Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly


There were so many ups and downs and twists and turns to our trip to Hershey Park-- and I'm not just speaking of the rides. I'm gonna try to tell everything. But let me preface it all by saying: We had a great time, all in all. Erica was just so adorable to watch. I am glad, though, that we didn't have to pay to go. [Andrew's work was having their yearly company picnic there; so we got in free and had a free catered dinner.]

The Ugly
I cant believe how rude some people are. It's quite ugly to see. And something I don't want Erica to see-- or hear. A few examples: We had to rent a locker to keep our bags in while we went on the water rides. Well, when I first took my things to the locker, there was a family nearby and the little girl was blocking my locker. I nicely said something like: "Excuse me darling, I need to get to that locker." She politely moved... But her mom still yelled at her. But its what the mother said that irked me so much. "Get the f*** out of her way!" I was livid! How could she yell at her 6 y/o daughter like that! In public! On vacation! She was just a little girl; she didn't know that she was doing anything 'wrong!'

A few other times, especially towards the end of the day, I noticed several kids that were so tired they could hardly walk. And their parents were yelling and cursing at them to walk faster. That's really not fair to the kids. Their little legs can only handle so much. And the fun is completely zapped out of the day when parents react like that.

We're lucky-- Erica did rather well w/o her nap. She normally can go a day or two without napping. Of course she was getting worn out, but she didn't whine too much. And I just kept in mind that she's JUST A LITTLE GIRL. I didn't fret it when she wiggled around too much in lines or tried moving ahead. She's only two and it was her first time with something like this.

The Bad
Perhaps this should have been the ugly. Erica single-handedly closed down the wave-pool. For at least thirty minutes... maybe more. So embarrassing!


I didn't get any pictures at the water park. I wish I had... but I never had the camera out with us b/c we were so wet. But it really was so much fun. They have a HUGE 'play ground' structure which has water spraying from every direction. We climbed up and all around; Erica loved it... except for when she got sprayed in the face. It wasn't too long before she got very cold. So we changed and went off in search of regular rides. Then after a few hours when we were very hot again, we returned to the water park. We spent most of the time in the wave pool. There was a slide that went into the pool, and Erica went down that probably 5 or 6 times. Then we just had fun splashing around in the water.


I took up a fascination with the lifeguards. They would blow their whistles now and then, but no one would notice and the 'culprits' would continue doing whatever they were doing. It really seemed like a joke. At one point, I noticed an increase in lifeguard-activity. Lots of whistles and they were shouting back and forth to each other. I heard one say "diaper" and "poop in the water." I was grossed out, especially when they were pointing over to an area near us. I said, "Andrew, let's get out. Someone's kid pooped in the water." And as I said that, I saw a piece of poop floating by. I picked up Erica to get her out...

And it was coming from her!!!

Needless to say, I carried her as fast as I could out of the pool. I didn't want anyone to realize that it was us who caused the problem.

The Good
The day, on a whole, was so good though. I loved watching her on the rides. The very first one was a kiddie ride only, no adults allowed on. [The 'bee' ride that's pictured to the left.] So Erica was rather apprehensive, not knowing what to expect. But once it started, she loved it! She didn't want to get out. I don't think at that point she realized that there were lots of other rides to go on as well.


After each ride, she'd run out saying "That was fun! That was fun!" Most of the rides that she rode were just for her; I think that I only went on two rides the whole day-- not counting the time at the water park. [This is why I earlier said I'm glad we didn't pay to get in.] In addition to the main park and the water park, they also have "Zoo America." It really isn't much of a zoo... but enough that Erica enjoyed it. It as so hot that day, causing most of the animals to be extremely sleepy. Well, Erica thought this was just the funniest thing. "Bears are sleeping!"

Partway through the day, we decided that we needed a break from all the walking. So we went to one of the "shows." We chose a detective-themed play, taking place in their AquaTheatre. There were two seals as the detectives. HaHa, I know. But it was kinda cute. And it was SO NICE to sit down.

We ended the day by going to "Hershey's Chocolate World." Basically, its just a HUGE CANDY STORE!!! [I know the picture to the right isn't good... but it was so crowded that we didn't get a chance at a second take of it.] They have a little tour ride type thing that shows you how chocolate is made. At the very end, they give you a free candy sample. That's the only chocolate we had all day. Kinda sad, isn't it? Actually, I didn't really mind. I'm not a huge chocolate fan. **GASP!**

6 comments:

Nikki Neurotic said...

Glad you guys had fun. That is pretty funny about the "poop" incident...guess next time you'll make sure she goes potty before getting in the pool!

Abigail S said...

I love all the pictures! They're great!

I'm glad yall had fun!

Crazy Working Mom said...

How long has that picture been up on your sidebar? I just noticed it! I love it. It's a great shot.

The photos in this post were awesome, and I laughed 'till I hurt about the diaper in the water! *LOL* Sounds like you guys had lots of fun.

Raj said...

Looks like you all had loads of fun! The pictures are good as well. But what I really like is the new picture of the three of you in the sidebar :)

'liya said...

I agree with everyone else, that's a beautiful picture of the three of you on the side!

Dayngr said...

Adorable photos!