A Quiver Full: A New Take on Fun

One of the things that we've been most overwhelmed with here is how "small and simple" our world has become (it's become really complicated in some ways too, but that's a different post!) We knew in our heads that it would be this way, but living in the reality of it has been harder than we expected. It used to be that we had all sorts of options for outings and adventures. Museums, special events, camping trips, birthday parties, parks, Chik-fil-a playgrounds, Target snack bar...you name it, it was available to us. Often, we were stressed out by too many options.

That's not the case here. At. all. Our city doesn't have many options for "down time" activities. We have not eaten at a restaurant as a family since we left London. There are no malls, parks, or get away options. There are a few hotels that will allow you to pay for a day of swimming, which we may try soon. But, the fact that we would pay about $50 for our family to swim in a pool that has a reputation of being 1/2 full and questionably clean has prevented that action thus far.

So, we're learning a new normal. We're looking for other ways to find fun and we're trying to build relationships with other people, though it is slow-going. It's obvious that folks who've gone before us have used lots of ingenuity to create memorable activities. We got to take part in one of those fun, festive things a couple of Saturdays ago. The school here that many of the TCKs in our city attend recently had their spring carnival and we decided to take the kids and check it out. They had a lot of fun.

Ryan and I decided that one of the reasons it was so fun is because safety standards are nearly non-existant here. Since Ryan served as a children's pastor in our last life and he's been a part of building several playgrounds, we've learned that US safety standards are really, really strict, to the point that it's hard to have any fun sometimes! Sheesh, the last playground he worked on they didn't even put swings because the rules for swings and clearance and inches of padding underneath, etc. are too hard to meet.

That's not the case here. If you can dream it up...go for it! I have to admit though, when Ryan agreed that our 2 oldest girls could ride the zipline, I had my doubts!

Here is the platform to zipline off of, they climbed an extension ladder to get up there.

Abby climbed up first, since she was the oldest.

But then they decided that Abby's harness needed some adjustments, so they sent Lizzy down first.

Then it was Abby's turn!

Coming in for a landing!

The other favorite of the day was this slide. I know that from here it looks like an ordinary playground slide...

But actually, it's been rigged up with a water hose at the top and a water box at the bottom to create the ultimate carnival experience! I just love this photo, because it totally captures Abe's approach to life, "If you're going to do it, do it with gusto!"

Lily was hesitant at first, but after watching Abe a few times while standing in the hot sun, she decided to go for it! Then when she found out that if she did it 3 times, she got the 4th ride free, she was burning through her tickets!