Mom & Ryan "date"

It seems like every weekend Ryan is asking me to spend some time alone; just the two of us.  So last weekend we didn't have much going on and I suggested that we go do something together.  I've been thinking of taking him to a neat place that I walk to while he's at school.  It's not really a hike but it's more than a walk, and to a nine year old, maybe a mini hike. We've started giving the kids allowance and they've been saving up for a pet but there haven't been any at the pet store.  I knew Ryan wanted to spend some of his money so I suggested that we go to the mall and buy something.   

As soon as we left our house it was a torrential downpour with the most lightning I'd ever seen.  I often tell people that I'm from the desert and I'm not used to this kind of rain.  After some posts on Social Media about the recent rain in my home town, I guess maybe I'm getting more used to the rain than I thought.  But the thunder and lightning? Maybe not so much.  It REALLY scares me!  So anyway, we decided to reverse the order of our date and go to the mall first and go on our mini hike afterward.  It worked out well aside from the fact that our shoes and socks were drenched the entire time.  

We took the bus over to the mall, had some lunch together, shopped around for matching beaded necklaces, shared an ice cream sundae, and then went on our little hike.