The Thrill of it All

I love amusement parks. I especially love roller coasters. The faster and more loops and turns and excitement it has the better. I love Six Flags Over Georgia because it is the “graveyard” for old roller coasters. I think they have in excess of 10. I don’t go very often but I DO love it. I love the Rockin Roller Coaster at Disney. 

Plays Aerosmith songs during the ride - Love it!

 

I HATE rides that go round and round. I get vertigo, I get nauseous, I get SICK…. I hate hate hate rides that go round and round especially if they are in the dark, which Hubby did trick me into riding once when Opryland Amusement Park still existed. It was one of those rides that went round and round but had “arms” with cars attached. Each arm had like four “sets” of cars attached. The car would spin one way but the “set” would spin another way and then the whole ride would spin the way the cars were (I think- I’m getting sick just trying to remember!). As if that wasn’t enough… the whole thing would tilt and it was in the dark and then they would turn on these strobe lights like a disco. OMG….I was sick for hours and literally could not walk for about 10 or 15 minutes after I got off of it. I could barely stumble outside literally lurching like a drunk. After I finally got outside the ride I had to sit on the bench with my head down for 10 or 15 minutes before we could go on. 

Hubby loves those kinds of rides and hates roller coasters, which I tricked him into riding last summer. I guess opposites really do attract, huh? I think he’s afraid of them because of his height though? Maybe he thinks he’s gonna whack his head when they go through tunnels and stuff? Our kids seem to love almost every ride in every amusement park. I remember the first time #2 rode the Mind Bender at Six Flags Over Georgia ( you can click here to see a video of it here http://www.sixflags.com/overGeorgia/rides/MindBender.aspx). She was probably 6… maybe a little older. She BEGGED me to let her ride it. If you don’t know what the Mind Bender is, it’s a VERY fast roller coaster that makes several loops twists and turns and it has a very appropriate name. This is Six Flags “official” description: Bend your brains out of shape on the first triple-loop coaster on the continent. Catapult through three loops—two vertical—at speeds up to 50 mph. Hurtle over 400,000 lbs. of unforgiving steel for a thrill bonanza like nothing you’ve ever experienced 

Mindbender

 

The line was VERY long. She begged and pleaded and I really didn’t want to stand in line for an hour PLUS especially since she had never ridden it, I didn’t want her to get really scared, but she kept begging so I finally agreed. Little rug rat!!  

ok - she's a little older than rugrat age here

 

 We were in line about an hour and a half and I kept asking her if she was SURE she wanted to ride it and she said yes, and I told her that she COULD NOT back down. That if we were going to stand in that line that she was GOING to ride it, no ifs ands or buts. True to form and just as I had feared, she waited until the car stopped RIGHT in front of us and decided she didn’t want to do it. I told her no, sorry, she was GOING to ride it… like it or NOT. We got in the car (roller coaster car) and she buried her head under my arm and the car snaked its way up the first B I G incline. Just before it got to the top she took her head out from under my arm, looked up at me with those big brown soulful puppy dog eyes of hers and in a quivering voice said “Mommy….??? PLEASE don’t let me DIE!” At that moment I felt like the BIGGEST mommy failure in the WORLD. Worst. Mommy. E V E R!!! 

Of course at that moment it was too late and we were over the hill and speeding down the hills and loops and twists and turns and she was screaming her little head off and crying…. Yes, CRYING!! And I again felt like the worst mommy in the world. She was crying and like hyperventilating and screaming. We get to the end and she is gasping for breath and turns to me and says “Mommy???? Can we do it AGAIN?” WTF??? What happened to all that screaming and crying? So, from that moment on she has been a roller coaster addict. As have the other two. They all love roller coasters and the bigger, badder and faster – the better! 

When #3 was not quite 3 years old we went to Disney for the first time with HER. We had gone on a disastrous “family” vacation a few years before (before she was even thought of) with my mom and dad and older sister and her husband and took the kids to Disney… yeah not a great idea (that will be another blog)…. Anyway, since we didn’t get to stay the whole time we had 1 day left on our multi theme tickets that had to be used before #3 turned 3 so that we didn’t have to buy her a ticket (yeah, we’re frugal… ok…ok…we’re cheap!!). We decided to take a quick family trip to Disney and go to ALL THREE theme parks in one day. Yeah, call us crazy! 

So, we go and during our Magic Kingdom part of our day, we (or Hubby/Dad) decide we need to ride the “teacups”. Yeah, the ones that go round and round and round…inside the set that goes round and round and round… Yeah, THOSE!! Not gonna happen for ME! I was NOT gonna do that! My last round and round experience was disastrous! And nauseating!!! I told Hubby/Daddy he could ride it with them and I’d be the one to take pictures. 

in the teacups- #3 is so little you can't even see her head - only #1 & #2

 

Daddy rides the teacups with all three of his girls and he loves to make it spin even faster. Yeah, he’s a sick man like that. I was getting nauseated just watching them! When they got off the ride #3 could hardly walk. Bless her little heart. I KNEW the feeling. She also still had a hard time pronouncing some words…BUT…she was so excited and worked up that she stammered out “M.M.M.Mommy…. M.M.M.Mommy…. I…..I….I….I frode up in da coffee!!” I think that was her way of saying she was nauseous! So, I guess at least ONE of my girls inherited my UNLOVE of round and round rides…. Ya think? 

getting in or out?