many times the little guys asked "how long" before the car broke down...but one thing all my kids know, is how to keep quiet when we break down...and unfortunately we break down often. The teens started to laugh and say, "it wouldn't be a vacation if we didn't break down." Then they started taking pictures to capture the family saga!!!

So we made it to Outer Banks just about three hours later than planned. It reminded me of this trip last year....

The house we rented it pretty perfect...and I will post on the rest of the "good" news of the trip later.

THE VAN BEING LOADED UP BY THE TOW TRUCK

THE VAN HEADING OFF

THE KIDS LOADING UP IN THE NEW VAN

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+