Sleepless In Childress

The morning sunlight was brilliant! As I opened up my eyes at the Super 8 Motel in Childress, Texas I was stunned that the sun had risen before I did. I had fully intended to get up and get the troops back on the road early. I laid there staring at the sunlight which was beaming in from the bottom of the room darkening shade. I planned in my head where the best restroom breaks would be from Childress to Fort Worth. I marveled at how great the boys did sleeping through the night in a strange Motel room. I was delighted at getting through the night without waking up with a headache, or waking up period. I starting questioning why my internal clock woke me up so much earlier than the alarm which was to go off at 6:30 a.m. I usually awake within 15 minutes of my alarm, and yet it had been some 30 minutes.

I got up to look at my cell phone/ alarm clock to confirm the time. It was 1:15 a.m.! So, what about the sunlight? It turned out to be my IPAQ (handheld daytimer) which was sitting on the wall mounted AC unit. It had turned itself on in the middle of the night and was facing the curtains giving the appearance of sunlight coming in from the bottom of the shades.

Great! It was 1:45 in the morning and I’m wide awake in the Super 8 Motel…so much for the restful night of sleep that I thought I had just achieved. I had just had a dream about an ice-cold Diet Coke and I was thirsty.

I figured that I would go check on Tyson, our Boxer dog. Being the frugal legalist that I am, he slept in the car. You see, it was an extra 10.00 to have him sleep in the room with us. I was unwilling to pay it, and reluctant to take the beating from my 6 year old for sneaking him into the room. So, my solution was to hang out with us all night in the motel room right up until bedtime…then it was off to the car for Tyson.

I headed out for a walk downstairs. Tyson was sleeping comfortably. I proceeded to the vending machines for a Diet Coke. It was the frostiest drink…equipped with ice crystals floating on the top…fantastic! Just like my dream.

I finally enjoyed slumber again at 5:30…just one hour before my alarm actually went off.

I’m so proud of the boys. They did great on the trip from the Springs to Childress, and slept through the entire night…unlike their daddy.