What I learned from Dollywood

And a Case of the Sleepy Ha-Ha's

We took our family to Dollywood this past weekend.

It was everything you could expect in a great theme park: thrilling roller coasters, tasty snacks, friendly workers, and darling kiddie rides.

Also lots and lots of people.

I didn’t expect all the added people.

Somehow when I envisioned this trip, I just saw my family bouncing along from coaster to coaster, without any added hoopla. Other families were not in my vision, certainly not 122 bus loads of people.

But there they were.

It meant we were also at the park from 9AM-8PM for two days attempting to do, see, and experience all of Dollywood. It was wild. It was wonderful.

Our kids did great.

On the way back to our cabin on the second night, everyone in our minivan was beyond exhausted. So much so that no one fell asleep like they did after the first day. Everyone was wired.

Then the sleepy ha-ha’s entered our vehicle.

The sleepy ha-ha’s are a phenomenon when you are so, so tired that everything and anything is absolutely the funniest.

That 23 minute car ride was filled with laughter. Even the baby was in on it. It was the most precious symphony of giggles and squeals and chuckles and potty jokes. We let the last one slide because we were too tired to parent in that moment. And once we realized that the sleepy ha-ha’s were here to stay, we joined in too.

The following day, driving through the smokies on our way home, I asked my husband his favorite part of the trip. He said it was that moment in time: the 23 minute ride back home.

Isn’t that something?

The best is not always about what happens in the confines of what we planned. The best may even require us to do things we didn’t envision (here’s waiting on you, long lines) to get through to the best. The best often is the ordinary (a car ride) transformed to the extraordinary (23 minutes of pure family fun).

The best parts of life are the unplanned, the spontaneous. You will know it by the palpable unbridled and unfiltered joy.

Here’s the thing though: it can be easy to miss.

We may be too exhausted, too annoyed, too done.

Our rules or expectations may get in the way.

We went to Dollywood and a favorite moment of the trip was not even in America’s number one theme park.

Isn’t that just life?