My husband loves adventure...big or little, he loves it. I love the idea of it, but the reality is, I am a planner and adventure usually has more spontenaity and unplanned events than I care to embrace. However, I decided I need to try and embrace it a little more for the family sake.

Yesterday, we had our first (of what we hope to be many) Ryan family adventure days. A day where we took off from the house as a family and didn't come back until bedtime. At first we were going to head up to LEavenworth, but with the heat in the 100s up there and nowhere to nap, we decided instead to head down to Tacoma's Point Defiance and visit our friend's the Rorems.

Out we headed...then back to the house for Mom's phone. Out we headed again...almost to the freeway and then back home again for another item. Out once again...and onto the interstate. We made decent time and fielded way more questions from the backseat than desired. Finally we told Gavin we were going to see a train, hoping that would at least keep him from the "Where we going?" question. But that just started an endless round of "I don't see it mom. Where's train?"

Finally, to the Park. Point Defiance is awesome! It's on a spit and has a five mile loop around the outside. It has a zoo and aquarium (which we don't really feel the need to see, because we go up in Seattle enough...I am pretty sure my kids won't know the difference in elephants and sharks). It also has lots of gardens in the middle. On the outside is a Marina, a big beach area, parks with play structures and picnic tables, a historical museum with people who act out the old days (like bread making, costumes, and what not) and a logging museum with train rides. I am sure there is much more...as we drove the loop I was so excited to visit the places and let the kids play! Get me out of this car!!!

Our family headed straight to the logging museum for the train. The logging museum happened to be at the end of the loop, but we made it. Out we went, to find the train (a kinda rickity old flat with wooden slats on the side and benches in the middle attached to an engine) that doesn't leave for 30 minutes. That's fine, we totally wanted to take our 1 &2 year old on a tour of the logging museum...I'm sure they'll love it (sarcasm intended). About 5 minutes before the train we go to buy tickets, they only take cash. Guess what, you have to leave the park to get cash.

We load the kids up and get out to the Cheveron. I am buying to alligator water bottles for the kids when the guy informs me, we don't do cash back. GREAT...and now I own two alligator waterbottles. On the way out the door he thinks to mention...oh, we do have an atm. Okay, back into the Cheveron to pay $2.50 to get cash and then back to the park and around the loop again. We make it to the logging museum just in time to see the train pull out with one family on it. PERFECT. At least I have some alligator water bottles to occupy our children for the next 30 minutes.

To be honest the kids did awesome with all the driving and waiting and driving and waiting...not to mention the heat was a bit ridiculous. Finally the train is pulling in and it pulls the train whistle/horn thing 4 times. Gavin goes ballistic with sobbing and hands over his ears and he doesn't even want to be near the train. Finally, we convince him the horn is done and we can get on. We get on and wait. And wait and wait. We are looking around and NO ONE is coming to get on this train. No cars are passing by and if they are, they are not slowing down to see the logging museum. But still we wait.

As the engineer goes to pull the horn again, Gavin starts to cry (hasn't he watched enough Thomas to know trains blow horns?). But alas, they have ear mufflers for him and the crying is stopped. (Yes, my train infatuated son had to wear ear mufflers on the train...good grief). We can go. Three times around the little forest area. We're done.

We get off only to find it's time to go to our friend's house and put the kids down for naps. No gardens, no slides, no beach. Apparently they are going to have to wait for another Ryan family adventure day. I think may possibley be the only family on a goregeous sunny day to visit only the logging museum at that park. Did I mention I tend to shirk adventure because things never seem to go as planned?

On a thankful note:

Our kids behaved marvelously. We had a good time. It was fun to see our friends. I got Starbucks. And I think God ushered me into our adventure days with a little reminder, that sometimes even unplanned plans run amuck...and that's okay. Even kinda funny...NOW.