How to ruin a great time

I was really looking forward to tubing down the river with the kids. Some how it all got turned around and I ended up resenting everyone on the trip.

It started with the planning meeting four days prior to the trip. The guy that’s supposed to take over the adult leadership forgot we had a meeting. He then started in on joining another club instead of leading ours but they would be there to enjoy our year end party (after all they had attended one meeting all year and certainly were entitled to help spend the money in the bank). The night before he calls to tell me he has to work and he’s taking his kids with him so they won’t be tubing or bringing the charcoal or the grill.

Ok, I can cover that. Small pain in the butt. I’m still looking forward to the trip.

Thirty minutes prior to departure for the meeting point, the phone rings. Two girls call to tell me that their parents can’t bring them but could I pick them up. Well, its out of the way by about 20 minutes each way but we need the buns and the chips right? Oh wait, I forgot to mention their house is almost next to a MAJOR traffic incident with evacuations due to explosives and major road closures.

Now I’m annoyed (actually I’m pissed at the parents for the last minute change of plans) but at least I’m on the road and the party can’t start without me right?

I call the other group to let them know we are running 10 minutes late. No problem they are running slightly behind as well. Big Princess, where’s the coupon? At home on the table, great. We fly by the house and then pick up the last kid. We arrive at the meeting point only 15 minutes late. Not bad. But where is the rest of the group?

They finally show up 1 HOUR after the original meeting time and they haven’t bought the hotdogs yet. We finally get to the river and everyone decides they want to do the 4 hour float trip and eat afterwards. Great, I’ve already missed breakfast because I had to pick up someone else’s kids, now I’m gonna miss lunch too. Oh, and one kid has lost their money and I now have to cover her for the day.

The tubing was pretty great. We saw a baby deer grazing by the river, plenty of awesome birds, a huge dead snake in the river, and turtles everywhere. There was a strong breeze, sometimes blowing so hard we were pushed upstream. I had remembered everything I needed, hat, sunscreen, sun glasses, water. It was great except for Big Princess’ bitching. She kept trying to nap every time we stopped and didn’t even remove her pants!

Well, we got back and were amazed to learn that the 4 hour float trip took 5 and a half hours. Big Princess has to be at work in 30 minutes. Now we’re all being screwed out of dinner and we’re starving. We eat the chips and cookies we brought for the picnic like “Survivors” winning reward. I know we are all gonna have belly aches by night fall. My head is killing me from stress, no food, and a day of sun.

I have all the kids call for rides home from my house and as soon as we get home Big Princess takes the car and heads to work. The first 2 kids aren’t picked up for more than an hour and half and the last one can’t get a ride at all and she owes me $20. I end up waking big Daddy to take her home.

I have to say, only little princess didn’t get on my last nerve. The rest of ‘em, ya'll pissed me off!