Theme Park Day

God worked it out that Buck had two unusual days off together on the same day that our NGFs decided to organize a mega-group outing. When Buck learned the boys' friend, who was leaving for the summer, had NEVER been to an amusement park, we extended a last-minute invitation. We grabbed our extra buddy the day before the big event and drove to my mom's house to stay the night. We had a nice dinner, talked with a longtime church friend, and then hit the hay--well, the boys didn't hit the hay quite as early.

The next morning we were up, and dressed in layers, to attend the coldest theme park day of the year! Yikes, it was cold! Like, "Is that freezing mist or snow?" cold. Like, riding rides that go fast or up in the air feels more like a punishment than fun, kind of cold. But what do 20 homeschooled teenagers from three states care?

They disappeared into the park, as we grown-ups made a sharp right to buy (unicorn) gloves, (Swedish?) stocking hats, and the first of a long line of coffees and hot chocolates. Shivering, we learned the very first ride they'd taken the two kids who'd never been on a rollercoaster before was called "the monster." It has such a steep drop that sound goes away. In fact, the rail folds in on itself, so you can't even see where the track goes next. Buck eventually rode this with his NGF, you can see his white hoodie with blue stripes in some of the pictures. The kids also chose to ride the one water ride that was open for the day--but I think that got maybe one take, versus the 15 the monster racked up :) 

Go for a ride on the train, we thought, it will be fun we thought . . . blast of arctic air amplified by high terrain. Lol!

We grown ups spent a lot of time sitting around and ordering hot beverages. We all rode a few rides, but the kids got pretty much unlimited access to the park. A few attractions weren't open yet, but they didn't seem to mind. Basically zero wait time and usually no lines meant they could ride again and again anything they wanted. It was a chilly day, but sometimes that works out better. Hooray for off-season (at least weather-wise) adventures! It was a great way to finish our school year and welcome (hopefully) summer!