Post Mortem

The plan was to spend a night at a local Holiday Inn so we could partake of the indoor swimming pool, go out for dinner, watch some cable TV and then go out for breakfast.

Michelle, Mariel and I arrived at the Holiday Inn at 3:00 PM to claim our room. The young 'un was bubbling over with excitement as she had been rarin' to get into the pool all week.

We made our way to the room and changed into our respective swim suits. A quick trek across the courtyard brought us to the pool area. Mommy, Daddy and Daughter spent the next ninety minutes frolicking in the three foot shallow end. Mariel was particularly delighted that a young man made it his duty to do multiple prat-falls into the deep end for her entertainment.

We went back to the room, dried off and hit the Cracker Barrel for dinner. The swimming session put a keen edge on our appetites and we eagerly tucked into our dinners.

Once back at the hotel room, we put on our soggy suits and went for another hour in the pool.

We returned to the room, dried off and decided to mellow out by watching some fine cable TV programming.

Then it started.

"I wanna go home!" Mariel wailed tearfully.

"But, Honey, we're going to stay here for the night. That way we can go out for breakfast and swim some more before we have to go home tomorrow."

"No-o-o-o!" came the reply. " I wan' go home!"

"Mariel, you've stayed in hotels before. Remember when you, Mommy and Aunt Denise stayed at the hotel?"

"I.. sob... wanna... sob... go... sob... sob... sob... home!"

Sometimes, when Mariel gets over-tired and over-stimulated she can get very cranky at bedtime. This is nothing new. We decided to ride out the wave.

Sure, enough, after an hour of this drama, she fell asleep and so did Mommy and Daddy.

And hour later a wee voice was heard to say, "I wanna go home. No stay here."

It started up again, folks.

More sobbing. More thrashing. More "I wanna go home."

So at 10:45 pm that's just what we did. We packed up, got in the van and drove straight home. It is only a fifteen minute drive, by the way.

Once home and in her own bed, Mariel seemed to be back in her element.

For about a minute.

"I want a story from the big book," she started to sob.

I reached for her My Little Pony Omnibus and turned on the light.

"One day in Ponyville," I stared.

This was her cue to sit bolt upright in bed and start wailing.

"Mariel," I stated flatly. "Daddy is staring to lose his patience."

"Wahhhh!" came the response.

Mommy took over and Daddy went down to the family room for an hour's worth of "stomach cramps."

Some holiday weekend.

Is this a preview of our proposed trip to Buffalo this Summer? It is a two day drive, each way, punctuated by stopovers at motels.

Egads, take me now, Lord!

Sorry to be so grumpy, but it is after 1:00 AM and here I am blogging in the family room instead of sleeping...