i am so sorry... when my mom and brother were dying,we were there every moment..we took shifts.. we wanted to make sure that they were kept pain free in there last days...i wish there was something i could say to take your pain away... i know your pain so well.. losing my mom and brother three days apart was devastating.... you and your family will reamin in our prayers.. i have been lighting candles for your dad every morning at church!!!

Can you make two trips in your car? (I have to admit to having no clue as to how far that would be...my eastern geography is a bit lacking.) I know how you must all need a vacation. I hope you can make it work. And I'm so sorry about your dad. Hopefully he's not in too much pain.

Have you tried renting at a AAA or government rate? A lot of the time they don't ask you for ID. Oh, and beware the taxes on these rentals. That's what drives the price waaaaay up!A

Ern, depending on traffic it's anywhere from 4-6 hours round trip. :(

Ron, we are AAA members and their rate was over $1,000.

I care honey. Happy Birthday! Things are going to be ok, I promise.

I just found your blog through Fish and, although I haven't read a lot, it seems to me like you are an amazing person. Your baby is adorable. And my heart is breaking over and over for your father. I admire your honesty. I have the utmost respect for the way that you are keeping it together. Your words have really touched me and I'm so glad to have found your blog.

I wish we had more money, I'd send a contribution for your trip. I know how much you must need a vacation and I know what it feels like to not be excited for your birthday. Thinking of you and hoping everything works out. Hugs!

Stay strong - I am thinking of you!

I am so very sorry for all that you are having to go thru right now. You are such an amazing woman and are so strong, because I know I would have crawled in a corner months ago.

I know you are in a hard emotional time right now, but I hope that you are able to at least somehow, someway, enjoy our birthday today.

You are in my prayers!

I too found your blog thru the Fish, who I found thru Stephanie Klein's blog... Your situation sucks and I am so sorry. I know you are at the breaking point and I just wanted to say I am sorry. It's like all the bad and good things in your life are piling up on you at once. baby - good, sick daddy - bad. vacation good - no money - bad... Take a deep breath and just look at Willa and know it will all be ok in the long run. Love from Fort Worth!

My Mom was on liquid Morphine toward the end and it did not really seem to make her that out-of-it, except for a few interesting halucinations. A car will surface for you & you will have your vacation, I am sure of it.

Well, you know, happy birthday anyway. Does someone have a credit card you can abuse for the rental fee?

I could have told you how expensive NYC is for renting cars. When we came up on Thanksgiving to visit my sister in Brooklyn and then drove to Central PA, it cost us almost $900 to rent a car - it was an Impala - a nice sized car, but friggin' $900?!? It was obscene. I would suggest this - drive to Jersey in your small car, or have a friend drive you. Then rent a car from there. It will cost you HALF the price. We would have done that had we been able to feasibly do that. It really isn't possible to find good flight rates into Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (the airport closest to the Poconos) - but if you had Willa on your lap, it might end up being cheaper than the car.

I am sorry, Torrie - I know how hard things are for you. Can you send me your address? I'd love to send you a treat.

Torrie, I just looked it up. If you could have a friend drive you to Newark, you could rent an SUV for the week for $476 (go look on Priceline). You could get a full size car for $278. Screw NYC. Head to Jersey!

Hi Torrie, sounds like you are having a rough summer! I'm send you well wishes. Meanwhile, you might try to priceline a car rental. Usually you can get a car for a week for less than 250$. It would entail you getting to an airport to pick up the car, but its worth a shot... :) Best of luck.

Hey Torrie, Sometimes if you take the train to the suburbs you can get a better deal. I used to get rentals in Stamford, CT. I hope you can find a cheap one!

oh torrie. i just read your latest twitter... i am SO sorry for your loss. my stomach flipped over when i saw that. i'm so glad he got to meet willa; you can now tell her all about him as she grows up. my prayers are with you and your family.

Torrie...
have been following along on Twitter..
my deepest sympathies on the loss of your father.

you have been a good daughter, and he was lucky to have you by his side til the end like that. I know you are drained and full of a million emotions...
just wanted to let you know you've been constant in my thoughts and am sending you my best wishes as you deal with these next steps.

a happy belated bithday, and hoping you are able to *breathe* and relax when you take your much needed vacation.
hugs to Willa and the furbabies.

in the nyc area, you can sign up for zipcar. it has a yearly membership fee of around $50 dollars. you can rent cars by the hour, day or week. it would be cheaper than AAA bc the rate covers insurance and gas (so you don't pay for gas which is huge). best of luck

Oh no. I'm so sorry for your loss. Don't be afraid to ask friends for help if you need it. Even time alone to sit, sleep, whatever. I assume you weren't really able to celebrate your birthday. I hope you can soon. I don't really know what else to say...

I am so sorry for your loss, Torrie. I wish I could send you some extra energy to help you get through all the practical stuff. Take care!

so sorry to hear about your dad passing away. Please know that you and yours are in our thoughts and prayers. Peace find you soon. [HUGS]

I actually used to work for a university and have all of the discount codes for MANY car rental agencies. All you need are the codes to get the discount - they don't ask for ID when you pick up the car. If you'd like the codes to price a vehicle, I would be happy to give you the site if you'd like to email me personally.

I am so sorry for everything you are going through, I know how much a vacation can help relieve some of the stress during such a highly emotional and stressful time. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers.