Birthday Month is Upon Us

Hello Beautiful People,

Birthday Month is upon us...that was a fast year. Tomorrow I turn another year older.  I've gotten off track (there's a pun in there, but you don't know it yet) of myself over the past couple years, but I'm taking back 44!

I started birthday month by going to Carowinds Amusement Park on Friday with Ms. Amy. OMG what a wonderful day. I love Roller Coasters. I really do.

We planned on being there all day. I had clients before the day started. Well, I had one and one had to cancel. Ms. Amy wanted to sleep in a little, but I wasn't about to let that happen. LOL. I wanted to go as early as possible.  *Calm down, I let her sleep in a little :-)

We had decided to pack lunch and then buy dinner there. I didn't have too much in the fridge, so I made a peanut butter and banana sandwich. I also packed an apple, carrots, and sweet potato chips. I was pretty pleased....until I walked in and smelled fried something at every turn. Ugh...I just wanted to gorge myself on fried dough of some kind.

We picked a Friday early in May figuring that it wouldn't be too crowded. As we pulled up we noticed the parking lot full of school buses. CRAP on a stick!  It was education day. There were kids everywhere. Now don't get me wrong, I love kids. But, I'm not a giant fan of tons of kids with very little adult supervision. I groaned a little thinking of the lines we would have to stand in now.

So obviously we walked straight into Starbucks as soon as we got there. I had a coffee in the morning and really needed to drink more water, but I was tired and it was a little chilly. Don't ask me how my brain somehow decided that a Blueberry Acai energy drink was an okay alternative, but it did. I also decided to buy a kind bar to keep in my bag in case I got hungry...I picked blueberry. Sensing a theme?

We walked around for about an hour racking up steps for my fitbit challenge with myself. Then I snapped at Ms. Amy to hurry and finish her coffee because I wanted to get in line!  I wanted to ride a Roller Coaster Damn It! 

Our first stop was the Afterburn. It used to be called Top Gun and is my favorite ride. It did not disappoint. I felt the need for speed and it delivered. Ahh...and then it was time to head towards the wooden coasters. We got in line for the Carolina Gold Rusher. It's a smaller wooden coaster. It's not much of a thrill ride, but there are a few bumps and jerks. The thing to note for this is that it's the oldest Roller Coaster in the park....and therefore the smallest seats. Now I'll admit that my booty has gotten a little bigger, but it's not that big. It was snug as a bug in that front seat. Ugh.

Up next was another bigger wooden coaster: the Hurler...oh yeah!  Now we're talking. I have a sweet sweet spot for wooden coasters. For most coasters there is a longer line to get in the front row (which I will almost always do...almost). For the Hurler the sweet row is the last row...challenge accepted. We whipped around like crazy. It was AWESOME!  Ms. Amy didn't love it, but I could ride that all day long.

I think the next stop was The Carolina Cyclone. We actually ran into Ms. Becky, who we both worked with eons ago. She was there with her daughter. This is a good ride, lots of loops.



At this point we left the park to go to the car and eat. It sprinkled a little bit, but nothing big. We made the plan that we would come back and take on the biggies: The Intimidator and the Fury 325. I should mention that if you are familiar with this park you know that there are 2 other big coasters. I don't like to ride standing up. I'm short and it never feels comfortable.

Alright, so The Intimidator and The Fury 325 are giga coasters. They aren't full of loops. They have giant drops and speed. Did I mention that I have a paralyzing fear of heights? My belly dropped just thinking about them, but I came to ride and ride I must!



My heart was pounding and I wasn't sure I could do the front row of the Intimidator. We got in the 4th row. It was awesome!  But, do you know what I remember most about it? It is right next to a food hall and while we were climbing up to the first drop, all I could smell were hamburgers.



It was awesome, but our hearts were pounding after so we got on a slow moving ride. Ahh...and then it was time to take on The Fury. Look it up. It's crazy. So first of all, you don't get to choose your row. What??? That's what I was most scared of. I was sure that if I was in the first row I would just plan pass out on the descent. We lucked out and got the last row...which is the 2nd choice for most people...ugh. No, I thought it was great. I don't prefer giga coasters to roller coasters, but I like the speed.

Our reward was dinner. I wanted a burger!  I saw turkey burgers on the menu and decided I would choose that as the healthier option. Nope, it wasn't great. It was salty and the bun was horrible. If it's a sucky bun, it doesn't matter what's in between. You can quote me on that. haha.

I found a water fountain there and it was the first I had seen. So my plan for the next visit is to take a water bottle to fill. I only saw 2 fountains in the whole park though...I'm sure there are more, but they weren't marked on the map.

There was no line for the Intimidator when we came out of lunch so we jumped in line. Nascar nerds that we are, we got in the 3rd row (that was Dale Earnhardt, Sr's number...He was the Intimidator). We loved it so much that we jumped on a 3rd time. I had a crazy idea of going 3 times in a row for 3, but it started to get cold and the line got longer. And by cold I mean that when you are that high up on the ride it was COLD.  



We started to make our way back to Afterburn, but first we stopped at the Flying Cobra. It hadn't appealed to me earlier. It looked kind of dinky, but a video playing during lunch intrigued me. There was no line when we got there. I swear, it was like we were the pied pipers. Lines formed after us. Ms. Amy says I'm a trendsetter. haha. Okay, so the Flying Cobra goes forward and backwards. It's a good one. It was a snug little seat though. Actually I think we stopped in a store first. I saw a sign for fudge and well...I love fudge.

We ended the day riding Afterburn back to back in the front row...OH BABY!  Again, there was no line. WHAT?  I mean NO LINE.



It was SOOOO COOL. I mean I could do that all day. Except that I think a small line is needed. My brain needed a little time to stop shaking between rides. It was time to call it a night.

My favorite area of the park is Snoopy Land. I had to take some selfies.



We had been riding roller coasters for 8 hours and it was cold. Naturally we stopped at Starbucks for the ride home. My throat was a tad sore from screaming all day so I got a small chai tea latte. So let's talk about the screaming. It's a GREAT stress reliever. My birthday money was spent on a season pass so that I can go back all of the time.  I'm looking for Roller Coaster buddies so just let me know if you want to go.

We walked all day long. My step count was over 19,000. My only issue is that I didn't drink enough water, but I will plan better next time.
*****

Before I go, I mentioned in the last post that I went to see Poison last weekend. My teenage crush, Bret Michaels, still looked Fine as Hell!  He can Dirty To Me anytime...



Have a Blessed Evening
****Please note****


 If you feel like you are alone on your journey and you just need some encouragement I am here for you! Shoot me an email and I will do my best to check in on you or give you the words of support you need several times a week. The journey is so much easier if you have support.

jhendersonfit@gmail.com 
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yeah, sorry, I messed up and the "l" is missing....I need an assistant :-)

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