GratiTuesday - Old-Fashioned Fun

As a kid, my parents would sometimes dress us in our PJs, pop us in the van, make sandwiches, and head for the drive-in.  We'd back the van in, lay on blankets in the back, and watch until we fell asleep.

I've missed that since I moved here, and whenever we're back home in PA over a summer weekend, we try to make a trip to the drive-in, but it's been more than a year since we made it there.

A few years ago I heard of one still open here in North Carolina, but while it sounded like fun, I never found two movies together that our kids would enjoy.

Until this past weekend.  Both Cars 2 and Mr. Popper's Penguins were playing.

They have many specials, and this weekend was no exception.  Each person who dressed in Hawaiian style clothing would receive a free bag of popcorn.  Since guests are not permitted to bring food onto the property, this was a pretty good deal - so we all dressed up.  Finding clothes that we thought would pass as tropical was fun, and the kids enjoyed the 'costumes.'

We played Frisbee and football until it was time for the movies to start.  We explored, too - this theater even had a playground!

Then we set up chairs in front of the van and watched the movies.

It was a beautiful night.  Much cooler than the 99 degrees originally called for, a breeze soon came and kept us comfortable.  The stars were bright and the crickets chirped loudly.  It was a fabulous night to be settle in and be together.

So today, I"m grateful for old theaters.  I'm grateful for kid-friendly double features and the ability to sleep in the next day.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to spend an evening under the stars with my sleeping Little Man in my arms.  I'm grateful for cool breezes and missing humidity and hokey flowered shirts and free popcorn.  I'm grateful for a family that enjoys old-fashioned family togetherness.

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