Family Outing to the Home, Sport & Travel Show

For some weekend excitement the whole clan got suited up and traveled the long distance of about a block-and-a-half to the 41st Annual Grand Rapids Area Jaycees Home, Sport & Travel Show at the IRA Civic Center. Spring is flirting with our winter induced senses - the snow is melting by the minute. The moment had arrived with the optimal conditions to make the journey. With the exception of a few rough ice-patches resulting in a pair of soaked shoes, we made it there with all six people in one piece and in relatively high spirits.
We got as far as the lobby, when Kobe stepped in a souvenir that a small husky puppy left for us to enjoy. Luckily, those were the shoes that were wet - so the dirt did not stick. We had arrived.
The event was filled with candy, balloons, flashing lights, big screens and loud noise. A clever way to lure kids in so that vendors could push their products on their parents who were trying to control the chaos of the increasingly higher levels of sugar accumulated in their children. The place was also packed with wall-to-wall people admiring the latest gadgets and inhaling popcorn followed by the occasional foot-long - most trying to gather all the freebies their fingers could possibly cling on to. So all in all it evened out, everyone seemed to get something out of the experience. To navigate, we now had to plow our two-seater through this sea of humanity, while negotiating stops and turns about every ten feet for the next booth over. It took us about an hour-and-a-half from entrance to exit, greeting all we knew, buying as little as we could, losing and recovering a son, and desperately trying to hold on to the joyful spirit we arrived with. We were done at last. The long way home awaited us. Lunch, diaper-changes, potty-breaks and nap-times awaiting the shorter members of the family.