A good friend of mine is getting married soon.
She is getting married out of town. An 8 hour drive away.
Planning for the trip has been a bit tricky.
The minute she announced her engagement I wrote the date on the calendar and planned on attending. At the time, I was expecting to have a newborn but that wouldn't stop me. There was no reason we couldn't make an 8 hour drive with a few week old baby.
Then we had our ultrasound and everything changed. I had no clue how things would turn out and was no longer sure I would be able to attend my friend's wedding. Which made me feel terrible.
Devastated actually. She is a really good friend and my daughter's Godmother.
I've previously missed two weddings of close friends. My childhood best friend and my college roommate. It still makes me sad.
I kept hoping that somehow we would find a way to make it.
Then Matthew came early and went to heaven after his 36 hours with us.
After the funeral (which I have written about and will post one of these days) was over I realized that one of the gifts Matthew had given me by coming early was to allow us to attend my friend's wedding.
So, I started making plans.
I'm sure my emotional state didn't help matters any. I was very determined and started frantically looking up hotel information.
Unfortunately since I wasn't making reservations far enough in advance I found that the hotel everyone else would be staying at was booked. Not only that but it seemed like the entire city was booked. The only hotel rooms anywhere in the city were $300-$400 a night. Not happening.
I was so upset. Frantic. I didn't know what to do.
We started considering trying to drive 8 hours to the wedding and 8 hours back on the same day.
Like I said, emotional and not very rational.
My husband kept helpfully assuring me that whatever decision I made was the right one.
Finally I found a hotel. An hour drive away from the wedding location. I booked the last room.
An hour drive to and from the wedding was better than 8 right?
Now here's the best part.
Yesterday, I was packing and getting ready for the road trip to her wedding. Hotel reservations had been made. My husband's vacation day had been approved.
Then I get a text message from my husband.
"You sure the wedding is this weekend?"
"Yes, of course."
It's not like I would make hotel reservations for the wrong weekend. Get in the car and drive 8 hours. Only to find out that the wedding wasn't even this week.
Obviously.
How stupid would I have to be?!
How little faith he has in me.
But... just in case... I checked the calendar to confirm.
Yup. This weekend.
Then. You know, just to really be sure. I looked at the invitation.
And a few choice words might have escaped.
Then I had to call my husband.
And tell the man who always has a plan, who is always frustrated with my, go with the flow, somehow it will all work out attitude. That I royally screwed up!
I had made all our plans based on the date I scribbled on the calendar, the day my friend announced her engagement. Never once had it occurred to me to check the actual invitation.
You know, that helpful little piece of paper with all the specific details. The thing that is sent out precisely so everyone will have all the information when making their plans.
The invitation I was holding in my hand while I made the reservations so I could map the address. Never once glanced at the date!
Doh!
Luckily for me I had made refundable hotel reservations.
Thankfully, though I had been so very close to making one of those blind bids on Priceline, something stopped me. Ok, my husband stopped me.
'Cause he's smart like that.
Of course I knew there was no way I would find a room now. If there were any they would be way too expensive.
Again I was devastated.
As it turns out, this weekend must have been a busy one. Because suddenly there were plenty of rooms available.
I was able to cancel our reservation and make a new one at a hotel 2 miles from the wedding location. And it was $10 cheaper!!!
So, it's totally a good thing I messed up right?
Oh, wait that doesn't really make sense does it?
Because those rooms were probably available way back when I made the original reservation.
Thank goodness my husband is a planner!
Let this be a word of warning to you. Don't ever let me plan anything!!!
