VACATION!!!

The first 7 months of this year were too similar to the previous 2 years for my liking (read: too much work and lots of stress), so back in March, when my family decided to plan their biennial vacation, I was really excited!

Two years ago, we went to that State Up North for our family vacation. Rachel was only 7 weeks old, and the car ride was about 7-8 hours, so it made for an interesting situation. But overall, the week was really enjoyable, so when we were planning this vacation, I knew it would be fun. Unfortunately, because of the economy, we couldn't afford another MI trip and we could only do a long weekend, rather than a full week. So we brainstormed and came up with Sandusky, OH, home of Cedar Point.

It was quite the vacation plan -- taking a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a 2-year-old to an amusement park. We went on Thursday, figuring the lines would be a little less long on a weekday, and we couldn't have asked for much better weather. The sun was shining, the temperature was fair, and we had a blast! I hadn't been on a roller coaster in years, so I was kind of nervous to jump back into it, and Duane had never been to Cedar Point before, so my brother-in-law was nice enough to watch the kids first thing so that we could try out the Millenium Force, one of the tallest, steepest roller coasters there is. Standing in line, my mom looked up at the first hill and began to panic. We counted to time it took the cars to get to the top of the hill, so that she could close her eyes for that part. One nice thing about that coaster is that instead of the normal chain that pulls you up the first hill, you are pulled up by an elevator cable. It is much less disconcerting and doesn't yank you quite so much. However, when you round the top of that hill, you feel like you are going straight down (see picture), and you are going so fast that you barely have time to panic.

We survived it, and felt invigorated for the day after that one. It was the newest coaster there the LAST time I was at Cedar Point, so I was happy to ride it after only a half-hour wait (as opposed to the 2-hour wait it was when I was there before). Speaking of waiting, that is one thing we didn't do much of. In fact, I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying venture to the amusement park. Our longest wait was for the Millenium Force, and that was maybe half an hour; we ended up riding Magnum (15 minutes), Gemini (no wait), and Raptor (25 minutes) fairly easily, and we even sat in the front of the Gemini and the Raptor with very little extra waiting tacked on. I got to ride all the classics that used to be hour-long waits without waiting long at all! Duane also rode the Top Thrill Dragster, which blasts you forward at 120 mph and straight up a tower, then across and back down again. He said that was worth the admission fee to the park, and they only waiting about half an hour as well.

Rachel got to ride on several rides too. She started with the LolliSwings, and she seemed to enjoy that. When the ride ended, she told me she didn't want to get out. =) Then we took her on a car ride that went around an oval track and sped up around the ends as it turned. I was so proud of her -- she put her hands up! She also rode the carousel with Uncle Doug and Grandma and the bumper boats with Grandpa (or, as she calls him, Hoppa). She couldn't have been better at the park. My initial plan was to take her back to the rental house when she seemed tired so that she could take a nap, and I was worried she wouldn't want to ride in her stroller, but she was so well-behaved that I kept bragging about what a great kid I have.

After Cedar Point, we spent Friday morning lounging around the rental house. Rachel went swimming and then took her nap, and I ended up going to the wineries around the area with my family, a tradition we started on our MI trip years before. It is a lot of fun to taste different types of wine for a very small fee, because a lot of times I find something I never thought I would like, and it is a wonderful souvenier from the trip! Needless to say, my wine fridge is now stocked for some time to come!

Friday evening, my brother and I teamed up to make grilled pizza, buffet-style. You are thinking, "Grilled pizza?" But the flavor from the grill adds something you can't even imagine to the pizza, and it was fun trying all the different types of toppings. My brother also made us his signature guacamole and salsa, and I am eager to try out the recipe!

Saturday, my brother, my parents, and I went to Put-In Bay for several hours. I had never been there, and it was pretty similar to Key West (without some of the luxurious atmosphere), so we had a blast putt-putting around in a golf cart, visiting breweries and wineries, and touring the island. We visited the longest bar in the world, bought a growler, and rode the Jet Express (the ferry from Port Clinton).

That evening, we had another delicious dinner (prepared by mom and Julie), and relaxed a bit before getting packed up to leave Sunday morning. I wish we had a few extra days up there, because it was a blast, and it was pretty close to home, so we didn't have to worry about a long drive back with a toddler in the car. So in 2 years, we will have to find some way to top this vacation!!

Today is my 30th birthday. It has been a pretty great day so far. I woke up early to drop Murdock at the vet for his surgery (having a mole removed), and then took Rachel to Jolly Pirate on the way home. She had fun picking out her donut, and we relaxed a bit before we headed to lunch with Grandma, Aunt Julie, and her cousins. I have been a bit nervous about turning 30, but I feel okay with it right now.

My biggest regret is that I haven't lost any weight from the time I started my personal weight loss challenge. Well, I lost a pound, but that is hardly enough to be significant. I have worked out almost every day (sometimes twice a day) and I have eaten mostly sensibly for more than a month, so I expected to at least shrink a pants size by now, but unfortunately, my body seems to be fighting me. I plan to ask my doctor about this at my next visit, but for now, I will just keep plugging away. =)