Roadtrip turned Nightmare...

 

The bags were packed, the car was loaded, and we were all happily headed to Raleigh for a July 4th Cookout with our family!  Little did we know, this would be the roadtrip from hell, and that our smiles would soon vanish!
We stopped about 30 minutes out in Petersburg for gas, and when Derik got back into the car, he said "the AC feels like it is warmer than it was before." I told him that I thought he was crazy and that it was just fine!  It only took 30 more minutes for me to eat my own words!  When the AC started blowing hot air, we knew we were in trouble, but didnt realize that this was the beginning of a LONG series of events that would be extremely stressful!
As a mom, I am always worried about my kids.  I was more stressed about the kids than I was about the AC in the car!  We tried to push through the heat and make it to Raleigh, but Derik felt dizzy, and almost passed out.  So, we ventured to the closest Advanced Auto Parts to get freon.  We thought it would be a simple fix and that the $40 worth of freon
would be worth every penny!  Then we saw the freon under the car.  That was not a good sign.  We didnt bring a stroller, because we didnt think we needed one! 
So, to paint a little picture... I was sitting in a chair at the door of Advanced Auto Parts with a 6 month old (who is VERY unhappy because he was awaken from a nap, and is now getting hungry) and a shoeless 2 year old who has decided that the store is her own personal playroom!  She is running up and down aisles, bringing me whatever she thinks is interesting from various shelves!  Derik is outside in the 105 degree heat with 3 other people trying to figure out the problem.  We decide it needs to be looked at by a pro, so we go 50 yards down the road to Firestone.  After unloading, changing a poopy diaper in their customer area, and waiting for 10 mins... they informed us that it would take about 4 hours to get it fixed IF they can find the part.  They told us to call Honda, so we did.  Honda closed at 1, and it is now 12:30.  The only local rental car facility closed at noon, and we are and hour and half away from any family! 
I lost it, and began crying to the guy on the phone at Honda.  I told him that every door was being shut in my face, and with 2 young kids... I didnt know what to do next!
He offered to look at it for us since we had kids.  We were there in less than 5 minutes.  He put the car on the lift, and we waited.  The news was bad... AC compressor is split, and needs to be replaced.  However, they didnt charge us anything, and we now knew what the problem was!
We went to the McDonalds which was right around the corner (and packed by now!!) and waited for my sister and her boyfriend.  They arrived not too long after we did, and we loaded the kids into the car with AC, and I squeezed into the backseat between their car seats!  Brady ate a bottle, and Abbie nibbled on chicken nuggets, and then there was finally some silence!  Derik drove my car with NO AC in the heat the rest of the way to Raleigh.  He arrived about 15 mins after we did, and we unloaded everything.  We were finally there, and they day could only get better... right????
NOT!  Brady took a nap, but Abbie did not.  I thought it would be ok though since she was in the pool!  The sun and water would make her tired at bed time!  I was right, she hoped right into bed, but she thought it was nap time!  She woke up a couple hours later and was ready to go!  When she woke up... Brady woke up, and it was all down hill from there!  Brady didn't sleep very much the rest of the night.  In fact, he spent most of it screaming in pain from the terrible gas that he developed somehow. 
After a LONG night of no sleep, we packed up... and headed to the airport (RDU) which is the only place that has rental cars 24/7!  Another hitch, we do not have ANY Credit Cards.  We have bank cards, but no credit cards.  In order to rent a car from an airport, you MUST have a CREDIT card!  Fortunately, my dad was there, and he helped us there.  We switched everything from the ACless car into the AWESOME rental!  We really don't want to give it back... but we will just buy one eventually!!  It is a 2012 Ford Explorer Limited and the AC works great!  My dad drove my car to my cousin's husband's workshop!  He is replacing the compressor for us at only the cost of the part.  HUGE BLESSING.  Derik will be driving our rental back to RDU tomorrow and picking up our car to bring back home.  This trip has changed our minds about going to the beach on vacation in a few weeks!  Vacation with young kids really feels more like WORK!  We did have fun with the family, but we are glad to be back home.  Abbie regressed with her potty training from this trip as well, which SUCKS... but what do you do?!?!  Brady developed pink eye at some point, and Abbie has a sinus infection... so we spent the morning at the pediatrician, but I guess things could be worse! 
It is funny how tired vacation can make you!!!

 - Jessica