Gun Shots?- Moving Part 3

As we arrived at the hotel, the kids unbuckled with excitement. "Mommy, is there a pool?" "Do they have free breakfast?" "What is taking daddy so long?" ( he was checking in...and probably eating a cookie), " Can we stay on the top floor?" Their excitement rubbed off on me, and I too, could not wait to see where we would be staying until we found a place to live.

AJ returns and we drive around to our room. We open the door and...whew! It smelled like an old lady with cheap perfume sitting in her musty house. Trying to be optimistic, I tell myself I could handle the smell and I would get used to it, eventually.


The kids come running in, throw off their shoes and jump on the bed. There's nothing like jumping on a hotel bed. I remember doing this as a kid, so I allowed them jump for a few minutes. While they were getting out energy, I checked the bathroom out, only to find URINE and a piece of hair on the toilet! Still trying to be optimistic and persevere, I ignore it and tell myself it could be worse.

After awhile of us settling in with our weeks worth of clothes and activities for the kids, I notice something black...... Feet...... Yes, my kids feet were black from walking on the hotel floor, in our room. I immediately begin telling them, " Stop crawling on the floor"," Pick up the baby", "NO! Don't eat that! It touched the ground!" "Don't touch the sink...it is dirty!" I finally had them get ready for bed so I did not have to worry about what they were touching.

By this time, I am sick to my stomach, nauseated from the grandma smell. I walk outside for a moment to get something out of our van.

"Is there a problem?" I ask a security guard who is standing behind AJ's car writing down info.

"No Mam, I am writing down information on the cars." he answers.

"Is there a reason for this?" I ask.

"Yes Mam. I go car to car and write down anything wrong with the them and check them several times a night to make sure nothing has happened to them."

"I see. Is this a problem here?"

"Yes Mam."

"Sir, Am I in a rough area? I have 5 small kids in there and I want to make sure we are safe. We will be staying here for awhile."

The security guard replies," It is a rougher area. But it is not that bad. You might hear a few gun shots..." PAUSE! STOP! SLAM ON THE BRAKES!!!Did he just say...GUN SHOTS?!?

As he was saying..." You might here a few gun shots and have some break ins to the cars but the other hotel you just asked about had a shoot out there not long ago." ( which was untrue, it was THIS hotel as I found out later).

I go in and start looking for other hotels right away, with AJ's permission. I found a brand new one about 25 minutes closer to AJ's new job opening the next day. I make reservations, skip my bath,I was grossed out and felt I might get dirtier taking a bath, and then go to bed... Praying for our safety and the vehicles.

Next morning, AJ and I pray and then he leaves with anticipation for his first day on the job. The kids and I head for to the lobby for breakfast. This to was an experience but I'll spare you the details. When we finished, I packed up our things, and off my gang, the kids, and I went from this bad experience to a much better one.

* No real life pictures in this post from our experience due to me being in Florida with our pictures on the computer back home.