I haven't been sleeping well lately. I can't shut off my head. So many things coming at me like an onslaught.
Last week our family had the wonderful privilege of taking a trip to Pigeon Forge,TN. I highly recommend it for families of all ages there is so much to do and to see a week is not nearly long enough. We stayed in a cabin that has the most beautiful and calming view. The first thing I noticed was the silence. Just a few birds chirping a dog barking way off in the distance. When I walk outside my door I usually am encountered with sounds of traffic, sirens, dogs barking( and there are a lot in my neighborhood with owners that think it's fine and their dog shouldn't have to be quiet at night). Chaos. Noise. Pressure, stress. Busy schedules sometimes so busy we can't see straight and miss important things. Was great to get out of the city to find some peace.
Our family visited some attractions there at Pigeon Forge. MagiQuest(highly recommended) where you get your own wand and can become a wizard for 90 minutes fullfilling quests. I hear there's one in Kansas City too which is a lot closer to St Louis so we might venture there next. The cool thing is my wand will remember everything I've already done it keeps tabs so I can pick up where I left off. They also had a magnificent mirror maze. It was remarkable! I've never had so much fun being confused in my life! So many times you reach out to a family member to see if they're real and touch a mirror instead. Magnificent fun! They also had a laser challenge which our now 4 year old daughter aced. She figured if she tummy crawled like she was in the army under all the lasers she could do that a lot faster than trying to walk through and over them. Clever girl. They also had a glow in the dark pirate mini golf course which if you keep control of your kids and participate with them ( unlike a family that came in after us and let their kids go to any hole they wanted and rush through the whole thing in 5 mins waste of money) it can last a very long time and there's so many things to discover along the way. I think my kids favorite besides the pirate statues was the pirate ship. Cannons with buttons and loud booming noises can go a long way lol.
We ventured for lunch to the Mellow Mushroom. If you have one in your area the Maui Wowie is to die for! Best pizza I've ever had! They made the crust to order too I prefer thin crust and as I'm now diabetic I have to watch carbs, fat and sodium. This is a must have pizza! The staff was fantastic we found out our waiter was in training but honestly you couldn't tell he did so well.
Wednesday it rained and even snowed a bit that evening. But we had a great day together as a family. That evening we talk our kids how to play poker using cheerios, raisins, hot chocolate packets, kit kat bars, and maple cookies from Aldi( my absolute favorite cookie) as our money chips. We did that for a couple of hours was so much fun! Sometimes just plain goofing off, sitting around talking about nothing is the best! Well that and your kids might let you in a little more what's going on with them in a non threatening environment like that. Take the time to talk to your kids the dinner table is the best place ever for that!
Thursday we ventured out again to a place called Wonder Works. Upside down mansion. Our favorite part? The entrance passed the lobby. The virtual spinning room with bright spinning lights and basic steel walkway that isn't even moving. We could not stand up straight! We were all laughing so hard we were crying. Was so fun once we got through it we went back and forth a couple times challenging each other not to touch the railing for support. There was falling. But no one got hurt just laughed their heads off. They had bike that you have to pedal to make yourself go over. Was hilarious to watch our teenagers as sometimes they didn't make it over lol. They also went overhead onto the rope challenge. Suspended rope bridges and stairs in layers and layers above the room with their harnesses. Our youngest opted for the life size "wonder brite" ( light brite) down below. We played a life size piano, there was a bed of nails, a -2C titanic cold water challenge that our 15 year old daughter Brittany surpassed with 3 mins. No one else could do it that long. We found the giant bubble room where you could put a bubble right over each other, crazy artwork that plays with your head and a military challenge with military grade weapons and vehicle ( virtual of course no real bullets or targets lol) that was hard to do. Thankyou to all the armed forces for all that you do for this country by the way. It isn't easy in any aspect and our family appreciates it.
Friday..........(sighs) Friday our van broke down on the interstate. The transmission died. We were stuck on the side of the road for almost an hour and managed to get it into first gear to find an exit and get off. It took Allstate roadside forever to find someone that could help us apparently tow trucks having to tow families of 5 versus one or two people is unheard of in that area. We were towed eventually van and all to Williamsburg, KY. Thankful is the word. Thankful for Gary the tow truck driver, thankful for the mechanic, and thankful that we were all safe. A LOT of truckers on that interstate and sitting ducks with our kids that long was nerve wracking. Unfortunately we had to rent a van to drive home in. We have rented it for the week in hopes that we can drive back to pick up our van this weekend and drop off the rental and make it back home safely.
Since last Friday I have not slept passed 5 hours. I'm tired, I can't eat, I have so much on my plate personally and otherwise that my mind will not shut off and get the rest it needs. It is always calculating and figuring things out and the best way to handle all my challenges. It's doing it simultaneously the best it can and that's great and all but I'm so tired. I'm about to turn into a moody teenager and we already have two of those. I feel emotionally bullied, put in my place. It's terrible because I'm still responsible for all these things. I choose to face my challenges best I can but there are a lot of serious ones all at once. Lots and lots of prayers have been offered to help me keep going. Working so far and I'm sure I'll get through all of this happily somehow that's my goal. In the meantime I really need the rest! By the time I get to work out time I'd rather nap. I work out anyway but come nighttime despite exhaustion I toss and turn the whole night through. This too shall pass, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment