Bowling on Base

The Great Lakes Naval Base became our refuge after being rained out at Six Flags.  The accommodations were far more posh (and DRIER) than the campground we Ahos were staying at!  Thankfully Lt. Col. Gardner escorted us all past security, and we got to hang out with the sailors at the base arcade and bowling alley, until the monsoon storm passed.  I have never in my life seen it rain so hard in such a short period of time.  It was literally like standing under a waterfall, and there was instant flooding in the streets.  The rain seeped under the astroturf on the base football field, and turned the entire field into a giant waterbed, which Reagan and Teryn enjoyed immensely. 

Once at the base rec center, some nice young naval man even gave Quinn and Colby a roll of quarters to spend.  Brycen challenged another sailor to a free throw shooting contest at the basketball arcade game, and beat the naval base record (318 baskets!). 

Rob said "so, should we Ahos challenge the Gardners in bowling?"  I just looked at him, and thought (possibly outloud) "ARE YOU CRAZY????  NEVER CHALLENGE A GARDNER TO A COMPETITION!"  Rob is young and naieve, and hasn't yet learned the ways of the world in my family.  He obviously wasn't paying attention when 13 year old Brycen whooped a grown soldier's patootie in basketball, not 15 minutes prior.  Poor Colby bowled first, and reaped two gutter balls.  Then, it was Teryn, Brycen, and Kaden... all three of whom got strikes.  A perfect Trifecta performance.  Followed by Quinn's less than stellar three pins.  Yes.  THIS did not bode well. 

The adult side was not much better.   I am not a proficient bowler by any standard (I'm really good at hitting one pin at a time!), and Kelli and Larry started out with spares.  We were destined for a blow-out.  Luckily, Rob saved the Aho name for us, and bowled his best game ever, with six out of ten frames ending in strikes.  Thank goodness. :) 

Such a fun night!!  Completely made us forget about our disappointment, being rained out at Six Flags!

Six Flags with the Gardners

We picked the kids up at O'Hare airport at the unseemly hour of 4 am, which means Rob and I got up at 2 am to drive the hour to the airport, get through security, and meet them at the gate.  It was 6 am before we got back to the campground, which meant we had a good three solid hours to sleep as a reunited family before heading over to Six Flags to meet the Gardners!  It's amazing how rollercoasters can keep exhausted children awake and functioning just as much as the coffee their parents drank ;). 

Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative, and Six Flags shut down the rides whenever thunder and lightning loomed anywhere in a 30 mile radius.  Which meant we spent a whole lotta time sitting and waiting out storms, potential storms, and even perfectly sunny days (but the next town over was raining).  Did not make for happy campers, that's for sure. 

Luckily, splashing in the rain with your cousins seems to be nearly as much fun as actually riding rollercoasters.  Those kids made the best of it, even if they got a tad wet.

 Eventually, the sun came out again, and we'd give it another go. 

 

We left before the biggest doozey of a storm hit, and finally gave up around 6 pm.  Didn't get our full day in at Six Flags, but... it was still fun!  What a way to spend Teryn's birthday!

Quinn's Turn at the Wheel