In keeping with the tent we set up (albeit indoors) for the g'kids, we decided to complete our retro-style Friday Night Date Night with a drive-in movie. Did I say drive-in movie?
Last time Joe and I did such a date night with our own kids, it cost five bucks per carload and the speaker came into the car, delivering scratchy, barely-audible sound. Well, not to be repetitious, but again, the times they are a-changin' (Man, was that Dylan before his time!).
Seven bucks is the going price-per, even for a four-year-old. So, we coughed up our $28 and found our way down the extremely muddy path to "G-Force", yet another Disney flick with rats; okay, they were guinea pigs. It took us about ten minutes to find the FM station that has replaced the speaker; twenty minutes to de-fog the car windows; thirty minutes to get the kids arranged, with food and drink, sleeping bags, etc. Then it began; that is, the Guinness-worthy pout delivered by our six-year-old g'daughter, accompanied by more "I wanna go home" comments than we can possibly count. The little guy was happy, but only because he was munching away on animal crackers. The minute, and I mean minute, they were gone, he chimed in with his sis. At that point, we had been there for a total of an hour! Well, we tortured them to the end of Disney. That was the best 28-dollar laugh we've had in a long time!
The tent, on the other hand, was a huge success. They actually "camped" all night long, till 7:30 a.m. the next morning. It was sweet to witness; and they've requested it as a staple for sleepovers. Okay, we were one-for-two; Part Three to follow.
We were all four rewarded by a brilliant and sunny Saturday. The pool felt good; the kids had a blast. When Little Missy began speaking about the movie, I was astounded to discover that she actually knew what had transpired, commenting, "You mean you were actually watching the movie, through all that whining and pouting?" She laughed and responded, "Yes, G'ma; I liked the movie, just not the drive-in!" Ah, remember Art Linkletter? KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS! Yes! They truly do.
Today, it's raining again; but that's okay. If nothing else, Monsoon Season has taught us to really enjoy every minute of Sunshine in a literal sense. Figuratively speaking, though, the Sunshine in and of our lives abounds.
