Oklahoma or Bust...or just Bust

This week is Spring Break. Granted, for me it's sandwiched between weekends at the hospital, but having a week off of (regular) work is quite welcome. We planned a quick getaway to Oklahoma over the break. Tuesday we were going to the Science Museum in Oklahoma City. Then a stay overnight in Tulsa, then to the Aquarium in Tulsa on Wednesday. Then home. Short and sweet.

The check engine light had been on and off in the week before, so on Monday, we went to the shop to have it checked out. It appears that our fuel cap was loose and that was the source of the error. Whew. The dealer close to home didn't have it in stock, so we decided to wait until we got back to get a new one. No biggie.

Tuesday, we headed down to Oklahoma City. But as we slowed down in town, and pulled up next to our first stop, lunch at The Mule, we knew there was something wrong with our car. The check engine light had come on again. And, the line out the door of the restaurant was not promising...so we headed to Pei Wei instead. The family raved about their lunch. (Mine tasted great, but I had lost my appetite). Then instead of heading to the Science Museum we headed to the Cadillac dealership (where we were told they had a fuel cap in stock...we were still hoping that's all it was). While Wayne ran in to check things out, I broke the news to the kids that our plans may or may not be cancelled. Of course, they had been oblivious to what was going on and appeared shocked at my news.

The Cadillac folks were very nice. They worked us into their schedule, and offered us a very nice waiting area with snacks, TVs and a fish tank. Kind of like the Aquarium...;)

A couple of hours or so later, they came out with bad news. The errors were related to the speed input sensor - the computer that tells the transmission what speed we are going. They said it was a big, expensive job. We explained that we had just had the transmission worked on in December and that yesterday's codes pointed to the gas cap. He said it was definitely the transmission (today) and he thought we may not make it back to Wichita, but the cost of being towed would be quite expensive as well. He said that if we did go, shouldn't go above 45-55 mph...and frequent stops for gas as they thought we'd be burning through gas this way. He estimated that it would likely take about 6 hours to get home. Awesome. Except, not really at all. 

Initially, we took off and it was acting worse than before...we couldn't go above 45 or so, which is a problem when the minimum highway speed is 50. Wayne pulled over and turned it off while we contemplated what to do. When he started it again, it found a better gear and we could go 65. So, we decided we wouldn't stop all the way home. On the way, we called the shop about bringing the car in and called Pat about picking us up from the shop.

Of course, the kids both had to use the bathroom. We didn't want to stop and risk screwing up a good thing...So, they both had to pee in cups. Aubrey, twice. She thought it was pretty awesome.

On the way there and back, we did have some good chats. We came up with Would You Rather questions for each other. Wayne had picked out travel toys for each of us. Mine was Story Cubes - which the kids really enjoyed. (You roll and get different sets of pictures that help you craft your story). I had them each go on a St Patrick's Day treasure hunt that morning, and the kids shared their jelly beans with us. :)

Silly, giddy kids at the end of a long day in the car.
 

I was disappointed that we had paid for the hotel through Hotwire and wouldn't get to stay after all...

But, I have to say that the kids' disappointment at not being able to enjoy our trip was rough. I wanted to be able to fix it, but clearly I couldn't. 

I told the kids we should pretend that we were staying in a hotel at our house that night and the next morning. That somehow seemed to ease Aubrey's disappointment. I took the kids swimming at the YMCA on Wednesday since they didn't get to swim at the hotel...not the same. At all. But, they rolled with it. 

Today we picked up the car at the shop. I was quite relieved to find out that the repair was covered under warranty as the part was just installed (factory-new) when they worked on the transmission in December.

Not sure why I'm sharing this, except that what I keep thinking is that we still have so much to be thankful for. We made it home without it being a 6 hour journey. We still enjoyed time together. (Granted, car time isn't the most exciting, but it certainly is time we can get creative about how to make it more fun together). Because we came back early, we have been able to relax with one another a little more. I've enjoyed sleeping in the last couple of days as I've eased into vacation mode. 

The blips in life will happen. Despite my anxiety about such things, I want to focus on being grateful and appreciating each other.