The crew was sitting around the house watching the “tooth fairy” for I think the 25th time (no exaggeration) when an idea had popped into my head! Let’s pile into the “Big Blue Van” and head to the bowling alley. The twins had never experienced the thrill of Bowling ...
"Dylan & Ryan's Weekend Adventures"
After pumpin’ up the two amigos we packed up, wolfed down some Jack’s Cosmic Dogs (which I think make an appearance in every blog posted) sucked down some bellywash and headed to the lanes for what would be an interesting adventure. On the way, we belted out the usual tuneage of “It’s GREAT … to be… a FLORIDA GATOR” and a few other Disney Tarzan songs that seem to permeate the vehicle. As we approached our destination, I noticed the Captain Comics & toy store starring me right in the face. The twins caught the sign and went nuts! As their enthusiasm mounted and my ears continued to ring from the screaming, I made a command decision, changed the flight plan and crashed the comic book stand.
Now, for those of you who have never frequented a comic book store OR have had the opportunity to visit one with six-year old twins, you’re in for a real fine treat (smiley face)
When we walked in, I told Dylan and Ryan that they had ten dollars each to spend so make your choice wisely and try to get the most bang for your buck. See, for me, that was easy back in the day, I could purchase a boat-load of comics for twenty-five cents each! These days comics start at one-dollar… As they patrolled the store you could see the eyes get bigger and bigger! For the first hour they ran back-n-forth from one glass cabinet to the next yelling “I want this” “Daddy, I want this!” “Whoa… Daddy, Look at this!” During that time they kept waving their ten-dollar bills and trying to figure out why they couldn’t have the vintage Star Wars X-Wing model ($175.00) or the X-Men Wolverine statue ($200) or even the “Clash of the Titans” horse toy ($150). It was fun to say the least, they learned valuable lessons on money and how much things cost, in the end, they wound up with a really cool war-machine figurine and an Iron Man 2 figurine, and they also pilled on some HULK and Batman comics to start their collection. I do think the shop owner was thrilled we had left; the twins sure made him work for the cash!
With toys in-hand it was time to finally hit the lanes for what would be a rockin’ good time! When we got to the lanes I was somewhat cautious because I didn’t know if I was going to have to help Dylan with standing and rolling the ball OR if they had handicap accommodations? As we walked through the doors we were greeted with such excitement that it almost startled us! The woman behind the counter and her assistant quickly helped me with Dylan and assisted Ryan with his shoes and ball selection. Now, keep in mind, this is a bowling alley in West Ashley, South Carolina. It only had twelve lanes and was not high-tech (at all). The people were extremely friendly, it was amazing! They also helped me get Dylan down the ramp, set-up his bowling apparatus that covers his lap / wheelchair and help me with the placement. With everything completed and scorecard ready it was time to BOWL!
Now, I do have to say that bowling with six-year old twins for the first time and one that is physically challenged was an experience! An experience that I wasn’t ready for when an adult bowls, they walk up, throw the ball down the lane and then wait to do it all over again. When a six-year old bowls they walk-up and then around to the other side of the ball retriever, set the ball on the ground, try to stick their hand on the gutter, changes their names from RQ to Super Mario Bros. (on the electronic score card) tossing balls down the other lanes next to you or just generally runs down the gutter screaming “Strike, Strike!”
After finally getting their attention, I went into my “How to bowl” speech. As I was half-way through (of what I though was a pretty simplified plan) the twins turned to me and said... “uh, daddy, we already know how to bowl” …. shaking my head, I replied with “uh, no you don’t” … they replied with “uh, yeh we do!” … stunned that I’m going through this, Dylan turns to me and says … “daddy, we bowl all the time on the Wii” – boy, did I feel like an idiot, to boot, they kick my butt in Wii bowling all the time, needless to say they did alright and had a blast! I really want to thank the people of Ashley Lanes for their hospitality, assistance and kindness. They showed the twins a great time! As always, I like to sum up these blog entries by saying that it’s Dylan’s determination, tenacity and his power to always do everything to the best of his ability even though he has CP. Thanks again to everyone that continues to support these children and makes it possible for them to enjoy the fun things in life …