This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it. – Psalm 118:24

Well that was quite the day at Busch Gardens! My American Express card had the time of its life!

We arrived in time for opening and were extra pleased that Tom (McMahan) drove up from Virginia Beach to join us. The older two kids were immediately surprised and impressed that he was planning on joining them for the roller-coaster rides.

“Uncle Tom is doing the big roller coasters” they asked, incredulous. “But does he know about the running?”

That was a critical question because David and Beks had plotted out their route to get the maximum number of rides before hooking up with us again for lunch.

Of course – and with their “skip the line” passes – they made it to absolutely every ride they wanted and then some. And uncle Tom didn’t have to run. They had an amazing day and made good use of absolutely every minute. Tom hung with them for the first half and then joined Rebekah and me as we tried to help Geoffrey enjoy the park, stay hydrated and not evaporate in the heat.

Not so great when you’re a four-year-old

It wasn’t exactly an idyllic outing for Geoffrey; theme parks are not the easiest place to take a four-year-old.

But he did love the Loch Ness Monster boat, he spent a good hour in the kids’ splash pad, the train ride was a big hit, he enjoyed the merry-go-round, he had a good time watching several of the rides, and he was thrilled every time he thought he could see David and Beks on a roller-coaster.

Also – and this was as big win when we needed it, Geoffrey won a prize for busting two out of three balloons at one of the carnival booths; he has a strong right arm!

Early in the day, all he could talk about was the “Le Scoot” log flume ride. So we got in, we floated around the “river” and he loved it. Then we went down the first small drop and he started to cry. But there is no getting off in the middle of a ride! So the next couple of minutes – including the big drop and splash at the end – were traumatic to say the least.

We will see what today brings. A little rest would be nice! – DEREK