Soggy Mini Donuts

Yesterday, two of my sisters-in-laws and I took CT and EB to Valleyfair (a local amusement park). The boys had never been before, which is a shame for any 10-year-old who lives less than a mile from the park and is forced to drive by it every day. So, since the summer is waning and school is just around the corner, we decided that we really needed to rectify this injustice. Of course, we picked the only late August day that behaves like a November morning....rainy and cold. It was a light rain/mist in the morning, so we decided that this would be ideal. Under these conditions, not many people would venture out to the park and the boys would be able to ride any of the most popular rides without waiting in line. However by mid-afternoon we deluged with downpours that would impress Noah himself. We took shelter by going to a couple of shows, but in the end none of us could escape the inevitability of uncomfortable, drenched undergarments.

I think the boys didn't really mind too much. We still managed to make the best of things. As for me, I learned a lot about my two sisters-in-law. For instance, PKBS giggles uncontrollably on every ride.....every Tilt-A-Whirl or Monstrous Roller Coaster of Death sends her to into fits. It's really quite interesting. On the complete opposite end EBM (Energizer Bunny's Mom) screams curses on the scary rides....also quite interesting. Meanwhile, I confirmed what I already knew about EB and CT. EB is no afraid of anything. We spent a good 20 or 30 minutes talking him out of riding a big, scary ride that none of us adults were willing to ride with him. He really, really would have gone on the thing all alone if we'd let him...even after we described the potential brain damage that this would surely cause. CT is forver his little cousin's protector. He frequently took EB's hand to lead him when he started to wander. CT is quite a philosopher and constantly passes down his infinite wisdom to EB. For instance, the boys were quite interested in one of the games where the carnie was supposed to guess your age, weight or birth month. I pointed out to CT that the sign read "within 2 years" and "within 10 pounds", etc. making it nearly impossible for the carnie to lose when playing with kids. Over lunch CT repeated my advice to EB saying "If my mom did it, she would win. She's so short that he'd think she was 14. [sweet kid] Especially now that she got her hair died. Otherwise he'd guess she was 49 and she'd still win anyway" [devil child]. EB was also enlightened when he began telling CT that he didn't like spinning rides because it gave him a headache and that he didn't like roller coasters because the up and down made his tummy ache. To this, CT responded "Life's full of ups and downs and spins arounds. So just deal with it." I know, sounds like a motivational coffee mug, huh?

I have to say I was more than a little disappointed in the fine cuisine at Valleyfair. My favorite part about going to an amusement park or fair is the food. I fasted for days in preparation for last year's visit to the state fair. I admit that the deep-fried candy bar made it worthwhile. I am always prepared for the exorbitant prices of fair food and complain abundantly about it. But I am a sucker for food on a stick, so I relent and buy everything anyway. Valleyfair's food was cold and tasteless in the cold rain. And there is no travesty worse than soggy mini donuts, y'all. I actually went home hungry, which is quite unusual I assure you.

I hope CT and EB were able to enjoy their day out with their aunts. I'm almost certain that they are relieved to have finally visited this icon of fun in their own backyard. Hopefully, they've had enough and the begging will cease for a while....at least until next summer.