Lanza Road Trip - Rollercoaster Style

.... and we're back!

5 theme parks. 7 days. 13 states. 34 coasters. 2400 miles. Immeasurable fun!

These rollercoaster junkies were at it again! We packed up the car and hit the East Coast to add some more coasters to our list. We made it to the following theme parks:

• Six Flags Over Georgia (Georgia) -- this was just a little warm-up for our trip 
• Carrowinds (North Carolina) -- my personal favorite theme park
• Six Flags America - (Maryland)
• Six Flags Great Adventure (New Jersey)
• Six Flags New England (Massachusetts)

We rode a lot of great rides, but four really stand out in my mind:

1. Fury 325 @ Carrowinds - this has now taken over 1st place on our rollercoaster standings! We have been on a lot of great coasters, but this one takes the cake by far! This is a newer ride with half the coaster in the state of North Carolina and the other half in South Carolina. It is the tallest and fastest gigacoaster in the world (tallest chain lift).
2. Kingda Ka  @ Six Flags Great Adventure - this is the tallest coaster in the world!!
3. Zumanjaro @ Six Flags Great Adventure - a free fall drop from the tallest coaster in world!!
        I will admit that I do not do free fall drops, but Paul did this one and loved it!
4. Wicked Cyclone @ Six Flags New England - a wooden rollercoaster with a steel track - this is a newer, unique style that we loved!

Fury 325 - 95 mph & 325 ft tall. - the tallest and fastest gigacoaster in the world!

Kingda Ka - 125 mph in 3.5 sec & 456 ft tall.

Here is a quick video to show just how fast this coaster is going: 

 

Paul also did the drop tower from this, meaning he dropped from 456 ft in the air at 90 mph. Here is the video: 
(If you look closely, you can see him waving on the left side of the video screen.)

Below are pics of us on several of the coasters, including the ones shown above:

It's hard to make a funny face going 128 mph! haha

FURY 325 - our favorite ride!!

This was a fun-filled week full of thrill rides, but we also took some time to just relax and take a trip down memory lane. We took the last two days of our trip to head back to the couples' only resort where we stayed on our honeymoon  three years ago. Three years! I can't believe it has already been that long. The Cove Haven Resorts are in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. We had such a great time playing games, enjoying good eats, playing couples' games with other fun couples, exploring the outdoors, and relaxing in our in-room pool (yes, a private pool in our room!). We couldn't have asked for a better time! To make things even more memorable, we were able to listen to the same band that played on our honeymoon - M80. What a coincidence! They have a new singer in the band - Tyler Grady from American Idol -- so we got to hear him, too! They put on a great show, and we also go to hear comedian Brad Lowery, as well as a few others.

Dinner @ the resort!

After a relaxing two-day stay at the Cove Pocono Resorts, we made the fourteen hour drive back to Huntsville. We were sad to see our vacation time go, but we sure were ready to get back and see our little Dapper dude. He had a fun week staying with MiMi (Paul's mom). He grew SO MUCH; we couldn't believe it! Here are a few pics we received from Paul's mom during the week to keep us updated:

This is what you do when you're too little to climb the big furniture.

Always HAPPY!

A fun day of playing wore this baby out.

Now we are happily back home and spoiling this "outdoor" dog ... yeah right. He goes outside to potty, take a walk, or play in his pool. Haha!

Until next time...

Congratulations to our friends Coy and Melissa on a beautiful wedding!!

LEATHER -- Celebrating our 3rd Anniversary!

LEATHER - that's the traditional gift for anniversary #3. 

So, in keeping with tradition, leather was the main prop for this year's anniversary pictures. There are three distinct qualities about leather that make me love its symbolism for our third anniversary:

1. It's NATURAL. 
Leather is a natural product, and I love how natural our relationship is together. No, it's not perfect. We love with a passion but we argue with the same. We laugh and we cry.  But it's never fake. At the end of the day, it's completely natural. It's beautiful. It's us.

2. It's UNIQUE.
Leather is unique; no two hides are the same. I could sit here and compare our relationship to others (as I've honestly done before), but the truth of the matter is that an original is always worth more than a copy. Our relationship is unique. I'm quirky, and he's quirky, too...and our quirkiness makes for a fun, adventurous marriage. It's a unique, one-of-a-kind kind of love, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

3. It's DURABLE. 
Leather is also durable. It can stand the test of time. However, it's durability does not mean it's invincible. It can stretch, wrinkle, stain, and show scratches. In the past three years, I think our relationship has been stretched in ways we never knew possible; we've had wrinkles and bumps along the way, maybe even a few stains and scratches. But if there's one thing anyone knows about me, it's that I love the worn/vintage look. Those scratches only add character, and each mark tells a story and attests to its durability. That's our relationship. Persistently imperfect, yet beautifully blessed. 

Now, that we've maxed out our three years - I'm glad we opted for the marital extended warranty - a marriage founded on God. It's a stability that only our Lord Jesus Christ can provide.

Our anniversary pics are below. Leather luggage. An antique bridge. A world globe. I'm so blessed to to get to live life with this man.  

"Where you go I will go, where you stay I will stay.
Your people will be my people and your God my God."
- Ruth 1:16

Outtake #1 -- the reality of trying to take pics with a pup

Outtake #2: He wasn't too fond of pics, but he was sure full of kisses!

Until next time...