Today there was rain and then more rain. After that, it rained a little more. This did not dampen our spirits. We decided to go to the Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. It had this tunnel that ran through a sea of sharks, fish and stingrays. It was all going swimmingly (water reference intended) when Full Speed freaked out. He was done and couldn’t believe the underwater exhibit wouldn’t end. It didn’t matter how big the sharks were, how close they were, or how many we saw. He. Was. Done.

When we finally made our escape and Full Speed’s mood improved then little T.Puzzle’s demeanor took a nosedive. Isn’t that always the case when you have more than one child? As soon as one is happy as a clam, then the other decides to shred this happiness with the skill of a swordfish (I’m sorry, the sea-based metaphors keep flowing, it’s like a sickness, I know).

My boys were tired. This I knew for sure. They rallied at the end for a fun pic ‘inside’ an aquarium. Then it was time to return to our cabin. Maybe if we are lucky both will be happy for the remainder of the day. That would be like a peaceful rush of air from a conch shell (is there anywhere I could go for help to curb my abuse of similies and metaphors?).