Howl About That?

Busy; adjective.  Definition = having a great deal to do.

That pretty much sums my life lately.  To put it in perspective: if I had a Fitbit, my step count would surpass those of all the ants in this pile.

So we decided that it was time for a break, and I wanted to do something totally different.

The Great Wolf Lodge seemed like just the place to go.

This is a total vacation-fun zone from the moment you walk in the door.  It's got an indoor water park, arcade, restaurants, gift shops, you name it- that you can access without ever setting foot outside.  AND you can save $100 per night by simply going during the week. 

Upon arriving we were greeted with a stone fireplace and deer chandeliers; this place was right up Ryan's alley.

No, Mr. Moody, those are not for sale.

Although, I'm sure the thought crossed his mind.

Hmmm...

There was even a storybook corner with characters that came to life.

And they had exhibits made entirely of CANDY.

It really was such a neat place.  You can go anytime of the year, because the temperature of building stays around 80 degrees 24/7.  

Emerson has always loved water, but this place?  This was her Heaven. 

To her, this was like entering the Banana Room on Donkey Kong.

"YES, LAWD!"

This park is truly awesome.  From the wave pool and slides to the toddler area and dump zones, there is truly something for all ages.

Speaking of dump zones...I was walking around when we first arrived trying to show Emerson some things she could do.  Then I saw this awesome, constructed area of shooting water.  Not many people were over there.  "Why not?" I wondered.

About five seconds later I found out the answer to that question when the bucket at the top of this apparatus dumped a tidal wave of water on me.  Turns out, the bucket is on a timer and dumps every five minutes.

This approach might be really effective for a CEO conducting an interview that he knows is going nowhere.

You have five minutes to impress me, or you get "the bucket."

Seriously.  Every square foot of that place is a land mine of water.  There are random hoses and spray sections around every corner that are just waiting for you to walk by...

"Wait, what was that?"

"That tickles, Mama!"

"Alright, it was cute the first time.  Now it's just getting ridiculous."

There's a reason that I'm in very few pictures from our family trip.  I spent most of my time chasing my two year old, being pelted with water, and taking turns with Ryan on the big slides.  I bared a striking resemblance to this cat.

In hindsight I should be embarrassed that Emerson recognized me at all during our stay.

Mr. and Mrs. Moody, your room is available for check-in.

But we were at a water park, after all, and not a fashion show.  And this place was too cool.  You didn't even have to carry around a wallet or money!  They simply scanned our bracelets every time we wanted to buy something...which got me thinking.

WHY has no one invented a scan bracelet for the Mall of America?!?!

"Katharine, your bracelet is on fire."

#TurntUp

#ShopDropAndRoll

Food for thought.  Emerson is quite the daredevil, just like I am.  Fortunately her three foot stance keeps her from the extremely dangerous rides, but she still pushes the limit.  I stood in line with her for this big orange side, expecting her to ride in my lap.

When it was our turn I was informed that this was for single riders only (no lap riding allowed)...but she didn't mind.  We strapped on her life jacket, and she flew around those turns faster than that time I accidentally dropped my ring in the sink.

I couldn't believe I let her do that.  I watched in disbelief as she twisted her body around and ended up headfirst and backwards.

But when I reached the bottom and saw her, she proclaimed, "Mommy! Do it AGAIN!"  And thus came several more rides down the orange slide.

At our 6:00 pm dinner she fell asleep while eating her kids meal.  We thought for sure she was down for the night.  

But while waiting for our check I took her to the windows that overlooked the water park, and her energy tank was suddenly refilled.

"We go SLIDE, Mommy?!?!"

 Back we went for more twists and turns until the park closed at 9:00 pm.

We were so exhausted by the time we got back to our room that we piled in the bed and were out like lights in a matter of minutes.

That was until 11:30 that evening when we were startled awake by blood curdling alarm.  I woke up to find Ryan standing on the bed trying to take the smoke alarm off the wall, thinking the batteries in it were low.

I called the front desk.  No answer.  I heard shuffling outside and opened the door into the hallway.  Granted, Ryan kept it so cold in our room that the sudden temperature change made it seem perfectly feasible that there was a fire billowing right outside of our door.

People were scurrying around with infants and kids of all ages, all of us were half dressed, and Ryan couldn't see without his contacts...in the mean time that fire alarm was so loud I think it woke up Mother Teresa.

So there we were outside in the cold with many other families wondering what in tarnation (there's a good Southern adjective) was going on.

One lady told us a hilarious story of her husband dissecting the alarm clock in their room thinking it was the culprit behind the noise.  She hoped they wouldn't be charged for it.  No one knew what was going on, but there were fire trucks and ambulances galore.

Soon enough we were all herded like cattle back inside once the alarm was off- still with no explanation- but at least we could get back in our beds.  The moment we turned off the light another deafening beep came over the speaker.  We had a speaker in our room?!

"WE DO NOT KNOW THE CAUSE OF THE ALARM.  STANDBY FOR MORE INFORMATION!!!!!"  

Fiery furnace or not I was dead tired, so this we stood by, alright.  It was just with our eyes closed while unconscious.

Long story short, we think some kid played a prank.  A kid who will likely be grounded until the end of time.

Chaos aside, I woke up to the sweetest smile the next morning. 

The second day we slowed down just enough for the important things in life...like snacks and ICEEs.

And of course I wanted to ride the most outrageous ride there, the Howlin' Tornado.  This six story slide is so massive that it doesn't even fit inside the building.

I hadn't really considered the logistics of this, but I got in line with a mother and her two kids, who oddly enough went for the front of the raft.  Now I know why; they didn't want to be the unfortunate souls going backwards.  

I was hanging on for dear life when I saw it: the drop, which led to this round-a-bout whirlwind of amusement.

I was flailing about like a string of toilet paper attached to a fan.

But I survived, LOVED it, and went several more times.  Ryan actually fell out at the end when he rode it.

Our vacation was a major success and a much needed break.  We had a picture perfect time.

That Saturday was super busy.  I had fun catching up with Kate & Megan at Lorrie's baby shower.

And that night I got to celebrate Courtney's engagement with the awesome Jordan family and many friends.  It was so much fun!

But sadly all good things must come to an end.  That Monday I woke up with a horrendous stomach bug.  I'm talking write-up-the-will bad.  And my whole body ached.  So I and many others in whom I confided were convinced that I had the flu and needed to be quarantined.

Every hair on my head hurt, and my arms, back, and legs felt like I had been hit repeatedly with a mallet.  I was so sleepy but couldn't get any rest, because I kept moving around to soothe my aching limbs.

How can I put into words exactly how this felt?  

There is a Japanese squid entree known as the "live" dish.  Its head is severed, but the muscles still work, so when you pour liquid over it all the tentacles move in a jolted, frightening, unpleasant fashion.  That is a precise representation of what I experienced.

Thank goodness my parents took care of me and my father-in-law rode all over town to find me an ICEE.

When I finally emerged from the bedroom later that evening, my sweet girl crawled in my lap.  I looked like I had driven a Corvette through a cyclone, but she smiled sweetly and said, "I like your hair, Mommy."

"Emerson, what do you mean?!  It's a mess!"

"Yes, Mommy, like a birds' nest."

Best. Compliment. Ever.