What’s the best way to spend your day? No doubt about it, the answer is with your family. My best days are those when I have all the kids (and that includes their significant others) and my husband with me. Today was one of those days.

Travis and Ashley were already in Lexington; Byron and Theresa went there together since their schedule was going to be a bit different from the rest of ours. Jimmy, Cody, and Tiffany were with me in the Explorer. And the biggest adventure of the day, Nicole, for the first time, drove to, through, and from Lexington. Her friend Courtney came home with her this weekend, and so the Explorer wasn’t quite big enough to hold everybody.

Nic’s been asking for some time to drive to Lexington, and honestly, I’ve put it off as long as I could. I had great reasons for not letting her, and today there just wasn’t a reason not to let her, but we did have some conditions. First, she had to follow me there, back, and everywhere we went. Second, we were staying in the Hamburg area since it was going to be UK football game day in downtown.

So, there we were, and I wasn’t nervous about it at all. Well, maybe a little. But as it turns out, she did just fine. I suppose that means I don’t have much reason to object to her driving there again later, though I’m sure I’ll think of something.

We all met at the Regal and watched The Lion King in 3D. This is one of my kids’ all-time favorite Disney movies. It also brought back memories for Nic and me. It was the first movie she watched in a theater, when she was 4 years old and her preschool class went to watch it. I, of course, was one of the chaperones just so I could watch the movie with my little girl. When the movie was first released on DVD, Byron had it on his Christmas list; it didn’t matter that he was a teenager. In fact, based on comments I’ve heard around school and posts I’ve seen on Facebook, there are many teenagers who were quite excited about The Lion King being released in 3D.

To our amazement, we discovered that Jimmy had never seen The Lion King. He doesn’t want to admit it, but I’m sure he loved it. After all, I heard him laughing at all the funny parts. In the dark, though, and with the 3D glasses on, I can’t verify if he got teary-eyed at all during the sad parts. The songs are among the best things about the movie. There’s no way to watch without singing the songs; the hard part was to not sing out loud enough for the whole theater to hear you.

After enjoying a great movie, the whole crew of us went to Old Chicago Pizza where we had a late lunch. If you’ve never eaten there, you most definitely should. We filled one corner of the patio, where it was a little breezy, but with the wonderful company I was with, that was easy to overlook. We enjoyed both great pizza and great conversation.

Finally, it was time to part ways. Trav and Ashley went back to their apartment while Byron and Theresa headed home for another commitment. Nic and Courtney followed me to Super Wal-Mart so we could pick up a few groceries before heading back to Jackson.

All-in-all, days like today are the best. With our busy schedules, we sometimes give up the things that we shouldn’t give up to make room for things that won’t matter in the long run. As long as you have your family around, make it a point to spend time with them. It doesn’t have to be a trip out. Movies, games, conversation, and food at home work just as well. The point is to make the time for those you love.