Really, just a vent to get out.
So, we were trying to go to Six Flags this past weekend, on Mother's Day. They were running a special, so that people with season's passes got a free guest ticket on Mother's Day. Apparently not as many moms want to spend Mother's Day at a theme park (though, it wouldn't surprise me at all if my own mom wanted to spend 'her' day riding roller coasters!). Anyway, a friend from work's family (really, his in-laws) got season's passes this year, and he invited us to come along for the day, enjoy the benefits of the extra tickets.
The story continues, that we all met up on Saturday for a small get-together, and there was much discussion of the time we were meeting at the park on Sunday. Now, the in-laws, when Zach and I met them, were really some of the rudest people. Granted there was a lot of other stuff going on, so I understand their being busy, but it was really like we weren't there. Some spoke to us for only the initial introductions, and some never spoke to us at all. Our friend says that's actually pretty normal for them - they barely speak to HIM sometimes, and he married into the family!! And, in all of the discussion of times for the theme park, it was repeated, rudely and within our hearing, "Now make sure your friends are there on time." As if they already knew that they would be waiting around impatiently for us the next morning! (You just can't appreciate the rudeness of the comment over the internet, but trust me, it was!)
Meanwhile, this family (not our friend, but his in-laws) just bickered like crazy! It was as if that was how they regularly communicated with each other! It was becoming uncomfortable and awkward for Zach and I sitting in the next room with our friend listening to it all! Should have warned us of what was to come.
So, the final chapter of this story is the events on Sunday. Zach and I woke up early and hit the road right on time to drive the 2 1/2 hrs over to Six Flags and be there at 9:30ish, as agreed upon the night before. We were both really looking forward to being there, riding the roller coasters, all that fun stuff. So we get there about 9:40, meet up with our friend, and head to the main gate. Now here's the kicker - once we were at the park, we had to wait nearly 3 HOURS for the in-laws to arrive!!!! Our friend had come separately, and the in-laws were supposed to be right behind. It was almost 12:30 before they reached gate! The ones who had been making such a fuss the day before were the ones we had to wait 3 hours for!! They called at about 11:15 that they were in line to pay for parking, and then it was nearly an HOUR from that point til when they reached the gate!! How much bickering did they have to do to make it take THAT long to get from the parking lot to the main gate?? The park isn't that big, and it wasn't that busy on Sunday (I know - I sat and watched people come in the main gate for 3 hrs!) And we had to wait even longer for them to get their season passes verified and get the vouchers for the free tickers! By the time it was almost 1 o'clock, we'd been waiting there since 9:40, and had yet to even ENTER the park!!
Our friend's wife was very apologetic - I think she realizes how trying her family is. From the family, however, the closest we got to an apology was from the dad: "I'm sorry Michelle didn't coordinate the times better." Immediately trying to switch the blame to someone else, as if our friend and we had gotten the time wrong, that it was supposed to be 12:30 that we met!
Well, Buddy, just let me respond: The only times that were discussed were 9:30 and 10 am - period. No one ever talked about us all meeting at 12. You were all very focused on being there early, even to the point of insulting us! Besides, we would've remembered if it meant we got 3 extra hours of sleep! And as a final thought for you, Mr. Rude Sir, before we left the party the night before, YOU were the last person we talked to, and YOU reminded us again about being there early, since there were so many good rides to hit!
Zach and I actually left without entering the park. It was almost 1, we were starving, and the in-laws were still picking up the vouchers for us. We couldn't take it any more. Even if we just stuck around long enough to enter the park, and then headed out on our own once inside, I doubt either of us could have remained civil towards those people if we'd run into them in the park. It's one thing to be late, but to be 3 hrs late (and it takes less than 3 hrs to drive here in the first place!), never call to let us know they left late or were running late or anything, and then never apologize, even try to shift the blame to someone else? It was more than we could take. Our friend has to deal with them, but we don't! (As he says, though, he knew his wife was the right girl for him, when he met her horrible family and still wanted to be with her!)
And as a side note, I guess all of this combines to remind me how lucky I am both with my own family, and with my in-laws. We're all a bit nutty, but in the best of ways. I'm not saying we're perfect, but it's nothing like this family was. We have arguments from time to time, but there's no constant bickering, or mean pettiness, and none of this Jerry Springer, trailer park trash sort of nonsense. Seeing my friend's in-laws, I realize I really am very lucky!!
So, we were trying to go to Six Flags this past weekend, on Mother's Day. They were running a special, so that people with season's passes got a free guest ticket on Mother's Day. Apparently not as many moms want to spend Mother's Day at a theme park (though, it wouldn't surprise me at all if my own mom wanted to spend 'her' day riding roller coasters!). Anyway, a friend from work's family (really, his in-laws) got season's passes this year, and he invited us to come along for the day, enjoy the benefits of the extra tickets.
The story continues, that we all met up on Saturday for a small get-together, and there was much discussion of the time we were meeting at the park on Sunday. Now, the in-laws, when Zach and I met them, were really some of the rudest people. Granted there was a lot of other stuff going on, so I understand their being busy, but it was really like we weren't there. Some spoke to us for only the initial introductions, and some never spoke to us at all. Our friend says that's actually pretty normal for them - they barely speak to HIM sometimes, and he married into the family!! And, in all of the discussion of times for the theme park, it was repeated, rudely and within our hearing, "Now make sure your friends are there on time." As if they already knew that they would be waiting around impatiently for us the next morning! (You just can't appreciate the rudeness of the comment over the internet, but trust me, it was!)
Meanwhile, this family (not our friend, but his in-laws) just bickered like crazy! It was as if that was how they regularly communicated with each other! It was becoming uncomfortable and awkward for Zach and I sitting in the next room with our friend listening to it all! Should have warned us of what was to come.
So, the final chapter of this story is the events on Sunday. Zach and I woke up early and hit the road right on time to drive the 2 1/2 hrs over to Six Flags and be there at 9:30ish, as agreed upon the night before. We were both really looking forward to being there, riding the roller coasters, all that fun stuff. So we get there about 9:40, meet up with our friend, and head to the main gate. Now here's the kicker - once we were at the park, we had to wait nearly 3 HOURS for the in-laws to arrive!!!! Our friend had come separately, and the in-laws were supposed to be right behind. It was almost 12:30 before they reached gate! The ones who had been making such a fuss the day before were the ones we had to wait 3 hours for!! They called at about 11:15 that they were in line to pay for parking, and then it was nearly an HOUR from that point til when they reached the gate!! How much bickering did they have to do to make it take THAT long to get from the parking lot to the main gate?? The park isn't that big, and it wasn't that busy on Sunday (I know - I sat and watched people come in the main gate for 3 hrs!) And we had to wait even longer for them to get their season passes verified and get the vouchers for the free tickers! By the time it was almost 1 o'clock, we'd been waiting there since 9:40, and had yet to even ENTER the park!!
Our friend's wife was very apologetic - I think she realizes how trying her family is. From the family, however, the closest we got to an apology was from the dad: "I'm sorry Michelle didn't coordinate the times better." Immediately trying to switch the blame to someone else, as if our friend and we had gotten the time wrong, that it was supposed to be 12:30 that we met!
Well, Buddy, just let me respond: The only times that were discussed were 9:30 and 10 am - period. No one ever talked about us all meeting at 12. You were all very focused on being there early, even to the point of insulting us! Besides, we would've remembered if it meant we got 3 extra hours of sleep! And as a final thought for you, Mr. Rude Sir, before we left the party the night before, YOU were the last person we talked to, and YOU reminded us again about being there early, since there were so many good rides to hit!
Zach and I actually left without entering the park. It was almost 1, we were starving, and the in-laws were still picking up the vouchers for us. We couldn't take it any more. Even if we just stuck around long enough to enter the park, and then headed out on our own once inside, I doubt either of us could have remained civil towards those people if we'd run into them in the park. It's one thing to be late, but to be 3 hrs late (and it takes less than 3 hrs to drive here in the first place!), never call to let us know they left late or were running late or anything, and then never apologize, even try to shift the blame to someone else? It was more than we could take. Our friend has to deal with them, but we don't! (As he says, though, he knew his wife was the right girl for him, when he met her horrible family and still wanted to be with her!)
And as a side note, I guess all of this combines to remind me how lucky I am both with my own family, and with my in-laws. We're all a bit nutty, but in the best of ways. I'm not saying we're perfect, but it's nothing like this family was. We have arguments from time to time, but there's no constant bickering, or mean pettiness, and none of this Jerry Springer, trailer park trash sort of nonsense. Seeing my friend's in-laws, I realize I really am very lucky!!
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