Worlds of Fun, Indeed!! Part I

What an AMAZING weekend I had.  And capitalizing the letters in "amazing" just doesn't skim the surface at how much emphasis I want to put on that word.  I haven't had that much fun in YEARS... so many years.  I was able to let go of any stress, and feel like a total kid again.  I got to do things I never thought I'd do.  I got to laugh until I cried, walk miles and miles, feel the rush of adrenaline fly through my veins, and not let a single worry slip in to my brain.

I got to spend two days and one night in Kansas City.  Peanut's Jr. High band got the opportunity to perform at a music festival hosted at Worlds of Fun.

And there's so much I want to share, I just know that I won't be able to fit it all in today, so I'm going to spend the next couple of days sharing all about my weekend.

Today, I'm working backwards a little and just discussing how I feel about the experiences.  How the weekend affected me, rather than what I actually did.  I'll be sure to share a complete detailed breakdown of the actual trip, and the places I got to visit, at some point this week.

Let me just say that two days ago, I was absolutely TERRIFIED of heights.  And I mean petrified.  It was so bad that I got nauseous looking up at the dome of the capital building when I visited Jefferson City a few weeks ago.  Watching Peanut standing up there, looking down at me, made me light headed and I had to sit down for a few minutes to get my bearings.  So, I'll be honest and say that the thought of going to a theme park was a little intimidating.

I mean, I was excited.  The last time I visited a theme park, Jelly was 6 months old.  So that would be almost 6 years ago.  And back then, my fear of heights was mild.  It hadn't intensified to the ridiculous level it is now.  But, even back then, there were rides I refused to get on due to the height of them.

I have always liked theme parks and just the idea of getting away for a mini vacation was exciting.  I had already made the plan that I'd try my best to get on some rides, to not let my fear take over, and walk away without any regrets.  And, I can happily say I did that.  In fact, I made myself get on rides I never, in a million years, thought I'd get on.  One of which takes you up 205 feet in the air, and drops you down at a speed of 70 miles an hour.  Rollarcoasters that have you spinning upside down in continuous corkscrews, rides that spin you around so fast that you're literally stuck to the side walls as the floor disappears, and a ride that combines a tilt-a-whirl with a rollarcoaster.

Crazy stuff.

Every single time I got in line, I just told myself that the hardest part was getting on.  Once I was on, there was no turning back.  I just had to suck it up and commit to sitting down, getting strapped in, and then praying that I'd made the right decision.

We were able to spend the entire day at the theme park, and not ONCE did I refuse to get on a ride.  There were several that required some coaxing from my kid companions, but none where I completely chickened out.  I walked away feeling so proud of myself, and the only regrets I took with me were regrets that we didn't have more time and I wasn't able to get on more rides.  There were a few that we missed, that I really would have loved to try out, but I'd much rather have that regret than regretting not getting on anything.

By the time the day was over, I was completely and utterly exhausted.  My feet and back were screaming for mercy.  I had spent about 9 hours walking around the park.  NINE HOURS!!  Sitting only for the short few minutes a ride lasted or the 10 minutes I sat watching the kids perform in the band, or the 15 minutes I sat while we ate dinner.

The drive from the park next door to the little resort I had booked a cabin seemed to last forever.  I have never been so ready to lay my head down on a pillow.  In fact, I don't even think I laid my head down on the pillow.  It was after 11PM by the time we got in to our room, got ourselves changed, and organized ourselves well enough to get in to bed.  Once we'd done all of that, I just collapsed on to the bed, and I didn't open my eyes again for a good 7 hours.

Then, for day two of our KC adventure, I thought it would be great to spend another day walking.

We decided to visit the Kansas City Zoo.  A place I've wanted to visit for a long time, and Peanut has only ever been to one zoo that she's visited over and over and over again.  She was ready for something different.

The weather was absolutely beautiful, the place was absolutely beautiful, and I didn't even mind spending another 5 hours walking.  It was worth every minute of it.

And, I'm out of time.  I have to get ready for work.  Which is why I figure I'd have to spend a couple of days this week sharing all about my weekend adventure.  I'll be back tomorrow, and will share more about the crazy rides I made myself get on to.

Right now though?  It's back to reality, back to work, and back to life as I know it.

Have a great Monday!!!