One of the roles that defines me is as an Aunt. And I’d like to think I am one of the best aunts around! But I’ll let you be the judge.
I am the proud aunt of two nephews and a niece. Each year, as part of their birthday presents, one of their gifts is a “Day with Aunt Robyn” that they each get to enjoy individually. It started when they were much younger and continues today. My oldest nephew is now almost 21, my middle nephew just turned 18 and my niece just turned 12. You may think, “I can’t believe they still want to hang out with their aunt at that age,” but I think this may prove my “one of the best aunts around” theory. We’ve done some fun stuff over the years; I can be quite creative when I put my mind to it. The main goal is non-stop fun, with lots of activities and they get it all for themselves, no need to please anyone else in the family that day.
So, last weekend was my nephew Kyle’s day. We have a tradition on our days where we have breakfast for dinner and dinner for breakfast each year. (One year for breakfast I had a make-your-own quesadilla bar set up – told ya, creative.) So, I picked him up after we both worked and we headed to Cracker Barrel in Hamburg for breakfast at 7:30pm. That place is hopping on a Friday night, but we were lucky enough to score two rocking chairs by the checker board, which added to the fun of the evening. With our tummies full of blueberry pancakes, we headed home for movie night, complete with root beer floats. In the morning, we were up and on-the-go bright and early (for an 18 year old that is). First stop of the day: dinner for breakfast at Isaac’s, which opens at 10am and serves up sandwiches, soups and salads (a light dinner, perhaps). We were the only people in the restaurant at that time and I told Kyle I reserved the restaurant for our day! Then a quick walk over to pick up some Sublime Cupcakes for a sweet treat later. Our third stop: a little culture at the Reading Public Museum via the amazing Toothpick World exhibit. And we couldn’t resist the dinosaur exhibit either. I think we may have been even more impressed than some of the younger children there. Both were wonderful exhibits to see! The fourth stop: off to the movies at the IMAX theatre to see Spider-Man in 3D. (Apparently, Spider-Man movies always come out in the summer, because the previous three Spider-Man movies also were enjoyed in previous years on his special day.) The fifth stop: glow bowling at Hiester’s Lanes. That’s right, no need to wait until midnight to go glow bowling. From 3 to 5pm on Saturdays, they offer glow bowling, which is quite fun with the lights, disco balls and fog machine. I am disappointed to admit that Kyle can now beat me in bowling (not every game though!). The sixth stop, a new restaurant for him to check out. At Sofrito Gastro Pub in Centre Park, we felt like we were on vacation sitting outside at the cabana bar. Fried avocado and a tilapia taco for me. A hamburger TOPPED with fries and ketchup for him. The last stop: a pit stop at the Maidencreek Park in Blandon to enjoy our cupcakes and talk about what fun we had! 24 hours of non-stop fun it was!
So, am I one of the best aunts around, or what?!
BY ROBYN L. JONES
