The last day of summer vacation!

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This is it, guys! The last day of another amazing summer vacation.

I am going to head out for a little tax free shopping.  Mostly, since I learned that my furniture that was supposed to arrive on Saturday, July 30 isn't going to arrive until Saturday, August 6.

That's right, another week of sleeping on the air mattress.  LOL!

It's really not that bad and so far this delay is the only bad thing that has happened with this move, so all in all, I'm really pretty happy and know that I shouldn't complain.

7-30-16

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7-29-16

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Summer vacation Day 64

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It's official......MEMPHIS LOVES ME!

I won a door prize today!  ME!  I won!

If you'll remember, the last thing I won was a cookbook and we all know I have no use for that!  Today's prize was awesome though!  I won a super cool insulated Shelby County Schools lunch bag that contained a box of jelly beans labeled, "Proud Member of a Sweet Team" and a one year subscription to The Playhouse on the Square!  I get 8 free tickets for the season!

Now, let me back up and tell you how my day went and how I won....

I went to an all day orientation that was actually very interesting.  We were about an hour into things and the Superintendent of schools was speaking.  My watch starts vibrating so I look at it and see the school phone number.  Luckily, everything was on vibrate so no one heard anything.  I showed my watch to the girl sitting next to me and said, "The school is calling me!" 

I didn't answer the call.  I just couldn't be "THAT TEACHER!".  Below is a screen capture of the text message exchange that took place between my principal and myself after the call....

I really was afraid to walk out and call her while the Superintendent was talking!  Again, I just didn't want to be "THAT TEACHER!"

Then when I saw that she was calling to find out what time lunch was, I was really glad that I didn't do the embarrassing walk down the aisle to the hallway while the Superintendent was talking.  LOL!

We get to lunch and it was awesome!  It was served buffet style, but they had placed dessert on the tables.  Each table had an even mixture of apple and chocolate pie.  I sat at a table where we all took the chocolate pies and moved the apple ones to the other side of the table.  LOL!

My principal arrived and decided that she wanted chocolate too.  So, she takes a plate with apple pie on it and trades it for a chocolate one at another table.  I love this lady already!  Then, she did it again for another girl that also wanted chocolate.  It was funny!

As we were eating, they asked us to pull out the lunch tickets we were given because they had some door prizes to give away.  Three different people won $100 gift cards that were donated by one of the insurance companies.  My ticket number was no where near any of the winning numbers, but a couple of people sitting at my table said they were off by a number or two.

Then Costo donated some nice big book bags and $50 Costo gift certificates.  Again, My number was no where near the winning numbers and a couple people near me missed the prize by one or two digits.

Then, the people from The Playhouse came up with three one year subscriptions worth $180 each inside the lunch bag with the jelly beans.  Everyone at my table commented about how this would be an awesome prize to get!

The first ticket was called.....and of course, my ticket number wasn't even in the same ballpark!

At this point, I kind of checked out and became "THAT TEACHER!"  I was talking.....

"I'm probably better off having a ticket number that's no where near the winning numbers.  You guys are so close that you get your hopes up and then you're let down.  I don't get let down, because I never.....WOOHOO!  THAT'S ME!"  

Yes, I was mid sentence explaining how I never win anything when I suddenly screamed and threw my arms up in the air. 

Everyone laughed and it was decided that I was the most excited winner!

I stopped and picked up a couple lottery tickets on my way home in hopes that Memphis has a little more love to share with me!  LOL!

Summer Vacation Day 63

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Two things about today.....

1. It's weird getting used to a new time zone.  It's like a novelty when you're on vacation, but it's just a pain when it's your new life.  My 8 o'clock shows should not be coming on at 7!  It's just wrong!

2. I ran my first stop light in Memphis today.  I think  I'm officially home, now!  LOL!

Summer Vacation Day 62

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We made it to Memphis!  We did it in normal time and there were no tears today.

Well, there were no tears until after we got here and I started reading all your comments and emails.  You guys are the best!

Here are some photos I stopped to take before we got out of Florida.  OCG was confused and said, "Ginger, no one is abandoning you!"  I pointed out that I felt like I was the one abandoning people. started crying and once again went into the keep going or turn around debate.  He just got quiet and let me take pictures.  LOL!

Summer Vacation Day 61

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***Come back tomorrow for the "you" version of this word art!*** 

OK, guys this is going to be a long post and the wifi here is sketchy so I hope I can get everything posted that I want to tell you.

I've been keeping a secret from you.  That's right.  ME!  The one you thought told you every boring detail about her life has been keeping a secret.

Before I go any further, let me tell you this.   So far, as I've discussed and/or revealed my secret the first question I get is, "What about Orange Croc Guy?"  Seriously,  I'm starting to think that you guys love him more than you love me.

So, let's get this straight right now.....OCG is a grown ass man and he is going to be just fine.  He plays a huge roll in my secret and the story I need to tell you now, but this is ALL ABOUT ME. Don't ask about him!  If he wants to make it about him.....he can get his own blog!  LOL!

Here's my secret.....

I.....we.....am.....are.....moving to Memphis. 

Moving to Memphis.....as in, right now.  We're half way there.  We would have been all the way there, but that's where the story part of my secret comes into play.

This really is a long story!  I should start by telling you that I've only kept it a secret because I wasn't sure I was going.  I've moved plenty of times in my life and with each of those moves I knew it was the right thing to do.  I had no doubts or hesitation.

This move feels different.  It's almost like I'm leaving something unfinished, but I don't know what that something is so I can't finish it and I don't know if I should move forward or stay and try face this unknown thing that is causing my doubts.

You remember last year when I was looking to make a change?  Part of that search lead me to Memphis and a teacher recruiting fair and some job interviews.  It's no secret that I love Tennessee, right?  Well, I didn't want my vacation place to become my work place so I decided to stay away from East Tennessee.  One of my friends, told me to, "Come to Memphis!  With your experience in Miami, they will hire you on the spot!"

So, we came to Memphis.  We spent several weeks here.  Mostly we had fun and did touristy things and it was great.  But, I also went to a teacher recruitment fair.  I talked to lots of principals.  Some of them I liked.  Some of them I didn't.  Some of them liked me and some of them didn't.  There were a couple who LOVED me!

I talked to teachers from one school that pulled me to the side and interviewed me for 30 minutes.  They asked me to tell them about the student that had most changed me as a teacher.  I told them about Sebastian.  They said I HAD to talk to their principal!  She wasn't there, but they were going to tell her that I was their number one choice.  I thanked them and said I looked forward to hearing from them.

I then noticed a school that I hadn't spoken to yet because they had been swamped with teachers all day had an empty table, so I walked over handed them my resume and made a few jokes before walking away and calling it a day.

You see, I figured this must be a pretty good school because EVERYONE wanted to talk to them.  But, I decided to play the odds and instead of wasting my time waiting to talk to one school I handed out my resume to ALL the schools.  Then when everyone else was running around trying to pass out a few more resumes, I was free to make the last and most important impression on the "popular" school.

My plan worked to, because before I even make it out to the parking lot they called and asked me to come in the next day for an interview.

I met up with OCG for drinks and as we were sitting in one of the many bars we visited on Beale Street, my phone started going crazy!  I'm not kidding!  It was almost scary!  I checked it and I was getting email notifications thanking me for applying for positions that I wasn't applying for because I was sitting in a bar getting my drink on.

I asked OCG if I was really drunk and if I had applied without even realizing it.  He answered that yes, I was really drunk but that he really didn't think I had been applying for teaching jobs from the bar.

I check voicemail and have a message from the principal at the first school saying her teachers really wanted her to hire me and for me to please go into the system and apply for the open position at her school.  Well, apparently I wasn't moving fast enough for this lady because she somehow went into the system and applied for me over and over and over and....

And then, I was getting messages from the HR department asking me to please go online and accept the job that I never actually applied for.

I ignored the principals calls for the next few days, then finally called and left a message with her sectary saying that I had decided to take another position.

In the meantime, I go to the "popular"  and interview with a group of teachers.  It went really well and I was invited back to meet with the principal.  I get there and it's the VP because the principal was tied up somewhere else.  This was a nice guy, but he liked to talk.  He went on and on and on about each individual teacher and what their talents were and what they do for the school and then he looked at me and said, "So, what can you contribute?"

Without skipping a beat, I said, "I'll bring the chocolate!"

The guy didn't find me funny at all!  He went through his speech again and then asked me the very same question again.  Again, I told him I would bring the chocolate and then I added in something that was more educationally appropriate.  I don't remember exactly what I said, but I'm sure it was awesome!

This time, I got a little stare and an abbreviated version of his speech before he once again asked me the very same question for the third time.  I realize that this guy just doesn't like what I'm saying, but I've got nothing else for him so I decided to sabotage the rest of the interview.  Seriously!  I ended the interview.  I thanked him for his time and then I got up and walked out.

Believe it or not, I spent the next couple of days avoiding his phone calls.  LOL!  He finally left a message asking me to please come in on a certain day at a certain time.  I didn't want to go!  I didn't want to be asked that very same question for the fourth time.  I obviously didn't know the answer!  

I ended up calling him on the morning that he had asked me to come in to say that I wasn't going to be able to make it.  I was hoping that he would just write me off, but instead he rescheduled.  For some weird reason, I agreed to the new date.  

Then I called him that morning and said that I had decided to take another job.  He was a little pissed!  He said that he found that very interesting and that he had been planning to offer me a position.  I assured him that he would find another teacher and that she would be great.  He hung up.  I had been blowing him off and wasted his time and had a right to be angry.

The following week we flew home.  I got off the plane in Miami and drove to another interview after stopping in the restroom long enough to change clothes.  I got to this school and unlike all the other places I had been, this one felt like home.  I don't remember any of the questions I was asked, but I remember that we all laughed and that they appreciated the fat that I said I would bring chocolate.

This became my new school.  My new home. 

I warned you guys this was a long story!

Now, lets fast forward to sometime in May.  I got a random phone call from another principal in Memphis asking if I would be interested in doing a FaceTime interview.  I wasn't doing anything else, so I said sure.  I mean, why not?  I really didn't expect it to go anywhere and I didn't think any one would ever know.

Apparently, this lady called my Florida principal the second we finished our phone call and ratted me out.  OK, so she really just asked for a reference.  I have no idea this has happened and walk into my principals office to ask her some stupid question and she asked me to sit down.  She said she wanted to talk to me about something.  I grab a seat and notice that she has a paper in her hand that looks like the Memphis school's webpage.  I just knew that I must be mistaken though because she knows nothing about that interview.

She sits back in her seat and tells me that she is thinking about changing schools and asks me what I know about this certain school in Memphis.  I just sat there and stared at her until she cracked up laughing.  She promised that she wasn't mad at me.

I few days after that I get another message from Memphis.  It's the VP I blew off last summer.  He got promoted and is now principal of his own school.  His message identified who he was and what the name of his school was and that he was formally from the other place.  He asked me to call him if I were interested in interviewing.  It was pretty evident that he remembered me and knew exactly who he was calling.  I remember telling OCG, "He knows it's me and he knows that I know that he knows it's me!"  I decided to blow him off again and never called back.  LOL!

 After school ended we decided to spend some of our vacation time there again.  Remember when I went at the beginning of summer?  Well, it really was for a vacation.  I just happened to pack a couple copies of my resume in case someone else called for an interview while I was there.  

I got a call.  I went on an interview for a PreK class.  Now there was a time in my career, when I would have chosen death over PreK! If my friend, Sondra, is reading this she can testify to that!  Now, PreK sounds like heaven and I"m not certified to teach it in Florida.

After the interview, I met up with OCG and we headed out to the Memphis Zoo.  I pulled my phone out while we were eating lunch and I had two emails.  The first one was from the school secretary asked me to please call the principal at the school I had just interviewed with.  The second email was from the principal.  She sent her cell phone number and asked me to call as soon as I could.  There were also two voice mails.  The first was from the school secretary asking me to call the school.  The second was from the principal.  She once again left her cell phone number and said that I was absolutely  the only person they wanted for this position and to please let them know if I'm interested.
I called back and accepted.

I'm not sure why I accepted.  I don't know what it was that made me say yes.  At that moment though, "yes" just seemed like the right answer.

I got back home and started second guessing myself.  I mean I've got a pretty good thing going on in Florida!  I've conned my principal into thinking that I am a good teacher AND a good person!  Why would I want to mess with that?  I told myself, that I hadn't actually signed any paperwork so I could still change my mind if I wanted to.

A week after we return from Memphis, I go to Orlando for the math workshop with my principal, assistant principal and 6 other teachers from school.  None of them know that I have been offered this specific job or that I'm struggling with my decision. 

We did talk about Memphis in general and they asked me what I wanted.  I told them that I was just waiting for some sign letting me know one way or the other that I was making the right decision.  They all offered to make me a damn sign and asked what I wanted it to say.  LOL!  I explained that the sign had to be something that just happened naturally and if I saw one I would know.  

The day, I was standing in the hallway during one of the workshop session breaks and who do I see?  The principal from Memphis that offered me the PreK job.  I was so shocked that I wasn't really sure if it was her or not.  I said hello and she responded also giving me that look you give to someone when you know that you know them, but you aren't exactly sure it's really them.

That, my friends, WAS A SIGN!

I got back to my workshop session and I just couldn't pay attention.  I pulled out my phone and sent her a text.  She answered...

And so we both walked out of our individual sessions and met up in the hallway.  I had no idea she was going to be there and she wasn't expecting to see me either.  She said that she couldn't wait to meet my principal and I might have panicked!  I told her that I planned on keeping the two of them far, far away from each other.

Unless, the two of them also had a secret meeting in the hallway while everyone else was in session.  I managed to keep them separate.  LOL!

A few weeks ago, I emailed my principal and assistant principal and told them I was still struggling with what to do.  They responded that they loved me, and didn't want to lose me but that ultimately, I needed to follow my heart.

That was such a wonderfully amazing thing for them to say!  It was also completely useless!  My heart is stupid and it makes bad choices all the time!  I mean, I'm not on a Taylor Swift level or anything, but there are some boyfriends from my younger days that are like, "UUUMMMM....What was I thinking?"  (Again, I think my old friend Sondra can verify that.)

And....my heart is also the reason why I got stuck with the stupid junky Jeep!  By the way, I still haven't heard from anyone at the dealership or the corporate office!  We'll get into more of that story later though!

OCG finally asked me one day to tell him where I wanted to go without thinking, just say it.  I said Tennessee without hesitation.  My heart was happy.   I got on the phone and rented a place we had looked at while on vacation and called to get all the utilities turned on. 

My heart stayed happy right up until the movers came on Saturday.  I couldn't believe how emotional I got!  I sent one of my friends a text saying that I love my little home and the view and my weird coffin shaped bedroom ceiling and that when I get renters in there, they better love this place as much as I do.....and they better pay their rent on time too.  LOL!

My furniture isn't scheduled to arrive in Memphis until the the 30th, but there's no furniture here either so OCG and I got up early Sunday and headed toward Memphis.  The plan was to make sure everything was connected and working in the new place, then actually sleep in a hotel while taking advantage of the last week of summer vacation with some more tourtisty things around town.

We're traveling in two cars because I need mine and I don't actually trust it to do what it's supposed to do and we've also got some of the stuff with us that we didn't actually want the mover to take.  Right now we're in a hotel in Alabama.  It took us 14 hours to get here.  Seriously!  That entire trip should have taken that long, but I have been an emotional wreck.

My biggest regret right now is that we didn't record everything today!  I'm telling you, this stuff would be reality TV gold!

First of all, I have pretty much cried for the entire length and width of the state of Florida.  We also stopped at every rest area.  EVERY SINGLE ONE of them.  We had to stop because I was crying and trying to decide if we should keep going or turn around and go back.  At one point OCG actually said,  "Ginger, you have got to quit acting like this.  People are going to think I'm trying to kidnap you or something!"

At every single rest area I debated if I should keep going or turn around and beg for my job back.  Then we got to one rest area that was closed for some reason.  The rest area going in the other direction was open and I thought that was a sign that I needed to turn around.

Then there were the preset radio buttons in my stupid junky car.  They aren't preset anymore!  I'm pretty sure I was aware of this, but since this stupid car has bigger problems it just hadn't registered.  This realization required a phone call to OCG saying that I was pretty sure the Jeep people did this on purpose and my whole life was messed up because the presets were gone.

There were other phone calls too...

ME:  Where did we meet?
OCG:  You know where we met
ME: Yea, but do you know
OCG:  Publix
ME:  They don't have Publix in Tennesse...
OCG:  They have other grocery stores
ME: WE didn't meet in those stores!

We stopped for gas a couple of time too and that those stops were just as interesting as everything else.  I had gotten out of my car and was leaning against OCG's back when this older man wearing overalls with no shirt decided to see if I was crying for some actual reason  (You have to read his part of the conversation in your best Flori-duh panhandle accent.

Guy:  You people doing ok.
OCG:  Yea, she's just emotional about the move.
Guy: OK, where y'all moving to?
OCG:  Memphis
Guy: OK, y'all probably goin to
  get mugged there

I stood up straight and stopped crying long enough to sound really street tough

Me:  Dude we're from Miami!
Guy:  OK, y'all problee goin to be too busy doin the muggins to get mugged

I went back to my car cause this guy wasn't helping!. 

Then something strange happened.  After we left Florida, my tears dried up and I was OK.  It was just the act of leaving that scared me.  This move felt incomplete because my Florida story isn't over.  It's changing, but it is not ending.

I was born there.  The love of my life is buried there.  I met OCG there.  I still own a home there.  Some of the best people I know live there.  The cute fajita guy....well, I think he's there.....he quit a long time ago and that's why I no longer eat fajitas.

I"ll save that story for another day, too.

7-24-16

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7-23-16

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7-22-16

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7-21-16

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Summer Vacation Day 56

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So.....I have my car back and I'm not even a little bit happy!

I got a message that I could turn the rental in and pick up my car so I headed on over.  The guy at the Hertz place wasn't in as big of a hurry to get me out this time.  I took advantage of the time I was in his office to ask him about the oil change sticker saying the oil hadn't been changed in a LOOOONG time.  He assured me that the sticker was wrong.  Of course, I have a hard time believing anything these people say!

I got the slip saying that I had turned in the loaner and headed over to the other side of the lot to get my car.  I took a short cut through the sales room.  As soon as I walked in I had a salesman jump up and ask how I was doing.  I told him that I would let him know in a few minutes as I continued to walk.  He laughed and told me to let him know if I needed back up.  Before I made my way across the sales floor and out the door on the other side  I had one other guy ask me the same question.  He got the same answer that the first guy got, but he didn't offer to back me up.  Instead, he opened the door and showed me the way out.  LOL!

I go to find my so called "service rep".  She's in her little tool booth looking office with the doors on both sides closed and her back to me as she's on the phone.  I used the fingernail on my pointer finger to tap on the glass just to let her know that I was there.  I didn't pound or bang on the glass, I tapped with my fingernail!  I swear that's all I did!

This "service rep"  turned around rolled her eyes at me and then turned her back on me again.  Loud enough for her to hear me through the glass I said, "OMG!  Could you be a little more rude?"  At this point, she turned around again, held up her finger and mouthed the words, "Just one minute."

You stupid, crazy woman, that's what you should have done in the first place instead of rolling your eyes at me!

I took off in hopes of finding someone who would be willing to help me.  Of course, I had no luck!  Everyone just kept sending me that to little miss eye roller.

She eventually got off the phone, and printed out the paperwork she needed me to sign then walked me over to the cashier.  She then ignored me and busied herself with some fake copy jam on the printer while the cashier handed me the paper work and asked me to sign.

I asked where the paperwork was for the new warranty on the engine.  The cashier turned to look at little miss rolly eyes who never took her eyes off the copy machine as she answered, "We rebuilt your engine so it's the same warranty."

When I reminded her of our phone conversation, she continued to busy herself with the all important copy machine and replied, "We ordered parts to rebuild the engine. Since there was less than 70% damage done to the engine itself we rebuilt it instead of replacing it."

I pointed out that no one had bothered to call me and point out this new development.  The cashier continued to look at the rude eye roller and the rude eye roller continued to look at the copy machine.

Maybe if they would pay just a fraction of the attention to my car that the stupid copy machine was getting I wouldn't have had car trouble in the first place!

It wasn't until I asked for a phone number that belonged to someone above anyone working at the dealership that I became more important than the copy machine.  Getting a phone number meant another walk out the toll booth looking office and told that, "There are so many different numbers!"  I'm pretty sure that was code for, "I'm so giving you the wrong number."

My final words to little miss rude eyes were.....

You called me and said that you were replacing the engine with a new one.  The moment that changed you should have called me again but you didn't.  This smells like the kind of scam you pull when you know that you've sold a car that is going to continue to have nothing but trouble and you want the warranty to hurry up and run out so that you don't have to pay for it.

I walked away then and I'm pretty sure I felt her rolling her eyes at me  behind my back.

So, I"m stuck with a stupid car that I no longer trust or want from an awful dealership that I will never return to again.  I have a phone number that may or may not connect me to someone in the right department at the right place who may actually care, but will probably just roll their eyes at me through the phone line.

I haven't tried calling yet, because I seriously needed some calm down time first!

  I have sent an email directly to Jeep letting them know that I really need someone to call me because the 256 allowed characters on their email form weren't nearly enough for me!

I've also copied every post I've made here and sent them directly to the lousy dealership,

I'll keep you guys updated!

7-19-16

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Summer Vacation Day 54

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I have not gotten anything done all week!  I haven't done any of the things that I seriously need to get done and I keep blaming it on the fact that my car is in the shop.

My summer is rapidly coming to an end and I'm making some big changes and I'm really going to be in some deep trouble if I don't get my act together and do the things that need to be done.

I don't even need my car to do these things and if I did need a car I've got the Dodge Journey they sent me home with.  I just keep telling myself, "I can't do anything.  I don't have a car!"  Then I sit down and watch Netflix.  LOL!

By the way, can I tell you about this Dodge Journey they sent me home in?  I was sitting at a stoplight the other day and I read the oil change sticker in the window.  If it's correct the last time the oil was changed in this car was October when the car had a little over 14,500 miles.  It's now July and there are over 38,000 miles.

I couldn't help but laugh!  This car is STILL running and mine isn't!  How is that fair?

7-17-16

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7-16-16

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Summer Vacation Day 51

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Well, there no update on my car.  Is it bad that I want to go on a totally awesome roadtrip that puts tons of miles on this loaner they given me?  You have no idea how many times I had to talk myself out of heading back to Tennessee today!

Here are some more pictures from my vacation.  These are from a hike to Fern Branch Falls on the Porters Creek Trail.  This hike starts out on a nice old road beside the creek.  You wind your way up the mountain alongside the water most of the way.  You pass remains of old homesteads and an old cemetery.  There's a branch in the road at one point and if you go to the right you'll find on old barn and house.  If you go to the left you'll find your way to the waterfall.

As much as I wanted to explore the old home site, we didn't because we were trying to beat the rain.  That side of the trail will have to wait for another visit.

We had two creek crossings on this hike and the second one was the scariest one ever!!  Seriously!  As soon as I saw it, I knew what everyone had been talking about!  There's a turn on this bridge and the handhold is farther back than I was comfortable with.  Usually, I'll stop in the middle of the footbridge to take some pictures.  That didn't happen on this one! 

When I posted on Facebook that everyone had UNDERstated just how scary this bridge is I got some pretty interesting responses.  One lady said that she had a picture of herself practically crawling over the bridge and another said that she had made the hike three different times and always turned around once she reached the bridge.  Apparently, she approached it thinking, "This is the day I cross the bridge!"  She changed her mind every time!

I made it across the bridge! 

I am telling you though, if you know anyone that hasn't had their come to Jesus moment, this bridge will give it to them!

Once you cross the bridge, the path narrows and becomes rocky with lots of tree roots.  You keep going though, because turning around means crossing the scary bridge again.  LOL!  Of course, either way, you have to cross the bridge again, so you might as well see the waterfall!

The water level was still low, but the waterfall was beautiful and we had the trail and fall all to ourselves!  It wasn't until the way back down that we even saw another person.  It was awesome! 

Summer Vacation Day 50

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I knew things were going too well!

I knew that with everything I wanted falling perfectly into place, there was going to be a wrench thrown into the works!

I knew it! 
I just knew it!

You know my brand  new car that I've only had since February/March?

Well, it's in the shop getting a brand new engine!

It all started with the low tire pressure light coming on when the tires were just fine. Then it went to the low oil pressure light and eventually the check engine light.

First thing Monday morning I called the Jeep dealership and was told that they could get me in on Tuesday, July 19th at 1:30 PM.  I might have thrown a fit.....asking what I was supposed to do in the mean time.  The girl told me that the lights were on, but as long as they weren't flashing it was still OK to drive the car.

I just sat there speechless until she finally asked, "Ma'am, are you still there?"

I responded with, "Oh my God, I bought a lemon didn't I?"

She placed me on hold for a few minutes and came back to tell me to bring the car in the next day at 10:30 AM.

Isn't it funny how that happens?

I showed up yesterday and waited at the dealership for a little over an hour before it was suggested that I take their shuttle home.  They got the low tire pressure and the check engine light to go off, but they weren't sure what was up with the oil pressure light and needed to do further diagnostic testing because it was showing a reading of 0% oil pressure.  I was very nicely assured that I shouldn't worry about a thing because everything was under warranty and I wouldn't have to spend a dime.

This did not make me feel better!

I waited for another hour and the shuttle driver still hadn't made an appearance so I stood up to walk around for a bit.  I wondered outside and was standing there just watching other people getting into their cars and driving away with no problem.  There were a couple of men sitting at a picnic table near me talking and laughing, but I didn't pay much attention to them.

My service rep saw me standing there and assured me that the shuttle van would be ready for me in just a few minutes.  They were just working on the schedule for the day to see who needed to be picked up and brought in and blah, blah, blah....

I told her that another hour had gone by and I was wondering if she had heard anything else about my car.  She told me that the test they needed to run was very intense and that the guys asked for an hour just to go over the results after it was done, so it was going to take some time and would probably be Wednesday before they could get me back into my car.

I again stated my unhappiness with a new car having this kind of problem and she again assured me that I wouldn't have to pay anything because everything is still under full warranty.

This still did not make me feel better!

As we were talking, a guy walked up carrying an oil pan.  He told the service rep I was talking to to look into the pan.  She did and said, "Shaving!"  like it was a good thing or something.  He, more realistically, said, "There aren't shavings!  Look at this!"  Then he held up a handful of small metal pieces and said, "I have no idea where these came from or why they're here.  It's like something exploded in here and I've got a 0% oil pressure reading."

It was at this time that I pointed out that it was my car he was talking about and asked what in the world was going on and how was I supposed to feel comfortable with a new car that was having this problem.

He then took up the company line and assured me that everything was under warranty and wasn't going to cost me anything.  It was just one of those one in a million things that happens and they were going to get it fixed for me and I shouldn't worry about anything.

I replied with a very bad four letter word that starts with the letter F and followed it up with the words "my life". 

The lady turned her back to me and spoke lowly in hopes that I wouldn't hear her tell the guy to please stop talking because I was already freaking out.

I said no, that I wanted him to keep talking because I was paying a lot of money for that car and it's brand new and I never had these problems when I drove a VW.

The guy said his worry was that if there were metal pieces in the oil pan then there were metal pieces everywhere.  The lady said, "Let's get you in a rental!"  I repeated the same three words from before.

The guy took my sad little oil pan filled with metal pieces and left and the lady went to get the paperwork she needed to get me in a loaner/rental car for the next couple of days.

When she came back, she asked me to follow her and she would take me over to get a loaner.  She stopped by the picnic table where the men were still sitting and told one of them that i wasn't going to need a lift home because they going to get me a car.

That's right, all this time I was sitting around waiting for the shuttle driver and he was sitting outside at the picnic table laughing it up with his buddies.

We get to the other side of the lot in time to see the guy who works for Hertz walk out of the office.  The lady made all kinds of over dramatic hand signals to get his attention.  I could tell she was silently saying, "I don't know where you're going, but please come back because this lady is pissed!"

She opened the door to his office and told me to go ahead and have a seat.  The Hertz guy walked into the building and she tried again to speak very lowly to him, but again, it didn't work!

She had a great big smile on her face and tried to make it look like she was having a normal casual conversation as she whispered to him what was going on.  I heard him tell her, "Well, we don't have any cars but I'll get her into something."

Seriously, someone needs to teach to these people how to whisper! 

The lady took off back to her side of the dealership and the Hertz guy came into his office and greeted me by asking how my day was going.

I'm sure he still regrets that question!  I'm also sure he regrets his next statement, "So, I take it you weren't planning to have your car serviced today."

He got me out of his office and into a Dodge Journey in record time.  LOL!

I woke up Wednesday morning and called the the Jeep dealership to get an update and that's when they told me that I was getting a brand new engine because of that freak one in a million thing that happened and it will probably be early next week before my car is fixed.

It doesn't matter how many times I asked exactly what that "freak one in a million thing" was I
 couldn't get a direct answer.  I just kept getting told that everything was under warranty and being taken care of and it wasn't going to cost me a thing and I didn't have anything to worry about, blah, blah, blah...

I don't feel better!

Why won't they just answer my question and tell me exactly what happened and what caused it?  What is it they don't want me to know? 

There were no problems when I took the car in for an oil change last month.  I just can't get over the feeling that this is all the result of something that they did or didn't do when the oil was changed and my tires were rotated.

However, it looks like I'll never really know because..... it's all under full warranty and isn't going to cost me a thing......

Guess who is going to start doubling up on the car payments in an effort to trade this thing in sooner than she had originally planned?

Summer Vacation Day 49

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Font used:  Hand of Sean

We made the hike to Rainbow Falls before the rainy days, so the water level was low.  It was still beautiful though!

I had fun on the hike up as I asked other people we saw on the trail if they knew where the elevator was or if they would an Uber to take me the rest of the way up.

When we stopped to rest (which was more often than I want to admit!), I told everyone that passed us that I was personally sitting on every rock I found so that I could tell future hikers which ones were comfortable and OK to rest on.  I tried to convince them that it really was for the good of the park.  Mostly, they just laughed at me!

This waterfall gets it's name from the multiple rainbows that form on days when the water is full and the sun hits it just right.  I've seen photos that other hikers have taken with the rainbows and I am telling you it is BEAUTIFUL!

It was also on this trail that I met my "hiking soulmates"!  We walked up on two older ladies who were photographing one of the small cascades in the river along the trail.  They declared that they were too tired to go any further, but were going to show their husbands who had declared they would never make the whole hike, that this was the waterfall and that it was much bigger in person.  We laughed with them for a few minutes before moving on.  They must have followed through with their plan, because we didn't see them again.  LOL!

This hike is a little over 5 and a half miles round trip.  We were on our way back to the car when we came upon a couple that had stopped along the trail for a rest and snack.  They asked us how much further they had to go before reaching the waterfall.  We had to give them the heart breaking news that they still had about two miles to go.  The poor guy looked at us and said, "You mean we've only come half a mile?"

I felt his pain!