When we arrived at DFW airport back on Christmas Eve, the parking was CRAZY. Both remote south and remote north parking were full, so Eric received a coupon to park in the terminal for a discount.
As we were nearing the toll booth to pay for parking and exit the airport, Eric said, "Boy, the oil sure is smelling. Is that us or that bus?" I, from the passenger seat, glanced at the temperature guage and saw it was as high as it could go...NOT good. We proceeded to the toll booth where there was an issue with the coupon we had. We waited and waited for the guy to get confirmation that we did in fact receive a discount. Eric has turned the car off while we waited. We hoped the temp would go down, but it didn't. He decided to pull over on the shoulder immediately after exiting the toll. Then the car started indicating low coolant...yeah, smart car, we knew that. He figured out that the water in the car only had had a small amount of coolant and froze in the cold temperatures while we were away. He also discovered a pipe broke, so filling it enough to get us home wasn't an option. In the process of getting down on the ground to check everything out, fire ants attacked his head and neck.
While we were trying to figure out a plan of action, an airport police officer stopped. Eric got out of the car and they chatted for a bit about the problem. Then he called a taxi for us. It seemed like forever before it got there. We were really starting to get cold at this point.
When the taxi arrived, the kids, carseats, luggage & I got in. Kip, who with a lot of coaxing had gone to sleep in the car, was now awake and screaming.
Eric handed me his card to pay with and we were off. I'm certain the taxi driver took the longest route possible, but I bet he regretted it less than 5 min in...Kip screamed the entire way...ENTIRE way. And as I expected, he started throwing up. At first it was just a little, but then a lot. At one point it appeared he was choking and I lost Eric's credit card while trying to deal with him. I finally found it when we reached the house and were able to turn the light on in the taxi.
I don't think I've ever been so happy to see home as I was when we pulled up that night. Well, except maybe after our crazy travel ordeal in August...I'm seeing a trend here. Maybe I'll post about that on a slow news day ;)
Anyway, I managed to drag the luggage and carseats into our packed-full-of-junk garage and left them for Eric to take care of the rest of the way. Remember, I was still in pain from my chiropractor emergency. I got the kids in bed then dug around in the luggage for a charger because my
phone was completely dead. Once it started up, I called to check on Eric. He'd gotten ahold of a friend that came to keep him company and let him sit in his heated car...thank, Martin!! The tow truck had just confirmed with him that they would arrive in about 20 min. They lied...they showed up at 3am. Eric finally made it home a little after 4 and got in bed around 6.
Needless to say, we were all exhausted New Year's Day!!
I chuckle to myself when I think about that taxi driver. Of all the things he thought he would encounter on New Year's Eve, it probably wasn't a scream-til-he-pukes-and-we-all-go-deaf 15 month old.
Happy New Year from the Kibors! :)
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