Anniversary Trip!!

Joe and I just celebrate nine years of wedded bliss! Woo-hoo!! My wonderful groom, who is also the love of my life, and I decided we wanted to celebrate our anniversary with a little getaway for the two of us!! Before the children came along, we used to celebrate our anniversary with a trip, but it has been a little more difficult to get things coordinated in recent years. My parents agreed to watch the kids for us this year, so we got to work planning our trip!! We wanted to do something fun that we can't really do with the kids!

While we were dating and during the first couple years of our marriage, we went to Kings Island http://www.visitkingsisland.com/ a lot! We spent most of the time riding roller coasters and other thrill rides at the park. We skipped Kiddie land. As we got busier and the kids came along, we quit going to Kings Island.  We wanted to do something similar, but wanted to get a little farther away from home. So we decided to to go Cedar Point http://www.cedarpoint.com/. Roller coasters here we come!!

We left bright (or maybe I should say dark) and early in the morning so we could get to the park early in the morning.  I love a good breakfast and Cracker Barrel was calling my name that morning! Unfortunately, it wasn't calling loud enough as we journeyed across the country roads. We looked and looked and looked for a Cracker Barrel, but there were none to be found along the way. So, we settled for McDonald's! Not exactly the sort of big spreading my tummy had been rumbling for, but the food was hot and tasty!

We at our food quickly and hopped back into the car to continue our journey to Cedar Point!!

When we got to Cedar Point we headed directly to Top Thrill Dragster. We waited in line for a few minutes and then found out the ride was closed. Major BUMMER!! So we ran over and rode the Corkscrew roller coaster instead. As we were getting ready to board the Corkscrew, we noticed Top Thrill Dragster was back open! Yippee!!

I wanted Joe to pose by this Dragster that was actually at the exit to the roller coaster. This roller coaster is so extreme that we actually had to rent a locker for all of our precious belongings that we had decided were just too important to leave at the Bed and Breakfast where we were staying, i.e. my purse and camera!  Anyway, once we secured everything in the locker, the line moved quickly and it was soon our turn to ride this monstrous beast.

Here is a close up of Joe in front of the dragster. I wanted to get the specifics that were detailed in the sign, as well as a close up of my honey! So, here we are, ready to go on Top Thrill Dragster - 420 feet high, 120 MPH, 17 seconds of absolute terror! I look back and wonder what would have caused me to be so insane as to even want to ride this thing!!

This is it! It was insane, extreme and absolutely terrifying! While we were strapped into the seats with a lap belt and a seat belt - that was all that was holding us in! - I prayed that I would live through the ride so that we could raise our children!! Suddenly the green light flashed and we were roaring down the track at an unimaginable speed. I closed my eyes, held on tightly, and screamed for dear life. I opened my eyes twice - as we were going up and at the very top - and then closed them tightly until we were back down on the ground. Throughout all this, my wonderful husband had his hands up and was screaming with excitement. He is so much braver than I am. But I am sure we will take that ride again next time we are at Cedar Point ... you just have to do it!

We needed something calmer after Top Thrill Dragster, so we rode some more carnival type rides and then rode the Sky Ride over the park. The ride in the very center of the picture is Top Thrill Dragster. The ride to the left of it was the Power Tower, which was my favorite ride of the day. You can choose whether you want to be dropped from the sky or shot up in the air. We chose to be shot up in the air. We had just hurtled up at 120 MPH, so certainly we could handle this little ride! It was thrilling and once I quit screaming my head off, we had a great view of the entire park! We will definitely be back for that one!

So this picture is of the Raptor roller coaster. It is a roller coaster where you hang suspended from the track above your head. You are not so much suspended as you are dangling - sitting on a tiny seat with only a should harness holding you in and nothing - absolutely nothing - under your feet! I hadn't been on this roller coaster since high school, but I remember it was pretty wild and a lot of fun!! Joe and I waited for over an hour in the pouring rain to ride the Raptor. We were three-fourths of the way through the line when the ride was closed!!! Craziness!! I have to say, although I was disappointed that we didn't get to ride it this time, I was secretly relieved as I wasn't sure I was ready to risk my life again for some crazy joy ride! But I'm sure it will be waiting for us on our next visit!! 

The rain decided to make its visit a long term thing, so we rode some of the more tame rides that stayed open. Joe's horse was moving so fast that it was a real challenge to get a good picture!

Really, the pace of the carousel is more to to my liking! We had a fabulous time at Cedar Point, despite the never-ending rain. After getting soaked to the skin while waiting for the Raptor, we splashed through the parking lot, which was nearly as deep as Lake Erie by that point, to the car, and headed back to the B&B to clean up and dry out.

We arrived at our Bed and Breakfast, The Victorian Lady http://www.thevictorianladybb.com/ with water dripping down our legs! Well, not really, but we were thoroughly soaked and we raced to our room to get cleaned up and put on some dry clothes. We were in such a hurry that we barely took time to notice the beautiful front porch with a swing.

This is the beautiful place we were able to call home for a short while! The picture does not do it justice. It is a magnificent house. Check out the website for better pictures!!

Our luxurious room! This was the Garden Suite and it was absolutely breathtaking!! The enormous bed was like a huge, comfy cloud! And the linens were exquisite!! A room like this with beautifully covered walls, antiques, and a breath-taking canopy makes you feel like royalty ... or at least some VIPs.

Another angle of the room. Not a single detail was overlooked!

My sexy honey!

Just goofing around!

This bathroom was fit for a king (or queen)!! Beautiful tiled floors (with warm fluffy rugs to keep your feet nice and toasty!), a HUGE jetted tub, sparkling shower, a fireplace, and fluffy bathrobes!! This is certainly a room I could get used to! I would gladly give up the second sink in our master bathroom for this spa-like bathroom!

Seriously, this tub was massive!! My only complaint was that it took FOREVER for it to fill!! Still, no complaints once it was filled!

Love this pedestal sink and the mirror above it!! What a perfect match to this oasis!

After getting cleaned up and hanging our sopping garments in the bathroom to dry, we explored the rest of this fabulous abode!! Above is a view of two of the parlors in the house.

The carpets were such a rich color and perfect for the house.  And I loved the stained-glass window!!

The B&B had several fireplaces!! Nothing like a fireplace to add some good ambiance to a room!! The mantle and tile inlay on this fireplace were beautiful!!

The Victorian Lady was filled with perfect antiques!! I know some people who would just love these antiques!!

This piano was the only piece of furniture that is left from when the current owners purchased the house in 2001. The house had sat empty for several years before it was last purchased.  I found it very humorous that there was a stereo under the piano. Maybe the piano was out of tune or something .... I wasn't about to check!!

Relaxing on one of the sofas in the salon. It was very pretty to look at ... not so comfy to sit on. Maybe that is why it is still in such good shape!!

The entryway. The dark wood throughout the house was beautiful.

After touring the house, we decided to listen to the rumbling of our bellies and headed out to get some dinner!! We decided to go to Outback because, who doesn't like a good steak?!?! What could be better after an exciting, although wet, day at an amusement park than a big juicy steak??? It was after 7 when we arrived at Outback and we had a 45 minute wait! What was up with that?? We usually get to restaurants so early that we don't have a wait. And the wait was every bit of that 45 minutes. With the great company though, it didn't seem that long.  We had a great time just talking and being with each other. And the evening was perfect for waiting outside.

Once we were seated, we ordered our food right away. We enjoyed our delicious steaks, along with salads, bread, and potatoes - YUM YUM YUM!! We split a piece of carrot cake for dessert. We practically had to be rolled out there as we were so full!! Our server was so great he probably would have helped to roll us right out of there!

After a restful night's sleep, we were ready to start a new day. It's amazing how much sleep you can get when you're not up changing diapers or extracting children from your bed!! We ventured downstairs to the grand dining room to enjoy a delicious breakfast. We were joined by one other couple for breakfast and enjoyed conversing with them. They were young - she was 25 and he was 30 - and recently engaged. They asked us lots of questions about marriage and children. I guess they thought after nine years of marriage and two kids that we were experts on those sorts of things ... or maybe they just thought we were old!

My Love and I in front of the piano in the foyer, looking so calm, rested, relaxed, and totally in love!! We even match! How cute is that!? Within ten minutes of being back with the kids, we lost a little bit of that calm, relaxed feeling, but certainly not the feeling of love.  Every time we get away just the two of us, we are reminded of how important it is to take time for just us, as a couple.  We love our children more than words can express, but it's important to take time away just the two of us to refocus on each other without all of the distractions!!

Thank you to my wonderful parents for watching the children so we could get away for the weekend.

And thank you to my wonderful groom for such a fabulous anniversary celebration. I love you!