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5 Fandom Friday: Favorite Theme Park Rides

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Ever since I was a kid I loved visiting theme parks, and living in South Florida made that a pretty easy thing to do since we are only a 3 hour drive from Orlando. An extra hour in the car gets you to Tampa, which houses Busch Gardens, so we were never in short supply of options. As an adult, the love only grows and I’m sure as we grow a family, the love will be reborn in a different and even more special way.

 

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1. The Hulk Coaster {Islands of Adventure}
This is my all time favorite ride at Islands of Adventure. Sure, Wizarding World opened up and all that jive, but this coaster on Marvel Island never lost its magic. Most trips, I find myself either starting with it or running half way across the park from Hogsmeade to make it to The Hulk before the park closes. What makes it so special? That amazing initial launch where you accelerate to 40mph in 2 seconds. It makes you feel like you are flying!
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2. Escape from Gringotts {Universal Studios: Orlando}
I used to be obsessed with The Forbidden Journey in the Hogsmeade portion of Wizarding World until Diagon Alley opened up. Then it was quickly replaced by Escape from Gringotts. It is absolutely impossible to not go on this ride and not leave smiling. I personally have a smile slapped on my face the entire time. The technology is amazing, but of course, what takes it to the top of my list is that super fun drop at the beginning. I love that Bellatrix’s curse seems to levitate your cart and actually suspends it at a 40 degree angle before dropping you into a series of intense spins and turns. Such a great way to get your adrenaline pumping!
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3. Sheikra Coaster {Busch Gardens: Tampa}
I don’t get to go to Busch Gardens enough, but I love every single visit. As you can tell, I’m a bit of a coaster junkie and love trying new ones (even if I do shake in my boots until it’s over – then I want to ride it again). The last time I went to Busch Gardens, we had some bad weather, which means the brand-spankin’ new coaster, Cheetah Hunt, was closed. However, we were able to go on Sheikra and whoa! Was it a thrill. Standing at 200 feet tall with a max speed of 70 mph, it was daunting to say the least (dear lord, that climb), but so amazingly fun! I can’t wait to visit again and experience that eternal 4 second hang before they drop you those 200 feet.
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4. The Haunted Mansion {DisneyLand: California}
You may wonder why I listed The Haunted Mansion in California and not in Orlando, since we have the same attraction, and there is a reason and one reason only: The Nightmare Before Christmas. See, in California, The Haunted Mansion is taken over by Jack Skellington and his friends in honor of Christmas time. This revamp happens from late-September through early-January and the hubs and I just happened to visit during that window last year. I didn’t even know this happened, so needless to say, I was pretty stoked since Nightmare is one of, if not my absolute favorite Disney movie. I squee’d throughout the entire thing, but was pretty disappointed with the merchandise. I think there should be more available during this time at the park, but was sad to see such a measly assortment.
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5. Rock n’ Roller Coaster {Hollywood Studios: Orlando}
I had to finish strong with another coaster! This one is at DisneyWorld’s Hollywood Studios and is Aerosmith themed. It’s totally in the dark, so you have no idea what you are riding until you are literally strapped in and on the move. Naturally, this is pretty scary when you finally reach the point you can see the cars (which are made to look like stretch limousines) screeching into a neon tunnel (that would be because they are going from 0 to 57 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds), but at least you have Aerosmith tunes blaring from the speakers on either side of your head to keep you a little calm.
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**Honorable mention goes to Expedition Everest at DisneyWorld’s Animal Kingdom park. I just visited the park for the first time last year and rode on this coaster. Sooooooo much fun!

Birthday Week To Remember

First off, I missed you all terribly. I realized that my heart literally hurts when I am not blogging – it is such a sweet stress reliever (and so much fun). Unfortunately, as most of you know by now that are involved in my day-to-day, I am back on the study train. My second certification exam is at the end of September, and it must be passed. But no fear! I still intend to blog regularly – you just may see gaps here and there. I am hoping I can reward myself on the weekends by making a post or two in between studying sessions.

With that said, it has been awhile since I have properly updated you all on fun events in my life (that do not revolve around an outfit post) – although I was wearing a pretty superb one to this one that should have been documented. It seems pretty tedious to have to reiterate my love of the band, Bush, on this blog, so if you are not aware of the love affair you can fill yourself in here, here and even here.

Nearly a couple of weeks ago, I went on yet another Bushtastic adventure with some of my girlfriends to Tampa. I saw it as a birthday extension (I can never have too many of those), and a much needed escape from reality. I had found out a few days earlier that Bush would be playing a Shush show the afternoon of their official show, which is a short, bare and acoustic set, usually reserved for radio appearances and the like. Needless to say, after seeing so many other fans’ footage from these events, I wanted in and the only way in, was unfortunately to win. Well, boo hiss to that. A quick fast forward, and the lovely guitarist from the band (and superior human), Chris Traynor, caught wind that I wanted to go and granted me and my friends access. I was in disbelief. Who the hell does that for their fans? Oh yeah, this band.

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Rock ‘n Roll Road Trip

Don’t miss me too much!
I’ll be continuing the birthday celebrations for the next two days in Tampa with some pretty awesome ladies. We’ll be seeing Bush live (twice in one day – who has the opportunity to do that) and then visiting Busch Gardens! I’m really excited for a girlie road trip, and even more excited to finally meet the lovely blogger, Terri, of Delightfully Darling after years of online friendship.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Bush – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz Ybor

Any of you that follow me on this blog surely know by now that Bush has been and continues to be one of my favorite bands. At times I am mocked for loving bands from my youth, but I can’t help it. I’m loyal. Once I loved you, I will always love you. Both a character flaw and strength, if you ask me.

As a "baby" Bush fan back in '97!

I’ve been lucky enough (along with all the other members of the Bush Army) to foster an online relationship with the guys in the band over the last year, which has made my love for the band grow more. They are so down-to-Earth and very appreciative of their fans. I had a wonderful time a couple of weeks ago at Epicenter enjoying their first gig together as a unit in 8 years from atop the stage, which was a completely surreal experience, but I think this past week’s show at Tampa managed to supersede all that.

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