Today all the inhabitants of the Little Farm spent the day in a mall. Yep, from 10am to 4pm we were in a mall. Not just any mall, but the Mall of America.
The Mall of America contains 400 stores, employs about 12,000 people (are you kidding me? WOW!) and contains a 7 acre park. I find this all a bit mind boggling. It is a bit like a small town in and of itself. Only it's about the trendiest, most commercial small town ever. Oh yes, and this small town doesn't have a Wal-Mart which actually makes me wonder if it could really be the Mall of America. I mean shouldn't THE Mall of America have a Wal-Mart? Isn't Wal-Mart THE Store of America? (I'm trying to be ironic here.)
We were at the Mall of America for the amusement park. A generous friend gave us all day passes for 7 people! Isn't that amazing? The tickets were won off a radio contest. So, people actually do win those things. Spending a day in a Mall, riding crazy rides is definitely out of the ordinary for our family. The last time we came through this way, we stopped at THE Mall and everyone got to ride like 1 ride each. That little venture took a huge bite out Nate's college fund. (just kidding) It was great fun to see our older and younger kids kicking back on the same rides and having a ball.
Even more out of the ordinary, I went on rides which are considered "thrill" rides. Yes, I still hit the carousel and the little train, but today I went out on a limb and went on rides with the Big Guy and Nate. The photo above is one of them.
In my teens and early 20's, I used to venture out on such rides - the ones with big drops, lots of spinning and high velocity. However, somewhere around the time we became parents, these rides stopped being appealing to me. I had no desire to give them a go whatsoever. I'd watch happily from the ground as the Big Guy gave them a turn, but I preferred my feet firmly on the ground.
Today was different. Not sure of the reason, but I'm glad. It was fun to be a little daring (OK - I know going on these rides isn't really all that daring, but ...). It was fun to have a little adventure with the Big Guy and see my oldest son giving me big smiles as I screamed my head off.
As we went up the climb on the first big coaster, I did two things. First, I silently scolded myself for not having hit the ladies' room before we got on the coaster. Second, I made Nate promise not to tell anyone if a word which would have made my Mom run for the soap crossed my lips. I'm happy to report that my Christian witness remains in tact. Mom would be proud.
A bit out of the ordinary is a good thing every once in a while.
I still love a good roller coaster after all these years! :-) I can still do without the crowds and the noise though. So I guess that puts me officially one foot in the 'young' category and the other foot in the 'old geezer' one.
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