Family Bowling...Oh my!

Dan has been gone since August 1 with Pop Warner.  It’s been really fun but the girls really miss seeing him because he gets home late at night when they are asleep.  Mags said last week that we needed to have a family day.  It blessed me that she still wants to hang out with the family so I made a mental note to talk to Dan and make some plans.  Today, the kids had a day off from school and Dan came home early.  We decided to surprise them and take them bowling.  I gathered up socks and loaded them all in the car.  They kept trying to guess where we were going.  Bubba decided St Augustine, and the girls thought Rita’s.  We passed Rita’s and I casually asked Dan what time the Mission House closed.  They freaked out and decided we were going there to work with the homeless and Maggie burst into tears, saying she was scared.  Dear Lord…so much for a fun, family day!  I tried to calm her down and then Dan drives by the Mission House behind the Bowling Alley and all the kids start freaking out…then Dan starts lecturing them about how they need to serve and work with the less fortunate.

Finally, we pulled into the bowling alley and everyone was relieved and excited. We got our shoes (wow prices have gone us since I was young, especially times 7), picked out our balls and entered our names in on our high-tech lanes.  I am pretty sure Eddie took a couple hits of sugar and was running around in circles and scaring the daylights out of us.  I think he secretly was trying to get his hand sucked into the ball return.  I had really perfect bowling form and was a little shocked at the way my children bowled.  I immediately started giving them lessons how to be “graceful.”  (I figure whether you are good or bad, it’s a good idea to look good! LOL)  I was trying to document this experience taking pictures, since it was Annie’s and Eddie’s first time bowling, plus keep Ed from running down to the pins.  It was as chaotic as you are probably imagining with many near death experiences of whacking children in the head with bowling balls.

I was so not paying attention to the actual scores.  The kids were cracking me up with their mouths hanging open when I would strike or spare!  Bonnie asked is this what I do all day!   (I said, yes, I drop you off at school and spend the day bowling, LOL)  I liked the feeling of impressing my kids…it’s a rare thing for sure! Not sure if Annie was doing it on purpose or not but two times she hit the bumpers and knocked them down and got her ball stuck.  The bowling alley guy was so nice and would come save us.  I apologized profusely and he said no problem that he needed the work out!  Eddie was completely out of control and Dan and I both watching him, were having trouble keeping him from injury.  He was psychotic over his ball.  Annie liked using it and he would scream at her across the bowling alley exhibiting MAJOR Anger management issues.  Then he crossed the line….He yelled that I was an “idiot” across the whole bowling alley and I was forced to take him outside for some discipline.  The workers behind the counter were cracking up.  What a pistol he is.   

The boy table LOL!

The kids finally pointed out that I was winning and BEATING DAD!  I was pretty excited!! Dan is the worse loser of all time!  I started cat calling him and chanting “Gutter Ball, Gutter Ball…” (Which was pointless, because they had the bumpers out!)  I really think he choked and I got a strike and won the game!  I forgot what it was like to win!  I really liked it!  I didn’t gloat as nearly as much as I wanted to (You know besides screaming at the top of my lungs in the bowling alley!) In case you were wondering, no one was there but us there until the very end :)  Otherwise, they would have kicked out the Wogs for sure!!  Can you say bowling chaos?