Today is Tyler’s 29th birthday. He couldn’t figure out what he wanted to do. I threw out so many suggestions. But nothing seemed to be just right. Yesterday, in this crazy heat wave, he had mentioned today would be a good pool day. This made me think and ask “Well, do you want to do the water park tomorrow?” That was it. His eyes lit up.
He said the last time he went there for his birthday was when he was five.
We live in between two major cities. It’s a nice location because it’s thirty minutes to either city, but our house is in a rural but gated community with wildlife and no light or sound pollution. #lakelife. We’re also twenty minutes from a major amusement and water park. It made sense to get passes to the park because they were relatively cheap even with inflation, it’s close and it gets us out of the house and moving if anything.
We’ve already gotten our money’s worth out of the passes this season and it also includes their Halloween and Christmas events.
We both grew up in this area and grew up going to this park. Nostalgia is weird. Some things are the same but tweaked differently because I started coming here in 1998. Some things I remember and loved are completely gone and new things have replaced them. I’ve seen this park in all stages of my life.
As a five year old where everything seemed so large and colorful with my mom and my fellow Girl Scouts riding the kids rides and having Dippn’ Dots. As a teenager in the summer with my girlfriends, riding the coasters then hanging by the wave pool reading CosmoGirl in their attempt to get a tan. I don’t tan, I have porcelain skin, my chair was in the shade. Once in my early twenties my guy friends held a towel over my head in the pouring rain yelling “make way for the empress” as a joke to prevent me from getting wet as we ran out of the park. They failed to keep me dry, it was a monsoon-but we still laugh about it. I even came here with my husband and some of my friends of 15+ years in 2019 to the Christmas event. He and I had just started dating, we went two days before I got the news my grandmother passed away.
It’s strange seeing things change as time passes. It brings up emotions and memories from all the summers I’ve spent here.
Ever the adrenaline seeker, My husband wanted to start with all the water slides, of course. We were both disappointed the Tornado had been taken down years prior, I had loved it. I will admit carrying the raft up those stairs for said ride sucked but he never got a chance to ride it. Today my favorite was the big raft water slide that’s make you feel that you’ll go over the edge. Maybe I also liked it because he ended up being backwards the whole ride and his face was hilarious.
His favorite was the enclosed slide that drops you straight down. I refused to go on it. I’ll try most things but theres something about being in the dark, free-falling in an enclosed space that I just can’t do.
The lazy river is the same as always. I remember that was always mom’s favorite when I was little. Tyler decided it would be hilarious to aim our float so that I was directly under all the waterfalls. Men.
We scoped out our spot at the wave pool. Nothing makes you feel more short than pools. At 5’3, I don’t have much until I’m having to tread water. Especially when the big waves come out and my husband has to go to the deep end. I got my workout in.
Sometime it’s nice to just let go and have day filled with joy and happiness. We forgot about the house, and our jobs, and just acted like we were two teenagers on date.
Sunlight also gave us our dose of Vitamin D. Sunlight helps to improve your mood, boost your immune system, relieve pain- I’m not WebMd, go look up the facts yourself. What I can say is that on a difficult day of work, I’ll go out for a walk in my neighborhood to get some sun and fresh air. I feel better during the walk.
He and I have to be careful with our sun exposure. We go through bottles of specialty sunscreen, so we don’t burn as he’s Irish-American and I’m blonde haired, blue eyed and turn pink in about ten minutes.
I sat by the wave pool and read my kindle for a bit while he went and did more water slides. I hope that one day I’ll get to bring our future kids here. They won’t have the same experience that he and I experienced but then again he and I experienced the park and water park differently because of our family and friends. This park was an important part of growing up for both Tyler and me. I’m thankful that now we’re in a place where we’re able to experience it again together, through different eyes. We can make new memories as we did today.
Oh, and Happy Birthday babe.
Until next time, cheers🥂🍾
Coffee, Cats, & Champagne 