Stuck in Wisconsin

Well here we are.

It's Sunday night and we find ourselves at a Quality Inn in Wisconsin Rapids. We hadn't planned to be in Wisconsin Rapids today. But our transmission thought differently. So there we were, pulled over on the side of the road in front of a warehouse-sized "Private Pleasures" store. (Yes, we got a picture.)

A 25-mile tow-truck ride later (which the kids thought was very cool) brought us here, and now we're just waiting to talk to the service station tomorrow -- and praying the verdict is kind. In this case, "kind" would be telling us they can get to the van right away. We know better than to expect a cheap bill.

Thank goodness for cell phones, roadside assistance, and a hotel with wireless Internet! And thank goodness the kids think this is a big adventure! They're being great, especially considering they've only been home for about 18 hours total in the last 8 days. (I (Jen) had them at the cabin last week, then it was a quick stop home to pick up Jay before heading on to Green Bay this weekend. Come to think of it, no wonder the van is protesting...)

Okeedokee. Time for me to write this week's column. I'm thinking I have plenty of material now...