Lessons learned

This weekend I went to San Diego for my cousin's wedding or not! I was told that the wedding party and guests would be staying at Rancho Bernardo Inn. This Inn is like a maze, and all the buildings look alike. Also, there are no elevators. You have to carry your luggage up several flights of stairs.

I notice that I forgot to bring my evening purse. As I try to find my way back to the lobby, I see other guests lost in the maze, going back and forth trying to find their way. A staff member informs me that they don't sell purses at their shop, and to go to their spa boutique. After walking for quite some time, another employees tells me that I have long ways to go, and that the place is really far. I give up because I need to get ready and leave.

I text my cousin's son, and tell him that there are a lot of parties here, but I don't see them. He tells me to Uber it to a winery which is 5 minutes from the Inn, and texts me the address. I follow the GPS, but there is nothing but a dead-end. When I text my cousin, he says that's so weird, and gives me the name of the winery. Again, google map takes me round and round, and brings me back to the same dead end. It turns out that my cousin gave me the wrong address because that address was the one to the next day's venue.

At this point, I'm thinking let's just forget it. I go purchase an evening bag for the next day, find a restaurant, grab dinner, and call it a night. The next day wasn't any better than Friday. 

My cousin and his mom tell me again to Uber it. The hotel concierge calls in a taxi, tells me that the area is new, and maps have no record of it. The taxi is late. It got lost, and cancelled the order. The valet steps in. They too cannot find the area on their map, but offer to have a car pick me up in 20-25 minutes. I told them to forget it. I might as well just take my own car. I told the concierge what difference does it make whether I drive my own car, Uber it, take a taxi, take a horse or a donkey. The point is that this place is not on the map. She agrees.

Once again, I find myself back in the same place. Google map tells me in .3 miles turn right. But how? I cannot go through. On my left, there is a black gate. A truck carrying construction things pulls out of there, and disappears. I take pictures of the area, and send it to both of my cousins. Neither one responds. 

I turn around, go down a bit, and turn left through a neighborhood, thinking perhaps I can find the street because the online wedding instruction said: Go to the house, a shuttle will pick you up, and take you to the venue. 

I see a lady watering her lawn, and her daughter is with her. I ask them if they recognize the name of the street. The daughter looks it up on her phone, and tells me that her apple map shows no such a place exists. A search on MapQuest gives the same result.

At this point, I'm really frustrated, and hungry because with the exception of a small latte, I hadn't eaten all day. So, I leave the area, drive back, find Burger lounge by accident, and order a quinoa burger. 

My cousin's son texts me and says, "Oh, just go through the gate on the left." I'm like, what?! That gate is not even on the street named on the invitation. It's on a completely different street. Also, not only you're responding an hour later, but you couldn't tell me this yesterday? 

I eat, go back to my room, change into my PJs, remove my makeup, brush my teeth, and make plans for the next day with an old friend who lives in Irvine. Three hours later, I get a text from my cousin's mom. She says the same thing as her son.

In the past, things like this would have bothered me. Not this time. I mean, I was disappointed, but after a little while, I think what happened was unimportant. I ask myself what lesson did you learn from this experience? My cousins' shortcoming—they don't care about their guests or their family. Things did not have to turn out this way. 

All they needed to do was to put the name of the correct street with instructions on their online invitation: when you hit a dead end, ignore the GPS, turn left, and go  through a black gate. But they couldn't be bothered with this tiny detail. They couldn't care less about a close family member who spent a lot of time getting ready for this wedding, drove through three hours of traffic, and was given the run around.

This is not the first time that they have done me wrong, and I have always let it go. But this time, they have crossed the line, and I'm cutting them, and anyone connected to them out of my life. Lessons learned...

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to make something happen, life has a different plan, and you just have to go with it. For whatever reason, I was not supposed to be at this wedding. I had a great time having dinner by myself. And the next day wasn't so bad either once I got over my frustration. Sunday was the best out of all three days because I got to see old family friends on my way back. I ended up doing exactly what I was meant to do. Again, lessons learned...