For Father’s Day this year instead of doing the typical backyard BBQ my Dad invited the entire family to Kings Island for a fun-filled Family Day. What a Dad, right!?! In order to honor my hubby’s side of the family we went to King’s Island the weekend after Father’s Day. Which couldn’t have worked out more perfectly, we had such a gorgeous day at King’s Island while Father’s Day ended up being a little soggy.
So, in preparation for our road trip to Cincinnati I printed off a scavenger hunt for the kiddos in hopes of keeping them occupied during the drive. I did a quick google search of the various images located near I-75 of the city/towns we drove past and added a few expressway affiliated symbols we would pass along the way. I then pasted the images to a word document, printed them off, pasted them onto construction paper for better durability, and glued an envelope to the back of one of the construction papers, and placed stickers inside the envelopes to act as markers to mark off the images as we passed them on I-75.
Then, at the completion of the Scavenger Hunt, which just so happened to coincide with the end of our road trip they each received a prize. No, your eyes do not deceive you, that is Christmas wrap, lol! (Side note: Kroger’s has a lot of toys on sale. I purchased a Green Lantern action figure for $5, our son loved it! He wants to know when we are having another Scavenger hunt).
At the halfway point, Lima Ohio, I included a snack, mini-M&M cookies, Yum!
So we stayed the night at the Homewood Suites in Miamisburg on Friday night so we could wake up revived and spend an entire day at Kings Island. But on our way to Kings Island that morning we receive a surprising phone call. Our Yellow Labrador did something to his leg and he was in the Animal Hospital. Thankfully our good friends were watching him and took exceptional care of him, even medicated him twice a day and yes, they have their own family of 5 to care for, Big shout out to the Reeds and thank you for taking such good care of our Deuce while we were away.
So once we entered the park our minds were a little distracted since nothing has ever happened to our 9-year-old Deuce and he has never had surgery or been medicated in his life. But was had a decision to make, a mental decision, we could either allow our fun-filled family day to be hijacked by thoughts of Deuce and the “what ifs” or we could enjoy our time with our children, my parents, and siblings. It took a moment, I am not going to lie, and yes, I had an image in my mind of our poor dog limping everywhere and needing assistance and wondering why we had abandoned him. But I tried to focus my attention on the amazing gift God had blessed me with, my awesome family, the beaitufl weather, and the possibilites that lay ahead, and I realized it would be insulting to all parties involved, including myself, if I rejected this gift. So I chose joy, happiness, and the opportunity to make some new amazing memories knowing full well that our friends at home would take excellent care of our four-legged family members. And memories, boy did we make some exceptional memories…..
It was amazing how joyful my day became once I adjusted my demeanor and reflected on the love that was exuded in this fun-filled family day. For it was the love I knew our friends had for Deuce that eased my worries and comforted my spirit. It was the love my father had for his entire family that brought about such a wonderful day. It was the patience and love my mother has for our marriage that encouraged my hubby and I to have a family moment with our children. It was the selflessness and love that my sister and brother exuded for me and my children when they patiently waited in line and road the roller coaster, swam, and swaddled our toddler (they are young, not married, and have not children they could have chosen a selfish route, they could have disappeared the entire day, but they did not, they stayed, they helped, they loved). It was the love I have for my hubby, children, parents, and siblings that encouraged a manifestation of joy within me. What an amazing gift to be given, love, when you are truly loved and loved in return you are the richest person on this planet. No amount of money, fancy clothes, cars, houses, purses, exotic trips, or materialistic things, can compensate for the riches of truly being loved. For without love you are bankrupt, and that is a torment within that I pray to God that my children and loved ones never experience.
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 