my camera card

When I returned from the Florida vacation I was anxious to look at all the great pictures I took. I decided to just take the camera card to Ritz and have all the pictures put on a cd. Since I had over 400 pictures on the card going back to almost a year ago when we went to Disney. Granted the majority of the pictures I have already downloaded to my computer, thankfully. The associated offered to help me since I really didn't know what I was doing. So he put the card in the computer and nothing came up..faulty computer I thought. He put it in the next computer, nothing and finally the 3rd computer, nothing. He put the card into a camera, no images. What? Please don't tell me. He attempted a software program they have that can usually get photos back. Usually is the operative word here. He got nothing. I start to feel a lump form in my throat. I don't want to break down in tears in the middle of Ritz camera, knowing I would probably look like a big dork. The guy says it's not working. Of course I start welling up, he asks what are the pictures of? I told him vacation pictures with my grandma. He offered to keep the card and work on it and let me know if he could get the pictures back. As I'm walking out of the store still with tears in my eyes I remember I had downloaded about 20 of the pictures to my uncles jump drive. I immediately emailed my aunt and she said he would put the pictures on a cd and mail them to me. whew! I guess it was a good thing my aunt forgot her camera, my uncle brought his jump drive and I decided to download the pictures that day instead of waiting until I got home.