Springtime in the Park

Or so the marketing department promised, when my family and I decided to veer int Hershey Pennsylvania on our way home from New York--to partake of a taste of the AMAZING Hershey Park. Tons of coasters and other rides, even a zoo to roam through. What better way to round out my son's Spring Break week? We even enticed my husband's cousin to join us. She and her husband and kids followed us down from their place in Queens.

Guaranteed fun to be had by all...

Except the marketing department forgot to clear things through Mother Nature...

You can probably guess (if you've seen any weather forcast this week, anywhere up and down the East coast)--it was more a Winter Wonderland in the Park for us. That's right, it SNOWED on our Spring Break finale--SNOWED!!!

I have to say, an amusement park experience is all together a different thing, when it looks like the staff dragged out snow machines to spice things up. Flurries blowing all around us while we waited in line (can you blieve it, the place was rocking, and there were lines for most of the rides...while it was SNOWING!!!). Wind whipping and chapping our lips and cheeks (instead of the sun burning us to crisps) while we screamed our way down the coasters. Hot chocolate instead of ice cream was the treat of choice (for everyone, except my son, who was determined to have his chocolate scoop with sprinkles ;o)

That's the thing about my husband and his family--one of the things I love the most. Even when the weather took a turn for the arctic (the temps were in the 70s just the week before, when I hit NY for a conference, then in the 20s with the windchill by the time we hit Hershey), there was no serious discussion about calling the trip off. I mean, when were we going to get another chance at hitting an amuzement park in a snow storm???

Left up to me, a nice outlet mall excursion sounded a whole lot more comfortable. But what's giving up a little comfort for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do something crazy with really good people you only get to see a couple of times a year? So we bundled up (like we were off to ski), determined to make the best of it--and we had a blast, in an "I can't feel my feet and hands" sort of way. Then we headed back to the hotel and warmed everyone up in the heated pool, followed by a couple of bottles of wine from our favorite Pennsylvania winery once the kids were in bed.

Would I do it again any time soon? My wind-burned cheeks say no. But I can check one more "that would never happen" thing off my list.

Have a great "bunny" day, everyone. We'll be snuggled up in our beds tonight and loving the fact that we're back home in warmer climates.

I'll post randomly-drawn winners from recent commenters for the last of my March "froggies" tomorrow.

Newsletter with lots of fun updates in it going out on Monday!!!