Roller Coasters & Fanny Packs

On Wednesday, my mother so kindly invited me to Lagoon Amusement Park with her and the rest of my siblings. I so graciously accepted. Brian, sadly, had to work.

If you don't really know me, one thing you should know is that I am a sucker for amusement parks. Even the sketchy ones that come to town during fair time (actually, I especially love those ones). Something about amusement parks just instantly brings the kid out in me. Lagoon is no different. I got to feel like a kid all day long!

Luckily, the park wasn't very busy either. So that meant short lines. We went on the swings three times. And oh boy, I love the whoosh that one puts into my tummy.

Besides going on all our favorite rides more than a couple times, we also watched my sisters waste their money on arcade games.

Except Chloe shut me up from making fun of her after she miraculously won something. . . .

And then let's not forget the infamous fanny pack which I sported all day. As much of a fashion crime as it may be, it was a wise decision. I safely stored away several cell phones and wallets in that puppy. Plus, on most of the rides you couldn't take bags on, the workers failed to notice the fanny pack. Score! Not to mention this girl got the most drenched on Rattle Snake Rapids but everything kept in the fanny pack stayed perfectly dry.

And then we went on the skyride. That was a fun experience. My mom and sisters went in front of me and Jace, so everyone they passed going the other direction, Lexi would tell them it was our birthday. We were quite confused when strangers started saying, "Hey, happy birthday!" We started to just accept it. And all the teenage girls we passed hit on my brother. He accepted that too.

But I think my favorite part of the day was when I took my baby sister, Chloe, on the ride that goes around and around and you squish each other (does that ride have a name?). You see, Chloe was afraid of all the roller coasters that the rest of us were so anxious to go on. So most of the morning, she spent sitting on benches, holding my mom's bag for her while we went on all the "scary rides". She was a good sport. But then the fam started going on another roller coaster after going on about four in a row and Chlo looked a little sad. But she faithfully went and sat on her bench. It kind of tugged at my heartstrings a bit so I went over to her and pointed at the ride which conveniently dwelt next to the roller coaster. I told her to go on that one with me. After she made me assure her it wasn't scary, we went and hopped in line. Needless to say, Chloe loved that ride. She squished me the entire time, but it was worth it to hear her silly giggle throughout the whole span of our turn. She liked it so much that afterwards, she insisted that my mom and Lexi went on it with her. So they did, and Jace and I were left to guard my mom's bag. 

Amusement parks are fun. They are germ infested, dirty places full of quite interesting people with rather poor hygiene, but they are still a bit magical. They bring out the kid in me and the nostalgia of past summers. I love them. Even if they force me into wearing a fanny pack.