MY DAY OUT

Friday, after dropping the kids off at their respective schools, I was heading back home, dreading the numerous chores awaiting me. Then I got to thinking. Don't I deserve an actual day off? A day where I don't have to be on point at the Resort? A day without laundry and daytime television? I thought, I DO deserve such a day. So I decided to skip school. But what would I do, where would I go that wouldn't break the bank? Dollywood, of course. I had two free passes left. I called the only person I could think of that also had the day off and whose company I could stand for an entire day. My brother-in-law Larry. Of course he said yes, but who wouldn't? So I picked him up and off we went. To reciprocate for the free admission, he took me out to lunch first. Chinese Food. No fast food for us. We're skipping out so we're going to do it right. It was an excellent lunch at an excellent Chinese restaurant in Sevierville. Afterwards, with our bellies full, we headed to Dollywood, the one and only amusement park of the Smokey Mountains. It was THE perfect day to go. It wasn't crowded AT ALL (I was actually surprised at how empty it was) and the weather was beautiful. The sun was out, low eighties, slight breeze. Perfect.
So what should two grown adults, with no children to entertain, do? Ride some rides, of course. And that is exactly what we did. We rode every ride we could. Twice. There is no better stress reliever than sitting in a car, going 50mph, with your arms up, screaming. We even rode the low-key bumper cars (which actually just fed my desire to get in a go-cart). We did it all. No lines, no crowds, nothing but sunshine, laughter, and adrenaline rushes. In between, there was good conversation, from the latest best-sellers to life-plans. It was the perfect day. Perfect.
But as is life, all good things must come to an end. And actually, this time, it was okay. By the end of the day both me and Larry were sun-weary and bruised from being tossed around. We dragged ourselves to the car and headed home. After dropping Larry off I picked my girls up from school with a tired smile on my face. It was a smile well earned. And well deserved.

Shelly
Finally has an older brother to play with