Family Fun Night

Inspirational song: YMCA (The Village People)

I am so going to pay for this tomorrow. A year ago, the day after we returned to Colorado, we celebrated the youngest's birthday by going to the ultimate Colorado kitsch experience, Casa Bonita. This year, to celebrate the same event, we all met at a giant arcade/fun park. We arrived close to sundown, after things had clouded up a bit, so it wasn't quite so bloody hot while we played mini golf, but I still had plenty of time to heat up. It was nearly full dark by the time the crew loaded into Go-Karts, and I stayed on the sidelines to take blurry pictures and wave. We came inside for the ten of us who remained to bowl one full round, and then when the younger ones ran off to play laser tag, the man and I and one other played a second, frantic, round Robin sort of thing. We had five player names and we just took turns as we felt like it. Now my right arm is going to fall off (yes, I bowl opposite of my dominate hand), and I am so deeply tired. But the boys wanted one chance to play enormous video games before we left, so here I sit, on a "nitro stunt racing" game, feeling the trailer rumble through my back and butt, while I wait for the boys to run through a full series of Star Wars games while it's on unlimited play. Why did I volunteer to be the DD knowing I'd be up past my bedtime?

I did think several times tonight about one of my favorite memories from this daughter's childhood, when my father and stepmother came to visit, and took us all up to spend a week in Estes Park and Meeker. We went to a fun park there too, and the three year old version of this same child thought mini golf was the greatest thing ever. She ran around waving her putter, telling us how she had to "whap it" (whatever "it" was) "with my sword and kill it and eat it," and at one point she got a hole in one, but I'm fairly certain it was by playing ahead into the next group's green.

I'm working hard at not letting this week overwhelm me more than it has to, and the lights and noise and action around me is helping. I worry how tomorrow will be when I'm overtired though. Wish me luck. And while you're at it, wish me luck in prying the guys away from games, driving home, and being able to stand up long enough to put the clean sheets on my bed.