(Labor Day) Weekend Update

Husband is a very lucky man.  Not only is he married to me ( :-P ), but he also gets a four day weekend for his birthday every year because its September 3rd.  (My friend Patty also gets a long weekend, her b-day is Sept. 2nd).  These lucky people get to really party since they have Monday to sleep it off.

This year, since Husband did such a fabulous job with my 30th, I wanted to do something special for him.  We decided to head to Universal Studios in Orlando to see Harry Potter World, since we are both huge fans.  Our vacation club got us a condo in Kissimmee so we were off!  The plan was to head out on Friday, do Harry Potter World Saturday for Husband's birthday, then spend Sunday at the beach and head back on Monday.

One of the birthday gifts I had planned was to get Husband a beach cruiser (I got one for my b-day and I wanted us to ride together).  I thought I had blown it when Walmart didn't have any in the 3 stores that are near me, which meant I had to order it.  I thought I got lucky when they said that it was in on Thursday.  Yay!  I could give it to Husband before we left and we could take our bikes with us to the beach!  I skipped my yoga class to go get it.  I wait forever in the customer service line only to find out that I need to go to the "shrub area" to pick up the bike.  I go there only to find out that I need to go to the "ship to store" counter located between electronics and shoes.  By this time, my excitement has been replaced by irritation.  They bring out the bike (after I ring the bell 3 times) and I ask if they can put it together for me.  They say no.  Of course.  At this point I'm not to thrilled anymore to be in Walmart so I leave with my bike, in a giant cardboard box.  No one helps me to my car, or stops me for that matter as I walk out with it, or helps me get the thing into the trunk.  At this point, I'm pretty upset.  I was hoping to set the bike in the driveway, put a bow on it and call Husband out.  Instead, I tell him (through tears) that the large box in the trunk is his birthday bike and he has to put it together.  So that's how we spend Thursday evening.  That and packing.

Friday went smoothly.  Didn't get on the road until noon but made it to the condo.  We check everything out and like what we see.  We're hungry so we head out to the main road to get some dinner.  Chili's was packed so after we decide not to eat there, we get into the car to find a different place.  We get out of the parking spot and the car dies right in front of the restaurant.  Husband asks some random to help push and we get it back into the spot.  Call AAA and proceed to wait for a tow truck.  In the mean time, I pop the hood to see if I can figure out the problem (with Daddy on the phone of course).  I check the fluids, fine.  After a lengthy search for the battery, its fine.  Next, the air filter.  That turned out to be impossible to find without a flashlight and toolbox.  Checked the oil, fine.  So, fluids good, getting power, its either the fuel is interrupted or the air is.  By this time, the tow tuck is here.  He opens the gas cap, tells Husband to start the car and listens.  After 5 minutes, he says "your fuel pump is dead".  Well, now I know how to check that.  He tows the car to the condo and gives us the name of the closest, most reliable mechanic.  At this point, it looks like we aren't getting to HP on Husband's birthday.  And we have no food or water.

Saturday morning, Husband's birthday, starts with another tow.  We get to Pep Boys and they start to find the problem.  The guy that the previous tow truck guy recommended is really nice.  In about an hour (we go and have Chick-fil-a breakfast) we find out that the fuel pump and filter need to be replaced and the fuel lines need a very good cleaning.  Grand total: $629.  Happy Birthday!!!!

Its going to take until 4pm to fix so we try to figure out how to salvage the rest of Husband's day.  We get a rental car number from the nice mechanic and I look for a bus route.  No rental cars and good luck trying to figure out the LYNX bus routes.  It seems like we'll be spending a fortune on cabs until the nice mechanic, who is also the mechanic for Hertz, says "let me make a call".  He gets us a car for $25.  And they will even come and get us.  It looks like we will make it to HP after all!  So, at around 12:15, after waiting in a long line to buy tickets, getting fingerprinted and fighting off strollers and stupid people, we are standing in front of Hogwarts.  And it is amazing.  We go through the castle, get Butterbeer from The Hogs Head, check out the candy at Honeydukes, meet the conductor of the Hogwarts Express, look at the toys in Zonkos and try to pick out a wand at Olivanders.  It was all so cool.  After Universal Studios, we headed to Publix so I could make a birthday dinner and get a birthday cake.  Got a great cookies n' cream ice cream and marble cake birthday cake.  It was so good.  After dinner, Husband got his other present, a leather bound, signed, first edition copy of his favorite book by his favorite author.  At least this present went the way it was supposed to.  And Husband really liked it.

The next day we head to Daytona Beach for some sun and ocean.  We end up chilling at the condo that night and watching TV.  I think, despite, everything that happened, Husband had a good birthday.  I tried really hard to make it special for him.  I hope next year, my ideas go a little more smoothly.  :)

Holla!

Oh, and we saw the world's largest orange.