Nirvana

My three boys enjoying our perfect day.

We took a bit of a jog off our trail and headed to Traverse City, Michigan.  We had been told that Great Wolf Lodge was a fantastic place for kids. Thus, we  had decided to book two nights here as a bit of a break from the van.  For all those with water babies out there: this place is on par with Disneyland.  I'm sure their training mantra is that happy kids means happy paying adults because it shows throughout the entire establishment.  If the boys so much as squawked in the restaurants the waitresses were there trying to get them to smile and, more importantly, eat their supper.

Kim, who despises anything commercial, rolled his eyes when he walked in the front entrance.  It really did feel like a bit of an overload.  However, the rooms were spacious, (the boys even had their own wolf den) the food was made from scratch, prices were reasonable, the service was second to none, and the water park was a blast and spotlessly clean.  By the end of the first evening, even Mr. Cynic himself was completely won over.

The boys had their own bunk beds and tv in their wolf den.

The waterpark really is something to behold.  Of course, the 90 degree weather certainly made the outdoor pool perfectly refreshing.  The inside had two body waterslides that the boys went down incessantly.  Kim was reprimanded for sliding down before being given the okay.  Three minutes later, both Theo and Levi were also given the lecture.  The lifeguard came up and told me that they were all cut from the same cloth.  I couldn't agree more.

Goldie Hawn  spoke about rubber time in her book on mindfulness.  Rubber time refers to the time in which the outside world vanishes and the only thing on your mind is what's happening at the exact moment.  In this age of cell phones, tablets, and other electronic gadgets, rubber time is rare and very precious.  As I sunbathed beside the pool in the sizzling Michigan heat, listening to Theo call out to Levi and Daddy as they played water basketball, I felt truly blessed to be enjoying this rubber time.  In fact, this entire trip has been a great opportunity to unplug.  Apart from this blog, I've been able to tear myself away from the daily checking of emails, stocks, and other such sites.  Cell phone?  Turned off!!

 Guess what?  It's been grand.





 Side story alert!!

I had stopped ordering margaritas in Canada.  After holidaying in Mulege, Mexico for a number of years and being spoiled with the quality of margaritas there, (both in restaurants and a la casa de Curtis) I had been disappointed time and time again in Canada.  Well, Bud Light has managed to do in a can what countless of restaurants have failed to accomplish in their expensive fancy glasses.   Bud Light Lime Mar ger Rita is my new favorite drink!  I was first introduced to this drink in Omaha at the July 3rd party.  I drank it from the can and it was a fairly decent margarita.  Well, Great Wolf Lodge cracked the can open and poured it into a salt rimmed, ice filled glass.  I have been an ardent admirer since. Kim was sent out to pick up 48 cans, our legal limit to bring back to Canada.  I'm not sure if these drinks will be classified as beer or not, but I'm willing to take that argument up with the customs officer.  After all, it's made by Anheuser-Busch.