Before I proceed, I must explain that North Carolina, sanitation ratings for ANY establishment that serves foods, must be posted in plain view inside the establishment. These ratings are also listed in the local newspapers. The ratings system is the out of 100 points, 100 being the best. My family, we are "sanitation ratings snobs". You must understand this before you read on.
We arrived late Saturday night and stayed at a "Super Eight". We hated the Super Eight but it was ONE exit down from the Land Of Oz and it was easy and affordable.
The goal was to pick up "the button" at eight, and keep him out till ten pm. After ten pm, the button would turn into a pumpkin.
Franklin tried to sneak out of the Super Eight by seven am but the little people heard him and were up and threw on their clothes and out the door they went...in plenty of time to be on time. Around "eightish" the "button" calls and his dates were not there yet.
Ugh, they were lost. Apparently Franklin wasn't following the donkeys going up the side of the mountain with the supplies.
The "button" was retrieved and dropped off at the Super Eight for the BIG day.
After some hellos and catch up, we departed the Super Eight. Walker stated as we left the parking lot of the Super Eight, "bet their sanitation rating here is about a 6".
The "button" wanted to take us to the third most expensively built MacDonald's. It was cool, piano players, chandeliers, platinum ceiling tiles, the works all complimented with Egg Mac Muffins.
Off we were to show the "button" where he was born and the home where he lived as a young boy.
Mello Mushroom, (Sanitation Rating 96) pizza and wings. For dessert, a walk around Asheville for the "Arts Fundraiser Festival". The best people watching ever.
A trip to Kmart for supplies and then to the Dairy Queen (because we hadn't consumed enough calories for the day) for ice cream.
It was there at the Dairy Queen that the magic happened. We order (and NO I didn't get my standard chocolate cone dipped in chocolate.) and I got a strawberry something (would have been better with chocolate in it) and Walker says, "Mom, "button" look...it happened". There it was 100.5!!!!!!!!
We finally found an establishment with a sanitation rating BETTER than 100 and there it was at the Dairy Queen! The three of us were soooo happy because this has been a quest.
Okay, yes, I have boys looking at sanitation ratings and I wonder why one is in therapy. Hello, OCD! We celebrate cleanliness! Seriously, do you know how much strawberry ice cream tastes when you know the 100.5 sanitation rating? It was Awesome and we did it together.
But, the visit was over after that find and we knew it in our hearts. We ate and departed. It was so important to ALL of us that he was back ahead of schedule so there would be another day.
And then, the unthinkable happened. Franklin, who lived there for years, was busy talking and he missed the exit. Not a big deal in normal interstate driving but, this was at the exit was at the bottom of the mountain and now we had to go all the way up and down, and then up and down again with only a few minutes of cushion to spare.
Seriously, I thought we were all going to meltdown but nobody wanted to be the one to ruin the fabulous day. So, nobody did. This was HUGE for us. Honestly, my money was on me first and Addie second but it did not happen.
We made it back on time, close, but on time.
The looks we got from other people there. You could hear the mumbling "Button, are those your folks" Is that your mom?" I guess all the stories that were told these people expected Roseanne Barr with a enormous dragon mask on the head with Charlie Manson as her husband.
We saw his room and the bathroom and met a view folks and we walked to the car. I will be honest, when he took us to his room, I didn't pay attention. I wanted out of there. This was my son and he was supposed to be in "his" room at "our" house and not here. I bolted before the bathroom tour. Remember, I am now cleaning bathrooms for a living and I was sure that would push me over the edge.
It was there that it happened, I fell apart. I held on to that damn kid of mine like I was never going to see him again...and I lost it. I am not sure why. But, I lost it. For months he was sooooo desperate to be "on his own" and "away from us" and now he was here, on the side of a mountain with a punch of pygmies pulling supplies up the mountain for people to say, "hey, my name is ...and I live here." He should have been in college or in Europe ANYWHERE but here and we shouldn't be leaving without him. I guess this is what a new mother feels like when she has a baby and doesn't leave the hospital with that baby.
We got in the car and left. Walker says, "bet the sanition rating there is NOT very good". Talk about comediac releif. I laughed so hard I peed a little in my pants.
Report card for the weekend is as follows....
ability to get along with others 100
asks great questions (like what is going to happen when I get home) 100
appreciative 100
came to free day prepared and happy to be there 100
ate well 100
showed remorse for previous actions 100
is eager to move on to the next level 100
As we drove home today, Franklin and Addie were napping in the backseat and my little shotgun buddy Walker,reached over, squeezed my hand and said, "thank you mom for a great vacation with the "button". It was 100.5 on the vacation scale."
He was so right.
Thank you, thank you, thank YOU, for taking the time to write. I am so deeply happy for your 100.5! I literally have tears of joy running down my face...."Button" is so lucky to have such a great family.
ReplyDelete