Fun In The Rain

I LOVE having fun. The things that bring me the most joy are being outside and seeing my kid have a blast. If all three of us are together, we can create some really fun memories, like we did on Thursday night.

It had been raining on and off all day and we were supposed to get thunderstorms, but it was so sporadic and I had brats pulled out for dinner. Everyone knows brats are better on a grill and I just wanted some fresh air. It wasn't cold out at all so I asked Benjamin if he wanted to go on a picnic when daddy got home. He was all excited so I figured, yes, let's make this a good one!

I grabbed the cooler and packed it. Made a pasta salad and boiled the brats. Got the plates and silverware, napkins, lighter and everything else we needed for a small picnic, including squirt guns. (It was kinda rainy already, so why not right?) When Lawrence got off of work, which was earlier than usual that day, we put on our flip flops and headed out the door. After loading the portable grill and charcoal, we headed to a local park that has a huge pavilion.

Look at the happiness on Benjamin's face!!! I strive to make him feel that way! Well, we started the grill and set everything out. While waiting for the grill to heat up we had a squirt gun fight before the rain hit. The sound of thunder mixed with laughter and joy was wonderful music to my ears.

Then it hit. It got so dark out that the sensor light in the pavilion turned on as if it was night time. It slowly started sprinkling and we finally saw some lightning. 

The storm was so violent yet so beautiful. A crack of thunder was so close it shook the pavilion. Now some might say this was dangerous to do, but I don't think we were ever in harms way. The pavilion was grounded and we didn't get wet unless we wanted to.

The storm only lasted about 10 minutes and passed. We sat down at the table to eat when I looked up and saw the beautiful rainbow pictured at the top of this post. It was just so beautiful to see nature so vicious, yet so serene. That moments earlier the sky was open fire on the world around us and just as suddenly as it sprang upon us, the sun was back out shining in all its glory, revealing a rainbow and reminding me of God's promises.

We were all wet, especially Benjamin who pretty much showered on the edge of the pavilion as the rain ran off of the roof. We packed the car back up and headed home for warm showers and bedtime stories.

These are the nights I don't want to end. It's the small things in life that mean the most. We may not have tons of money, but I like to make the most of what we do have. This whole excursion cost no extra money, just a short drive to the park. We had all we needed, especially love. It is a night we won't soon forget.