Kansas Bound

During Christmas break of my 8th grade year, I went on a trip to Kansas with my aunt. We were going to visit her son, Sean, and daughter in law, Whitney, and their two children Allie and Patrick. Whitney was pregnant again so my aunt went to help out for a week or so, and I went with her. It was one of the first times I ever traveled without my parents, and only my second time flying.

We had a layover, and I can't even remember what city we were in. But I'll never forget what happened. Our flight from mystery location to Kansas was cancelled due to snow. We would have to stay in a hotel for a night and get on a new flight in the morning. I was only 13 and had almost zero traveling experience, so my poor aunt was left to make all the decisions for us. I remember the two of us sitting around the airport with hundreds of other people in the same situation. Everyone looked so angry and crabby, and I was just tired and wanted to get to Kansas. I just followed my aunt throughout the airport as she made phone calls (I don't believe she had a cell phone at this time, but I could be wrong about that) and arrangements for us to stay the night somewhere. I also remember riding a very, very packed shuttle to the hotel.

We didn't have any of our luggage with us. Just the clothes we were wearing and a few items from our carry on bag. So, first of all, we had to sleep in the nude, to try to keep our clothes as clean as possible. I remember her telling me we'd have to get "buck naked" and I thought that was the funniest thing I'd ever heard in my life. Thank God the hotel room had two beds.

Then I started to worry about my contact lenses. I had only recently gotten contacts and was still mastering how to take them out and put them in without poking my eye out. My aunt, a nurse, told me to just put them in little cups of water to keep them wet. I did.

We somehow managed to sleep for a few hours and then started to get ready for the day to catch our new flight. My aunt went first, and I followed. I went to put my contacts in, and one of the cups was gone.

She. drank. my. contact.

We both burst into hysterical laughter. She actually drank my contact  I knew that was something I'd never forget, and I never have.

We eventually did make it to Kansas. We spent our days with my second cousins Allie and Patrick. I slept in the attic and woke up to Allie's bright face every morning as she hopped on my bed to wake me up. Eventually my cousin Katie joined us on the trip, and we shared so many laughs. Once when we were lounging around, Katie started tickling my aunt's foot and my aunt yelled "STOP IT I HAVE GOUT". Katie and I boomed with laughter. Neither of us had heard that word before and it sounded so funny to us. We repeated it again and again throughout the trip. There was also one night where all three of us crowded around the tub as we gave Allie and Patrick a bath. Katie and I were not experienced in bathing small children, so everything was funny to us. I have several pictures from that trip, including Allie and Patrick in the tub. Those two are teenagers now and I'm sure they would be mortified if I shared them. I never really get to see them, or their little brother Jack, but I care for them a lot and will never forget the trip that I spent with them.

On our way back to Detroit we joked about the possibility of having to sleep "buck naked" again. Thankfully, all flights were a okay and we made it back. I remember my dad picking the three of us up from the airport, and just shaking his head when he saw us. We were quite a crew, the three of us, and I believe his first words were "I can't believe you drank a contact".

It was one of those perfect trips that you have as a kid and don't realize how lucky you are to be in that moment. Sure, things went wrong at first and yeah, my aunt drank my contact, but it was an amazing few days that I won't forget.

Have you ever had one of those trips where everything is funny?