Life with Zak and Rachel.: Our Trip to CA: Tuesday: Great America

Tuesday was Great America day. It's this awesome theme park with roller coasters about an hour and a half south of Concord. We used to go every year with the whole family, usually for my cousin Grant's birthday. There are lots of big roller coaster rides and it's a lot of fun. I think the last time I went was in high school with some friends. I suggested it just as a suggestion to my parents a few weeks before our trip, and they decided it would be fun for all 6 of us to go.

on the way there, the weather was perfect!

Since we have been there, Great America has changed companies, it used to be Paramount's Great America when we were little, and now it's California's Great America, with lots of the Peanuts characters everyone, but mostly Snoopy. They used to have a ride based on Top Gun (the best roller coaster ever), but now it's called something lame like Flight Deck. A few of the rides we used to love were taken out, and most of the names had been changed to stupid names, but it was still fun.

how cute

Zak did a pretty good photo bomb

ready to ride the swings

It was nice to have an even number of people, too, because it was easy to pair up for rides. We rode several rides and eventually stopped for lunch. Zak and Kenny then opted out on one of my favorite rides, the Drop Zone one, where it's a huge column that just straight up drops you quickly back to Earth. Zak isn't a fan of those, so he and Kenny went on some other ride. They missed out, because it's an awesome ride!

The most irritating part of the day was that I forgot my flip-flops. I could have sworn we had them in the bag in the locker, but they weren't there. I bought new sneakers a few weeks ago and hadn't used them a whole lot, and was getting blisters. So when I went back to change into the flip-flops, and they weren't there, that ruined my life for a little bit. But I got over it once I went on some more roller coasters.

Zak picked these for me, awh

I shared my bounty of flowers

on the sky ride

Let's see, the best story of the day is a toss-up between two:

1. After I had walked angrily back to my family after not having my flip-flops, this random older guy asked if he could use my phone to call a taxi. Dad, Kenny, Jenna and Zak were getting on a ride and I was watching (I didn't line cut because I'm not rude) them, with puzzled looks on their faces as I dialed the phone number and the guy briefly talked to whoever on the phone. He then gave me $3 and went on his way.

2. We were all in line to ride this awesome ride for the second time, it used to be called Survivor, but now it's like Tiki Torch or something. It's a big round disc, where everyone faces outwards, and the disc rotates and slides up and down on a track. It's kind of hard to explain, and it's not as nausea-inducing as it sounds. Except for one kid, apparently. He threw up and it took the employees like 25 minutes to figure out what to do, how to clean it up, etc. It was frustrating because it's seriously not that hard to clean up puke, just get lots of paper towels and cleaner, and go to work. Also, to make a point, when you're on the ride, your mouth is over the edge, it's more difficult to puke on the ride itself; it'd be easy to throw up over the side of the ride, so I don't know what that kid's problem was. Wuss.

it wouldn't be a trip without some Jenna-Zak wrestling fight moves

his 'bored' (but still had fun) face for the Survivor ride

he was very excited to find that hot dog; we looked for 10 minutes for a place where they sold hot dogs!

We also had an awesome time at the bumper cars; Mom watched as we all rammed into each other and chase one another around the track like children. Oh, and we also saw Kristi Yamaguchi with her kids. I couldn't think of a way to get a picture without it being obvious. But it was her; she is super short and petite in real life!

about to bumper car the crap out of everyone

a series of intense carousel rides; don't know where Kenny had gone

After we got our fill of a dozen icees (how could you go wrong with $1 refills with those souvenir cups, right?) and assorted junk food (including funnel cake, the epitome of delicious, fattening food), we headed home. But not before I got a henna ring tattoo on my right hand. I picked one out and the lady was really cool, and it was done in a few minutes. And then Zak ended up smudging it, so I went back and she did it for me again, with no worries. She told me it should dry in about 15 minutes, and I was super careful about it. And then a few hours later, I was helping with dishes or something, and it got rinsed off. Blah. But it stayed on my skin more or less, for the next few days.