High on Life

Rose is (was?) a cautious individual. She was the baby who only tolerated being thrown up in the air and the toddler who would scream hysterically if you tried turning her upside down. She didn't learn to ride a bike until well after seven years of age because bikes just go too fast. As recently as this summer she still got a little panicky when going down hills because who knows what could happen when bikes go above three miles per hour? I bet she's the only kid who had to have the brakes replaced on a bike with training wheels.

While the pace at which she ambles through life is often an aggravation for my Type A go-go-go personality, I understand her in general. I never went on a big rollercoaster until I met David. Going over the speed limit scares me slightly. So I thought I'd have a buddy to pal around with on our last trip to Disneyland. We could hit Small World, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and for a rip-roaring time do Soarin' Over California . . . on the top row.

But the first ride we hit when the gates opened, by consensus of the whole group, was Space Mountain. Rose had tried it once in the past, screamed in sheer terror the whole time, and didn't talk to me for 24 hours since I was somehow to blame for the nightmare she had just endured. So I was somewhat surprised when she said she was going, too.

I did some subtle maneuvering in line and made sure that someone else sat beside her. I certainly didn't want to get blamed again. And I patted myself on the back for my quick thinking as, sure enough, she screamed the whole way. But when she got off the ride, what she said was, "THAT WAS AWESOME!!! AGAIN!!!" and promptly ran off to get in line for the next round.

There was no stopping her after that. She rode the Matterhorn. She rode Big Thunder Mountain. She rode Splash Mountain. And then she went over to California Adventure for the really big rides. First up, the Maliboomer. For those of you unfamiliar with this ridiculous ride, they strap you in a chair that is attached to an 18-story tower. They shoot your chair up the tower at 45 miles per hour, and then let you freefall back to the ground. Yours truly, of course, would never get on that ride, not being sure which way the vomit would go. It would be awful to barf on the way up, but have it hit your face on the way back down.

Rose, though, screamed, "THIS IS THE BEST RIDE EVER!!!" on the way up and laughed hysterically on the way down. She even did the California Screaming rollercoaster which has a loop-de-loop. Yes, she will now even go upside down if it gives her the rush. Who could have guessed? My cautious, careful girl has turned into an adrenaline junkie.