Bowling. Just For Kicks.

Yes, it was my bright idea. This is the pre-game smile.

I had the opportunity get our family into the local American Fun Park bowling alley at a great price for one hour.  And I just knew it would be a wonderful, smiling, happy time of togetherness.  Don't those high expectations always backfire?  Just look at the overflowing enthusiasm:

Well, it wasn't a total bust.  We endured a full game of listening to Katie Mei say how much she didn't like it, watching Merrilee get frustrated with gutter balls, and ducking the balls that Jacob kept throwing backwards towards those of us sitting at the table.

I hadn't been bowling in over 20 years, so it wasn't until I had sunk my own half dozen gutter balls and was sorely behind everyone (yes, including Katie Mei), that I remembered how to hold the ball.  Would have been nice if my husband had noticed and reminded me a little closer to the beginning of the game.  Apparently HE knew how to hold the ball.

As for the kids, Katie Mei was mostly interested in the ball return.  Can't say I blamed her.  Lugging around a 6-pound ball when you only weigh 35 pounds is no piece of cake.  And the three-minute wait for her ball to

s-l-o-w-l-y

roll.

down.  

the.  

lane.

was just a wee bit annoying for all of us.  She got to the point where she just dropped her ball into the lane and turned around to walk back to the ball return.  Didn't even bother watching to see if she knocked down any pins.  Apparently there just wasn't enough action for her in this game.

Merrilee also didn't find bowling to be her cup of tea.  I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with me over-coaching her in the background.  I was just trying to tell her she didn't have to keep lifting the ball to her armpit each time she tried to roll it.  Of course that bit of information just turned her into a stiff-armed robot.  The child needs to loosen up a little!

And then there was Jacob.

Now this was a kid happy to be in a bowling alley.  Unfortunately, in his enthusiasm, he would quickly snag his ball from the ball return, take a few steps backwards and start swinging.  This resulted in the grown-ups doing a lot of hollering "Stop!", "Wait!",  "You need to go up to the lane first!", and "Look Out!".  And of course, in his haste to immediately get that ball rolling, there were few to no opportunities to take any pictures of him.  But he really enjoyed it and was eager to come back and do it again some other day.

We might do it again, if we dig up a pit of money in our backyard and can blow $39.99/hour plus $2.75 per person for shoes.  Since when did bowling become such a ridiculously expensive sport?  I'll just be thankful we could enjoy our hour of unbridled family fun for the spectacular Groupon price of $10.  Thanks, Groupon.

I wish I could go back and enjoy those very long, smokey, boring evenings when my parents and aunts and uncles would all meet at Blossom Lanes in Benton Harbor and spend what felt like hours bowling, laughing, and talking.  It was almost 40 years ago, but I can vividly remember it.  I remember the smells, the sounds, and the waiting.  My cousin Debbie and I must have played a thousand games of dots waiting for the grown-ups to finish.  Those were good times....

And thanks, Jay.  You were a good sport.  Sorry your wife is such a loser when it comes to bowling.  But hey, at least you didn't break any more fingers.  Aunt Betty, I hope you're not rolling over in your grave seeing how badly I played.  Maybe you could have just whispered a few hints into my ear.  Or maybe you did, but I was too busy hollering "Incoming!" as Jacob's balls were whizzing past our heads.  In any case, it was fun.  I just need a little more practice.