For quite some time, Cole has been excited to take me back
to Winter Park during the summer months, so that we could go down the Alpine
Slide together. You sit in a yellow sled, controlled by a handle you push to
either slow down or accelerate, and go down a long and winding concrete slide.
Cole was first introduced to the slide at four months of age,
when his mom took him down it. The family made several trips to the park over
the years, including one where Cole’s dad flew out of the slide and wound up
scraping a few freckles off his arm. Sounds exciting, right?
Together with Cole’s mom (Sharon), brother (Brett), Brett’s
girlfriend (Kate), and Uncle Mike and Aunt Polly from Missouri, we ventured to
Winter Park… and I was shaking in my Toms. I was not excited about the
prospect of certain death that was awaiting me with this. We waited in line for
about 30 minutes and went to the top of the slide on a ski lift, and watched as
kids and adults flew down the slide. I was reminded of Tim’s mishap years ago,
and feared for my life.
After posing for some pictures, I was given the option to go
down the “slow” or “fast” lane. I, of course, opted for the slow lane. With
Aunt Polly in front of me, and Kate behind me, I felt some comfort in knowing I
would be taken care of just in case. As I ventured down the slide, people from
the chair lifts yelled, “Go faster!!!” to which I responded, “I’m going to die!”
Thankfully, I kept my slow and steady pace, and was ok… and so were the eight people
immediately behind me at the finish line.
Since Cole had done the Alpine Slide before, we looked for
something new and different for him… and found bungee cord jumping! We were
attached to a harness and bungee cords, and allowed to jump on trampolines.
Although we were given two minutes for the activity, I lasted all of one minute
because of the dizziness that overcame me during my front flips. Cole, on the
other hand, went all the way to the very end, jumping up and down like a happy
little kid.
The views were spectacular all day. I had actually seen them before in the
winter, but being in the mountains in the summer is a very different experience
entirely. It was a wonderful day, and we are so appreciative of the family who
helped us to make this day happen. We love you!
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