A 6 hour tour

Today Alex, Margaret and I left on our road trip to Waco Texas to go see a show (The Queers...it's punk rock). We left Mobile around 11 (about an hour before schedule) and headed out on I 10. We were making really good time because...well Roxy (as we named my car today) doesn't like to go slow. Lunch was had at Subway in some part of Louisiana near Baton Rouge; we played the license plate game (and are 2 shy of half the states); listened to some music and were having a great time. Then when we FINALLY made it out of Louisiana, which we never thought we were going to do we made a little pit stop at the Texas Welcome Center for potty breaks, caffeine and a map. This particular welcome center has a little walkway out back over a wetland and we walked out there taking pictures, having fun. Took some pictures in the Texas state cut out thing outside and then made the comment we were making really good time as I reached in my purse for the keys. Then the words, "If I have my keys" come out of my mouth.

Now Alex and Margaret, knowing this little joke has been played in a different version at our end of the year party thought I was joking until I looked up with, according to Margaret, your little blue eyes getting huge. I was.not.joking! We searched every where for my keys. Through every trash can, under every bush/pamphlet holder/vending machine. I even went back to the bathroom to make sure they didn't some how in the process of using the bathroom get hung on my underwear or something and I was just not very observant. I had a run in with a police man who would not let me out to search on the walkway again because Alex was out there but we'll get to him later. We searched and searched for a long time...called our mother's in the process of course and then AAA.

AAA said they were on it and I could get a key made for my car and they'd call back with-in 5-10 minutes....30 minutes later, no call. So I call back, and they of course have no record of my previous call. So again I gave them all the info and they were "on it" for the 2nd time. In the meantime previously mentioned police man comes over and chats and is very nice and seems like he will be good to have around while we wait for AAA to be roadside assistance-y. I also started calling local locksmiths from the phone book page Alex so ingeniously had them copy before the welcome centered closed.

One guy took only cash, which we did not have enough of. Another was out on a call and the guy AAA finally found was 400. No thank you, so I gave them the numbers of the people I had called and they got in touch with them. Guy that was on a call, said it would be 50 (AAA covers the first 60) and he'd be there in 30 minutes. Well...then he calls and says it'll be 160 because of the type of car I have, but at this point I did not care it was I think 7:30 by now and we had been there since 5ish. He came, took my trunk lock, and left to go make the key.

Since we could get in the car now, with the alarm going off, we got our stuff and sat on the sidewalk talking to the police man who was watching out for us cause he was great, studying and calling respective parents. Locksmith comes back, oh and I forgot...he's in pajama pants...tries the key...it unlocks the car without making the alarm go off but he can't program it. SOooo he leaves to make a new key and says he'll be right back. AAA then calls me about 20 minutes later saying the PJ locksmith isn't coming back tonight he can't make the key and he'll do it in the morning...it's now probably 8:45-9ish. I say a few select words to Alex while the AAA lady is on the phone...kinda like he says he's not efiing coming back what the F*** are we gonna do? Well I pretty much hang up on AAA lady and say I'll call her back when she was telling me they could tow the car somewhere.

PJ man comes back because he left some of his things in my car and says he can do it in the morning if the Honda place is open and it'll be the 160 for today, but being the nice guy he is, he won't charge me for tonight and he leaves. We spend the next minutes debating on whether to call the cash locksmith, get the tow or what. There are no Cabs in Orange Texas, there is a rental place but it wasn't open, my spare key is in Mobile, it's getting darker by the minute and my phone is dying. So Officer amazing tells us he can get a cop to come and take us to a hotel in Orange TX. He also calls and gets the number for the Honda place from the police station (of course they're not open for anything but sales on Saturday) and he's just in general the nicest guy we could have ever asked for at this moment in time.

Since the Honda place will not be open to get my car fixed, and there are no Cabs to take us to the rental place or wherever the next day from the hotel we were a little perplexed as to what to do. We were going to get a rental and have mom and dad overnight the key to us in Waco...but then do overnight people deliver on Sunday and will the key actually get there. So through all this lovely debate and thoughts of hold effing **** how did I lose my keys and what are we going to do Mom informs me they're just driving the key out. This was around 10:30. So...my parents get out of bed and head to my house to get the spare key. AND they have to climb in the window at my house because the only key I have is now with my car key and who knows where that is.

Back at the welcome center, I get Matt to look up the number for a hotel in Orange to make sure they have rooms and in the process Officer Amazing informs us that they have...WIRELESS!!! So I get the old lappy out and am connected on the side of the road in Orange Texas at 10:30 at night. We find a hotel and reserve two rooms (since my parents will be here in oh...5ish hours). Then a very cute police man comes to take us to our hotel. Alex in the front and Marg and I in the back of the cop car. So now, it's 2:05 in the morning we're at the Quality Inn in Orange Texas and my parents are probably somewhere past New Orleans (after climbing in and out the window of my house to get my key) and my car is at the Welcome Center...Exit 880 about 2 seconds into Texas.

Sooo...moral of the story for today. Don't either drop your keys in the wetlands or have them picked up by a kid when you put them down for a picture at the Welcome Center in Texas. Never, ever listen to a locksmith in pajama pants when he tells you that he can make a key that will start your car. AAA is not all that helpful nor do they really care that we never had our problem solved and could be dead at Exit 880 and floating in the wetlands officer Amazing, Cute Police man, and people at the Quality Inn are our new best friends; my parents are amazing; and road trips are always full of surprises.

Through out this Margaret fell off the railing (very funny), we took a lot of good pictures which you should go see in my web albums (click on the link on the left) or see them on facebook, and we can all still laugh about it...not counting my parents who aren't here yet. I'm sure I left lots of stuff out even though this post is extremely long, but it's 2:10 and I need to go shower to get the 6ish hour layer of grime/Off/sweat off of me. Alex and Marg can fill in forgotten bits in the comments...go look at the pictures...and Good night (until my parents get here, what a day)!