Play Day

It's already been a long year. For both me and James. And I decided that we both needed to get away and PLAY. Just be kids again with no worries or bothers. And Jimmy agreed. So I suggested a theme park. It's been so long since I've last been to either Six Flags Arlington or Astroworld. Or rather, at least long enough to forget the hassle of long lines and crowds and rambunctious teens.

So I left work early on Thursday and headed to Waco to pick up James. And on we went to Arlington. And checked into our hotel, which we were checked into the La Quinta across from Six Flags by a young man from McGregor of all places. And both James & I were pretty tired from a long week, a longer month, and an interminable year to date.

Now let me preface my assumptions about going to Six Flags on the Friday before Easter. 1) I thought not many people would want to go before Easter holiday. 2) I thought that not many people would be interested in the Christian Youth Weekend and 3) I didn't know that many adults would take off work to take their kids to Six Flags before Easter for Christian Youth Weekend. Boy were my assumptions WRONG.

So Thursday night, our hotel room was sandwiched between a youth group from Laredo. The boys were on our left, the girls on the right, and others all up and down the aisle. Now, normally I try to get indoor corridor hotels, but this one was literally across the street from Six Flags so we didn't have to mess with parking or paying $9. And yes, it was convenient, but the youth group was extremely revved up Thursday night and full of excitement at being away from home and going to Six Flags for Christian Youth Weekend! And I just didn't have the heart to be the mean grouch and tell them to stop their rowdiness, which happened to last until 1am. Because I've been there. We went to Six Flags twice when I was in high school - I went with the Live Oak Baptist Church youth group and actually got to see Sandi Patti. The second time was my Senior Trip. So I know where those kids were coming from. FREEDOM!

And so Friday, we made it to Six Flags by 10:30. And got to ride 3 rides: El Conquistador, Titan, and Shock Wave. Yes - 3 rides in only 5 hours. And we got the bright idea to leave the park for lunch so we walked back to the hotel, got the car, and went to Humperdink's for burgers and beer. And back to the hotel for an hour nap. Because that's the only way to go for us old-timers.

So at 6:30, we were back at the park and rode Batman The Ride. Which, after standing in line for 3 whole hours, nightfall finally came. And it was worth it standing in line for that long to ride that ride at night. Because you can't see where you are going and your feet are dangling and you get to go round and round several times in loops. And I came off that ride feeling a bit green. It was fun - more fun that Titan. Which Titan had made my palms sweat with nervousness. But I kept my eyes open the WHOLE time and was laughing and screaming AWESOME the whole time. I love thrill rides. The only ones I won't do are the free fall rides. Fahgeddaboutit.

So, all in all, it was a pretty fun play day for me and Jimmy. Mission accomplished. Even though it was a long day, mostly standing in lines for a less than 5 minute thrill ride - it released a lot of tension and frustration both of us were experiencing. We had a blast. We've got to go do it again.