Splashes, smiles and a splurge I don’t regret

Some memories are worth every penny.

Jul 07, 2025

I didn’t drive three hours, crawl through traffic, dodge packs of shrieking tweens and shell out over a grand to not ride the “Tanzanian Twister.”

I’d barely made it through the turnstiles before scanning the park. This was the ride I’d been thinking about since we booked the trip in April — the one that had my inner 10-year-old bouncing with anticipation.

The waterpark’s website sealed the deal:

“Around and around you'll go as you twist through this funnel flume at up to 40 mph!” it reads. “Once at the center, prepare for a free fall into the catch pool below.”

While the Twister had me hooked, everyone else had their own idea of peak waterpark fun.

Parker and Tiffany fixated on the Master Blaster and FlowRider: high-speed, high-splash thrills right up their alley.

Triest, my ever-game partner and proud newbie swimmer, embraced the chaos but made no secret of her true love: the Lazy River.

And the one thing we could all agree on? The Wave Pool. No arguments there.

In the final week of June, I took my family to Kalahari Resorts in Wisconsin Dells — a trip Parker lobbied hard for over the years.

She’s been obsessed ever since a vacation there with her mom’s side of the family a couple years ago. You can even hear Parker clamoring to go back on Episode 9 of the Money Talks podcast.

Meanwhile, Tiffany had technically been once too, but she was so young during that visit she doesn’t remember a thing.

It made too much sense. Between Parker’s enthusiasm and the chance for a fun family getaway, the timing just clicked.

We spent two nights at the resort, hoping to provide our girls with a core memory.

We stayed in a spacious two-bedroom suite with a separate living area and a balcony that caught the sunset just right. We played laser tag as a family for the first time — I won! — treated the girls to arcade games and stuffed our faces with pizza inside the room and later at the park.

On the morning of our departure, we hit the breakfast buffet — and thank goodness we did. The spread had everything you’d want and more than you’d imagine: endless comfort food, fresh-baked pastries and enough dessert options to make you forget all about counting calories.

Sitting down to feast together felt like the perfect way to cap off our trip, a delicious reward that brought us all back to the table, smiling and satisfied.

All told, the trip set us back about $1,300. A hefty price, but one that felt worth every penny for the memories we made.

The moment I’ll carry forever wasn’t in the wild twists or wet turns. It came when the four of us floated in a single-file line along the Lazy River, our hands finding each other like a silent promise. In that gentle current, we weren’t just family, we were a quiet, steady pulse of love and togetherness, perfectly present in a world that too often pulls us apart.

Years from now, I won’t remember Kalahari eating almost half my June 2025 spending. But I will remember that fleeting moment in the Lazy River.

I’ve always believed that splurging on experiences is money well spent, and we packed as much fun as we could into June.

Our waterpark getaway came just three days after our annual Father’s Day trip to Oklahoma. There, we paid $88.86 for admission into Science Museum Oklahoma.

After devouring our delectable breakfast buffet at Kalahari, we drove over to the nearby Wisconsin Deer Park. There, for the first time, we all enjoyed an incredible feeding and petting experience.

For all our fun, my credit card statement shows I spent only $70.69 more than I did in June 2024.

It’s all the proof I need to see that thoughtful spending on what truly matters can create lasting value without breaking the bank.