Cheap Date

Yep, that's what I had this past weekend in Dickinson, North Dakota. My family went there to spend the weekend with my wife's family and to "take in" the annual Roughrider Days celebration. We picked up my wife's sister in Fargo and spent Friday night in Mandan, ND with their brother, his wife, and their son. We got into Dickinson Saturday morning in time to see the parade. Many of my wife's relatives were there, too, so it was fun to visit them. We had a very relaxing Saturday and Sunday with nothing really scheduled, so we could do as we pleased. Susan's dad watched the kids while she and I did some shopping Saturday afternoon and again Saturday evening when we went to see Superman Returns. The Carmike Cinema 3 in Dickinson charges $4.50 for an adult ticket, compared to $8 per ticket in Grand Forks. So Susan and I both saw the movie for only a buck more than it would have cost one of us to see it at home! And with free babysitting (Grandpa), it was a very cheap--but fun--date.

Not so cheap was our night (Sunday) at a hotel, which we booked so that the girls could go swimming in the pool with a slide and numerous water features. It was fun, though. We headed home Monday but ate at A & W first. Abigail's chicken was late in coming to the table, so the apologetic manager gave us an entire chocolate cake! We ate it at a rest area picnic table on the way home. Again, we weren't really on a schedule, so it was a relaxing drive home with stops whenever we needed them. A very fun weekend.