Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Just Having Some Fun

Kathy & I have a hard time leaving what we do to have other kinds of fun. This is partly due to the nature of our work. Since it’s funded by other people who give generously and sometimes even sacrificially because they want to see this kind of work done, we feel a sense of responsibility to use those funds wisely and well. You know… good stewardship stuff. So we often have a hard time using them for personal pleasures like going to a movie, having a nice meal out, or taking a vacation like normal people.

The other part’s due to the fact that, for the most part, we already love what we do and have fun doing it! Oh yeah, there are times of stress, boredom, and sheer misery as in any other job, but most mornings we wake up looking forward to the day. We’re content in knowing that we’re doing what God has called us to do, and enjoy our work both here in Canada and in Burkina.

But yesterday, we decided to be radicals! It was Josh’s 21st birthday, and he wanted us to spend it with him and his girlfriend at Canada’s Wonderland. Since it was a milestone age for him, and probably the last time we’d do this kind of thing together for a long time, we went. The fact that we were able to get tickets at about half price through CAA made us feel less guilty about it :)

Well, we’re not as young as we used to be, and some say your desire for adventure diminishes as you get older, but I’ve found the opposite to be true for me. Probably because I was kind of timid and not very athletic when I was younger. And when the kids were small, I spent most of my time with them on the kiddie rides rather than on the bigger thrill rides.

But this time was different. Josh was now old enough to handle the bigger rides and we went on almost all of them. But the highlight of the day was going on Wonderland’s newest and biggest ride yet: Behemoth, a super-powered roller coaster that was absolutely awesome! We got the two seats at the very front of the machine and sat in high bucket seats with our feet dangling and only a small lap bar with handholds for a safety restraint. The seats had no sides and no front. Just open air all around.

The ride begins with a steep 70-metre (230 ft) climb up. The view at the top is awesome. Then comes the most intense part... a 75-degree drop that looks absolutely straight down! You feel like you're going into free fall as the coaster rockets from nearly 0 to 125 km/hr (77 mph) in just seconds! Then you're shooting up into the sky and headed for the next drop and the first turn. What a rush! The total run is just over a mile long (1.62 kms) and takes about a minute and a half to complete. It goes by really fast! And it's got to be the smoothest roller coaster I've ever been on. For a cool, real-life video of the ride, check out http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Z339S8YNik0&NR=1

All in all, we had a really great day together. Josh & I got dropped, spun, slammed, banged, jerked, hung, and soaked. Kathy and Melissa got sunburned as well as dropped, slammed, banged, jerked, and hung. And we all went out for birthday supper at Frankie Tomatto’s afterwards, where they sang the birthday boy a silly song, gave him a silly hat, and took a silly picture. Great memories to take back to Burkina with us :)

Now, where did I put that chiropractor’s phone number…?


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