You Had to Be There

I've used that line when my silly jokes flop.  Or when the story I'm telling just brings a blank stare.  I'm afraid that's what this blog post will be like.

When we were young(er) amusement parks were a thrill. I mean, a real thrill.  We'd stand in line for hours to scream our heads off for a one minute roller coaster ride.  Or the water park's longest slide would keep us going up and down and up and down as we went on it time and again.  

Well, we met one of my college room mates (Karen) and her family (Jerry, Jenna and Joshua) at Holiday World yesterday for a different kind of thrill.  How we define "thrill" seems to change over time.  Thrills yesterday were more like being excited that Sammie was FINALLY tall enough to ride some of the big rides and when Chase (after two hours at the water park) finally said he wanted to go down the "big" water slide again and again.  He decided he loved it about five minutes before it was time to go.

"Thrill" seems like such a strong word, but that's really what it was.  Being so excited that THEY were so excited.  Even "Wee Little Ava" was big enough to ride some things all by herself.  My mushy mommy eyes could hardly stay clear to focus the camera. 

Sammie and sweet Jenna have been friends from the moment they met a couple years ago. Reminded me of how quickly Karen and I hit it off that first week of school. The girls held hands a LOT.  I wonder if they'll still be friends in 20 years?  (Yes, sweetie, it's been that long.) 

However friendly they were to share rides, when it came time, no one was interested in sharing ice cream.  

Sammie asked for a large cone.  I politely said a small should be sufficient. HA!  They must've had an Arnold makin' those cones!

Shelby is a sweet IU girl we've met through church.  We dragged her along to help with the kiddos and she was a big, fun and awesome addition to the party!  On the ride home, Ava kept saying, "Shelby, Shelby, Shelby."  She'd hold her hand out for Shelby to reach up from the back seat so they could hold hands.  

Karen's family came home with us last night and at breakfast this morning Grandaddy started asking about our college days.  His first question: "Was she a good student?"  Of course, Karen said, "Yes, she was a good student."  Then he asked, "But was she a good girl?"  Karen grinned and said, "Yes, she was a very good girl."

I say that the sign of a good friend is one who either forgets the ugly or isn't afraid to lie about it!  I made Jerry take a picture of us sitting down, so I wouldn't feel so danged short.  It didn't work.

So, I know the re-telling is kind of lame and the pictures do much more justice, but truly, this was a day that you just had to BE there to know how much fun we had.  There's just nothing like great friends and great family time.

Three lessons:

1) Never lose track of a great friend; they're too rare and precious!

2) Don't be afraid to redefine some words in your vocabulary.

3) Don't ever ask the Arnold's to share their ice cream.