Urban Air Adventures

For my daredevil daughter's 6th birthday she requested a visit to Urban Air, so we decided to check out the new Adventure Park in Southlake. We're currently going on hour six, so I thought I'd take a moment to type up a fun filled review.

When we arrived the entry area was a zoo with long lines, little signage, and no real sense of what was going on. I spied a self-service kiosk and hoped to expedite things by signing up on it. Bad move - after filling out the refreshingly brief personal information section I was presented with a dizzying array of options and no real explanation of what they meant. I made some choices hoping to get to playing sooner. Foiled again! The machine produced a ticket that I then had to stand in a long line to redeem. When we finally reached the counter, an employee promptly helped the family behind us. Another employee tried to assist the family after them until I suggested that perhaps we might like to be served as well. She did apologize and was very friendly and helpful, providing us socks and wristbands. Thirty-two minutes after arrived we were finally allowed inside. (If you have ever waited 32 minutes with an excited 6 year old . . . . )

Once in we made several discoveries. There are no benches, seats, or chairs anywhere near the entrance. You can walk to the food court in the back, but putting on socks at picnic tables is not the easiest way to do it. There is a surprising shortage of trash cans. We couldn't find anywhere to toss those sock wrappers. The required Urban Air socks are fine for the kiddos, but as an adult I found them to be quite uncomfortable. They are scratchy, don't stretch, and come in a very poor set of sizes. The indignity of these awful things resembles the feeling of wearing a hospital gown - you feel exposed, not quite covered up right, and a little bit dirty all the time. Oh, and they're bright yellow.

Next up: stashing our stuff. There are no lockers. The website says they exist, but a manager says they don't have any that are not broken. She was super sweet and friendly and offered to keep my bag behind the desk since there were no lockers. There is also shoe cubbies if all you are storing is footwear, but in our case the area was overflowing with shoes, socks, jackets, and the like.

Finally, on to the fun! There is sooooo much to do here. The girls headed straight for the ninja warrior course. There is also a variety of trampolines and other amusements. The best part - they are all included! That's right parents, no constant begging for more money! While the exact things you can do are determined by the level of pass you purchased, a very reasonable $25 gets you all day, all the attractions ($10 more for unlimited go karts and virtual reality). Little ones are only $9 and parents are half price so you can play too.  After a while you get used to seeing kids flying overhead and that skyrider thing does look pretty fun. The 'pro room' is perfect for traceours, slam dunks are awesome, and there are at least 6 rock climbing options. The go karts are surprisingly quiet and the place is spotlessly clean.

So lets talk about the poopy part - that's right, the restrooms. There are located behind the food court, so not super convenient, but large, clean, and well-lit. While one stall was out of toilet paper, they seemed to be in otherwise working order. My favorite part was the family/gender neutral restroom available. This is particularly helpful if your son has taken to refusing to use the ladies' room, but you still insist that a 3 year-old cannot use a men's room unaccompanied.  There is also a free, clean, cold water fountain available. (I despise places that remove the water fountain in order to sell more $5 bottles of water.)

When my six-year-old opted to work on her skills in the pro room, the staff member in there supported her and she happily joined in with the teen guys showing off their flips and wall climbs. The employee really made her feel welcome and helped her up onto the wall if she needed a boost. That level of customer service stands out to me because it would be easy to dismiss a little girl rather than treat her like a valued customer.

Later the same manager from earlier passed me and asked how we were doing. I asked her about wristbands that some participants had been wearing and she offered to get us some and help us register them. Then the kids could swipe them at different activities and it would e-mail me a video of what they had just done. Talk about cool! And free! One note here, the bracelet was too big and kept falling off my daughter's tiny wrist.

For lunch we visited the concession stand. While the usual concession favorites were on the menu (hot dog with stale bun, slimy nachos, slurpee), the prices were surprisingly reasonable and the quality was better than I expected. I spent $22 on 2 slices of pizza, 2 hot dogs, fries, sweet potato tots, and 3 drinks. They had my favorite Gatorade, plenty of dairy free options (wings, hot dogs, pretzels), and ranch for dipping at no extra charge. While the line was a bit slow moving, the pager system made getting the food easy and there was plenty of space to sit and eat. The dining area was clean and comfortable. Drink refills are free too.

Once thing that we noticed is that some of the policy enforcement seemed a bit sporadic, but that is to be expected for a new place. Often the ninja warrior course had so many little kids playing in the balls that the 'ninjas' couldn't really race. At one point my daughter was incorrectly told that she was too short for a certain attraction, but after I spoke with the operator he apologized and let her ride.

Later in the day another manager noted me sitting at my laptop and stopped to ask how our day was going. I mentioned a concern and he immediately took ownership of the situation and worked to make it right. He went above and beyond to help and again made a huge positive impression.

Even after a full six hours here, I think I'm gonna pack up the laptop and go get back on the trampoline because, yes, it's that much fun! This place made a great first impression on me and we can't wait to hear about the annual membership that a manager said should be coming soon.

Where are you Christmas?

It's 10:30pm on Christmas Eve. I'm standing in the kitchen staring down a massive pile of dishes. The remains of a delicious Mexican dinner intermingle with the congealing leftover icing from the sugar cookies. Not the cookies my mom used to make, but a dairy-free modified version. I sneeze, for the thousandth time, and wash my hands again. Ugh, this mess, this cold, and I still have to fill the stockings. Some part of me wishes I could just jump into bed and wake up in the morning to the smell of frying bacon and wander into a room full of gifts that someone else wrapped.

Late at night on Christmas Eve my dad used to slip over to my grandparents' house to visit them after midnight service. Sometimes we went to church with them. As I got older I sometimes got to go on the late night excursion. This year I will have to make due with a visit to a headstone tomorrow afternoon. I'll have no gift to deliver, but I know that being in their presence will still be a gift to me.

In the morning my children will bound down the stairs, eyes aglow and eager to open the gifts we have for them. My sweet in-laws have contributed to the pile of goodies and the kids have even brought a few things. We will have fun tearing off wrapping paper and wearing bows on our heads, but this year I will be the one piling the trash into a sack when the melee ends.

It hit me a few days ago while my phone played Christmas songs and I shoved gifts into shiny paper with too much tape. Christmas has changed. I yearned for the warm glow of the past with my old Reba McIntyre Christmas CD and the little tree in my bedroom. The warmth of my parents nearby and a full cohort of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends to share the holiday. Somehow being an adult seems to have lessened the glow of the Magic of Christmas.

Tonight we went to my cousin Melissa's house for Christmas Eve Mexican dinner. The differences were striking - as we sat down to dinner, I had to change poopy pants. My grandparents didn't come, my parents are far away, and no one made Mexican casserole. However through the newness, some things remained - my aunt Cathy's pralines, the group picture of the kids (our kids!), and the love of family. We spoke of Christmases past - of Cindy's cookies, Melissa's piano playing, and funny pageants. The year we played Taboo for hours, the running around in the back yard, the gifts we used to exchange - the memories flooded me. Somehow this gathering replenished my soul on a level I never knew I needed.

I realized that Christmas isn't about Magic that finds you, it's about Magic that you make. Tonight as we ate my Aunt Cindy's old weaving loom leaned against the wall next to our table. Seeing that piece of her past tied some thoughts together for me. Weaving the threads of Christmases past with the new strands of Christmas present produces a kind of beauty all its own that blends nostalgia with a strength that will enable Christmases future to continue to be spliced into the tapestry.

So I'll head back to those dishes with my Pentatonix Christmas playlist and look forward to being the one cooking that Christmas breakfast. Merry Christmas to all the Santa Clauses out there who make their own Christmas Magic.

Letting Go

Since the day we are born, our lives are a series of goodbyes. Many of them are triumphant ones such as taking first steps or heading off to college, but for the ones left behind those moments are often bittersweet. Today, with tears running down my face I'm reflecting on some of those moments.

This morning a friend of mine left her sweet baby for her first day of daycare. Just reading her facebook post left tears sliding down my cheeks. It included an adorable sign the daycare made to welcome the little girl and the cute baby happily playing. While I absolutely believe that this child will have a wonderful day with loving caregivers, I still experience the empathetic pain of the separation the mother feels at letting go. That first day where your baby is not with you (or a close family member) holds a special place in every parent's life. It's an important step, for both mother and child, but not an easy one to take.

When dropping my girls off for their first day at a new elementary school last week, I lamented the fact that they each hopped out of the car and headed inside without looking back. As I drove off I realized that the street was lined with cars and crying parents walking their (also crying) children inside. A part of me felt proud that my strong, beautiful, independent young ladies had simply hopped out in the carpool line (and that I had managed to keep driving the car after they exited it). Another part of me felt like it had been torn in half after spending a wonderful summer with them traveling and enjoying life. I'd like to tell you that the rest of the day went smoothly. I'd like to tell you that I didn't pull into a random street and sob . . . but my son in the back seat would likely tell you the truth.

Each season of growing and changing brings new challenges, new firsts, new skills, new successes, and new goodbyes. They need me less and less for small tasks and daily duties. But they need me more and more as a guide, a compass, a source of wisdom, and a friend. I'm sure those days will pass too as they continue to grow up and our relationship will grow too.

I'm preparing to say a final goodbye to my grandmother - a woman who has been a role model to me for my entire life. She's shown me the meaning of love through the life we have shared together. She has always embodied a quiet strength hidden under a funny and cheerful nature. Her work in her church made her the much loved grandmother of her entire congregation. She never missed a school event, birthday, or trip and she cheerfully supported me through so many crazy endeavors. From my earliest memories the warmth of her love has been a part of my life.

While I know that there is a season for everything, I'm struggling. She and I have talked so much about Grandpa in these past few years since he's been gone. She misses him. She's ready to go and be with him. But I just can't imagine life here without her.

Just like a new mother leaving her baby or my little girls climbing out of my car, it's time for me to embark on a new stage of my journey.  A chance for me to learn and grow and find my grandmother's strength inside myself. Even though she won't be here with me for much longer, she will be with me in my heart forever.

Letting go is never easy . . .