It's just like taking an ocean cruise, only there's no boat and you don't actually go anywhere.

The kids had Wednesday off, so we decided to head to the islands. Maui, to be exact. Ok, ok, it was actually Maui Sands Indoor Water Park in Sandusky. Just a mere 45 minutes down the road. But it sure was a getaway.

I was perusing the school website one day and saw they were having a fundraiser which just happened to also be an incredible offer for the water park, good for the day the kids had off. Now there's a cause I can get behind. What's even better is that the offer was good for a family of six. Yeah, baby. How can I pass that up? I made reservations faster than you can say "multiply and replenish."

We kept the whole plan under wraps, not breathing a word to the kids. They came home from school on Tuesday and we told them to grab some reading material and hop in the car. Some children were a little stressed by the lack of knowledge, some were keen enough to figure it out (with the help of one "chatty" cousin), some were smooth enough to go along for the ride. So to speak. As we got on the freeway, we let them ask a couple yes-or-no questions. Leah's was astute: "Are we staying overnight?" She had seen the packed bags in the back of the car. Andrew's were a bit more scattered: "Are we going to the Ryan's? Are we going to Tennessee?" To which Leah exclaimed: "Andrew, you're wasting your questions!"

After grabbing some fast food, we checked in to the hotel. Which was, according to general consensus, "the best hotel EVER." There was a king sized bed, and a slightly-bigger-than-a-closet room with two sets of bunkbeds and its own flat screen TV. Between the two "rooms" were sliding doors, which the kids were all too happy to close as they sat down to kids' meals and the Disney Channel.Soon after dinner we donned our suits and hit the slides. Brooke, of course, resisted the idea of water slides as a whole, but with some convincing, she went down with me. As we flew down the first steep drop, I was sure that would be her first and last time down. But she turned in to a water-sliding fiend. She could not be stopped. In fact, all three girls were maniacs on the slides!

Down the slides
Sorry for the poor quality, it was dark back in there.

Heading back for more
Andrew did his fair share as well. Tuesday night the laid back I-don't-really-want-to-be-here kid who was manning the top of the slides let Andrew go down the slide with the 48" height requirement, as long as he was riding with an adult. And I have to say, this was the "funner" of the two main slides. But Wednesday the water slide Nazi was on duty, so Andrew was out of luck. Andrew still got his money's worth out of the other slide.As did Glenn and I. In fact, I kind of felt like a kid again, back at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, one of the best places on earth. (Because at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, everybody has a good time.) One time we rode the Giant Dipper over and over and over again, it's amazing our stomachs made it out alive. I kind of did that this time, only not quite as much. You see, to ride the Giant Dipper you don't have to climb 84 steps dragging an innertube behind you.Somewhere among those 84 steps...

Some other Maui Sands attractions...

Lazy River...
lounge area for me to read my book...(Did you really think you'd see me in my swim suit?)

hot tub (great for warming up cold little bodies!)...and kiddie water slides and play area, including basketball!

I have to say I loved this little trip. This is not my typical "vacation," but I am proud of it for a number of reasons. I am proud of the kids and how well they behaved. I am proud of the gratitude they expressed over and over. I am proud that it was not as good as Disneyland (cuz let me tell you, that trip took a lot more planning and preparation--it better not be as good!) I am proud that we stayed right up until the park closed at 3:00pm. And I am proud that we did not spend one single penny more than the initial hotel reservation. Alo-ha!