The Green Bag

This week we had a slightly abbreviated family day, as the kids' morning was taken up with the last day of Youth Summer Camp (aka VBS) at the church. When we picked the kids up from the bus stop, we were all ready with a picnic lunch and other necessities for an afternoon at Indian Springs Metropark. We had a picnic lunch, and then the kids played for a while in the water at the new spray park. The new playground area also has a short (about 10' or so) climbing wall, and Anna quickly discovered a new skill.

Then it was off to church again for the big closing program that always crowns VBS week. (The kids always put on a big production, which they've spent part of their week preparing, as a draw to get their parents into church as well.) After the program there were the usual inflatables and other carnival-like attractions, and the whole Ignited Center game area was also open, so both kids gave the 30 foot rock wall a try. Marissa did really well on her first climb, ascending until she couldn't figure out the next handhold, and then slipped and lost her grip. Anna zipped up the wall like an expert until she was almost halfway up, and then looked down. At that point, she was also having trouble locating the next handhold, and didn't really want to go any higher, either. She couldn't bring herself to let go and allow the belay to drop her safely back down, so she climbed most of the way back. Not bad for a seven-year-old, considering that some teens and adults (myself included) have found that letting go is an insurmountable challenge.

Taking advantage of these Fridays has really paid off. Every weekend feels like a mini-vacation. Of course, that makes it harder to go back to work on Monday mornings, but that's a price worth paying.