Thunder

Every year Thunder is memorable for one reason or another. This year it was memorable for several! Last year was the perfect year, beautiful and comfortable. This year was the opposite. It was cold, rainy and well . . . a little miserable. We watched the forecast all week - hoping the forecasted rain would turn into sunshine. It wasn't looking good, but how could we miss Thunder? The morning of we were still trying to decide. It actually rained in the morning, but then it stopped. We called our friends who live in Louisville and they thought the weather would get better. I think our excitement for Thunder got the better of us, because we decided to go (despite the weather).

When we got out of our car in Louisville, we had our first clue that we should have stayed home in our nice warm houses - it was freezing! I think we must have parked in a wind tunnel because it was very cold and windy. We put on all the clothing we brought with us and headed to the waterfront. Luckily, down by the water it was a little less windy and it looked to be clearing up a little. The kids were all hungry so we decided to snack on our food while we watched the air show. Austin parked himself in front of the food and went to town!

Shortly after snacking the weather got bad again. It started misting, or as the announcer referred to it "Kentucky Dew." We all dealt with the "dew" in our way. Most of us sipped on hot chocolate (which was gone way too fast!).

Kaden and Josh hid under a blanket and played games almost the entire day. The other kids took the advice of the adults and ran around playing games.

Unfortunately, because of the weather, much of the air show was cancelled. That just added to the gloominess hanging over us. The announcer kept telling us that the air show wasn't cancelled and that as soon as the weather cleared a little we would see more aircraft. We didn't see many, but we at least got to see some. (The aircraft just don't look that exciting against a grey sky).

At one point during the day it did start to rain really hard. Luckily for us, our friends brought their canopy. We joked that if it did start to pour everyone would squeeze inside the shelter. It was a bit crowded, but we weren't drenched. It was funny, though, Kaden and Josh stayed under their blanket during the rain. When we checked on them, they were totally dry and they weren't aware it has been raining!

Several times during the day we all had thoughts of leaving, but we had driven two hours to get there so we weren't going to leave. We were prepared to watch the fireworks show in the rain, but to our relief the rain stopped about half an hour before the fireworks started. While we were waiting the kids huddled around the Sims barbecue for warmth. It felt really nice!

Following tradition, we got out the glow sticks. We instantly became popular as all of the kids crowded around to get their favorite colors. The kids always have a lot of fun making necklaces out of the glow sticks. Then they do all sorts of tricks. Not even the miserable weather could stop them from doing that!

As we sat down to watch the fireworks show we were all grateful that the rain had stopped. I had Devon on my lap and Victoria had Austin on her lap.

The show was amazing from the start. It made enduring the cold and rain worth it.

Then I heard Victoria say something. It took a second for it to register. She said, "Austin threw up." Since I had Devon on my lap I looked up at Chad and recited to him what I had just heard. He quickly went over and picked Austin up. As soon as he set him down on the ground Austin threw up again. This time right onto Chad. What are the odds. I set Devon down and helped Chad clean up Austin. Luckily, we brought an extra sweater for Austin, but Chad was not so lucky. We cleaned Austin up and gave him to a friend while we finished cleaning everything. Austin fell asleep, but as you might have guessed, we missed the majority of the fireworks show. We were able to see the end of the show and it was amazing!

One of the good things about going to Thunder on a cold rainy day is that traffic is a breeze! We were able to get home in record time. Unfortunately, Austin got sick two more times before we made it home. Poor guy, we think it was a combination of the weather and eating way too much junk.

Yes, this year was memorable! We will always remember the cold, the rain, the throw-up, and how miserable we all were. Despite all those memories, we will remember the fun we had with our friends and how we all stuck it out together!