Our Winter Vacation part 1

I feel very out of the loop with my friends because I was gone for nine days with no internet access.  Julio does have internet on his phone, but it's not the same.  So, allow me to spin you a tale of our adventures. 

We left on a Friday night so Julian wouldn't miss too much school.  We thought it'd be nice to let the kids sleep on the way down and we could talk.  It would be the closest thing to a date night since last July.  We left around eight, and the kids fell asleep around 9:30.  We have fond memories of quiet conversations on the trip down the last time we took a winter vacation to OC, MD about two years ago.  Julio stopped at a few Barnes and Nobles on the way before they closed at 11:00 (of course).  There was hardly any traffic so we were making good time.  Then around 12:30 it all went wrong. 

We hear a putputput sound and pull over.  Sure enough, we had a flat.  We get out in the freezing cold and unload our trunk.  We must have looked like weirdos with all our luggage out next to the highway so we could reach the donut.  My greatest fear was that Julio would be hit as he tried to change the tire.  There was only an inch between him and where the cars whiz by on the right lane.  I stood in front of him because I had a white coat and would be spotted easier.  It turns out we didn't have the right tool.  The car came with special rims that look nice, but are a pain in the butt taking off.  We were  about 10 minutes from Rehoboth on Route 1.  We call our friends who (thank God) are night owls. They say they'll be there in 40 minutes but that the police should come by soon to help.  So we wait and wait.  The kids remained asleep.  Finally, a state trooper pulls up along beside us and looks like he's in a hurry.  He asks if we have friends coming.  When we say yes he speeds away, without us being able to squeeze in another word.  Ok, then...thanks a lot.

So our friends come and we felt such a weight lifted off our shoulders.  Mark tried to help, but didn't have the specific tool either.  Mark called AAA and they came out within 45 minutes.  During this time, we loaded the kids into their van and they were wide awake.  We didn't get to the condo until 4:30.  The next night, we took the car to Pepboys in Salisbury, MD and it was good to go.  The next part of the story will focus on the rest of our nine days by the bay, and the awesomeness that ensued.