3/20/26

 I woke up at 4:30 am prior to my alarm going off. I just had the swirling excitement that it is finally time to go on vacation tomorrow! I think I smiled all the way down the stairs, greeted the dogs happily and let them out. I may have been merrily skipping like I was as light as a feather.

Paul picked up Andy and Diane’s passports last night so I can do a seamless check in for us all.  I poured my coffee and watched the clock so I could check in right at the 24 hours prior to take off. 

I went to arrange the passports so I could take pictures of them and expedite the process. I opened Diane’s last. You can imagine the feeling of wanting to vomit out the horror when I saw her passport was expired. No! No! No! Ugh!!!!!!

Maybe she gave me an old one? I immediately got online to come up with solutions. Is there a way to fix this? I found a place that does a 24 hour turn around. Yes! Let’s explore that. 

I watched a video, read how it worked, read some reviews, searched to see if it was a scam….it all seemed legit. Maybe if we can get it expedited she can still come on Tuesday? Some time on vacation is better than no time on vacation. Right?

I sent out some distress texts to Andy and Diane as they slept like babies unaware of the crap the fan was blowing around. They didn’t know how much I was going to ruin their day! I finally got ahold of Diane. I told her about the plan. 

I asked how she wanted to proceed. Did she want Andy to travel with her? What was going to make her most comfortable?

She chose that she wanted Andy to go without her. She felt she was capable to travel by herself. We talked through it and proceeded with her wishes.

I hopped in the car and drove to their house to get the paperwork started. Diane is not as computer Savvy as I am (she excels at other things) so  at least I felt like I was helping. We filled out the paperwork, took the passport photos and according to the direction.

Did I mention it was cold, damp and rainy? The dogs feet were muddy. There is standing water in our yard. Just gross!

I was able to change Diane’s flight to Tuesday which would give plenty of time for the passport to get back to her Monday night. I know….that is cutting it close, but I felt it was worth the gamble.

I drove home to print out the paperwork needed. I then called the number to inquire about getting the shipping label so I could get this bad boy on it’s way to renewal.

The lady informed me that the passport was on target to arrive between 3/27 and 3/30. We come home on the 28 th. Wait! What?

I let the lady know that I signed up for the 24 hour turn around. She explained that basically the website is misleading. The “24 hour” turnaround means it will be at the government office for 24 hours. It does not include shipping, processing and shipping back. That was a huge disappointment.

My soul broke. The tears welled up and I had to let Diane know she can’t go on the trip we have been planning for a YEAR.

It’s funny how such a simple, honest mistake can lead to devastation and disappointment.

Now it turned into a recovery effort. How can we get Diane’s money back? This poor woman has been working two jobs to be able to pay for this trip since before Christmas.

I contacted the airline again to cancel her flight. I booked all the tickets together, so I was the name on the reservation and the card used to pay for it. The lady I spoke with was kind and reminded me not to shoot the messenger. Imagine what monsters this poor lady has to deal with?

She told me that we booked the cheapest flight and it didn’t really allow for changes. Since there was already a change, we would have to fill out a waiver and basically bend over and watch the money float right into someone else’s pocket. She didn’t quite use those words.

I thanked her. We chatted for a moment. She then asked if Diane had a flyer’s club number-she did not, but I did. The lady kindly shared that If Diane were able to get this flyers club number, that she would qualify for a partial refund. Cool!

I filled out the information, got the flyers club information so Diane could get a number. 

I had to put a pause on everything so I could take Moe to the vet to get his vaccines updated. It was raining and awful out. He was naughty at the vet and was growling when the doctor was checking out his belly and elbows. Embarrassing. I made the call not to medicate him to see how he did. Well…I saw….medication will be in his future next month when he goes back for routine bloodwork. 

I had to run a few errands. Then got back into it. I called the airline back with the flyer’s club number to cancel.  I was greeted with a friendly voice that spoke softly, slowest and with a southern drawl. Her name….. Margarita. No joke. 

She was wonderful to talk to. I explained the situation. This woman was beyond empathetic. She did try to cancel the flight. She was unable to plug in the flyers club number. The system wouldn’t recognize the number as valid. Seriously????

I thanked her for her time and we continued chatting about the situation. She was asking questions about what we were going to do, and expressed so much sympathy. She then said “ I got it!” She was able to work her magic and got almost the entire amount back in the form of a travel voucher. She explained how to use it so that it would never expire. I could kiss this woman.

I continued inquiring about our excursions and if I could get a refund for Diane. I was hitting a brick wall. The flight was a big win and I am thankful for that.

All of this calling was being done while I was trying to complete my work and tie up all my loose ends before my boss started looking over my requisitions next week. My stress level was elevated. I just felt unsettled. Maybe grieving the situation? Grieving because I won’t get to hang out with my friend on this trip?

Diane is in good spirits and even book herself a trip to Florida to see her parents to enjoy some warm weather. Like a boss! 

Ona different note, Ethan showed great growth today. He went to Verizon by himself to pick up his new phone. He had to talk to someone and communicate what he wanted. He typically is quite cautious about doing these types of things. He even decided to go earlier without Paul.

I know he is 23 but this is big progress. I will never know for sure, but I think his stroke rattled his frontal lobe a little bit. He had these tendencies prior to his heart transplant but these little instances of growth are monumental.

Exhausted from this terrible day, I took the weight of the world up to bed with me. I heard these pitter pattering little feet. Penny wanted to sleep in the bed. She was almost smiling. How do I say no? Well played Penny! Alarm is set for 2:30 am. Ugh! Calgon take me away!