Rich and I went to Orlando with Caleb and Seth this summer.  I have already blogged about the majority of our vacation except for the fact that we went zip lining.  Gatorland doesn’t allow people to zip line with personal phones or cameras, so our group was photographed by a Gatorland photographer.  We purchased the CD of all the photos, and I just got them saved to my computer this past weekend.

When Rich told me that the activity for our group was zip lining, I didn’t say anything.  I was thinking that it would be a very easy thing for me to get out of.  It was an activity primarily for him and his team (from work) and I imagined I would explore the rest of the park while they had their excitement, which to me sounded exactly like a panic attack waiting to happen.

But somehow, maybe it was peer pressure, I found myself being pulled along with the whole group, until I was in the building signing consent forms for myself and my two little boys, and then watching the educational video and listening to the bearded young men teasing us about what was about to happen.

I felt like I was going to faint or wet my pants or cry, and I looked at my excited sons’ faces and thought what kind of mother am I??

But still I kept going with it!!  I didn’t want to make a scene, so perhaps it was pride that made me zip line that day.

I wasn’t the only one fearful, several of the others were obviously unsure of the whole thing, so that was one small comfort.  However, the whole group loved having the boys with us, because they were so cute and truly inspired us scared adults.  “IF THEY can do it I can do it!!”

“Clip in and ‘zip’ off on an exciting outdoor adventure with the all-new Screamin’ Gator Zip Line at Gatorland  Your journey will take you along 1,200 feet of high flying, heart pounding adventure from some of the finest zip line towers in the world.  Standing over seven stories tall, these amazing towers feature multilevel launch pads and breathtaking views from high above the treetops.”  ~from the brochure

 

After walking up several flights of stairs we took turns getting hooked up and watching each other zip along….this is dear Caleb.

As a mother, it was hard for me to see them do this activity, but I was proud of them,  and knew they were in good hands.

They will never forget this experience, I know.

Tiny Seth sometimes felt as though he wouldn’t make it to the other end, his body didn’t gain the speed necessary to go as fast as he wanted to.

He looked concerned.

Rich loved it.

I held on for dear life.

The worst thing was the bearded young men and their teasing.  One time they got me hooked up, let me go off the platform, and as I zipped away, he leaned after me yelling, “No, WAIT!!” It took a moment to realize he was joking, and that moment was terrifying.

They took another group photo at the next platform.  We’re all happy we survived the first run.

If you click on the photo, you can see it larger.  These were the best photos of us…over the gators!

I’m thankful for Rich because if it weren’t for him I would not be having such an exciting life.

They were encouraging us all to let go and pose for the camera but I didn’t remember until I was almost to the end of the line.

There was a bearded young man waiting to catch me.

(they all had beards!  LOL)

Click on this to see Caleb’s adorable face!!  I asked him this morning if he would ever zip line again and he yelled “YES!  OF COURSE I WOULD!”

My baby boy.

He waved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can’t stand the cuteness.

Seth going in for the landing…….after these two zip lines there were more to do but no more pictures were taken.

Just writing this post increased my heart rate.

*****

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain

There have been many times when I refused to do something because it was scary.  I will never be a daring adventurous person, but it does feels good to say yes sometimes, experience something new, and have the joy of making a fantastic memory.