Well, our 2-day getaway didn’t go precisely as planned.
To start with, we moved it back a day to Monday/Tuesday. Sarah’s ultrasound appointment was at 10:45 Monday morning and since I wasn’t allowed inside, I dropped her at the front door and settled in to wait. Just a few minutes later she came out to the car to impart to me the distressing news that the pre-scan fasting was not four hours, as we had been told, but eight hours.
Well, I stressed out a little when hearing that because last Friday, a determined employee had managed to find just one available slot for us. And now that slot was gone. And we had a Duke appointment Wednesday which would be largely centered around that ultrasound. And we needed very desperately to get some answers on the current state of things before the wedding.
I tried reaching my contact from Friday to beg for another slot but only got voice mail. Sarah had just told the receptionist that she would go out to the car and talk to her mom; she hadn’t yet checked on any other appointments. So I took a deep breath and called the front desk to briefly explain our story and see if there might possibly be any other slot they could find for us in the next 24 hours. My fear was that they would say, “Sure. We have something at 8 p.m. tonight” and Sarah would have to go without eating the entire day.
But thankfully and miraculously the woman said, “We can fit her in at 7:30 Tuesday morning.”
We were hooraying and hallalujah-ing all over the place when we heard that. And better yet, since we had already planned on staying overnight, we would be three minutes away from the facility, rather than 90 minutes.
Sarah and I shopped a little and grabbed some food and checked into the hotel about 2 p.m. She wasn’t feeling well so I ran back out to get her some extra protein, and when she had eaten a little more of that and was feeling recovered, I took off for a couple of hours of serious MOB shopping.
I was happily tooling along down the road when I happened to glance at the dashboard on Sarah’s car. My brain had been so full of stuff all day, it was the first time I had even looked down at the gauges.
This is what I saw.
That is NOT a happy sight when you are in heavy city traffic. (I took the picture at a stoplight.)
I quickly turned off into a parking lot and sat for a minute to ponder my options. I know some adventurous people would try to make it to a gas station, However, my introverted heart quakes at the thought of running out of gas in the middle of an intersection and bringing half the state of Virginia to a halt before being ignominiously towed off.
So no dashing to a gas station for me.
My first course of action, after getting parked, was to cry.
Yep. I’m all about taking the situation in hand and getting ‘er done. So why not cry, right?
I’ve been doing a good bit of unscheduled crying lately and yesterday was just the proverbial straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. I was under such a time crunch to get to a mall, find a dress, get back to Sarah, and enjoy our evening together. So I was extra, extra frustrated.
And then the whole thing with the pending ultrasound, Duke visit, high liver counts, and that tumor fraught with so many unknowns–that was all hanging over my head.
And so tears seemed reasonable.
I eventually fumbled my way through the options of a call to roadside assistance and they had someone there within 30 minutes. (Kudos to USAA.) The young man was so nice; he wished me a Happy Mother’s Day, said I was a beautiful mother, made friendly conversation while putting the gallon of gas in my tank, and then said he would follow me to the gas station to make sure I got there safely.
I just wanted to give him a big ol’ hug but that would probably have been alarming so I just thanked him profusely and left him a good review.
Off to the mall for another fruitless search through the unsuitable-for-me dresses. I tried a couple of them on and in one of them looked like a battleship and in the other, like an awkward wanna-be prom attendee.
Of course, my eyes were puffy from the out-of-gas crying experience, so that didn’t help the overall look. Not my finest sartorial moment.
Speaking of MOB dresses, my mom actually wore the same dress to six of her children’s weddings. The same dress! And it looked so lovely on her.
And also speaking of MOB dresses, here’s a side story.
When my dear friend, Sheri (Meagan’s mom) heard I was having trouble finding a dress, she went to a mall in Florida to scope out dresses. She found four possibilities and sent me pictures. And then she enlisted the help of her wonderful husband, Frank, to go back with her and help her video chat with me and take a video of her IN the dresses. When we decided on a couple of dresses that might work for me, she boxed them up and sent them my way. (Of course, I reimbursed her.)
You might be thinking it was FedEx that was entrusted with their transport but it was actually FriendEX that did the job.
A friend of Sheri’s happened to be traveling from Florida to North Carolina and not only did she bring the two dresses, but she also brought six large boxes of finished floral arrangements that Frank (who is gifted at flower arranging) had put together for the wedding. 
We had actually bought the basic floral arrangements for our wedding on FB marketplace about eight weeks ago and sent those to Frank. (Thanks to my other friends, Greta and Tammy, who boxed up all the flowers while we were inpatient at Duke and shipped them to Florida.)
Frank worked diligently for many hours taking the flowers apart, repurposing, and rearranging them with items purchased in Florida. (Sheri, Meagan, and Kristin were also very involved in the process.)
This is a picture of true friendship–letting one’s whole house be overtaken while many hours are invested in making things lovely for a certain young lady and her fella. We love you, Hawley family! (And thank you, Sheri, for going the extra Friend Mile and helping me in the dress search. My sweet friend, Cheryl, also worked on the outfit search for me. Blessed!)
So anyway, back to yesterday. Although both of the dresses from Florida were fabulous, neither of them was exactly the right fit. Hence, the journey to the mall yesterday. And the zero results.
After dinner out, Sarah and I headed back to the hotel for some extra special mama/daughter time, knowing that after twenty-five years, it was our last hotel stay together before her next season of life started.
We shared long, serious conversations, more than a few tears, and then ended the whole night with a much-needed laugh, watching part of a show by comedian, Nate Bargatze.
It was a sweet ending to a tough day.
Happily, today’s ultrasound went without a hitch and we have the CD in hand for her and me to take on the long trip to Duke tomorrow. Twelve to fourteen-hour days are sort of becoming the norm these days!
Good thing I am young, healthy, and full of energy! Oh, wait. That was my other self.
But that’s okay. It doesn’t matter how I feel or how tired or overwhelmed I get.
It is my privilege and my honor to get to walk with this beloved daughter through this singular season of her life.
Oh, my. So glad you and Sarah could spend time together, crying and laughing.
Continued prayers.
Thinking of you and praying for you today. ❤️
Thinking of you all and praying for you today. ❤️
Oh, Becky, lots of hugs! What a stressful time – gas, dresses, scans, etc… but also wow, look at God showing up with nice gas guys, beautiful flowers, special moments with a special daughter, and friends who send dresses.
Just wanted to let you know that I’m continuously thinking of and praying for all of you!
Praying all goes well at Duke today. Sorry to hear about the gas issue but glad it was resolved! Roadside assistance is the best!
So glad you and Sarah got to spend some mother/daughter time together. Praying that you get some answers today.
I agree with going through Nordstrom’s and ordering several dresses. That’s what i did and they both fit. Becky I have the dress that I wore to my son’s wedding. It was in May also. I would be happy for you to take a look at it and if it is something that you might like, I would gladly give to you. If interested I could send you some pictures, size and color. Just let me know.
Prayers, love and hugs.
Joy,
You are so sweet to offer! I went with a couple of pieces of advice I received and ordered a few things from online stores, Nordstrom being one of them. One has come in and is a definite contender. That is a huge relief to know that is something I can cross off the list.
The perfect MOB dress is out there. Can I suggest Nordstrom to search for one. Its free ship and free returns so it would allow you time to just try them on at home and not run to all the stores. I know Nordstrom is a little more expensive but you deserve to splurge for the perfect dress.
So frustrating when tests don’t go as scheduled. Those tears over the gas, were really over so much more and perfectly natural. I know the feeling. Glad the evening finished well. Prayers for your trip to Duke today.
Patti,
Yes, you’re right. The tears over the gas were definitely more than tears over gas!
Glad you were able to get gas delivered to you! Knock on wood, I have never run out of gas. I have had my low fuel light come on a few times.
Good luck in finding that perfect MOB dress.
Glad they were able to reschedule Sarah so quickly. Prayers for good results.
How wonderful to have Sheri, Frank, Cheryl, Greta & Tammy in your life. Their acts of kindness were truly from the heart. It’s so sweet to see the love between you and Sarah. I agree with Cheryl Denton, “you are a true warrior for your beloved daughter”. Continuing to pray for my Manteo Smith family ..
Love the picture of Sarah–true beauty and grit right there! ❤️
I’m very sorry your dress is being so elusive. But between your tremendous ability to find great clothes and your friends pitching in, that dress will be found!
Much love,
Deb
My dad is a veteran, which allows me to use USAA. Honestly, such a gift. In all my years with them, the customer service has always been so amazing, and everyone very kind. Glad they rescued you in your moment of need. 🙂
Flowers, friends, and dresses… I’m glad you had your Beloved Mother and Beloved Daughter trip together, before Sarah becomes a beloved wife.
I was lucky looking for my mother-of-bride dress, which was causing me similar stress – I found a dress I bought TEN YEARS AGO and have NEVER worn, never having had a suitable occasion for it. I had forgotten I had it! It was a little bit too small, after ten years of too many nice foods, but stress and eating less means it fits me fine now… I hope you find the perfect dress for you!
It goes without saying that those of us who love Sarah will be hoping with all our strength for helpful and encouraging news from Duke xxxxxx
Oh, BECKY! Out of gas on top of everything else? No words. Just lots of love and prayers. You are a true warrior for your beloved daughter. ❤️
I opted to cry through the full reading of this update. I cried when you needed gas, but really bawled upon reading the stories of the friends in Florida and the floral arrangements.
Thank you that I wasn’t alone with leaky eyes!
Barbara,
Thanks for feeling our story deep enough to cry with us. Hugs.
I’m happy for the kind guy who came to the rescue with gas! And like an earlier commenter, thought first thing about the gas lines I’ve been hearing about in NC.
Good luck on the dress! I have yet to shop for a mother of the bride dress. Both of my married kids got hitched far from home, with just the couple. I suppose there are advantages to that!
Prayers continue for so many things. So glad you have wonderful people all around to help with the flowers, dresses, etc. Truly, this wedding will be filled with so much joy and happiness, in the light of the unknown. So many virtual guests will fill the church! Prayers to you all, for this season, for this day.
Becky, not to add to your stress but are you aware of the gas shortage here in NC, Gov. Cooper just issued a state of emergency last night, I live in Wake Forest which is not too far from Duke and many of the stations are out of gas here already and the lines are long and I know Duke is a long trip from Manteo so really plan well…..
Tears. Ugh.
My grands are here from Canada. They think I’m nuts. Lol
Praying for great results and news from Duke. And prayers for the perfect MOB dress.
The whole gas situation….I would have cried too. Thankful for the rescuer.
My kids are headed to Kissimmee (we have a short term rental there that happens to be empty until the 27th) after being with us the last couple weeks in Tennessee. They are leaving in an hour and then will be headed back to Canada after Florida. We had not seen them for 15 months. They came down spring break; found out their schools were going back to on line learning so bought chrome books and just stayed. Yay for us! Anyway I’m feeling a little emotional today since they are leaving soon.
Hugs and more prayers for a miracle.
Buff,
So glad you had a chance to be with your family after such a long time. Many hoorays for that!
Oh Becky, tears are certainly reasonable, what a frustrating day. I have great faith that the perfect MOB dress will present itself in short order. In the big picture, Sarah is feeling a bit better and things are getting done. Will you both be standing upright on the big day? Steve will be running around propping you both up 🙂 Exhausted, overdone, but full of joy. It is a LOT! How in the world you have time to write on your blog is beyond me but I am ever so grateful for your efforts. Hugs to you both.
I had to smile a bit at the gas gauge situation because it sounds like something that I would do. Thank goodness for roadside assistance and friendly, helpful young men!
Wishing you both safe travels to Duke. Also, I feel certain that you will find the perfect MOB dress. Crunch time doesn’t start until this weekend so you’re good. (smile)
It is so nice to see Sarah and that beautiful smile.
Continued prayers and big hugs…