tower of terror

Tonight we arrived home from our conference/vacation trip. And finally I have a consistent internet connection again!

So I thought for the next few days i might post some thoughts from our family visit to Disney World. This was the first time our kids have ever been to any amusement park larger than a fair.

Kate (our 9 year old) is totally into roller coasters. The MAIN thing she wanted to ride was the "The Hollywood Tower of Terror". It takes you up a couple of hundred feet in the air inside this building (in the dark) and then drops you into a no-gravity free fall, followed by a full force upward launch...and back and forth in alternating unpredictable sequences designed to freak you out of your gourd!

Kate was SO excited about this ride. She couldn't wait! She had been talking about riding this thing for weeks! Her little brother was freaked about how scary it sounded...and that cranked her up even more.

So onto the ride we go. They loaded us up, buckled us down and sent us up the tower in complete darkness (with creepy lights, video and sound). Then came the excitement. As the first unexpected drop took place, I broke out into uncontrollable laughter. That feeling of losing your stomach just cracked me up! But in a momentary flash of light through the darkness, I caught sight of Kate's little face. She was NOT smiling! Her eyes were HUGE and and she looked very, very, very serious.

With people all around us screaming, I asked, "Are you OK?" Her response was absolute silence. As soon as the ride was over, she had one thing to say, "Dad, I won't be riding that again."

For the rest of the day, I begged her to give it another shot. It was one of the craziest rides I've ever experienced. I was dying to do it again! But there was no budging her position. She would, under no circumstances, change her mind.

Have you ever looked forward to something with great anticipation...only to find out that it was not at all what you were expecting? Maybe you found yourself on your own "Tower of Terror". This was not the deal you signed up for and you're ready to get off the ride!

My advice? Trust your Daddy. I knew that nothing was gong to hurt Kate. She was perfectly safe. In fact, if she were able to relax and trust that it was going to be alright...she probably would have enjoyed the ride.

It might be dark and scary and you feel like losing your stomach. But here's the good news, the end is in sight. It won't last forever. And Daddy might even get you ice cream when it's all done.