Feelin' the Magic

It's that time again - we are about to take another trip to Disneyworld. And at this point, the adults are far more excited than the kids. 

My sister and I never went to Disney as kids. I don't mean to sound pitiful; we went to Ireland instead. Still, we had no idea what to expect. And I certainly did not expect to fall in love with the place - with all of Orlando, in fact. 

Here's what I can't wait to do there:

Bring on the cheesy animatronics. I just eat that stuff up. Pirates of the Caribbean, and more importantly, It's a Small World, After All - those things have Allie written all over them.

Harry Potter at Universal. That Hogwarts ride is the best ride I have ever been on. I still can't figure out how they did it. Plus, this time my kid is old enough to go on with me. Winning!

Oh, and I want a butterbeer too. And a chocolate frog.

The monorail - honestly, I could ride that thing all day and be satisfied. It takes you from your hotel right to the park. That's magic, in my opinion.

Overpriced food - except we got a free meal plan! Ha ha! So load me up on footlongs and overly large soft drinks.

Souvenirs - On our last trip, my sister got the coolest santa hat EVER. It was a headband with a tall, skinny red hat attached that had a white pompom on the top. I'm so jealous; I have to outdo her this time. Oh, it's on.

But without a doubt, the number one reason: The people who work at Disney. Everyone, from the servers to the characters are good humored. They are nice, and they're sassy at the same time. I like that sassy edge. 

Yup, can't wait.  

Scary Carnival Rides

It's nearing the end of summer. Time to reflect back on some of the thrilling, scary rides I've taken with my family this year.

I'm a big roller coaster fan. This year my daughter went on El Toro for the first time ever. It's the  largest wooden roller coaster in the world, and let me tell you - it is amazing. From the first drop to the final twists, that is one thrilling ride.

El Toro

Of course, we live right down the street from Kingda Ka, the tallest ride in the world at a drop of 418 feet. We can see it from our house. Yeah, it's that huge. My kid isn't big enough to ride it yet, but she's making big plans. She and her friends  have high-heel flip-flops picked out so they can make that cutoff and ride it, as well as Superman, Batman, Bizarro, and Green Lantern.

Kingda Ka

There are other amazing rides in the world. Here are a few:

The Eejanaika roller coaster, which means “ain’t it great?” in Japanese. During the ride your seat is rotating either forward or backward in a full 360-degree controlled spin.

Eejanaika - One day I WILL ride this!

The Oblivion in Staffordshire, England: The first drop is at an angle of 88.8 degrees - just enough to actually keep the wheels on the track.  Oblivion reaches a top speed of 68 miles and drops passengers into that dark hole in the ground from 180 feet. 

There's the drop into that hole in the ground. Whee!

But I know that none of these are the most dangerous ride in the world. That honor is reserved for It's a Small World, After All, where I fell on my butt in a puddle of water racing to get into the boat with my family.  It was raining, and I was wearing flip-flops.

We did the ride, and then we decided to do it again, because we loved it so much. As we  raced  back, I yelled, "Hey! Watch  out for a puddle of water right around here - Woah!" Yes, I fell on my ass - FOR THE SECOND TIME. IN A ROW. 

Oblivion? Kingda Ka? El Toro? Pshaw - all  thrill wannabes. The most dangerous ride in the world is the one with those singing puppets.