Jade and I

This week my granddaughter Jade is staying with us. She is 10 years old and a very smart, beautiful, and loved child. Her idea of a quest is somewhat different than mine, but I thought I would share our recent adventures.

Inside the Excalibur hotel is a arcade called Fun Dungeon and Jade loves to go there. It  has  the usual games such as ski ball, basketball, laser tag, horse racing, claw machines, pole fishing, ring toss, etc. We predetermine what she is able to spend, and she shops around for the games where she thinks she will be able to garner the most tickets. The tickets are the focus of her activities. If she is successful at a game, she stays and plays a few more times.  If the tickets aren’t coming, she moves on to something new.

Of course, the prizes purchased with these tickets are not commensurate with the amount of money it requires to earn them. Adults and children are somewhat disappointed by the selection of Items they can “afford”. But jade is a good sport and cashes in her 166 tickets for some “Big Eyes Girl” hair accessories, a bracelet, and a wand. She also won a stuffed bear at the pole fishing booth, and a plastic “highlight yellow” cup at laser tag. She had her picture taken next to Sponge Bob with all her prizes, then next to the two games where she won the most tickets.

Another place we visited was the Chinese restaurant near our house. It is quaint and quiet and the food is tasty. The staff is friendly and Jade and I had a leisurely lunch. We enjoyed doing what has become a favorite hobby of ours, money origami. We each folded currency into pants, a shirt, a butterfly, and a heart that has a flower in the middle. The ladies at the restaurant loved our dollar origami, and Jade and I shared a special and lovely afternoon together!