On Riverside Drive

The well-planned picture that almost wasn't

The day started with a telephone call.

"Hello, Mrs. Housley, this is the fraud department of your Worldperks Visa Card company. Have you been online this morning doing any transactions with your Visa?"

I had to think for a minute. Nope, not me, but, where were the kids? Just last week a package of toys from Amazon arrived at our house. Seems my nine-year-old hacked her way into my account and did a little pre-Christmas shopping for herself. She was almost in the clear until the FedEx guy knocked and needed a signature. Anyway, I did the child inventory; everyone was sleeping, so I could answer the Visa lady with confidence, "Nobody has been online using my credit card this morning."

"That's what I thought," the woman said. "I knew when I saw the transaction go across - it was fraud. It's been happening all morning. Someone charged $1.40 to your credit card at an online Tent and Awning store. That's how they do it, charge a small amount to test it. I'm going to go ahead and cancel your card and we'll be issuing you a new card number immediately. You'll have no card for the next few days. Is that okay?"

I was fine with that, and thanked her for catching the thieves. I could go two days without a credit card.

My sister and her family had just flown in from Georgia that same day for a family vacation in Minnesota. With three of us sisters, with spouses and ten kids between us, getting our family together is never easy. At least a month ago we planned that at 6:00 PM that day, we would all meet at our house for a big family photo, and we'd give the photo to our parents for their 50th Wedding Anniversary present. Everyone cleared it on their calendars, and the photo shoot was set, complete with a photographer.

Our son, Wilson, was also in a baseball tournament that weekend, and you know with tournaments, nothing can be planned. As the tournament progressed, we found out that his Lake Elmo baseball team was going to be playing in the championship game at the exact same time as the photo shoot. At noon, I called my sisters, and the family phone chain began. We were able to reschedule the photo to 4:30 and Wilson would still have time to head to his game.

One small problem, our daughters were three hours away at the cabin. I quickly called them, told them to hop in their cars immediately, and drive south so they could make it in time for the picture. We were cutting it close.

Reide, (our 17-year-old), grabbed the little Amazon shopper and plunked her in her car, and Taylor, (our 20-year-old), followed in her own car. They were right on schedule, when, just south of Brainerd on Hwy 10, things went awry. Out of nowhere, an innertube (of the watersport kind) came flying at Reide! She swerved, but right behind the innertube, came a flying anchor.

The anchor came at her. She swerved again, but her back tire ran right over it. Seems the truck in front of Reide was pulling a boat, and inside the boat was an innertube being weighted down by an anchor. (Note to self, doesn't work.) Reide's tire exploded, she veered off the road, and actually made it to safety in the ditch in the center median. Taylor saw Reide swerve, but the next thing she knew, she was running over tire shrapnel from Reide's explosion. Taylor also had to veer off the road, and ended up smack dab behind Reide's car in the median.

That's when I got the call that they were going to be late.

Talk about scary. Three of your four children, in the ditch, on the freeway, waiting for help. The police showed up, tow trucks, and even the woman who came back looking for her innerrtube. Two hours later, they were finally fixed and out of the ditch, and back on their way home.

Needless to say, there was no 4:30 picture, though the phone chain was alive, even conference calling the trio on the freeway to get progress update. We rescheduled the photo for after the championship baseball game.

The Lake Elmo boys won the tournament and the family photo shoot was eventually a go. It was taken at 10:00 PM, without the scheduled photographer who gave up on us, but by my niece's boyfriend (who just might have a future if his current job doesn't work out). Making it even more memorable though, was the light of the full moon, shining down on everyone, as God's little reminder as to how lucky we really were - just to be there, together, no matter what time of day (or night) it was.

My favorite part of the story though was when my daughter called from the side of the road after Mr. Tow Truck had just fixed their cars and had them ready to hit the road again. "Hey Mom," she said, "We're done now, but this guy needs to be paid before he'll let us go. I don't have any money. I'm going to hand him the phone now so you can give him your credit card number."

It's a miracle that they ever made it home.

Karin Housley is a realtor in the St. Croix Valley, a Wednesday Valley Life columnist and hosts a weekly radio show every Saturday morning at 9:00 on AM 1220 KLBB - or listen live via the web at klbbradio.com. You can email her at karin@karinhousley.com or visit her website at www.karinhousley.com.