But of course the first crisis happened before our journey to Virginia even began...
I have one particular pair of sunglasses that I MUST have with me at all times. They are the perfect fit and feel, and I am miserable without them. I've had them for three years and they have mercifully lived through a multitude of unfortunate events. My poor sunglasses have done a lot of solo traveling lately...
1) I left them at Jamie's for about two weeks
2) I left them at Ryan's parents' house in Dillon the following weekend
3) Ryan's Mom and Aunt came to Columbia the next weekend, but I forgot to ask them to bring them
4) When I was in Dillon for Memorial Day weekend they had traveled with Kevin to Columbia
5) Kevin forgot to leave them, so back to Dillon they went for another week
I couldn't even make this up!!! After what seemed like FOREVER without my sunglasses, my sweet Daddy came to Columbia to give them to me before our trip.
Isn't he the greatest?
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Red Robin to commemorate his trip, after which he looked at his ketchup laden napkins and exclaimed, "It looks like I've slaughtered a calf."
Last Thursday Ryan & I took off for Virginia! ...fully armed with snacks and lots of luggage, of course. They say I come with baggage, and that's a literal fact.
Kudos to Ryan for filling up on life water before the trip. He hasn't had a soda in about two months! I should follow suit, but I don't know if I can part with my Diet Mountain Dew...
Several stops, "are we there yet?" inquiries, and 3 tootsie roll pops later, we arrived in Virginia. This was one of the roads that led us to our hotel. What a riot! I'm willing to bet that people get lost on this road frequently...
We made it!!! I did extensive research on hotels in the area before deciding on this one. We got a really good deal by reserving the room online and even got a suite for no additional cost. Now that's sweet.
The mini fridge was a necessity for my diet sodas, capri suns, and Ryan's water. Unfortunately for me the tiles underneath were as slick as ice...but more on that later.
A debate ensued on our first evening (imagine that) regarding where we would eat. We were aimlessly driving around Williamsburg as I was googling every restaurant menu within a 20 mile radius and saying, "Ew, no. I don't like that. They don't have anything plain. Why are all their entrees 'stuffed'? Why don't they have green beans?" But Ryan wanted to eat somewhere local, and that's what we did.
What restaurant did we choose after such deliberation? Seafare; and it was a hit! I actually do love seafood. And by that I mean I love hushpuppies and flounder. That was probably one of the fanciest dinners I've ever eaten. We initially worried that we weren't dressed nicely enough, but when we saw some other tourists emerging in t-shirts and tennis shoes as we walked in, we felt a strange sense of relief. Although, all the waiters were in tuxes.
They brought us more breads and delicacies than I could count. Our waiter, (we'll call him Paco) was super awesome, and each time he came by he used a knife-like object that instantly cleared all the crumbs off the table. It was so cool. Naturally, he had to use the aforementioned object much more on my side than Ryan's throughout the meal... I need to buy one of those things!
After the salads they even gave us orange sherbet to "cleanse our palate" before the meal. All I could think of was the scene in the Princess Diaries where Anne Hathaway takes too big of a bite and gets instant brain freeze.
Hey, I could totally get used to eating a frozen treat before dinner. It's a perfect excuse. "No, I'm not spoiling my dinner, I'm "cleansing my palate."
Ryan had a stuffed fish and crab concoction, and I stuck with flounder, fries, and vegetables. Seafare was AWESOME, and we really enjoyed it!
After driving the entire six hours on the way there, Ryan insisted that I at least drive back to the hotel. Alright, I suppose so.
The next day was one that I had been looking forward to for WEEKS: our visit to Busch Gardens!
After a height check (no, really, I almost did it...) we were on our way to the RIDES!!!
I have always been absolutely FASCINATED with roller coasters and rides. As a matter of fact, one room in my parents' house is dedicated to my numerous K'NEX creations. At one point in my childhood I thought I wanted to be an engineer or architect...but then I realized that those careers involved math, and thus both of those options were quickly and irrevocably eliminated.
During our family Christmas party several years ago, these kept the kids entertained.
Our first ride of the day was the Loch Ness monster... it was awesome!!!
Thanks to my handy dandy medication for keeping my equilibrium in tact. Most normal people take these tablets if they'll simply be in the back seat of a sedan on the interstate. I however, tested this product for all it was worth by going on more loops, swoops, and plunges than they probably recommend.
Next up was the incredible, AMAZING, GRIFFON!!! This picture is for Meagan, because she's the one who told me about this ride, so she was there with me in spirit.
This is one of the steepest rides EVER. It's a 205 foot vertical drop!
During our first of four rides, we were hanging forward off of the very top when the ride stopped...and so did my heart!!! I actually thought we were stuck. After what were probably the longest 5 seconds ever recorded, we plunged down at about 70 miles an hour. I later learned that this is part of the ride's thrill; they hang you off the edge before dropping. I'd say I'm pretty fond of surprises in general, but a heads up on this couldn't have hurt...
Enjoy your drop from the top!
Ryan's expression was worth the $20 I paid for this picture.
Some other highlights were:
Apengeist
Escape from Pompeii
The infamous Verbolten. I was absolutely ecstatic about this ride, because it had opened just two weeks prior. I read all about it and could hardly WAIT to experience it. I even bought special passes that allowed us to skip to the head of the line. I have one requirement when I ride coasters: I have to be on the front so that I can see where I'm going. If I can anticipate the turns and twists, I'll be fine.
I had read all about the "black forest." Part of this ride takes place inside of a building. I thought that was pretty awesome, and based on the video, I expected it to be sort of like a haunted house in there. Ha.
We entered that building at the speed of light, and to my horror, it was completely, absolutely, totally, pitch black. I was being whisked about like a feather in a tornado and looked around frantically for a spec of light or some sort of focal point. Nothing. I got off of that ride like this...
Fortunately I didn't actually get sick, but that ride really threw me for a loop; literally. And to think that I paid extra to get on it. Unbelievable. The cure for my motion sickness? Dip n' Dots.
I saw this sign and thought of Jay during his Scotland days. Of course now it would have to say fish in a kilt to suit Jay's "pescetarianism."
Meet Liberty! He's the one on the right who was eyeing me very suspiciously.
And this, my friends, is the incredible Trappers Smokehouse. The food here is INCREDIBLE. I felt like I was at a sit down restaurant; not a theme park! We later learned that people line up daily to get this food before the doors open.
My plate. Please note the refined, grown-up dessert I picked out.
Ryan's sampler plate didn't stand a chance.
I made an absolute mess with that cupcake, but what else is new...
As luck would have it, torrential rains began at 4:00 that afternoon, accompanied by a tornado watch. We had to leave the park early, so we went back the next morning.
...after a minor disaster, of course... I was running around the corner to get a drink from the fridge (in our room) and completely forgot that there was a tile floor underneath. I slid about 6 feet and slammed into the wall. I'm not sure if my pride or my knees were more hurt...
Don't be fooled; this floor is more slippery than the ice Macaulay Culkin put on his front steps in Home Alone.
Ryan is ready for day #2 of fun! Thank goodness he got to use that Bridge Run shirt for something.
Busch Gardens: you picked the right one.
We also went to:
This place is amazing!!! It's definitely one of the nicest water parks I've ever seen.
My favorite rides were:
The Aquazoid, a black tunnel of twisting and turning. It was AWESOME (and I could still see where I was going!)
The massive drop slides. Ryan actually lost his debit card on this one, and MIRACULOUSLY one of the employees found it!
And just in case you're wondering what it looks like from the top... I'll really try anything adventurous, but I have a fear of falling out of a tall slide. I just feel like I'm an accident waiting to happen. I got on the slide anyway.
VANISH POINT!!! You stand in a box, cross your ankles, and they drop the floor beneath you. It is CRAZY!!! And SO MUCH FUN!
Ryan's personal favorite of the day was the Hubba Bubba highway- haha! It was like a fast version of a lazy river, and I'll have to admit, it was definitely the most relaxing...
The only negative thing about a water park is that you have to climb at least 6 stories of stairs for each slide. It will absolutely wear you out. Mr. Diva said that his poor little legs hurt, so we didn't do all of the slides. Who would have ever thought that Ryan would be the high maintenance one for once?
All that walking called for some candy. I grabbed a bag and started shoveling in gummy bears, and my eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I got to the cash register and received the news: FIFTEEN DOLLARS worth of gummies... Yet again I misunderstood their purposely creative pricing techniques. Oops.
Later that evening Ryan was glued to a baseball game... He had to use his phone and the computer simultaneously. The sweet boy loves his sports. What can I say?
After passing this store each night and dying to go, I was finally able to talk Ryan into it. I know how to work the angles. If he was glued to a baseball game, that meant I could shop in there as long as I wanted. And so an hour later I emerged with several adorable items that I couldn't have found anywhere else. Success!
On Monday we celebrated our actual anniversary with a dinner at Longhorn, followed by enjoying the top of our wedding cake after one year!
It's hard to believe that it's been a year already!!!
Here's to as many more years of craziness as the Lord will give us!
