Madison's Home and Family Trip part 1

I think I've been so excited and happy about Madison coming home that I have been spacier than normal this past week, which seems to be the theme of this blog. Madison was coming into Reagan around four p.m. last Tuesday, so Cecily and I left early to get there with plenty of time to spare. The last time we picked her up in Denver, we were late, so I wanted to get there in plenty of time. We parked in the Cell Phone Waiting Area and waited about thirty minutes, and just as Madison called and said "I'm here, but I'm at the baggage claim so it will be a few minutes". Cecily said "I have to go to the Bathroom" in a tone that suggested that I had about two minutes before an accident. Feeling flustered, I pulled into the parking garage not reading the sign that said "Rental Car Returns Only". I parked and asked for directions to a bathroom. I remember we were near Hertz on the second level. and then after Cecily and I went up and down elevators to find a bathroom, I was completely disoriented, and spent a half and hour carrying Cecily and finding Hertz and our parking garage level again. So Madison was waiting by the curb looking very beautiful with her huge brown & pink polk-a-dot suitcase. The first thing she did was hug a trilled Cecily, who realized that she still has a sister and one who doesn't just come home at Christmas. As Madison told me the story about the crazy lady on the Airplane and the guy who tried to pick her up on the train, I drove straight into downtown DC, then had to turn around and find my way back on 395, giving myself a little pep talk about not getting lost all the way. We wanted to get away for a few days with the whole family, so headed down to VA Beach for the weekend. Garrett was down in Richmond visiting a friend from Boy's State, whose Dad introduced him to some Congressmen at the Virginia Capital, so he picked up Rhett from the
airport while the girls and I headed down to the beach. We stopped at the Williamsburg outlet to do a little shopping. We split up - Madison and Livi taking their time at the teen clothing stores, and Becca, Cecily and I heading to the kid outlets. It poured rain, but then let up again as we headed down to the beach. Thinking I was so smart getting in the HOV carpool lane, I totally was blocked off from the exit we needed to use to get to Ft. Henry and our lodging, so we went an alternate route. We pulled into Ft. Henry and found the cabins after our car was fully inspected by the military. We stayed in the cutest cabins, and I thought with a sigh - okay.... we can relax. I went out to buy groceries and then realized that our kitchen only had a frying pan, so I turned on the gas to cook the french fries and chicken strips. I stepped out of the cabin to check things outside, the door closed, and with a hotel type lock totally was locked. All the keys sat on the kitchen table, the gas was on high with the potatoes in the frying pan, and the cabin was tight as a drum. The main office with staff was four miles away on the other side of the base, so I said a prayer quickly and ran over to our cabin neighbors, who had only just seen us pull up twenty minutes before. We called the office and they said they would send someone right over. Meanwhile the neighbor came over with his fire extinguisher and we stood outside the window together looking at the fire and frying pan and hoping the staff got the lead out quickly. Ten minutes later Becca was crying loudly, Livi was sitting on the front porch drawing a picture of our cabin filling with smoke and flames coming out the window, Madison had no idea anything was going on - she was on a walk, and the neighbor and I watched the cabin filling up with smoke and the fire alarm blaring. Finally the guy in charge of linen came with a key. I ran in and turned off the gas and the frying pan, opened all the windows, and was trying not to breathe, feeling like a complete idiot. As I was coughing, he asked to see an ID to prove that I really was the one signed up to stay in this cabin. I shook my head and gave him my military ID. I think he took pity on me because he came back with a spray that cleared out the smoke and gave things a good, flowery perfume smell.
I texted Rhett with details about what had happened. He replied with LOL, and then "Don't worry about us. We've already eaten". Thanks, sweetheart:) Okay, smoke-filled cabin behind us.... time to relax. More details later... some friends just arrived~