Wasting Time...

...That I don't have to waste!

But... anyhow... I have needed to make a post for some time. I hope that in the very near future I will have the chance to smother this blog with videos and pics. of things like the end of summer children's program, Backyardigans Live, and our recent (uh... yesterday) field trip to Science Central. I have also had some really great Spiritual kinds of thoughts here lately that I want to share. But for now... I have a somewhat mindless rambling on this very cold day, on which I am sick, and on which I am functioning on little sleep since I stayed up until 2am...

Begin Rant:

So... I was reading all the rumor boards about what might happen at Cedar Point next summer. Look, I warned you that I was wasting time! Did you not read the title of this post? Anyway... looks like the most popular predictions are that Disaster Transport and/or Demon Drop will come down (uh... have we not all been saying this for many, many years)... And that a lot of people would like to see a dark ride, water coaster/water ride, huge wooden coaster, or flyer (no surprises here either). I, for one, want a flyer. I have never been on one, and you know CP would build the best one ever.

At any rate, I came to one post that just almost cracked me up. The vote was for a new wooden coaster, and I quote,

"Woodie. The park only has 2 woodies and with 17 coasters that is pretty odd. Both of their woodies Aren't anything special. I can understand that Blue Streak is a nice little historical woodie but Mean Streak is just a big mess from what I've heard. And since woodies are getting popular again they could take out Mean Streak and put in a BIG GCI or Gravity Group. Maybe even an Intamin! Mean Streak takes up a lot of space doesn't it? An Intamin would be great right there." (http://www.coaster-net.com/forums/?showtopic=8777)

You know, I just love reading posts by people who can't count almost as much as I love reading posts by people who can't spell... (Not to mention the fact that the post would have been a lot easier to read if the guy just said "Wooden Roller Coaster"... my gosh... people just don't think!)

CP Wooden Coasters:
Blue Streak
Mean Streak
Mine Ride
Uh... Gemini... hello!

That comes to four, I think. Could someone count that up for me, just to make sure I've got it right? It just irritates me when people try to look cool by talking about something that they know nothing about. Have I ever done that myself? Yes... absolutely. I made myself sick.

So... yeah... there are definitely things I could be doing right now that would be a better use of my time than this. But just so you know, based on my research I think the most likely scenario is that CP is either going to revamp Mean Streak to make it a more palatable ride, or I think there will, indeed, be a new Wooden Coaster. One of those things, or the park might actually take a year off to improve Soak City or the resorts or something. Personally, I'd like to see them resurrect the Mill Race or at the very least bring Pepsi Plunge on over from Geauga and stick it in Kiddie Kingdom. Flume rides are really fun for little kids, and they can't ride Snake River (which isn't even a "real" flume ride) until they're 48" tall...

OK... I'm out... I need to go do some Chinese Fire Drills or something...

Lisa

Science Central, Field Trip #1...

... Three hours in the car, was it worth it?

Yeah... I'd say so!

The kids and I had a wonderful time at Science Central today! We went for a meteorology lab, but we figured since it was such a long drive we might as well make a day of it! So... for the morning we explored the exhibits!

Seth and Grace had a lot of fun going down the two story slide and measuring the amount of time it took to reach the bottom. Unfortunately, the calculator was broken, so we didn't figure out their speeds... Yeah, I could have done this with pencil and paper, but I was being lazy... Seth also had a "blast" with the rocket launcher (yeah... bad pun intended), and Grace loved using the pulleys to lift herself off the ground! The mirror exhibit was lots of fun, but I liked the one that made me skinny a whole lot more than the one that made me fat! Caleb enjoyed the climbing wall and kept posing and saying, "Mommy, take a picture of me!" I think he thought it was a huge studio prop... hehehe... He also had fun in the "littler kids" area, where there was a train table! And Ian... Oh, how he loved the water table... so much so that when I turned my back for a moment he climbed right in! He spent the rest of the day in wet pants, because I didn't have a change for him, but wow, did he ever have a good time!

All of the kids liked "the sewer"... but not in the dark... at first! It was this tunnel that they had to try to crawl through using only their senses of touch and hearing, since it was completely dark. They couldn't find their way out, which was sort of hilarious until a balloon popped somewhere and they all freaked out! And I really mean freaked out! Seth thought it was a bomb, and all three of them started screaming and crying! (By the way, we were almost the only people in the building, so there wasn't a huge audience or anything) I got one of the staff people to turn the lights on for them, and they made it out, but it took some doing to convince them it was only a balloon! After that, they went through the tunnel a few times in the light and were finally brave enough to try it again in the dark, which they did masterfully this time around!

We left for lunch, because the "food court" consisted of a couple of vending machines (not even with sandwiches, just chips, candy, and ice cream). We had to take some one way streets, which always makes me a little nervous, because I am scared I will not be able to find my way back! We found a Burger King and did, indeed, get back to Science Central. We then walked to a nearby park to eat our "picnic", which was good until the "bumblebees" decided they wanted to share. Then we picked up the rest of our food and ate while we walked back! Next time we will pack a lunch!

The lab part of the day was really fun for the kids. There were about 12-15 kids, I would say, and they all got to participate! Seth did part of the balloon popping experiment, and Grace got to demonstrate the effect of lightning! Everyone had the chance to shake thunder sticks, and then the kids did a weather forecast (which they think was actually on TV, even though I am about 103% sure it was not!)

Here are a few pics of the day:

The only really bad part was the drive home! I actually managed to navigate the one way streets without any issues, but when I went to get on the expressway, a semi truck literally ran me off the road! I have gone over this about a million times, and there was absolutely nothing I could have done differently to make the situation any better. I tried to give him the right of way... twice... while he was running into my lane. I know... for sure... that I was not in his blind spot and that he definitely saw me, because he sped up when I tried to get over, and then he decided to get into my lane (without the use of a signal, I might add). I finally had to make a split second decision about whether I wanted to be hit by the semi or go over the embankment. I, of course, chose the embankment and was, thankfully, able to stop just barely short of actually going over it. Can't say I wasn't shaking when the whole episode was over, but I was very, very grateful that we were all safe. If it hadn't been so scary, it would have been funny with the kids yelling, "Mom, how are we going to get back on the road!"

So... yeah... Science Central! Overall it was a fantastic day! This is definitely a spot we will hit again... and again!

Lisa

The Backyardigans Live...

... Well, Phil probably said it best, "If you've seen one stage show, you've seen them all!" But, come on we all know it's fun... at least for the kids!

This was Ian's first stage show, and actually it was Seth and Grace's first major stage show (although we've certainly hit our share of amusement park shows and educational assembly type shows). Ian wasn't all that impressed once he'd ripped his paper shield to shreds, but he did like it when Pablo flew across the stage, and I was able to convince him that the egg was a ball, so that kept his attention! Over all, he didn't do too badly. I am quickly learning that Caleb loves stage shows, and I am not sure the child ever sits that still for anything else. Seth had lots of fun (although the Backyardigans are probably getting a little on the young side for him). But is was Grace who I really enjoyed watching! She was so caught up in the whole thing, and on the interactive parts, I think she really thought the characters were listening to just her and that she could help move the plot along (even from the nosebleed seats up top)! It was great.

So... yeah... It was basically a spur of the moment decision to attend this show. We had considered it early on, but when the seats dropped to half off the day before the show, we figured we might as well go and take some friends along, too! We all had a fantastic time!

And, by the way, there was no photography allowed, so I only snuck in about 50 shots... along with every other parent there... I took many of them without the flash, which resulted in a whole bunch of blur (ah... pretty colors...), but by the end I realized that there were so many flashes going off, nobody was ever going to figure out who was taking the pics, so I got a couple of good shots in:

Lisa

And so I survive...

... another week of school.

I guess...

This has to end soon, because I am way too old...

And I no longer have any patience for people who can't spell...

On with the weekend...

Lisa

Another Year Older...

... Seth's 8th Birthday

Every year it's the same... I am a little more amazed that my kids are growing up so incredibly fast. At some point, over the past few weeks, I looked at Seth and realized that he is really not a baby anymore!

For his birthday we celebrated with Pizza King and Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream... Not what I would choose, but hey... it wasn't my birthday! I made a Lego Aquaraiders cake, which went well with the present theme. In addition to adding every Aquaraiders set that Seth was still missing, he got books, clothes, a new DS game and case, and lots of fun stuff from his brothers and sister. He shook the presents and guessed them pretty well, too. Uncle Brad would be proud... hehehe...

Here's the 8 year old b-day pics:


Lisa

Caleb's 1st Day of Preschool...

Since we don't do anything conventionally, Caleb started "preschool" today. It is really just a preschool music class, but to Caleb it is preschool, so we're goin' with it. At any rate, he took a backpack, so I guess it counts. Caleb loved his class... and his new friends... and I guess "Mommy" can survive without him for 45 minutes/week.

Isn't he cute:

Lisa

Whatever...

Oh my gosh... One of my profs. just "whatevered" me on the discussion board. Would it be really bad if I just responded by saying, "I don't like you?"

Look for back blogs soon...

Please... will one of the Presidential candidates offer a new 26 hour day?

Lisa

I Really Like Barack Obama...

...But not enough to vote for him this time around.

If you want to know all of my reasoning, please see Phil's post @ www.transforminghope.blogspot.com. I couldn't do a better job explaining it, myself, if I tried. And this is rather ironic, because we didn't discuss our reasoning or our picks, but he pretty much hit on what I was thinking... every step of the way... exactly...

See, here's the deal... After listening to speech... after speech... after speech from Obama, I was thinkin', "Yeah, this could be the guy." I'm not going to say that there weren't things I disagreed with, but I like him, and I like his vision for change. My mind was almost made up, in his favor...

And then came the Vice Presidential pick. And, I'm so sorry, but Joe Biden is just an idiot. And as compelling as Obama is... and as much as I think he really is different than many of the dems. we have up on the hill... If Biden is going to be his second hand man... the one he looks to for council... and... ahem... wisdom (or something), then I don't think Obama is ready to make the changes he wants to make.

And, let me tell ya, I haven't been all that fond of McCain. But his VP pick, in Sarah Palin, is outstanding... and his speech at the RNC was pretty great, too...

The choice has been tough, but I guess I'm still a Republican after all...

Lisa

First Day of School...

... was really fun!

The end of the summer caught me by surprise, and here I find myself with a preschooler, a second grader (age 6, goin' on 16), and a third grader... Oh, and of course the baby who sits down to "do school" with us and looks offended when I don't hand him a workbook and a pencil! How did this happen?

We had a very nice first day of school. It started at 4:30am for me, and since I am "back blogging" this, I can already tell you that didn't last for this week!

We started out with some worship time, and I have to say that over and over again in my life, one (rather old now) worship song keeps springing back to the top of my list. Some lyrics please...

Sometimes by Step
By: Rich Mullins

Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away
Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close
You could touch it, but your heart would break
Sometimes the morning came too soon
Sometimes the day could be so hot
There was so much work left to do
But so much You'd already done

Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek you in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that, no less than he
And on this road to righteousness
Sometimes the climb can be so steep
I may falter in my steps
But never beyond Your reach

Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
Oh God, You are my God
And I will ever praise You
I will seek you in the morning
And I will learn to walk in Your ways
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

And I will follow You all of my days
And I will follow You all of my days
And step by step You'll lead me
And I will follow You all of my days

Sometimes the night was beautiful

I think that's just about exactly how I felt on this first day of school.

Lisa

#11...

There are so many different ways I might have liked to title this post. I went with #11, because it is, in great part, about our 11th anniversary! Wow... 10 seemed like a big number last summer, but 11 seems just... wow... It's not at all that it feels as if we've been married "forever" as in this seems to go on and on and I'm getting tired of it. No, that's not it at all! 11 just seems like a really big number, because everyone thought the odds were kind of stacked against us from the beginning, and even though we have gone through some outrageously adverse life situations, we're still together. And we always will be... first and foremost, because we love each other deeply... always have... All these years later, I still hold fast to the belief that God put us here for each other. Yeah... that's good. It just wouldn't have lasted with anybody else...

So what do you do for an 11th anniversary? Well... to tell you the truth, I don't know what the protocol is! When we first got married, I kind of had in mind that you should do something special for the 10th anniversary, and I figured we might take a trip of sorts. However, as anniversary #10 rolled around, it became increasingly obvious to us that this just wasn't going to happen, because anything we did was going to have to include a nursing baby in tow! After much thought (but not too much), we decided to wait another year... And so we did...

As we tossed around options about what we might do, only a few things really stood out. And, since we still can't really afford to fly across the ocean in order to take a ride in a gondola, we were just a bit limited... We narrowed it down to a couple of options, and in the end, Cedar Point won out! Please... if you feel the need to laugh now, go ahead. It won't hurt my feelings. CP was a very special place to us during our dating years, and even though I'm getting old, I am still an adrenaline junkie! It was the perfect choice...

We stayed at Castaway Bay, the last of the major indoor waterparks located in Sandusky that we had not yet visited. The accommodations we very nice, including a waterside view and a TV that broadcast more than DVDs and videos (see previous post), so I was able to catch some Olympic moments without being out to all hours of the night!

We spent our first day at Soak City, enjoying the raging river, the wave pool, and a few slides. I took the opportunity to slip down a body slide, because it has been quite some time since I last rode one, and I wanted to prep myself for "dolphin plunge" in the fall. I do not usually care for body slides, as I hate going under the water at the end and filling my nose... and then consequently my throat with H2O instead of oxygen! Ironically, I enjoyed this particular body slide more than most, and it was Phil who came up looking for air. I thought about riding another one but figured why spoil the experience! We returned to Castaway Bay in the late afternoon and decided to stay there for the evening instead of using our CP starlight tickets. We ate at the TGIFridays that is connected to the hotel and were less than satisfied, but it was OK. Unfortunately, TGIFridays tends to disappoint more often than not as of late. Then, we went to the Castaway Bay waterpark, which was very nice. We enjoyed another wave pool, where we tried to do a little body surfing. Phil did much, much better than I did, which is to be expected since I have absolutely no athletic ability and little balance or depth perception! It was still great fun trying. We also rode a water coater for the first time and relaxed in the hot tub.

On Saturday morning (our actual anniversary), we headed straight for Cedar Point and were admitted one hour early, since we were resort guests! I began the day with 3 rides left that I had never ridden at CP. I have been trying to "conquer the park" for many years, but every time I get close they build something new, and I miss a season, or I am only there with the kiddos, so there were just a few that I was missing. We made a beeline for Millennium Force, and after less that 15 minutes in line knocked that number down to 2! I have to say, that was a great coaster! The lift hill seems like it will never end, and it's not much different on the way down... except it's faster! I kept my arms up most of the way, but you'll notice in the picture that they are on their way down. I have a bit of an aversion to keeping my arms up in tunnels, but if I'd known the pic. was coming, I'd have left them up. Of course, I have the classic Lisa on a roller coater look, because I am trying to avoid having the wind knocked out of me. It works. I just always look like I am going to blow chunks! Phil looks like he is analyzing the ride, which I found pretty humorous! The only drawback was that when we went to view our pic., it was initially unavailable, because someone behind us apparently made an inappropriate gesture. Why do people do that? At any rate, they were able to crop it and sell it to us, which is good, because if they hadn't we were getting right back in line! Here we are:

From there, we headed toward Frontier Town, where we took a second spin on Maverick. Last summer we came off the coaster absolutely raving. Although it is still going to rank in my top 5, our experience was not as smooth this time around. Tip: keep your head back! The Maverick pic. was seriously almost identical to the one from last year, except I was trying to give Phil a high 5 in the second shot, but he didn't know it. We didn't buy that one! We then walked on to Sky Hawk, which doesn't always have a really long line, but I have never seen it like this. I absolutely loved it! The sensation is basically the same as a pirate boat ride, but it is much bigger, and there is nothing in front of you. And with that, I sliced my ride list to 1!

A quick trip on the Mine Ride, and then, feeling as if our limits had already been tested for the morning, we decided to eat lunch. We had Chick-Fil-A, which is, of course, comparable to a "contemporary classic" for us. I'll let you think on that one if you really want to... After filling up with lots and lots of ice water, we decided to ride the train... and then we decided to ride it back... and at this point, I think we realized that we'd better get off while we had the chance, or we might just ride the train for the rest of the day as a good friend did once...

We jumped on the Gemini, which is still the greatest ride in the park, and I will likely continue to say this until the day they tear it down. It seems as though most CP patrons have completely lost the nostalgia for slapping high fives as the two trains pass, but our blue train was so far out in the lead for the entire race, start to finish, that it would have been difficult to reach anyone on the red train from our front seat! As I board the Gemini, I often remember the days when I was a kid at CP and the fact that Gemini was the largest coaster in the world
(and I would never have dreamed of getting on it)! Ah... how the times have changed!

From there we took a spin on Magnum, an old friend that I had not boarded in over a decade. In fact, I had only ridden Magnum that one other time... with my eyes closed all the way! What a difference 10+ years makes! We bought the pic., as we thought it was a nice update... hands up, eyes open, front seat:

Enough intense riding for the moment, I dragged Phil to Paddlewheel Excursions, where we waited in line for quite a while... hehehe... who would've thought? At about this time, Phil mentioned that he hadn't seen Top Thrill Dragster running all day. Funny, I thought... neither had I. Now, the "I have to conquer the park" side of me felt mildly disappointed. I mean... of all the days! I think it is accurate that we visited CP 11 times last summer, so we must have watched the Dragster rise and fall on at least a billion occasions! And here we finally have the opportunity to ride it, and it's not running? Ugh... On the other hand, the "I'm scared out of my mind when I even thing about getting on that thing" side of me was mildly relieved, I hate to admit... Just about then, up went the Dragster... empty... and back down it came, on the wrong side of the track. Then, up it went again, loaded, and down it came just fine. And after that... nothing... We continued to wait, rode Paddlewheel, endured all of the stupid jokes, and got off... all with no movement on TTD.

Since I was getting tired of carrying pictures around, and it was pretty hot, making air conditioning sound appealing, we rode the Sky Ride and went out to the parking lot in search of some relief in the car. And search is the key word here. We couldn't remember where we parked! After walking around together for a few minutes, Phil climbed up on the back of a truck, and I kept walking around. To tell you the truth, I was feeling a bit disoriented, anyway, having hit my head on the Sky Ride on the way out and then standing around in the heat. Thankfully, Phil finally found the car and called for me, and after a few minutes I felt better having cooled down!

Ready for some more riding, we re-entered the park, jumped back on the Sky Ride, and checked out the lines for Iron Dragon and Mantis. Both of them were quite long, and we decided not to wait. We walked over to Power Tower and took a quick ride on the up side. This is always fun, and is one of Phil's favorite rides. It was a little odd this time, however, as the guy to my left was scared out of his mind, and the guy to his left was singing... Can't say I've ever experienced that before...

When we exited the ride, a bit of courage overtook me, and since I had seen Dragster go a couple of times more, I started to walk toward the entrance. Phil asked me what I was doing, and I simply told him, "It's time!" We waited outside the line entrance for a few minutes, because they weren't letting anybody in. I think they were trying to determine if Dragster was going to continue to run or not. Eventually, they opened the entrance. So... we stood in the heat, as a few rides went. And then there was a delay, and we couldn't hear what the ride operator was saying, but we decided that we were already in line, so we might as well wait it out. Over the next 10-15 minutes, quite a few people left the line, and we slowly and steadily moved forward (but not into the shade). Finally, the ride operator announced that they were going to load the next set of trains! We cheered along with everyone else on the platform. After waiting a few more turns, we were finally seated on TTD! And the rest is history, my friends! The ride was awesome. The take off was like nothing I've ever felt before... as we crested the hill, the view was amazing (even without my glasses, which were stuffed in my underwear... uh... TMI... very long story...), and I started screaming, "We're on top! We're on top!" actually before we even got there. I threw my arms up near the end, so it would look like I was really cool in the pic... hehehe... couldn't let myself get away with that! At the end of the ride, I was just screaming about how I had ridden every ride in the park, and maybe everybody thought I was nuts, but I don't really care. The experience was amazing! Here it is on film:

Phil mentioned later that even though my quest to conquer the park is only representative of a few pieces of metal situated on an island somewhere on the face of the planet, it is rare that you actually get to complete something in life. And it may sound silly to some, but this was a real accomplishment for me. I'm proud. And... I would definitely ride it again...

Buy the way... the ride operator was "awesome man"... Yeah... you really had to be there...

After this experience, I'm not sure we really cared what we did next. We rode the Sky Ride again! We ate at Midway Market Buffet, which I would not recommend to my friends... or maybe even my enemies... Not worth the money, but we had coupons, so we only paid $5.00 total... including tip!

Then we did some shopping! And let me tell ya something... I almost never buy anything at CP! I bought a postcard (to scrapbook) and a Coaster Challenge Check-Off T-Shirt (which doesn't even list all of the coasters, but that's another story in itself! We took the Sky Ride (if you've been counting this is time number 4, which is rather amazing, since traditionally I hate the Sky Ride) to the middle of the park, where I also bought a set of Peanuts glasses, which are really cute and weren't too expensive, and we got some bubble wands for the kids.

After that, we walked up near the front of the park and hung out at the arcade for a bit. Phil played Cyclone (an arcade game at which he excels... oh the memories... hehehe...) and won over 200 tickets on the first hit! We played a few other games and had our pics. taken in the photo booth (see beginning of post). Phil redeemed his tickets for a Maverick mug that is pretty cool! Then we took all of our souvenirs out to the car (which was not nearly so hard to find this time around).

And now I am getting confused about when we rode the Sky Ride and when we didn't. Perhaps we hadn't yet ridden it 4 times... or maybe we rode it again for time #5... or maybe we didn't ride it at all, but we decided to check out the lines for Mantis and Iron Dragon again and found that they were still just too long for our liking!

So we headed for Raptor, which was a very nice ride at dusk, just as it always is. They don't take pictures on Raptor anymore... or if they do, they don't show them at the end of the ride. Instead, there is a DVD. We hammed it up, but you only get to see a few seconds of your video when you exit... unless you want to put out 20 bucks for it, which we didn't!

And now, having ridden most of what we wanted to ride, and feeling sort of sleepy, I went in search of frozen lemonade... because it is oh so good! Unfortunately, when I ordered it at my usual lemonade stop, I was given a rather average looking, not frozen at all, cup of lemonade, which I refused! I decided that a frozen cherry fruit drink would do, but at the next stop, the cherry wasn't frozen... only blue raspberry... yuck! Stop number 3... just kiwi and strawberry! Does it never end? Finally, at stop number 4, I got my frozen cherry drink, which was delicious... In fact, so delicious that even Phil wanted a couple of sips!

To finish off our day, we waited in line for the Giant Wheel. Who doesn't want to ride the ferris wheel at night, right? It was a wonderful ride, and I always like to look out over the lake and then back at the park and to marvel at the wonder of everything God has made and everything He has also allowed us to create for enjoyment!

We left the park around 9:45, and went back to Castaway Bay...

The next morning, we woke up on the late side and decided to give the Castaway Bay waterpark one more shot. We rode the water coaster again, splashed around in the wave pool some more, and ended up in the hot tub. We did just a little bit of shopping in the gift shops and then decided that even though we had tickets left to use, it would be better to start our return journey and to take it slow. After all, we had a wonderful time at CP, so why blow it! We managed to get through a whole day without any whining or screaming (well... except on the coasters, of course), and that is unusual, because remember we have four little people who are typically tagging along, but the truth is, we did our share of fighting at CP before we had the kids, so it really was a remarkable day... hehehe!

We took our time, stopping to shop and see a few trains along the way. Eventually, we ended up in Findlay, where we had dinner at Cheddars. I love Cheddars.

We arrived home around 7:30, in time to see the kids (and Grandma and Grandpa) and tell them about our trip before bed time.

Ah... It was a wonderful weekend!

Lisa