Dear Noah...a day at Kings Island

Shot with DMC-TZ1. at 1969-12-31 (NOT sure where this information came from as it is not correct...the date anyway)

(Noah looks so serious because he was analyzing the ride and trying to figure out how it worked....that is what he talked about when he got off it.)

SUCCESS!

We had a BLAST! You got to ride a roller coaster for the first time in your life and LOVED IT. I watched your face going down the first hill and you turned so white and looked alarmed......so I just leaned over and told you it would be okay and fun and if it bothered you to watch it you could close your eyes......but that you might want to keep them open and enjoy it all because the ride would end so quickly. You kept your eyes open......and then just naturally without any coaxing by me.......raised your arms in the air and let go and SMILED. BIG BIG smiles.......and started laughing. Aunt Melissa was behind us with Audrey and they were screaming. I was laughing at you. I was THRILLED you had the reaction you did.

What impressed me more than anything......and I wish I could have captured it on film.......was AFTER riding the roller coaster.....walking out....you spied your other aunties and cousin....in line waiting on another ride......and you gave them all a TWO THUMBS UP sign.......to show you enjoyed the ride.

We went on the water rides.....and got soaked! YOU LOVED it. We went on White Water Rapids 3 times! We laughed so hard and got soaking soaking wet! I remember the days when you could not even tolerate ONE DROP of water on your clothes. Well we were SATURATED! NO problems! You rode little cars with Audrey. We went through Scooby Doo's Haunted House mansion....so many things.

There were places where you could actually eat food......because Kings Island is branching out finally and now putting in franchises of name-brand restaurants and such...like Chick-Fil-A, Subways, Skyline Chili....even Starbucks!

So you were able to eat, drink and enjoy yourself tremendously. We all rode up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.....and you loved it......not afraid of that elevator or the height at all! I know sometimes you don't care much for elevators.

You had fun in the arcade area.....I found out you were very good at tossing the basketball into those hoops! WOW you were amazing and seemed to have a natural ability!

All in all we had a fabulous day. You had NO meltdowns.....NO bad behavior. You listened very very well......and only cried when it was time to go home because you did not want everyone to leave....you wanted them all to come back to our house.

I was and continue to be thrilled! Each success like this just advances you to GO in my book......and builds your confidence......and makes it easier for you AND me to try the next new thing that comes up.

I love you so much....and am very very proud of the little man you are becoming. I wish I could have captured each moment on film yesterday....they will be forever emblazoned in my memory as I hope they are yours.

CLICK BLUE LINK BELOW to see Noah and Audrey ride the mini cars
Mini Cars

(AND I want to thank a very special man I hold very dear to my heart......for giving me such incredible words of wisdom and a wake-up call. I will forever hear your words spoken to me......to have more faith in my son and to give him more credit and to NOT have a defeatist attitude. Those words replayed in my mind at least a few hundred times throughout our entire day...which I KNOW added to its success. I thank you for helping to keep us on the right path)
SO....



AND on another note....some of my thoughts while spending the day at Kings Island were this:


I think they would make a ton of money if they would set up a booth outside the water rides that sold mini zippered waterproof bags or even simple Ziplock baggies....
PEOPLE WOULD BUY THEM! They were all asking "honey did you bring the plastic waterproof bag?"

Same for socks on the way OUT of the ride.

A SOCK BOOTH.....EVERYONE who had socks on that got soaked wanted DRY SOCKS. KINGS ISLAND does NOT sell socks! So unless you bring a pair to change into.....you will get blisters walking in wet socks in wet shoes! I brought a dry pair for Noah to change into.....

OR sell those beach shoes.....cheap. WHY does Kings Island charge so much? It costs 3.39 for a BOTTLE of water! If they lowered their prices a bit......they would sell even more and everyone would be happier. Starbucks was the ONLY place we found that kept true prices even in Kings Island. EVERY other place JACKED their prices UP. And set up some duplicate MINI booths of some of the chains throughout the park so you don't have to walk 3 miles to get back to a place that sold something you wanted.....

SO I think a great money maker would be a sock booth, a baggie booth...and what happened to the Shuttles from the parking lot to the entrance?
THEY NO LONGER exist! It is quite a hike from the lots to the entrance! Why not offer a shuttle ride for 1.00 each? I mean they charge 10.00 for parking now......TEN DOLLARS!

AND they need janitors
to patrol the restrooms all the time! KEEP them clean. Some of the ones I was in were very messy and nasty. Not horribly bad but come on. Places like that should be spotless I think. AND you bathroom designers....should learn to make all stall doors open OUT not just handicapped toilets......so we don't have to walk in and STAND on top of the toilet just to GET IN the stall and be able to close the door. We don't want to have to TOUCH those when entering a stall.......the doors opening out makes entrance IN so much easier for everyone.

Not sure if they sell aspirin or Tylenol or things
like that at Kings Island. I always make sure to take my own. However.....many people do NOT take their own.....a mini drugstore or counter where small packages of such are sold would also go over big along with DRAMAMINE!

AND I am not complaining here...just some ideas that crossed my mind while there. I had a blast right along with Noah....and I am sure Kings Island charges what they do because they know people will have no choice but to pay it once IN! which they do! You can easily spend 50.00 for food and drinks and not have ANYTHING. Anyway.....we had a ball regardless.....and it will be great to go back again and ride even more rides next time!

OH......and another thing. Noah I THANK YOU for being so EXCELLENT at maps and highways and where they are and where they intersect. Without you yesterday we may have still been out there driving around....as I took a wrong turn and we got on the wrong road....but you helped me get back to the right road. It is amazing the knowledge you store up in your brain! YOU my little man are like MY personal MAPQUEST or navigator! By the way...when asked what your favorite parts of the day were.....you said


1) Skee-ball in the arcade

2) Fairly Oddcoaster

3) The Eiffel Tower elevator ride