You Never Can Predict The Weather

Yes, I am still here.  I was merely on my “staycation” in suburban Chicago.

It’s been going fairly well.  My patience has been thinner than usual at times but overall, I’ve been able to get through some very long days without resorting to putting myself on a time-out… although yesterday did come close.

One of the most difficult days was on Thursday when we took the kids to Six Flags Great America.  It had been in the planning for weeks and the weather was going to be as optimal as you can get in the land of 30-degree temperature swings and where the threat of a freak snow is never taken lightly.

No, Thursday was the day and we were going to enjoy it… or else.

I hadn’t slept well the night before – can’t really remember why – but Rich was kind enough (smart enough perhaps?) to let me get an extra hour or two in the morning.  We weren’t all that concerned about being the first ones in the park. 

Thus, I slept in and we readied ourselves at a surprisingly non-frenetic pace.

If I was rested enough to go, then I assumed we all were….

It was apparent while waiting for Rich to check in with customer service at the park that all was not well with Sean and Carissa.

The Eeyore-like cloud hanging over Carissa was easy to figure out.  She was still upset over the previous day’s doctor appointment and the three shots that she received.   Ouch…

On the other hand, Sean’s foul mood was harder to pinpoint.

It was Six Flags for goodness sake!!!  Be happy.  Be excited.  Be something other than a mope.

Sorry… re-living the moment there….

Most of the morning and early afternoon Sean moaned and groaned.  He was tired.  He was achy.  He needed to sit down and rest.  His back hurt.  His neck hurt.

Rub me….

I could not believe how he was acting.

Was this a 13 year old in front of my eyes or an old man?

I was becoming increasingly frustrated.  It’s not like he constantly asked to go home.  No, instead it was, “What time is it?”

We had told him that due to the late start that we might be at the park until 8, 9 or even 10 pm.

It was turning into a very long day….

And it was still early afternoon.

Around 2 pm, Ashley asked to go on the log ride one more time before lunch.  Sean was tired and wanted to sit and rest.  Carissa was traumatized from getting wet on an earlier log run.

I wanted to go but decided that Ashley would be better off braving the rapids of Logger’s Run with Daddy.

I took the older kids and found a place to sit and wait.

The words “rub me” have almost become synonymous with Sean sitting anywhere.

“Rub me” was called out from the picnic area before I even had a chance to find a place for myself.

I almost blew my stack.  Here we were…. Gorgeous day, all healthy and fine, and my two older kids were acting like I was torturing them.

I was ready to go home.

Sean finally came out and said that he was tense from not knowing what was going to happen next.  He really does need the minute-by-minute run-down of the day.

But we’re at a theme park…  You can plan some things but unknowns were all around us. 

How long will that line be?  Will Vertical Velocity open up at all?  What ride will be next? 

Or, the best one, how many roller coasters will Mom ride before she gets sick?

The answer?  Two.

Not everything can be pre-taught, pre-planned, pre-anythinged.

Maybe I expect too much from Sean….

Sometimes I just want to have a day….

After Ashley and her dad had their soaking moment together, we headed to the car to grab some pre-packed lunch.  Sean promised me he’d be in a better mood after some food and a nice extended rest.

And he was right.

Sean held himself together for the remainder of the day.  I rubbed him when he asked to be rubbed.  He grabbed and pinched the inside of my upper arm when he needed it.

It was all going to be good.

Later on, the winds picked up and the clouds turned nasty.  We walked to the exit and left the park without regrets.  The kids had done all they could and we were all exhausted.

We learned the next day that a funnel cloud had touched down not far from the area where we were.  Pictures of hail and downed trees were abundant from my Facebook friends.

It seemed ironic to me….  What started out as a gorgeous day weather-wise had turned ugly after awhile.  And what started out as a tired, grumpy, moaning type day, actually turned into quite a nice day for everyone… most especially, Sean.

You never can predict things like that now, can you?