Great Vacation….NOT!

We got back to Florida last night after eight days at our home in Virginia.  This was my
first trip home in nine months and I was so excited to be going home.  I had several projects
planned and wanted to get the house dressed for Spring.   My dear friend Lynn and I had plans
to go junkin.

Most of all I just wanted to enjoy our Home !

I know you have heard the quote “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray
Yep,  that is exactly what happened on our trip.
We left Florida and headed to Georgia to stay a couple nights in Dad’s second home.
When we arrived we found the house had been burglarized and most of the furniture,
televisions and accessories were missing.  In addition,  the roof had leaked and there
was fallen sheet rock and mildew on the walls in two of the rooms.   It was
 heartbreaking to see my dad’s face when he walked into the house.
In Richmond Steve went to get the State Inspection done on our car.  They found
the tie rods and ball joints had to be replaced,  there went money we had not
planned on spending.
The second day home my 87 year old Dad fell down an entire flight of stairs.  He was
pretty beat up, but luckily nothing broken or life threatening. Thank God he is a tough
old goat (my affectionate name for him) or he could have died from the fall.  The scare
took ten years off my life!
The last night at home the fancy light switch in our kitchen stopped working, which
means none of the kitchen lights will come on.  Not good when your house is on the
 market!
We had Chinese take-out from my favorite restaurant and got food poisoning.  I was
sick as a dog for the last three days of the trip and for the fifteen hour drive back to Florida.
Our wonderful trip doesn’t end there…I threw my back out the night before we left
Virginia and every little bump of the ride caused agonizing pain.

I obviously didn’t get projects done nor did I get to go junkin.   What a week!

On the trip home dad and I talked about the vacations we took as I was growing
up and it hit me that most of our trips had been jinxed!  We had a good laugh
about all the mishaps and I am sharing some of those with you below.
We were once caught in a tornado and a flood.
I found out I was allergic to bees when one stung me in the face.
We were robbed in our RV and they took our money and food.
Our car broke down in a very remote area and the only way dad could
get it to run was by him blowing into the fuel pump, which he had to do
 about every five miles until we reached a town about sixty miles away.
A waiter dumped the entire contents of his tray right on my head.  My hands
and head were burned and my new outfit ruined by mexican food.
I got locked in the ladies room and the owner had to take the hinges
off the door to get me out.

In Mexico I was stung by a scorpion in my bed.

While in the Smokey Mountains my parents pulled over at a look-out point to
take pictures. They left me asleep in the car and when they turned around there
was a large bear with his front legs on the top of our MGB convertible.  I was awake
and screaming at the top of my lungs.  They actually took the time to take a picture!
There were many, many other crazy things that  happened on our trips but this post
has gotten really long.  Anyone interested in taking a trip with us?  Better make sure your
health insurance is current before we leave.
Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you at the Open House party starting Wednesday
evening.
xx,
Sherry
Lucia
Author

77 thoughts on “Great Vacation….NOT!”

  1. Oh my! I am so sorry about your vacation, I had one of those a year ago October, my cousin died then my dog died.
    But all I could think as you were telling the story was how blessed you were to be with your Dad, laugh a little with him. I am so glad he is ok from the fall.
    At least it made a great tale!

  2. Oh, my goodness, Sherry! I'm thinking you should just plan on staying put for awhile. Any one of those "mishaps" would be enough to make for a bad vacation. Well, at least you were all together and got to have a laugh about the old days. You know the saying…laughter is the best medicine! Feel better soon!
    Blessings,
    Nici

  3. Oh My Gosh! Your recent weekend sounds just awful except for the talk time with your dad. The retelling of some of the past trips is unbelievable! I can not imagine having the bear on your car. Have you seen that commercial on tv with the couple on vacation and the bear at the window? That's you! At least you can keep your sense of humor.

    I am so sorry to hear that your home had been burglarized. That's just terrible.

  4. Oh… what a week you have had. I am so sorry about the burglary to your Dad's home. And him falling.. wow. Thank God he's ok.
    Then to get to Virginia and have problems as well.
    Sorry, but I got a good giggle at the vacation recaps. Oh my!!! The one about the bear and the MGB was too much… (the Mr is working on one in the garage as I type… a complete engine rebuild.)
    Glad you are back in Florida…. and the weather is beautiful.. what a day today was! At least for me in the North central part of the State.
    Feel better…
    Sending some much needed HUGS.
    Gee

  5. Oh my goodness, God bless your dad, he really is a very strong man, wow! I'm so happy it didn't turn into a tragedy! What a week honey. Your dad's burglarized home, and the food poisoning..sweet friend, you need some blessings. They say bad things come in 3's and you got your share. I hate it for your dad, specially! May you all have a better week. Hugs,
    FABBY

  6. no thanks on the trip offer! I thought I'd had some douzies, but your trips take the cake. I vote for hearing more about the RV robbery because it might be a good lesson learned advisory for others.

    Hope your dad is ok.

  7. Oh Sherry! I'm still staring at your post completely speechless. First of all, thank God you Dad is OK after that tumble down the stairs. Poor thing! And I'm so, so sorry to hear about all your mishaps on your trip. But I have to hand it to you, you've got a great attitude (and sense of humor)! Take care of that back, I've had mine go out and it just takes time and rest. I'm sending you lots of positive thoughts and prayers.
    Leslie (Gwen Moss)

  8. I'm so sorry to hear about your last trip. You seem to be a disaster magnet! At least you have good stories…(BEAR? LEMME TAKE A PHOTO!)

  9. God forgive me for laughing – but Sherry I can't help it with your " delivery " lmho – these are things that happen in my world constantly – we must be soul sisters!!!
    ( but thank God your father IS an old goat – THAT part was not funny at all )
    ANd your child hood vacations are funny too lol – it's far better to laugh after all, then cry
    Much love to you Sherry
    Hugs,
    Suzan

  10. Oh my gosh!!!! I am so sorry for you. Thank God that you and your dad are ok!!!!

    I cannot even image how you felt when your dad fell down, my mom is 67 while visiting her last week she slipped on the ice and ended up face first in a snowbank. Scared me to death.

    I hope that both you and your dad are feeling better! My prayers are with you for the sale of your house and the repair of your dads house.

    Take care, Elizabeth

  11. Sherry
    Wow you were through a lot on that vacation. I hope your back is better. I just went through my back issues and had to drive in a car for an hour and a half and that was agonizing so I can't imagine 15 hour drive. Glad to see you have a sense of humor through it all. Hope your dad is ok too.
    Kris

  12. Oh my goodness! I am so sorry to hear about all the mishaps you've had to go through. I'm so happy to hear your father is OK and you both can still look back and remember all the good times. You'll be looking back on this one too.

  13. I feel horrible admitting that this post made me giggle (the childhood vacations that is). I am so very sorry your trip did not go well and hope you and your Dad make a full recovery ASAP!

    Amelia

  14. Thank God your dad was ok from his fall! I am so sorry about his Georgia home! Food poisoning, electrical problems, back issues – good grief! Sorry your trip home didn't go as planned. I hope that this week will be less eventful! Hugs, Leena

  15. The only thing worse than you on vacation would be me along to double the jinx. My newly divorced friend took a trip with me that was very ill fated. She was so upset she told her therapist. The therapist told her the problems were what made the trip so much more interesting. Yep, my adventures are interesting! I'm sorry I laughed. Honestly!

  16. As they say…. there's no place like home! After reading about all your mishaps while vacationing, I don't think you could pay me to vacation with you! Hey, at least you were able to make it home safe each time. So glad to hear your father was ok after his fall.

  17. well…i was leaving a comment and it went away…hopefully you won't get a strange comment from me…but here goes my 2nd try..

    you should write a book about all your vacation misadventures, i can't believe all that's happened to you!

    thank goodness your dad (a/k/a the old goat – LOL)is okay. my 93 year old mom broke her arm last year and underwent surgery to implement a rod and this year she fell in the bathroom and got pretty bruised up but she is still going strong!

    i hope things get better soon!

  18. Oh,no, Sherry! What an awful vacation! I'm so thankful your dad survived the fall ok. But wow, everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Take plenty of time to rest and recover. We were in Florida this weekend, back in Georgia now, so we kind of did the opposite trip.

  19. OMG, Sherry! I hate to say it but with luck like that I think I'd put off vacations. : ) Or at least don't call them "vacations" and then maybe it will be alright. I hope this is a case of "laughing about it years later" with all those past vacation disasters. Glad your Dad wasn't hurt.

  20. Lord have mercy! I don't think I've ever heard of so much bad luck happen to someone in such a short time period. I believe you need to plan something (secretly) to make up for all of that happening to you! I say secretly because I think someone is out to get you! LOL!!!

  21. Holy cow!!! First off, I'm glad your dad is ok, and so sorry to hear that his home was burglarized. That's so upsetting and situations like that just make me feel – violated.

    Thank you for the historical vacation recap, and forgive me for laughing at some of them! I think perhaps you should take these experiences as a sign that you should take more Staycations. 😉

  22. Wow! First of all, I'm happy that you all are okay and survived it all. Now I must say…this is one of the most entertaining posts I think I've ever read. It sounds like a script from a crazy movie.
    Farmhouse hugs (you need some),
    Cindy

  23. Oh my Lord, Sherry. I hope I don't hurt your feelings by telling you that I giggled my way through your list of past vacations mishaps. How all of that can happen to one person is a miracle.

    On a more serious note, thank Heaven that your dad is okay after his fall.

    Hugs to you!
    Connie

  24. Oh.my.goodness, Sherry … I had my hand over my mouth in disbelief reading your post! Wow … I'm so sorry and hope everything is on its way to being fixed and/or replaced! On a lighter note, it's very refreshing to see that you can laugh a bit at the misfortunes that happen from time to time. Those are the moments that we remember the most, aren't they ?!

  25. Dear Lord! Sounds like you have a guardian Angel but she may be telling you that you should stop travelling 🙂 Hope you are feeling better and your dad is o.k.

  26. I am almost speechless at all you have gone through! I am SO sorry!!! Your poor Da, and poor you seeig him fall. I am glad he is OK. I also hope you get a GOOD vacation soon!!!!!! You sure deserve it. XO, Pinky

  27. I'm so sorry for all the mishaps recently Sherry! On a lighter note it isn't often that I LOL heartily at stories posted on blogs but I did as I read about your parents taking the pic of u and the bear. THANKS… I needed that!

  28. Oh my! That's terrible about the house being broken into and your dad falling down the stairs! I was reading your mishaps about your vacations to my husband..the bear story is funny but how frightening!
    Good thing your dad is okay 🙂

  29. Can't say I'd wanna go WITH you on vacation, but maybe I would follow along behind just to watch the mishaps. I think you need to do a weekly post about some of those childhood ones.

    Sorry about all the bad stuff on the latest one though.

    Bliss

  30. Oh my goodness…I'm so glad your dad is okay! I felt like I was reading a novel…can't believe all those mishaps! Glad you kept your humor through it all! XO, Aimee

  31. I'm so sorry. What a cruddy vacation, but I guess you are used to them! I used to get hives whenever we went on vacation when I was a kid.

  32. Oh My ! Errr….I think I'll stay home thanks !!
    All joking aside – I'm so sorry for your week from @$#% ! But you have such a good outlook, and good for you for being able to laugh about it !! Thank God your dear Dad's doing well !

  33. I was aghast and laughing, sorry, at the same time. You should write a book!! I'm happy everyone ended up home and healthy. I still remember that photo of your dad on the roof! He is tough! Hang in there!

  34. Oh, Sherry! I don't know what to say! Bless your heart and I am sending your virtual hugs and pain pills! I hope you feel better soon and I'm so sorry to hear all of this and so glad your little Daddy is okay! Most older folks would not have survived that fall! You lay low and take care of yourself.
    Blessings,
    shelia 🙂

  35. So sorry about all the things that went wrong , it is not nice at all when you're looking forward to something, and it is thrown off by unfortunate events..perhaps next trip will be the ONE that will be super wonderful! Thankful that your dad is all right, and wishing you a glorious spring! Col x

  36. I think there was a movie made from your vacation life…it starred Chevy Chase didn't 'it? You should get in on the residuals…
    Glad all the PEOPLE are OK now…even if the houses aren't!

  37. There's no place like home! I hope you are feeling better! Wow, what a trip, and your stories about past vacations!! no wonder why you couldn't wait to get home!

  38. Well Sherry

    you convinced me never to visit you or go any where with you LOL

    So glad your Dad is OK from his fall, I always fear coming home and my house of treasure broke into, really I live in a very modest house unappealing so that saves me , from , crooks and thieves ( I hope) I do believe LOL

  39. Oh you poor thing! I hope you are feeling better and I am glad your Dad was not hurt! You certainly have had some crazy things happen to you on vacation…I think you need to stay home.
    -Shelley

  40. Holy Cow you have had a week, I am so glad you Dad is ok, and I hope your back feels better!

    I am so sorry about all your vacations….I have to admit I was laughing by the end, because it is so insane all the stuff that has happened to you…You are awesome to laugh about it, what else can you do?

    Best wishes for a MUCH better week!

  41. Sherry,
    Oh my!!! I don't where to begin. 1st…please stay at home (just kidding). I am so sorry that your trip HOME turned out so bad for you and I do hope that you are feeling better. All the vacation stories were unreal, but that bear story was very scary. See ya at OPEN HOUSE tonight:)

    Blessings,
    Linda

  42. Even though there were many "bad things" that happened on your trip…the greatest thing that happened was that your dad survived the fall down the stairs without a break…..that is amazing!!!…You and Chevvy Chase should share notes!!!

  43. You have been through it! Unbelievable!

    Your poor Daddy! I can only image how sore he is but thank the Lord he was spared.

    Rest up and relax. You deserve it.

  44. Ha Ha! And I thought my family was the Griswolds!God bless you, you take the cake. Glad you can find humor in it now (I think?). Love your attitude, keep smiling and keep going!

  45. Sherry, I can really imagine how you felt. A break in is upsetting enough, without all the damage. Glad to read that your dad survived that fall…and love your affectionate name for him. He sounds like a great person. What a blessing he must be. Thanks for the bad/good news. Helen

  46. OMGosh, Sherry! If it weren't so awful, it would be funny. I'm glad your dad wasn't seriously injured, and hopefully, your back is better now. Thanks for the invitation to take your next trip with you..but uh, I'll pass. 🙂

  47. Wow. First, I hope your dad is going to be okay. Your post brought back all the crazy things that have happened to me on vacations over the years. Is that why they invented "stay-cations"…might be safer to stay put, or at least it feels that way sometimes.

  48. Bless your little heart, Sherry. I think that's all I can say…well, maybe I had a giggle about you and the bear. hope you and your dad are feeling much better!

  49. Poor poor Sherry…you really had a rough time of it! And what a list of mishaps on your other vacations! Didn't you recently share with me that your moped almost went off a cliff in Bermuda? OMGosh…I had a year like that but that was it! I hope you are safely recovering from your ordeal…I suppose there is something to be said for Staycations!
    XO Barbara

  50. Shut up….I can not believe all of that happened to you in one trip. I am never going to complain about the small things that have happened to me on vacation again. I seriously hope you have recovered.

  51. I won't lie I giggled here and there while reading….sorry. You made me feel much better about some of our travel misadventures they pale in comparison. So glad you father is okay. Wishing you a safe, productive, pain and sickness free week.

  52. well its 3:30 am and you gave me a real giggle. glad your dad is ok from that fall.you can write short stories on all your adventures.
    ellen

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