Back on Track

I went on line and booked all their motel rooms.

I Gooogle-mapped their directions for each day, typed them with sized 18 font and printed them out.

I cooked pasta salad, gathered snacks, discussed daily meals.

I gathered their forgotten items and made sure they left with them.


They got lost anyway.

Each day of their trip, so far, I've had to guide them into their destination via cell phone and Google. Yesterday was the absolute worst since they didn't even BOTHER consulting the directions I gave them but simply headed west. Grandpa even let his wife consult the map, declare she had it all figured out and proceeded to take a 5.5 hour detour. They called me and said they must be near Memphis because they were seeing signs to get on I-40. I searched and searched for the streets they were mentioning but couldn't find them.

Of course I couldn't find them! How could I find them when they were not in Memphis, but still an hour away in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Jackson????

Dad, did you look at the directions I printed out for you as you were looking at the map?

Oh, no. Sorry. I didn't do that.

Himself had to hold me down to keep me from pulling my hair out. Dad snapped at me at one point; I snapped right back and told him his anger was misdirected and unacceptable.

He went back to "Ok, Sweetie-Pie" after that.

I'm not the one who strayed from the path.

I'm not the one who was headed for Nashville instead of Memphis.

I am the one who finally got them to their hotel at 11:30 p.m. while fighting a rare migraine.

Thank you, Sweetie-Pie. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Dad, be glad you're in Memphis and not here.

I need to get back to homeschooling so I can get some rest.