Curse of the Snake

This lovely snake deserved a post of it's own and I think most definitely cursed our Christmas vacation (not really, but maybe kind of :)

December 21st we left for Christmas vacation. Our plan was to drive to Williams (near Flagstaff, AZ) and experience the Polar Express with our children that evening. The following day we were going to continue our drive up to Idaho Falls to spend our Christmas with my family. So on Wednesday (the 21st) we were packed, loaded up and left for Flagstaff that morning. Adam had to do some research for a personal injury case in Williams so it worked out that we were going to be there that day, which is why we left so early so Adam wouldn't be rushed. Adam did what he needed to do, now about 2:00 in the afternoon, but our Polar Express train ride wasn't until 7:30 that evening...leaving us with 5 hours to explore Williams - the tiniest little town with maybe three stop lights. So with all of this time we parked in the Historic downtown to walk around (located on Route 66).

To pass away some time, we told the Kenedee & Lincoln that they could each have 10 dollars to buy a souvenir in one of the gift shops. The very first shop we went into, both kids found what they wanted to buy: these little horse figurines. (kind of defeated our plan to waste some time). So we told them that we'd come back to this store after we'd been through all of the others to make sure that is what they wanted. Also in this store, they had those insects that there sealed in resin but the biggest of them all was this rattlesnake. Adam pulled it off the counter and let Kenedee hold it (quite heavy) to show Lincoln how cool it was. Adam put it back and off we went.

Our friends, the Ahumadas, who were joining us for the Polar Express had now arrived (around 4:30) so we took them back in that very first shop with us so the kids could buy their horses. I went to grab the horses, the kids were showing their friends all the cool things, Adam was talking to Ernie & Lauren....and next thing we hear is this LOUD CRASH over near the counter. We rushed over to see Lincoln standing there and the rattlesnake souvenir was on the ground-upside down. Lincoln wanted to show his friends how awesome this snake was, thought he could pull it off the counter by himself, tried, realized it was too heavy and it crashed there on the ground. At that point, I was just relieved it didn't land on his foot cause it clearly would have broken it. Adam picks up the snake and turns it over to find that the entire glass was shattered. Why you ask am I making such a big deal of this snake...well cause this snake had a price tag on it (which at this point we now saw) was $249.99 ($267 with tax) - more than my two kids' Christmases combined. Adam & I look at each other, don't say a word to each other, knowing we both have that awful sick feeling in our stomachs and Adam walks up to the counter with the snake. The girl at the register has to go get the store owner, which seems like forever at this point, while other customers now line up behind Adam at the register. The owner walks up, Adam tells her that we should have been paying better attention of our son, he dropped it, and how can we make this right. She tells him that normally she wouldn't charge him full price but since the man that made this snake is now retired, she can't replace it at this point (but come on! who's going to pay $250 for a snake in the first place - ridiculous). So she takes his debit card and charges it for $267. Adam grabs Lincoln by the arm, puts the snake under his other arm, and walks out of the store. I don't know whether to follow him or try to keep Kenedee & Pierce entertained cause clearly Lincoln is going get a talking to. Adam takes Lincoln to the car, has some words with him, and leaves him in there for a time-out. After some time, I walk back to the car and see Adam sitting on a bench next to our car with Lincoln inside. Adam is upset; I'm upset; the whole situation seriously stinks. We're both mad that this happened, that it was a $250 snake which was probably the most expensive item in that store, and frusturated that the lady charged us the full amount instead of the wholesale cost. I ask him what I should do with Kenedee & Pierce cause it was too cold to sit outside with them in the 30 degree temperature. I decide to take the other two and go find the Ahumadas to find somewhere to eat since our time is now running out. About twenty minutes later Adam and Lincoln come walking in the restaurant. Adam tells us that after thinking about it, it wasn't completely fair that the lady charged us full retail price for this snake. Yes it was our fault, but the fair thing to do was to charge us her cost, or what she paid for the snake. So he took Lincoln back in the store with him to talk with owner. After another awkward few moments for girl to go get the owner again, she walks out and sees Adam standing there (so glad I wasn't there, I HATE awkward situations). He tells her in the nicest way, that this was clearly our fault and that we should have been paying closer attention to our busy child; that this was an accident but that we needed to pay to make it right. He tells her that it wasn't completely fair to charge us full retail and asked her if he could pay the cost she paid so that she could buy something else for her store. She tells him the same story about the man who is retired and can't make these snakes anymore. She then tells him that after he left, she called her husband and told him what happened. Her husband said it was an accident and that she was a jerk for even charging Adam anything. She had been feeling guilty ever since so she said 'fine, I'll just give your money back'. Adam and her went back and forth for the next ten minutes, him trying to get her to let him pay cost for the snake, her saying no...until finally she wrote him a store check for $267. Which wasn't what we were expecting to receive since we knew we had to make it right, but at that point we were so relieved!

Adam wanted to keep this snake in Lincoln's room for future teaching moments. We kept it in the car, sitting in a bag, until the next morning when Adam pulled it out to re-pack the car and noticed that it reaked of formaldahyde and probably whatever poisons the snake was leaking out, sick. So we took a picture to remember this awful moment and threw it in the hotel garbage (outside garbage :) This is a story we will never forget!

Story doesn't end here...the curse of the snake had now begun! Kenedee woke up that next morning throwing up. But we still had another 8 hours to drive to Bountiful, UT to eventually reach Idaho Falls for Christmas. So on our 8 hour drive that next day, Kenedee was threwing up the entire ride as well as Lincoln who started around noon that day. I think they both threw up in the car about 15 times combined. First the snake and now the flu...WORST START OF A VACATION EVER!!!!!!!