“Away”

Day 93

I’ve mentioned before how terrified I am when it comes to riding roller coasters, and yet I’ve always survived whenever I’ve been “encouraged” by family to take a ride on one [knock on wood!]

Well, this photo is proof that yours truly, the one who always tries to chicken out of riding roller coasters has actually been on one (despite my fear that I would fly away, right off the tracks!) This was the TWISTER II at Elitch Gardens; Date: September 6th 1997. Notice how I am ducking my head down - I was afraid that I would be decapitated while going through a tunnel (I kid you not!) Obviously, I didn’t get decapitated and I didn’t fly away off of the tracks! I just panicked and assumed the worst, when really I should have just enjoyed the ride - which is how we should enjoy life, right?

Jordan was such a good sport, dealing with his cowardly older brother. In this photo he looks like he wishes he was with someone else on this ride, and I don’t blame him for that!

Anyway, I wrote about this experience in my journal, and it was significant: not only was this my first roller coaster ride in years, it was also on the day of my sister Jaimee’s 20th birthday (she went away from her teens!); and on this day the beloved Princess Diana was buried (an amazing woman was taken away from us!) Kind of puts things in perspective, huh?