Today was supposed to be so simple

The plan for today was a simple one. Get up, cook some breakfast, drive to Huntsville and watch the air show. Sounds simple enough right??

WRONG

So the first part of the morning went great. I got up, cooked some eggs, bacon, made some toast and put some fresh fruit on the table. It was a great breakfast if I can say so myself.

Part two involved getting everybody ready to leave to drive to Huntsville. This process is usually a tricky one but no big deal today. Showers, ironing, getting kids ready, and preparing to be out in the sun for several hours.

Now things get interesting. We think the Topamax that Dawson takes interferes with him being able to regulate his body temp, because when we go outside for any period of time, he gets REALLY hot and turns red. So the plan today was to stop by somewhere along the way and get one of those little fans that has a water bottle on it to keep him misted and cool.

So the first stop is right up the road at the gas station. Coffee for Allison, Snickers bar for me, a bag of ice to put in the cooler to keep Dawson's food and drink cold. I go up to the counter to pay and the girl says my debit card is declined. I told her that is ridiculous and to run it again. She does and the same thing and the card will not go through. I am getting ready to hand her my credit card when she notices that their satellite is off line and that's why the card won't go through. She runs the card through on one of those knuckle buster things, I sign, grab my stuff and waltz out the door. You must be wondering why I am telling you this part but trust me this is a very important part of the story....

Next stop Dollar General. I went in to see if they had a "mister" for Dawson and if they did I was going to get some cash back from my Debit card because parking at the Airport is 10.00 and we needed some cash for concessions. No luck finding a fan at Dollar General and I leave. No problem because I am going to stop in Athens ( 45 minutes away) at the Walmart, as this in on our way to Huntsville.

We get to Athens and I go into Walmart. I walk around and around and around trying to find what I am looking for. A mister fan, some sun glasses for Madison ( because now she doesn't like the ones she has on) and some fruit snacks ( because now Madison is hungry) After some time in Walmart I finally find the stuff I need and I go to the checkout. Purchases are rang up, I pull out my wallet to get my Debit card ................................. ITS GONE. Nope, no where in my wallet is anything even closely resembling a Debit card. I tell the cashier to hold on a min, grab my cell phone and place a call to Allison who stayed in the car with the kids. She answers the phone and I hear Dawson screaming in the background. I now know that I am on my own. Allison can't help me. I tell the cashier to wait a min, because I think I left my Debit card in the car. I go back to the parking lot, search the car, and no Debit card to be found. Also you must know, Allison did not bring her purse with her ( which has Her Debit card in it) So I am stuck in Athens with no cash, no Debit card, and All I really need is 10.00 for parking at the Airport and a mister for Dawson.

At this point I am devastated. I slowly start to realize that I am not going to the air show after all. I mean I have a credit card with me so buying the mister is no problem, but I need cash and I have NONE with me. I get in the car, have a small fit, and start heading back towards home.
I am upset because I spent some time this morning really getting Madison all riled up about watching the jets. I pulled up some videos on YouTube of air shows and was hollering at Madison " You want to go see those??? You want to go see the jets?? " and shes yelling " YES DADDY, YES DADDY is that where we are going? " and I am saying back to her " YES YES YES they are awesome and we are going to watch them!!!!!! "....................

So I'm feeling pretty bad, I've driven quite a ways and so far nothing good has come of it when suddenly I realize, Hey! I have a credit card in my wallet, all I need is an ATM and I can withdraw some cash using my credit card. I drive and find a grocery store, walk around the front of the store for a minute, and there it is. My saving grace. An ATM. With a grin, I pull out my credit card, give it a confident swipe, and it asks me for my pin number. :??????? What pin number?? I DON'T KNOW MY PIN NUMBER!!! are u kidding me?? Once again I have failed. I went in to get some cash ( and buy some fruit snacks at Madison's request because now shes REALLY hungry) and I am coming out empty handed yet again.

I wont give up yet, I turn the card over, spot the number to call, and call it. After all the credit card company should be able to tell me what my pin number is. The lady on the other end of the phone ( with whom I can hardly understand because her English is terrible) tells me that I can get a new pin number using my touch tone phone at home. Well guess what?? I am not at home. I am in Athens Alabama in a grocery store. All I need in the world is 10.00, a mister, a box of fruit snacks, and some new sunglasses for Madison and I can't pull it off.

It is very evident at this time that we are not going to Huntsville to see the Blue Angles. I am MAD ( at myself mostly) Dawson is crying, and Madison is acting like she could literally starve to death at any moment. So what else is a Dad to do?? I found a Burger King in Athens, got my baby girl a .99 cent hamburger ( with my credit card) and drove back home.

Yeah, this was supposed to be so simple...

I just drove 45 minutes to buy a hamburger that cost .99 cents

Jeff