We Made it to Quincy...BARELY

Dexter and My Bologna did great on the drive to Quincy and despite driving through a terrifying Midwest storm we still made great time, pulling off the highway at just over five hours from our departure time from Chicago.  However, as soon as we slowed down the car started jerking violently.  Luckily, our motel was just a few blocks from the off ramp and were able to get ourselves there safely. After checking in, we checked the internet for local mechanics - most were closed on Saturday but we did find a Meineke that was open and able to check out the car for us. The rest of the day went like this:

2pm - We call Great Grandma and Great Gunker Lansing to let them know that we made it but that we had car trouble. Gunker offered to come pick us up but we told him that we'd call back when we know more about the car.

2:05pm - Ben drives the car to Meineke while I stay in the Super 8 with Dexter and My Bologna (Dexter was already asking when we were going to his Great Grandparents' house so he could see his family).

2:55pm - Ben called to say that the Meineke guy would be dropping him back off at the motel and that they could do the repair and be finished by 5pm (at a cost of about $300).

3:15pm - Ben returns to the motel and we call Gunker.  We decide that it wouldn't make sense for Gunker to drive a half hour to pick us up and then a half hour to drive us out to the farm only to have to turn around and drive Ben back to Meineke.  Gunker thinks that all of the family will still be there around 6pm so we decide to wait on the car and then drive over.

5:15pm - Ben calls Meineke to check on the car and speaks to a frazzled mechanic who explains that they are backed up and it would be around 6pm when they finish with it.  We tell Dexter that it will only be a little bit longer and now he would get to have a special evening birthday celebration for his cousin Aaron.

5:40pm - Ben and Dexter walk to the nearby Wendy's to pick up chicken nuggets for dinner.  As they are walking back, they run into Aunt Barb and Uncle Jim (from the Wolf side of the family). Barb shouts, "Hey Ben, don't you have anything better to do than wander around Quincy?" :)

6:50pm - Meineke calls to let us know that once they got into the car, they learned that the real problem was a broken coil and that it would cost $900 to fix and they weren't sure if they had the part. They said they would check and call us back.  At this point, I was sure we'd be stuck in that Quincy Super 8 through Monday waiting for the car to be fixed.

7:10pm - Meineke calls to say that they fixed the car and that they would pick up Ben in about 10 minutes. I explain to Dexter (who is now a little nuts from being cooped up in a car and motel for most of the day) that I didn't think we'd make it out to Great Grandma and Great Gunker's farm today but that we would see them tomorrow. The tears start rolling.

7:30pm - Ben gets back to the motel and calls the Great Grandparents to see if there is any way we could visit with them the next day (we had a lunch scheduled with Ben's Mom's side of the family but had the morning completely free).  Unfortunately, the Great Grandparents had church plans the next day and wouldn't be able to meet with us. When Ben told me this after getting off the phone with them, I told him to call them back and let them know that we're coming out now.  There was no way that Dexter wasn't going to see his Great Grandparents this trip!

8:00pm - We make it to the farm and Dexter gets to visit with his Grandparents and Great Grandparents.  He was beyond overtired but luckily it was a goofy overtired not a difficult overtired. Unfortunately, the rest of the family had already left. I was so sad that we had missed everyone, especially the great aunts and uncles and second cousins that had come in from Florida.

9:30pm - We drive back to the motel, following Gunker's big red truck and looking at the moon and stars, and using the opportunity to teach Dexter about the relationship between size and space (when we're close to Gunker's big red truck it appears big but when we're far away, it appears smaller). Dexter falls asleep in the car for the last mile of the ride. We tried to carry him into the motel but he insisted on walking (he looked like a stumbling drunk).

10:10pm - Dexter was asleep in his clothes in the motel bed.

2:51pm - Ben and I wake to a horrific thud sound.  Dexter had fallen out of the bed and was on his back on the floor crying.  After determining that he did not hit his head on the bedside table on the way down (my big fear), we were soothing him back to sleep and he kept saying, "The door was open but I only wanted to stick my head out the window!"  I built a cushion around his bed using the bedspreads, blankets, and extra pillows. I did not fall back asleep after that.  Dexter and Daddy did. Dexter had no recollection of any of it in the morning.