High. Higher. Highest.

A continuation of my previous post: Wet. Wild. Water. Sadly, not a post about getting high.

While we were at the Kalahari over Mother’s Day weekend we not only went to the water park, but got to enjoy the theme park as well.

I like to think of myself as an adventurous daring person.  In my mind, I really am. I want to seek out adventure at every turn. I’m a person who rarely says no and is always up for something new and exciting. Until I get there. And freak out. Like a place with lots of people I don’t know that I’m supposed to speak to. Or someplace where everyone is gorgeous and I’m self conscious or simply some place very high.

The first thing that I see when we walk into the theme park is the ropes course. Without even batting an eye I tell tell the H, “lets go.” So we get strapped into these harnesses and hooked up this rope attached to the metal tracks above us and we’re sent on our way. Just like that. So we climb up the stairs and get to the first obstacle. Okay, I think I can do this. It’s a straight wooden bar with a metal railing on the side. I can feel my heart pounding. But I have something to hold on to. I’ll be okay. I make it across and as I stand on this tiny metal platform with nothing to hold onto, in the air, so I start to panic. A lot. I look ahead and there’s no way I can go across there’s nothing to hold on to.

This family of four with two children Bear’s age start coming up behind us. I force the H to continue on without me so he goes across the second obstacle. And I’m still standing there waiting for them all to go ahead and the mom tries to convince me to keep going. Her kids are going across. She’s looking at me probably wondering what is wrong with me that I’m up there with my knees rattling in the first place. So I go across the second obstacle. I hold onto these ropes reaching out from one to the other as the wooden boards below me move as I walk across each one.

And then I stop.

And they keep going.

And I keep shaking waiting for each group to go by so I can just turn around and go back.

And the tears are welling up in my eyes as I’m so embarrassed watching all these people go by me.

But I can’t. I’m terrified.

So I get back down. And I watch the H from below.

And when he gets back I decide we should go on the rock climbing wall. My goal is to make it at least up to the first elephant. Mind you this elephant is probably only 7-8 feet off the ground so not even that much higher than me. And it’s hard. Really really hard. My fingers are going numb. I do however enjoy repelling. I could have bounced up and down all night.

Feeling defeated we go back to the hotel after we go on the go carts. The next morning I seem to have entirely forgotten how the evening went and we take Bear down to the theme park before we start our water activities for the day. First, the ferris wheel. Bear seems very skeptical about this having been on a ferris wheel with me before and recalling mommy gripping the sides for dear life starring at her feet. However, this is a very fast moving ferris wheel. And Bella’s there smiling it up so I have to keep up appearances.

It was not frightening, but it was the longest ferris wheel ride of my life. I think the lady forgot when she loaded us on because we went around for what seemed like at least 10 minutes.

Bear and I ride the go carts together and apparently my attempts to bypass people are labeled by Bear as me “not being in control.”

We go to the rock wall and I make it much higher than last time, but although Bear tries he never makes it higher than the first two steps up. We have to work on not giving up so easily.

Then I convince Bear to go on the ropes course with Daddy. So the two of them get all suited up and start heading up the stairs with me watching for the bottom. I however could not miss this photographic opportunity so I suit up and chase them up. Bear is terrified. I am terrified. I use him for encouragement. He makes me brave. I want him to be brave. And adventurous. I want him to have the same drive I have, but also the courage to fulfill on it. So I go across the first obstacle and wait for him.

And then I go across the second.

And this is where I turned back the last time. But I go across the third.

And then I go across the fourth and I climb up the rope stairs and I’m standing at the top of the second level thinking I could maybe actually finish this. But Bear starts to cry. He wants to get back down. And I know that I instilled this fear in him. That even though I’m pretending to be brave right now, I’ve made him this way. And we head back down and I still wish that I had just gone ahead and completed it myself. Maybe next time I will. Maybe next time he can complete it with me.

Do your kids have an adventurous spirit? Are you secretly afraid of heights but seem to always forget that?

 

In a Place with No Reception

In a place where no reception was had there was a beauty no words made by man could describe.

In a lake surrounded by nature’s glory I swam in awe. The dark clouds converged and the rain poured its hardest. With difficulty I struggled to keep my eyes open as the rain reflected over the water creating a world I’d never seen before.Taking a mental photo I wished that I would hold this in my memory forever.

As the day drew on and afternoon merged with evening the steam off the water rose and the sun reclaimed its place coating us with its rays.

 

Orlando Part I: The Parks

Last Saturday bright and early at 7 am I had a flight from MSP to Orlando to go to the database conference I’ve attended for the past five years. Typical to how I like to roll I wound up there late and there were giant lines obviously despite the fact that I had prepaid for my luggage and had my boarding pass. I could feel the tears welling as I stood barefoot waiting my turn in the rapescan rapiscan and of course right after me the security guard decided to open up another machine to speed up the lines.

Not a great start, but it was all uphill from there.

I was with my three co-worker/friends and we met up with my best friend at baggage check who flew in from Pittsburgh to be with me. After checking into our amazing hotel, Hilton Bonnet Creek, we went to Animal Kingdom, which was by far my favorite park. I loved the Kali River Rapids ride (which we went on 3 times) and the Safari. The Safari we went on twice and the second time was definitely the best. I recommend sitting on the left side because that’s where all the animals are. And if you go later in the day you tend not to be squished in like sardines so it makes for a much bumpier ride as well as more animals seemed to be closer out as the day cooled off. For some bizarre reason (well the fact that I love to try new things) I went on Everest, even though I’m aware that I hate roller coasters. I figured however that I was in Disney and this wasn’t going to be a REAL rollercoaster. I was wrong. As soon as we started going backwards I never opened my eyes again and spent the whole time hoping that I wouldn’t die. Which I didn’t. I also didn’t go on it again.

I also spent much too much at Animal Kingdom buying gifts for the kids, but at least I got it done on the first day and didn’t have to worry about it anymore. I wound up having a margarita while I was there, which was amazing. It tasted stellar and was filled with alcohol, a win win.

That evening like every evening for the remaining days we went out drinking at the hotel bar.

Some Highlights:

• On one evening the Box Office Manager fell down
• On another the Director of Ticketing bought us drinks
• Various people were drunk at various times
• Cheese Fries
• I saw my co-worker make out with someone
• Wore my Mickey Ears often and occasionally with my sunglasses inside at a dark bar. I was incognito.
• I danced to “Wild Wild West” during karaoke
• I embarrassed the crap out of myself with 3 other people in what had to be hands down the worst rendition of Benny and the Jetts known to man considering that except for the chorus we were silent the ENTIRE time.
• I saw someone I never wanted to see again and he bought me a drink
• Drive by Chicken Wings
• I wore a lot of glow in the dark jewelery at the concert
• I climbed a fence and went into a bush for 4 inner tubes to use on the lazy river
• I managed to somehow network about a job prospect with a drunk friend of mine
• I met great new people and spent time with ones I already knew and loved

The conference was as usual amazing. There is no way to describe it unless you experience it.

I got to spend lots of time with my best friend which made it even more amazing. On Monday night we went to Downtown Disney for dinner, which was fun, but not nearly as great as Epcot on Tuesday night. I was a little underwhelmed by Epcot, but we seem to have missed a bunch of the rides and the Test Track closed as we were in line. We also waited two hours for the ride Soarin which while great was not remotely worth a two hour wait in line especially when we had a limited amount of time at the park. I had wanted to go on both versions of the Mission Space rides, but only had time for one.

I wish we would have gotten more time to spend at the countries, but I wanted to wait until dinner time and get on as many rides as possible first which we did sort of. The food was amazing. I ate sushi in Japan, had chocolate crepes in France and a drink in Morocco. The fireworks were spectacular and I started to get all sentimental and misty eyed during the whole thing. It was all and all a great experience even gulping down my Canadian beer (with the help of my FIL) at the turnstyle before we could leave for our shuttle.

It was a great and amazing trip and I loved every single moment of it, so much so that coming home to not being fed gourmet meals three times a day and having your room cleaned was quite the shock. I have to do these things myself? I think the reason the trip was so much fun was less so the amenities and more so the amazing people I got to share it with.

Spending on Experience

So as usual I’ve been thinking a lot about money. Specifically on spending money on intangible items. Like for example, vacation. We spent approximately $2,400 on Mexico. That includes everything up to the tip for the bartender. Which in the grand scheme of vacations isn’t very much. But it is almost 2 mortgage payments, 11 weeks of daycare or 6 car payments. Other than pictures and a sombrero I won I don’t have anything to show for it. But I don’t regret it one second. The experience was well as Mastercard puts it priceless.

In general I don’t like to spend money on experiences because I don’t feel like I have anything to show for it and unlike an item I can return experiences if they go bad aren’t exactly returnable. However, lately the experiences I have chosen to spend money on seem to have been worthwhile. For example yesterday the H, our son, and our friends L & L (lets call them L^2) went to the Holidazzle parade and to Macy’s to see Santa and the store display.

• Parade: Free
• Macy’s “A Day in the Life of an Elf” display: Free
• Picture with Santa: $14
• Treats from Mrs. Claus’s Bakery: $10
• Parking: Free (because we spent $20 or more at Macy’s)

So in total the whole experience cost us $24, and other than my frozen feet was well worth it. Our son lit up when he saw the parade go by, and excitedly sat on Santa’s lap and proclaimed that he wants a dragon castle for Christmas. Plus, we got to spend our frozen experience with our two friends.

What do others think? Do you like to spend money on experiences, or objects or both/neither?

Mexico – Day 8

(A Belated Post)

Woke up surprisingly un-hungover considering the debauchery of the previous night. Even though we were unpacked I managed to pack us in a subhuman rate so I could get the most of my pool/beach time before the 10:30 AM pick up for the airport.

The H declined to go swimming with me siting his lobster body as his reasoning (it was our last day! An unfit excuse in my opinion!) so I made him be my paparazzi for the morning.

First it was a final swim in the private pool.

Then it was off to the beach. Since it was a cloudy and windy day the waves were HUGE. Probably the biggest they had been yet, the H was clearly missing out!

And then I decided to get a little cutesy.

Then we rushed back to our hotel room so I could shower and change before the hotel transport could pick up our luggage (the resort is that big that you need a car to take you back to the lobby, at least if you’re carrying luggage. We walked everyday all around).

Then it was our final breakfast at La Marche where I sneakily made sandwiches and snacks into some ziploc bags for the airport ride.

Then the car came to pick us up.

When we arrived at the airport we realized we were on the same flight as the WI people we met in line at the Lobster Pot Thursday night, so that was quite amusing. I also realize, I don’t really understand what Duty Free means because everything seemed pretty expensive to me. I did enjoy how they market their cigarettes though:

I also really enjoyed the security line:

And then sadly at 1:25 our United Airlines plane left for Chicago. We arrived in Minnesota at around 9:25 PM after a long day of travel. We arrived to sub zero weather and snow, leaving 85 and sunny was the worst thing ever.

Definitely working on the H to move to a warmer climate, this winter thing doesn’t cut it for me anymore!