Amazing Race...We're not ready

Adam here-For the last few seasons, Laura and I have been avid followers of the reality show The Amazing Race. It is our reality TV indulgence. We love to see the foreign places, exciting adventures, and exotic animals and people that the racers get to see. We also really love to make fun of the mistakes the racers make. We definitely play armchair quarterback when it comes to The Amazing Race. We criticize the contestants with ease and promptly explain to each other how we would have handled the situation so much better. It is so obvious that when you are in a race for a million bucks that you stop and ask for directions immediately. It is so obvious that if you don't know where you are going that you get help. It is so obvious that when you are tired but still working for an objective you just keep going, you push yourself.

This weekend, Laura and I decided that we are all talk. We were privileged to go to Paris for the weekend to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. But getting there, getting around, and getting home pushed our Amazing Race limits.

We left for the train station around 6:30 am. It was totally dark so we got just a little lost. But after one quick (illegal) u-turn we were back on track. At the train station we were met with a few more challenges; not speaking German or French (by this time we were actually right over the border into France), I didn't know my debit card pin to pay for parking, not having change to pay for parking, and finally not knowing how to print out our train tickets. We scrambled. With just minutes before departure we were able to overcome these obstacles, though, and make the train.

In Paris, we got more than turned around on the unfamiliar streets. We even got lost in one of the Metro stops. And we walked and walked and walked and walked sometimes in the wrong direction. We thought we knew where the Metro was but after walking at least an extra 30 minutes we figured we must have passed it. So we set about trying to find a new way to the hotel. Not fun when you are already tired and it is after midnight.

On the train back from Paris we didn't know where to sit and we got bumped from our seats. It stressed me out more than anything. Plus, the train was completely full. I did not enjoy that. (Seems like any trips to India are out of the question.) When we made it back to the train station we still had another 45 minute drive to get home. That drive turned into just a little over an hour drive. We really did get so lost that we had lost all sense of direction. We couldn't even find our way back to the train station if we wanted to. Once I finally humbled myself to go ask for directions we were pointed in the right direction (literally just the next right from where we were) and on our way home.

Don't get me wrong, we had a wonderful time. We are almost 4 years happily married and we love being with each other more than ever (well, I guess I don't speak for Laura, but I hope she likes to be with me) but we are thinking that we might not send in that application for the Amazing Race after all.