We got there around dinnertime, so we met up with Kathy at a restaurant that we originally thought was Amish but ended up being Dutch. Either way, the food was delicious and the evening proved to be a great night of conversation.
We were all pretty exhausted from the drive, so Dad, the kids and I left to the hotel while Mom stayed to catch up. While Dad relaxed in the room, watching TV and catching up on emails, I was at the pool with the kids, having a not-so-great time.
Daniel, who has had a cough for some time now, began coughing and gagging in the pool. As he sat their motionless with his hands over his mouth, I yelled, “Get out of the pool!!” He jumped out and released his Amish-but-actually-Dutch buffet food all over the side of the pool just in time. I screamed, “Ew!” while Daniel tried to come up with some sorry excuse of why it’s MY fault that he puked (apparently, as we were racing in the pool, I pushed him, forcing him to take a deep breath, which led him to cough a lot and throw up…it’s far-fetched, I know). Let me also add that earlier in the day, on the way to Mansfield, he puked in the pocket seat right behind my chair in the van, making for a nice scenting ride the rest of the way, while Dad tried his very best not to burst out laughing at my less than fortunate situation.
Being the nice sister that I am, I cleaned up the puke while drilling him about the need to have a faster reaction when he feels the puke coming. Meanwhile, the other family that was at the pool, quietly got out and tiptoed around our, um, mess. Three towels later and now a pool to ourselves, we decided to make the best of the situation and stay for another half hour.
Soon after, the kids went to bed early in hopes that their coughs would go away.
The next morning, we met up with Kathy and her daughter, Bethany, for a late morning at the local carousal. Apparently, this carousal has been around for years and one of the country’s few carousal makers is from Mansfield. Kathy bought us a bunch of tickets and everyone, including Mom and Dad, rode that carousal, and not once but twice!
Then, we walked around downtown for a little bit, stopping at the local ice cream shop and bookstore. Before it was time to get back on the road, Kathy presented us with a bunch of treats, including raspberry and white chocolate scones, squirrel paws (chocolate!) and the best chips and dip we’ll ever have.
[Aww good friends!]
Although the stop in Mansfield was short, it was a fun one. I didn’t think I could have so much fun riding a carousal again but I did…and so did the rest of the gang. There were smiles, giggles and laughter all around.
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