Let's get a little personal, shall we? Well, not that personal. However, I hear that people like it when business owners open up into their personal life every now and again. I mean, I get it. Who wants to read about business and photography stuff all the time? Me, it's me! I do! Buuuuut, I'm the anomaly here. Onward.
So, have you ever heard of a "Yes Day"? I'm guessing if you have kids 5 or older, you have. There's this damn movie that came out a couple years ago (not exactly sure when, that's just how long I've been "exposed"), called, Yes Day. It's basically about these parents agreeing to give their kids a whole day where they can't say no to anything!! The only stipulation is it can't affect the future. So, they can't ask for a puppy, for example. It's a cute movie, I guess. Lots of ice cream and candy is eaten. Things you'd never think of doing, like going through a car wash with the windows down are done, etc... and of course, there's a plot and a "oh so happy family lesson learned" at the end. Okay, so what kids took from this whole thing is the YES DAY part. It's a thing now. An actual thing.
My son had his 6th birthday in July and instead of having a party, he asked if he could have a Yes Day instead. Oh, I forgot to mention that ever since seeing this movie, both of my kids have been asking, ahhh hemmm, begging, for their very own Yes Days, pretty much on the daily, thanks Hollywood. With his request, I actually happily obliged. Great trade for me. No invites, no party to plan, no thank you's to write, no large group of screaming/rambunctious boys to entertain...OKAY! Yes Day it is! Originally, he chose a day at Valley Fair with his best friend! Okay, great! This will be easy. They'll eat so much crap that they'll only last two rides and we'll be done. Perfecto!
Well, summer came and went...annnnnd we didn't quite make it to Valley Fair. Awww, shucks (sarcasm at its finest). As most of you know, or should know if you have followed me for even one second, I'm a diehard Vikings fan. I have now passed this amazingly wonderful trait off to my beloved little boy. I swear he came out screaming SKOL! Maybe not, but...he definitely came out purple! Ha!
Anyway, fall came quickly and he knew he still had a Yes Day credit. Every year, we take him to a preseason game because my daughter performs with the Vikings Cheerleaders (has since she was 4) right before kick off. Well, after getting his first taste of his first REAL game last year, preseason was a total snooze fest for him this year. Though, I was impressed he still watched the entire game, play by play, and helped the refs make their calls. He's seriously a little rain man when it comes to football.
I have to be honest, when he asked if he could have his Yes Day at a real game, my heart skipped a beat!! HELL YES!!! However, this meant he could no longer invite a friend, because, let's be honest, mama isn't buying the nosebleed tickets, we're sitting pretty, baby. He was fine with that. "Yeah mom. That's okay. We have to sit "low ball" ". He means lower bowl! Ha! I didn't correct him. I want him to call it that as long as possible. So, to the Lions game we went. Home opener was not an option. I barely let myself go with the price of those tickets this year, but I haven't missed home opener in years and this year it was against the Cheeseheads. I couldn't miss the melting of those fools! What a game! Sorry, getting off track here, I can clearly talk about the Vikings all day long. Any NFL for that matter. I might have a problem.
Okay, so Lions game it was!!! He was SO EXCITED. He asked for a legacy Moss jersey so we could twin for the day. Ummm, heart melted. Absolutely, YES! I was honestly quite nervous for what I might have to say yes to that day! How much sugar? What will he want at the Locker Room store? The day went like this:
We wake up and he dictates when we leave. NOW. We leave now. It's 830am. Game is at noon. Okay, I need to shower first bud. I ask him if he wants to leave early because he wants to tailgate with some of my friends. He thinks about this for a little while. Decides it sounds fun, but would rather just go right to the stadium. Okay! First request, drive thru breakfast from Dunkin Donuts. He didn't want to sit inside and eat. MUST. GET. TO. STADIUM. Okay. Breakfast sandwich, chocolate milk, vanilla doughnut with sprinkles ordered, off we go! We get to the stadium and I ask if he wants to walk around and look at any thing, get any food, etc..."No, I need to get to my seat mom. They are warming up!" Ha. Okay buddy. I did ask if we could please go to the front of the stadium for some pictures. With hesitation, he obliged. Here are those pictures:
Onward we went. He always lights up when he enters the stadium. Of course he did "the Gritty" more than he walked all the way to our seats. If you don't know what that is, you definitely can't claim to be a Vikes fan. If you don't claim to be a Vikes fan, you can google it. It's the dance Justin Jefferson started doing in the end zone his rookie year, it's gone viral since. Okay, back on track here...We went in through the main gate, so he got to see the big SKOL drum up close, but he wasn't interested in anything but going potty and getting to his seat! Until he saw Sour Patch Kids. Yes, buddy. Yes. You. Can. (even after a doughnut, sigh). Candy in tow, we made our way to our seats in time to see all the pregame warmups, intros, etc. He was on cloud 9. It "snows" in the stadium now when they do intros, he thought that was pretty cool. He was all in on the SKOL chant and then his play calling began. He didn't miss a play. His excitement was almost more fun to watch than the actual game. Actually, it was at some points during this brutal game.
During half time, they had some "stunt dogs" for entertainment, so he didn't want to get up and go anywhere. Great. No yes's to have to give out. However, once they were done, it was potty time, so he agreed to leave his seat. Once in the concourse, he spotted one of the locker room kiosks and some little team helmets. The pack he saw didn't have a Vikings helmet in it, so now he wanted to go to the actual Locker Room store to find it. Oh boy, here we go. Once there, we realized that had we turned it over, all the teams are in there. The Vikings were just on the other side. Duh. Well, now we're here. He grabs the helmets that I've agreed to and begins scoping out the other items. He wants to find a yellow Thielen jersey for his sister. What a sweetheart. Mission failed. None in stock. He keeps browsing. He finds the Vikings Helmets. Like the "real" ones. Not the ones you get at Target for $29.99. No, these are $199.99. Oh crap. How do I say yes to this. I cannot make sense of saying yes to this damn thing. Crap!! So he's looking at it and asks for it. So I fire back with, "For what?". Much to my relief, he says he can't find his (the previously mentioned Target one) and needs one to wear when he plays football outside). "Oh buddy. If you get this one, you can't play with it. It would have to go in our Vikings basement as just a decoration. Maybe it would get signed someday, if we're lucky, but it's not for wearing or playing in!" He puts it back and moves on. BULLET DODGED!! Winning!
He hears third quarter resume and it's now time to check out with his mini helmets and book it back to his seat. Can't. Miss. A. Play. Ha. We grab him some pizza on the way and we're back to our seats in no time. The game picks up in the 4th quarter and the Vikings pull of a W. Barely. It was such a hard game to watch. But, hey. I'm a Vikings fan, a W is a W. These pictures were captured during the last touchdown that we were almost certain won us the game by one of my besties that we were sitting with!! I love love that she was able to catch these authentic moments of pure joy between me and my most favorite Vikings fan!!
After the game, it happened to be Vikings Kid's Club Day. Of course, he's a member. So, he got to go on the field, play some games, take some pictures, and meet a player. He met Asamoah, who is a rookie on our special teams and actually had some really great blocks this game! Benten has always HATED taking pictures with the cheerleaders or even interacting with them. He just gets super embarrassed. This is the first time he actually agreed to stand and smile with them, but he refused to talk or look at them. They tried so hard to talk to him. Ha. He hates how they "woo" over him. He also found his friend Jack on the field and we were able to grab a pic of them together too! Such a perfect ending to the day at the stadium.
After the game, we met up with dad and sister to have supper at his place of choice, which was The Buffalo Tap in Savage. Of course, somewhere with TV's so we could watch more football. But before supper, we made one more Yes Day stop!! He wanted more fish for his fish tank. Yes, that is a "future" ask, but he already has the tank and truly needed more fish. I would say his Yes Day was a success for all. If this had been a Yes Day for my daughter, I might be picking up a second job for a couple months to cover it. That girl is a crazy shopper. NO idea where she gets that from! ;) Thank goodness, she already chose to have a birthday party this fall. Though, fancy as always, ANYTHING is cheaper than a Yes Day with her! Ha!
I hope you enjoyed either learning about what a Yes Day is or getting a peek into Benten's. I'd love to hear your thoughts or if you've had one and what it entailed or what your dream Yes Day would be! I think mine would consist of sleeping in, breakfast in bed, reading a good book, nap time, massage, eating at my favorite restaurant, and then a night on the town full of surprises from my husband. Hint Hint, Mr. Duncan...if you are reading this! He's not. Somebody tell him!
Until next time,
Comments