Miss Samantha's Adventure

Yesterday, Miss Samantha had a field trip.  Strange to have a field trip on a Saturday, I know.  Miss Samantha is a school bus safety.  For those of you who don't know what this is, it is when the children are hired to help the bus monitors.  The safeties are to help keep the other children seated and quiet and also to help them cross in front of the bus safely at their bus stops without actually getting hit by inattentive motorists.  Knowing my daughter so well, and the fact that her nickname at home is "Cyclone Mary",  I wonder if the bus company is making a wise decision by depending on her to be attentive enough to put the safety of the younger children in her hands. :)  The actual requirements for the job are to be in fourth or fifth grade.  Because it is such a coveted position of envy, the grueling process of applying for this job consists of your name being pulled out of a hat. :)

I digress.  So she has this field trip as a Thank You Gift from the Bus Drivers and Monitors.  They took them to some park with a pool, rock climbing wall and many other things for the adventurous group to do.  Friday night, Miss Samantha spent her time packing as if she were going on a week-long Safari.  We had extra clothing (not one set, but a few different choices to satisfy her fashion state of mind at the time of changing, I guess), enough snacks to feed both school buses filled with children should they break down and have to spend a month waiting to safely arrive home, her towel, money, drinks to quench her thirst on the bus ride (as she may collapse from dehydration on the 45 minute ride), and not only an EXTRA LARGE bottle of Sunscreen, but one of bug spray as well.  Satisfied that little Miss Survivalist was all set for the coming adventure, she happily went off to bed.

6:00 yesterday morning, she was up and ready to go.  We had to be at the bus for 7:30.  After carefully reviewing her packing, we loaded into the car and set off for her adventure.  As she was getting on the bus, bodybag in hand, we went over the "Remember to wear your sunscreen, Be Good, Behave, Be Careful . . . " rules of thumb.  "I got it mom, I'm good to go!"  "Well, OK then, have a great time - See you at 5:30".

5:30 pm - the buses roll into the lot.  Many frazzled and bedraggled looking Bus Drivers and Monitors alight first, then come the children.  As I am searching for my daughter, I see many other tired and tanned children come off the bus.  Then, I see her, I need to do a double-take.  Could this lobster red, welt-ridden, disheveled child possible be the same one I sent on the bus this morning with her survival kit?  "What happened?"  I ask, "Didn't you use your sunscreen?"  "Put it on in the bus on the way there."  Apparently, the word RE-APPLY is not in her vocabulary.  "Didn't you use the bug spray?"  "Oh, that leaked all over the bag on the way there, there was none left."  "Why is your bag so dirty?  Did you store it in a hole?"  "Oh, I don't know, someone opened all the lockers and threw the bags on the ground, you might need to wash it." - YOU THINK??  

So home we came.  Samantha sore, tired and bitten to a pulp, but happy.  Mom totally perplexed and wondering how it is that Miss Samantha can become so disheveled and dirty so easily and quickly (and really just not care).  Especially after being so prepared.  

Well, I guess if you judge a book by the cover, her trip was a HUGE Success.  And the only thing that really counts is that my littlest child really had a blast!