It's been a week indeed.
Spring break for Little Miss Sunshine began the other Friday - mine started Monday morning at 7 am which of course was a pleasant relief from Rineco - and with the blessing of a a niece getting to ride along, one more of everything across four hours of Interstates 30 and 635. I'm hoping we don't get stiffed by TxDOT for not having their transponder to drive through parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties; a nationalized toll road system would be the move which allows the states to keep its own collected revenue as well as me being able to keep my Florida's Turnpike toll pass. I had EZ-Pass back in the day, so there is no need for the big white box to remain on my windshield.
Once we made it to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, did I eat barbecue? Not exactly; I had something that resembles 'cue but nothing to write home about or recommend to my fellow addicts of the smoke. I saw a couple of joints but I would've been staring at a triple digit bill for four people two of which are seven years old.
My family had a great time and all I got was this bottle of barbecue rub. I'm joking: I enjoyed myself, too.
Back to the Great Wolf Lodge.
The best part of having an indoor water park beyond quiet hours is the ability to wear out two kids with a myriad of activities such as the Magiquest, Build-a-Bear, a mining booth, yoga for kids, and their own nightclub called Hustle and Howl. It meant that I could keep the car in its great parking spot for multiple days except for when we ventured into the city for slightly cheaper chow albeit a more mass market approach. They did pick up a new friend along the way, and what has become par for the course with Caeli, she was welcomed into our little group as if we had planned for her and her mom all along. That trip will likely happen; we shall wait and see.
As a writer living in the moment, I'd be remiss if I failed to confess to calling the Hogs in line as I waited for pizza and wings after the Gonzaga game. For the guy standing in front of me from Lubbock, it would've been really cool if Texas Tech had won primarily so we can get the old Southwest Conference back together for the Elite 8. Count me in as a passenger on the Muss Bus; I haven't been this proud of the Arkansas men's basketball team since the GOAT Nolan Richardson was patrolling the sidelines at Bud Walton Arena.
In Muss we trust
The water wasn't that deep and hey, even married folks need time away from the babies for each other. That being said, chlorine and locs don't mix well. Going for a beer was also prohibitive especially if I had to climb a slew of steps to go down the slides; when it came to the water slides, going down was the thrill I needed. However, these 43 year-old-knees aren't as malleable as they once were - anyone got Ben-Gay?
Just minding our own business playing in the wave pool
Meet us in the club, it's going down...
As for the rest of spring break, we caught up with a lot of people from Caeli's softball and basketball teams, a couple of cousins, and even my homie Torre and his family! From our time in water, it looked like the Williams familia (his words, not mine) had as much fun as Caeli and Faith. Did I bring a large percentage of Saline County with me? It seemed like it. Getting to link up in a fun setting apart of how we recognize people from a normal position or station is a definite change of pace.
Now back to the grind until the next time I am able to take off, likely sometime after spring ball is finished. With a little over eight weeks remaining in the 2021-22 school year, I'm doing all I can to not push too hard for May 25 to get here (Caeli might, but I need her focused on the moment) since that implies that summer break is here. Could we return for a quick three-day jaunt? Possibly. There are so many other sights to see, and as I told Chastity, one privilege we are affording Caeli is the opportunity to travel and visit as much of God's creation as time and finances align.
