We were all set this time.  I had an awesome condo booked for us, I had Joshua enrolled in a snowboarding class, and I did it all for FREE.  Yep.  All we had to do was listen to a time share spill while there.  No problem.  We’re way too thrifty to fall for that.  They’ll never get us.  Right???

Not too shabby, right??  Did you see me?  I’m the red blob in the bed on the left.

All was well until about 6 pm on Friday night (our very first night there).  I ate too much pizza at the on-site pizza place. By bedtime, it was becoming clear that this was NOT going to be a fun vacation for the mama.

I caught the DADDY of all stomach flus.  I didn’t actually feel normal again until today……a solid 5 days later.  It felt like being in labor for the first 24 hours of it.

Saturday morning Alan took pity on me and decided to call it quits and abandon condo.

Alan:  I’ve got everything cleared from the room and ready to go. Should we get Joshua from snowboard school early?

April:  No!  Don’t do that!  He was so excited.  I can wait 2 more hours.

Alan:  Well, the time-share tour is at 12.  We might as well go, rather than just sitting in our car.

April:  or…..but…..I don’t know…..

…..I’ll spare you the agonizing details.  Five hours later, we drove out of Massanutten, the proud new owners of a Massanutten time share.

Right.  They won.

I do have a little bit of good news.  By Tuesday, the buyer’s remorse had hit us full on.  What were we thinking?  I wasn’t really thinking.  I would’ve signed any number of documents to get those people to stop talking and let me leave.

There’s a 7 day clause.  Alan drafted the letter last night and mailed it today.  We should be out of this by the end of the week and back to living debt-free.

Meanwhile, life at home is beating me over the head with a stick.  John David and Daniel have developed a cold.  The worst part is that JD doesn’t sleep when he’s sick.  I was up with him three times last night, and I doubt tonight will be much better.

He isn’t really napping either.  There were moments today when he was quiet, and I thought, “Oh, good,” but then I’d look at the monitor, and he’d be rolling around in his crib.  This is a new and unwelcome development.

I pretty much spent the last couple of days going from helping JD to helping Dan to feeding everyone.  There are still-packed suitcases everywhere.  If any prospective renters ask to come take a tour, I might just throw in the towel and flee the country.

*****LESSONS LEARNED*****

1.  If you want a time share, you can buy one for exactly $1 on ebay.  Just know that all time shares come with maintenance fees of several hundred dollars a year, even if the time share itself is paid off.  People sometimes inherit them, don’t want to pay the maintenance fees, and so they practically give them away.

2.  Life is hard……but we already knew that.

3.  Never think you can take a time share tour and not get sucked in.  Those people are good at what they do.

4.  Joshua loves snow boarding.  At least there was that one good thing that happened.

***********

  At least I am finally on the mend, and we should be free of the time share soon.

  I always prefer that my writing be upbeat and encouraging, sometimes even funny, but this has just been one of THOSE weeks.  It’s like life has given me some lemons, then given me some sores, then squeezed the lemon juice into the sores.

  I really have nothing at all nice to say about this week of crying babies, stomach flu, and bad decisions, so let’s look back at a few cute pictures from pre-vacation disaster.  Maybe that will put you and me both in a better mood!

A couple of weeks ago, Alan bought an out-of-season watermelon, and you would have thought he’d brought home the world’s largest chocolate bar.  Everyone was SO excited.  Everyone had to take a turn cutting the thing, and it was the cheapest little party I’ve ever thrown!!

Side note:  It was seedless, as most watermelons that I find these day are.  What happened to the seeds?  Is this genetic engineering?  God made them with seeds, right?  That wasn’t good enough though, eh?  Who wants to pick through seeds?  No more seed spittin’ contests around here.

*********

Oh, and about our would-be vacation….bleh…..there was one quote that I can remember that brought a smile to my face.

Caleb:  (looking out the van window) Look!  Graveyard again!  Or dying holes.

Joshua:  *giggled* Yeah, you call ’em dying holes, but it is a graveyard.  Always go with your first instinct, Caleb.

After the week I’ve had, I suppose I should just be thankful to not need a dying hole just yet myself!!!

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