A Wild Ride

It was one of those days. I mean really, ONE OF THOSE DAYS!

It started out uneventful. We were headed to Iowa to see Don’s family for a Christmastime visit. Things went smoothly until shortly after we crossed the Illinois line. Then the snow started. We had already postponed this trip for a day to avoid the snow, but apparently we miscalculated. We drove through snow for several hours in Illinois. We counted about 20 cars and trucks in ditches along the side of the road, some turned over on their side. This didn’t make for a very relaxing trip.

We made a quick stop for gas and lunch. Don tried to use his credit card, and it was denied. Fortunately, he had the cash to cover what he needed, but he was concerned about why it was denied. We hoped it was just a fluke. When we got into Iowa, we had to get gas again. He tried to use his credit card, and it was again denied. He used what little cash he had left to buy enough gas to get us to his parents’, and when he later called to check, found out there had been “suspicious” activity on his card, so they had cancelled it. It turned out someone had stolen his number and made some purchases.

When we got to his parents’ house that night, exhausted and stressed, their driveway was already full of cars, so we had to drive around the block and park on a side street and walk. We had both of our dogs with us and quite a bit of stuff that needed to go in. It was then that I found out that these shoes, while comfortable for a car ride, are not suitable for walking through snow that was above our ankles and at least a foot deep in the banks we had to stand in to unload the car.

Later we left his parents’ house and went to the nearby hotel where we were staying. Don’s parents had graciously offered to pay for our stay there and had made the reservation, securing it with their credit card. Still with both dogs, we also hauled all of our luggage into the lobby before checking in.

There was a problem with his dad’s credit card. They would have to have his signature in order for us to use it for our room. (No one had mentioned this to them when they made the reservation.) Maybe Don had a credit card we could use just for tonight? Uh, no. Well, no problem, they could fax his dad the form and he could sign it and fax it right back. Great, except that his parents don’t have a fax machine. We asked if he could give verbal permission over the phone. No. Could Don sign for him, with permission? No. Could we at least check in for the night and have him come down the next day and sign it? No. His dad would need to come in and sign it before we could check into the room. It was their policy.

His dad is 81 years old, currently can’t drive because of an injury, and usually goes to bed around 9:00 p.m. It was after 10:30 p.m., and the temperature outside was in the teens. There was snow and ice on the roads. We were exhausted, our luggage was strewn all over the lobby, the dogs were impatient, and we certainly didn’t want his dad to have to come down there, so in the end, Don was able to call his credit card company and get them to approve the charge on his own (cancelled) card. It only took us about an hour to get to our room from the time we got there.
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When we were finally there, I was whining to God about what an awful day we had had. He gently reminded me, as only He can, that nothing REALLY bad had happened. Yes, the drive in the snow was stressful, be we had arrived safely. Though we were rightfully upset about someone stealing Don’s card, he won’t have to pay for the charges that he didn’t make. We had enough cash to get there. We were tired, but we would get rested up, and the irritations of the day would pass.
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In the end, I had to be thankful. Thankful that we made it safely, for family, our dogs, and for the ways God took care of us. We did end up having a really good visit with his family, once the wild trip was behind us. The hotel even bent over backwards to make things up to us during the rest of our stay. Apparently, they felt bad for the "inconvenience" they had caused.
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So I must conclude that all is well that ends well, and come to think of it, the whole thing gave me something interesting to blog about!