The Vacation Wind-Down

It has been such a busy week but yet it all seems like just a dream.  Tomorrow we go back to work and the babysitter and the vacation is over.  Our days have been spent with friends and family and have ranged from being very relaxing to overwhelmingly busy.  Sunday, Becca & I saw Nanny McPhee Returns with my Mom which was such a great movie.  Monday was spent moping around watching the weather.  Our plans were to leave for Kings Dominion Tuesday morning but Mother Nature had other plans for us as it was a rainy chilly summer day.  Instead we went out with Mom to some of the area thrift stores and found some wonderful treasures.  I have to say that this is one of my most favorite things to do and I am very glad that we were able to do this.  This just goes to show that everything happens for a reason!!  Tuesday night I checked and rechecked my packing list to make sure we had everything we needed for Kings Dominion which made Wednesday morning run very smooth.  I took everything out to the car and we said goodbye to everything familiar.  My anxiety was getting the best of me and I think I would have been happy to just stay home, but we all know that does not make for a fun vacation!!  So reluctantly, I left the comfort of my home to set out on an exciting adventure with Becca by my side.  Before we knew it, we were at Kings Dominion.  We weren't able to check into the hotel yet so we grabbed what we needed from the car and headed over.  Becca rode her first "real" roller coaster and even went on the "Drop Tower" which is scary even for me.  So of course, I was doubly scared!!  We made it in one piece with Becca smiling all the way!!  She said that she didn't want to do it again because it made her tummy hurt (probably because it was still making it's way down and hadn't caught up with her yet)!  Before long, Becca was hungry so we headed back to the hotel to see if we were able to check in yet and we were.  After unpacking the car, we headed to Burger King for lunch and brought it back to our room.  I turned on some cartoons and took a short nap.  Then we changed into our bathing suits and headed back out for some time at the water park.  We ended the day with the White Water Canyon (twice) and left the park dripping wet!!  We decided to head to the hotel pool (since we were already wet) and have a fun swim.  Once we had our fill of that, we went back to the room and changed and went to the attached Denny's for dinner.  Becca was pretty exhausted and almost fell asleep during dinner so I got a box and the check and we went back to the room.  We woke up late the next morning and had breakfast and a shower and headed out for Day 2.  This day seemed much more relaxing to me and I let Becca lead the way and do what she wanted.  With the help of "Brave Gum" - Juicy Fruit - we were able to do some of the "scarier" things and Becca realized that they were fun and she was glad that she tried them.  By the end of the day, I knew that I had my fill of Kings Dominion.  Two days is alot to do but Becca was wonderful (most of the time) and it was a great experience.  After dinner that night, we went to the pool and Becca swam for a bit and then we went back to the room and started to get our things together for the morning.  Becca woke me at 7:30 ready to go.  I had her watch cartoons for a bit while I slept a little longer.  Around 8:30 we had breakfast and then went out to the pool for our farewell swim.  We were the only ones out there and it was very nice.  After a quick shower, we packed up the car and checked out of the hotel.  We drove about 20 minutes south to see Becca's best friend from Kindergarten who had recently moved.  The girls had a great time playing and I was very glad that they were able to get together.  The time came for us to go and after a tough good-bye we headed home.  It was so nice to see the familiar sights as we got closer and before long, we were back!!  Saturday, we had a 90th birthday party for my Grandfather and while it was nice to see the family (some, anyway) I am glad it is over.  Today is a day of reflection and sadness as it all comes to a close.  Another year until I see you again vacation.  What adventures will you hold for us then?