Parasailing

Now I know what it looks like to God when He views us from Heaven. I could see everything around me. Right beneath the surface of the water to my right was a nest of stingrays bathing in the sun's warmth. On the opposite side there was a group of dolphins frolicking in and out of the waves. Everything looked different from normal. It was all so beautiful.

My best friend Teoda decided to go Parasailing over the summer. First, she made reservations with the company and then she was required to fill out some paperwork. The time came to load up everybody on the boats and they were handed life jackets. When it was your turn to go up into the air, the guide would assist you in putting the harness over your legs, making certain that you were secure and snug in the rigging. The harness used was almost identical to the one used for those climbing rock walls they have at fairs. The harness is then attached to the parasail, or parachute, which is connected to the boat by a tow rope. You are asked to sit on a cloth-like seat and, once ready, they slowly let the rope out raising you into the air.

My friend had been dying to go parasailing for quite some time now. She thought it would be fun and feel a little like flying. After experiencing it, she told me: "it felt really cool. It didn't feel like you were flying at all, instead it felt as if you were suspended or hovering over the water. In fact, I wouldn't of thought that I was moving at all if it wasn't for seeing the buildings pass by me."

From listening to her account and my own desire to try new adventures, I hope to one day go parasailing myself. I think it would be an amazing experience and something that must be done in one's lifetime. On a scale from 1 to 10 my friend gives parasailing a rank of 7.5 .

Home For the Holidays

One of my biggest joys of the year is packing up for the Holidays and going home to my family. Finals are finally over with and no more school work to worry about. The only thing left to do is putting together that carload of essential items that will be needed over the vacation.

On top of it almost being Christmas, there's a certain excitement that goes along with packing. Maybe it's because your body knows there will soon be a change of scenery or just the feeling of getting away from the normal, everyday life. I hurriedly throw all my winter sweaters into the suitcase along with my snow gear. I pack my favorite outfits and clothes, wanting to look my best for these special weeks. Next, I go through all the boxes that have been just sitting in my room since move-in day, and take home everything that I haven't used. Finally finished, with my luggage encompassing the carpet, I scan the room one final time for anything that might have slipped past my guard. I pack the car and set off for home.

Vacation has officially now started and I can see it all in front of me. The day I get back, my whole family will go out and cut down the perfect Christmas tree. And we will all work together decorating the house, to the sound of Christmas music in the background. The week leading up to Christmas, will consist of hanging out with family and having a good time. Christmas Day comes and excitement can be seen on all faces. We open presents, eat dinner and socialize some more. Sadly, in the blink of an eye, it is all over with. Now, I am simply counting down the days to when my break will be over with and the homework begins to pile on. Oh well, there's always next year.

I would give Going Home for the Holidays a rank of 6.

Water Tubing

To me, this is not just an everyday thrill. This is a sport. This is my life. In the the craft of water tubing, I am The Master. I am currently facing my fiercest component yet...my younger sister.

Riding on the top of two matching tubes, hooked behind the speedboat, we face off. The driver sling-shots us back and forth over the wake. Shifting my body to the opposite side of the tube, I hang on for dear life. My body begins to slide further and further down, until my feet are dangling in the churning water. Grasping on by my fingernails, I am able to pull back on to the tube. Glancing over, I see my sister smiling at me across the waves. I show her my "I'm serious" game face and prepare for the next obstacle.

Now, my dad, our driver, has gotten bored and decides to spice things up a bit. Instead of being nice and doing 'S' curves, he drives the boat around in circles for about 3 or 4 complete revolutions. This causes the waves to join together becoming 5 times their normal height. My dad straightens the boat and heads towards the center of the immense chaos he has just created. My sister and me turn to face each other, eyes huge. The wind tears the screams from our lips.

We gripped onto the handles so hard that our hands turned bone white and hugged the tube for all we were worth, reading to face this terrifying escapade. The first few waves weren't as bad as they looked. We bounced around a lot but were otherwise, unharmed. Taking a quick breather, I look ahead and see the mother of all waves. There is no hope of coming out of this safely.

We hit it head on and our tubes go airborne. I cannot see a thing and pain shoots through my spine as my body is bent in unnatural positions. I won't give up though. I cannot lose my title of champion. I take the batter of the water as my body is slammed every which way. Water sprays into my face and I am blinded. Just when I think that I can take no more, the boat slows down and the waves die down. I look over amazed that I was able to make it through and see an empty tube in the place where my sister should be. I DID IT! I was able to outlast her (as can be seen in the picture)!!! I look to the boat and see faces of awe and amazement. No one can believe that I survived that storm.

In my book, water tubing receives a rank of 10.

Competitive Late Night Card Game

We heard a knock at the door. The clock read 12:00 am. In walked our friend's boyfriend, who challenged us to a duel of honor in the art of...card playing! We sat down in a tribal formation-circle. The game was golf.

The strategy for this game was, at the end of the round, just as in golf, the player with the lower score wins. You go through and play 9 rounds, as in golf you play 9 holes. We got through 8 holes of game and not wanting to end our giant tournament early, although I should have just stopped there seeing how I was in the lead, someone suggested we try playing for a full 18 holes. In our stupidity, everyone eagerly agreed and we started out on the long trek.

2 A.M. came around and we had only reached 10 holes. Our eyes were starting to droop and sitting in the same position had begun to hurt. But I couldn't give up now. I had to beat the guy at his own game. He was super competitive and always had to win. If I could beat him at this, then I would be able to lord it over his head for the rest of his life.

We trudged on into our game of golf. Remarkable for playing so many rounds, our scores were all within a few points of each other. I was slowly losing my lead. The last two rounds seemed to take the longest amount of time to complete it was now 3:45 in the morning and we just wanted it to end. Still we had to finish it out. We finally came to the end of the game with Scott, our friend's boyfriend barely squeezing by with the win, like always. He excitedly jumped up and down, rubbing it in our faces. With the excitement over with, everyone left and we immediately crashed in our beds, finally bringing an end to the competitive evening.

I give a late night card game a rank of 6.

Up on the Rooftop

"OK slide on up there and I'll pass the shingles to you. Careful now, this part of the roof is pretty steep," my dad instructed me.

I shuffle my body across the roof, while laying flat on my stomach. Being the smallest in my family and least afraid of heights, I am elected to re-shingle the roof. So far it had been enjoyable and exciting being up so high, but now that the roof was no longer flat and easy to walk upon, the dangerous side of my task finally hit home. The roof that I now climbed up had about a 70 degree angle and my first project was to shuffle myself all the way to the edge in order to replace the shingles there.

I successfully make it all the way over there with only a few scares from missing my footing and sliding inches down the roof. Whew! This isn't gonna be that bad. Then I made the grave mistake of looking over the edge, 40 feet down to the ground. If I forgot and just leaned over a few feet, my body would be a mess right there, all over the ground. This was not fun anymore. Immediately I paid extra care to where I placed my body and made sure to think through everything in order to not make a mistake. After about 20 minutes though of working on the steep roof, I began to relax and enjoy the thrill of the experience. I took some time to look around and view how differently the world looked this high up. It may be just me, but being up that high makes me feel so free and alive, like I could do anything.

Luckily, I didn't have any problems or accidents and we finished the roof with record time. It was an amazing experience and having some bonding time with my father only added to the memory. I would give climbing on a steep rooftop a ranking of 8.

Opening Night

Picture this. The anxiety hitting you. Will I or will I not be able to get a ticket online for my favorite movie that I have been waiting months for. What? They're not selling them online for this one? What if they are sold out? Well, we'll just have to go 2 hours early and camp out. We arrived at the theatre and the only parking spaces available were the ones that belonged to other establishments and threatened to tow any non-customers. If it came down to it, I told my friend that I would pay for the towing bill in order to park closer to the theatre. Then we walked as quickly as possible to the theatre and was immediately confronted on all sides by a huge multitude of screaming, giddy girls. To my left I saw a group of girls with matching shirts, the protagonist's head on the dead center of their chests. My friend complained about being tired and how it better be good while at the same time my friend's boyfriend could only complained about being dragged into seeing a chick-flick. I was just relieved that none of the the rabid fans heard this comment and jumped to attack him.

There seemed to be a frenzy all about us, which just served to heighten my sense of excitement and suspense. Keep in mind that the show we went to was not the midnight showing, where all the crazy, die hard fans are supposed to be, but we attended the 9:40 show. As the doors opened and we were allowed in, we had to wait again in another impossibly long line right outside the doors to our theatre, where the movie attendant again double checked our ticket stubs a second time. This was the first time I have ever seen them have such high security in a movie theatre.

To my disappointment, the movie did not live up to my expectations but my friend thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it. Leaving the theatre, a high-pitched chatter encompasses us, while everyone discusses their opinions of the movie. It took a good twenty minutes to snake through the crowd to the exit doors considering people were lined out the doors in wait for the next showing.

All-in-all, it was an exciting experience, but a little too crowded for my liking. I would give it a rank of 6.

Beating a Rival

A week ago my school, Purdue, played our arch nemesis IU in Football. That experience was quite a thrill. I had been told by my friends that I could not miss this game for anything. They told me how fights would break out everywhere from IU students sneaking into the Purdue student section. Unfortunately though, I did not see any fights. Although, there were a few IU students scattered all about and when one would cheer for their team, they would immediately be combated by shouts from Purdue fans kindly telling them that "IU Sucks".

To my surprise and that of those around me Purdue started the game off getting two touchdowns right off the bat. I went into the game expecting to lose, since that was what had been happening all season long and then they pull this little surprise out. It only got better from there! Purdue dominated over Indiana with a final score of 62-10. Such a difference in score that IU should be ashamed to call themselves Hoosiers.

Throughout the game, the Purdue student section has a tradition where each time we get a touchdown, we toss someone into the air once for every point we have at that moment. It's always been my dream to be the person in the air once in my lifetime and at this game that dream came true. When we scored 55 points, my poor friends picked me up and threw me in the air, yep you guessed it, 55 times! This was really exhilarating because the person at my head was taller than the others and towards the end he began to toss me higher and higher each time while the others stayed the same, causing my body to tip forward. I feared that one of the times he might go too far and I would fall to the bleachers below me.

At the end of the game, our school really came together and everyone yelled out chants, supporting our team. This was an amazing experience and even thrilling. I would give this a rank of 5 .

Dog Sled!

So immediately when you think of dog sledding, your mind goes to the picture above. I'm sure that's fun and exciting in itself, but I have yet to experience it. No, what I'm talking about is here in the United States, just taking your regular house dog and in the winter time, having them pull you down a good sledding hill.

Last winter my friends and I gave this a try with their pit bull, Nela. We sat at the top of a huge hill, holding on to Nela's leash with both hands. We shoved off and the momentum pulled us down. At first it worked as planned. The sled rushing down the hill scared her, and she ran forward pulling us behind, trying to escape it. Then she got smart and stepped to the side trying to get away. This pulled the sled sideways, almost tipping us. Towards the end, Nela began to get angry and started to try and attack the sled, which only caused to jerk us around in small circles. Needless to say, our idea did not work very well.


Our next idea was to just hold her on the sled with us, so she could come along for the ride. While it did work, we received many scratches and cuts from our efforts and I don't believe that she enjoyed it very much. The one good thing we discovered though was that she loved running up the snow-covered hill. Because of this, she came in handy pulling us back up and helping us to save some of our energy. So our experiments weren't a total waste of time.

I would give our experience of dog sledding a 4.

Apartment Shopping

The suspense of finding a place to live can often be as thrilling and as nauseating as finals week. As we entered the apartment market, our inexperience drove us to some lackluster places.

The first apartment complex we investigated was but two blocks away from campus. However, on our walk-through, things began to get awry. As we were shown the apartment, obviously occupied by men, we saw on bedroom doors signs warning us of the mono-infested environment. The guide then slipped up and told us how the entire apartment complex was currently suffering from a mono outbreak. I covered my nose and proceeded through the front door. I tried to finish with the tour as fast as possible so I could step off the nasty green carpet, avoiding the walls, which seemed as if they housed a thriving culture of mold. Needless to say, we quickly crossed this place off our list.


Our next apartment escapade took us to a grand complex. Sadly, it was too far away. Meanwhile, other houses located directly on campus, were taken up by other students in this race to find an apartment. Just when things were looking bleak, and chances of us having to live in the dorms again grew, we were referred to another apartment complex. Not only was it cheaper than the amazing apartment we had fallen in love with, but also it was 10 minutes closer to campus. The layout of the rooms was just as nice if not better than the others. With cathedral ceilings and skylights, it had a laundry room all to ourselves. For fear of losing our dream place, we ran around frantically, working to fulfill all the requirements of the leasing process and just about when we had completed this, one of our roommates was having doubts. For fear of not getting everything done in time, we decided to simply go with 3 roommates instead of 4. Finally, after signing a MILLION papers, or what seemed like it, we now own our own apartment!

I never knew what all you had to go through just to get an apartment. It was an experience well worth going through. I would have to give it a rank 6.

Go to a New Country

If you're looking for a real exciting thing to do, try living in a foreign country a few weeks. Preferable one where they don't speak English. It will be an unforgettable memory!

Four years ago, I went to Monterrey, Mexico for a Mission trip. To me, it is the most exciting and amazing experience I have had in my entire life. I took Spanish in High School and believed that I would be able to make do and understand about half of what was said to me. Ha ha, that was a joke.

We stayed at a church and they had graciously allowed our group of 30 to sleep there while services were not in session. A shock right off was that the boys simply slept on the rooftop while the rest of us pushed pews together and used it as our beds. I loved it! The driving on the other hand needs a lot of improvement. At one point our van filled with kids was wedged between two huge buses trying to pass us at the same time. One of the buses was even in the opposite lane! The drivers side mirror was shattered to pieces, but other than that everyone was ok. The buses just kept on driving as if nothing happened.

We taught a vacation bible school class and that was were my Spanish really came into play. The one words I made sure I could convey to them were bano=bathroom and hola! They spoke so fast that even though they were saying words that I had learned in class, I was unable to follow them. The little children would laugh at me when I tried to converse with them. In the end it simply turned into a game of charades.

When driving out of Mexico headed for home, we were stopped by some of their police. They all carried ENORMOUS shotguns clearly visible in their hands and were shouting at us to all get out of the vans. They searched through the vehicle and then motioned us that we could get back in and go. Our guide told us that it was just a routine inspection looking for any illegal items.

Needless to say, I had an amazing time there with getting to know the children and falling in love with them. I hope to someday go back there. I would give this a 10.

Ghost Hunting in Mulberry Part 2

So this Halloween we returned to Mulberry to see if we would have better luck this year. We started out as normal, driving down the old country road. After passing the three, one-lane bridges we stopped and flashed our lights three times on the last one. Nothing happened at all and we turned around and parked by the graveyard. One of the guys and myself got out of the car prepared to walk around. The rest of our crew was too spooked to join us. We carefully crept through the place keeping our eyes out. After about five minutes, the horrible feeling that someone was watching us, grew too strong and we had to turn back.


Not wanting to leave just yet without seeing a thing, we drove deeper into the cemetery. The road loops around the graveyard and we decided to drive around the circle taking us deeper into the dark. The bad feeling in our stomachs grew and grew. We rolled down the windows and took a ton of pictures. In almost all of the pictures taken from the graveyard, there are these green, orb-like objects in them. One picture we got, the one shown above, there can be seen a mist like object that appears to be a skull. It's really hard to see in the picture on here, but we can definitely make out the skull when we zoom in on the camera.

After leaving the graveyard, we pulled back out on the road and noticed a car behind us. We quickly kept driving straight thinking. It took longer than it should have for the cars headlights to round the bend and from the across the field that separated us, we could see a search light scanning across the top of the corn stalks. We realized at that moment that the car must have been a cop and that one of the neighbors had been bothered by us flashing our lights and called the police. We drove around for awhile trying to waste some time, and once we realized that no one was following us anymore, we headed back the way we came, the only route back. We drove past the third bridge and were coming up on the cemetery, when we saw the cop car parked in the entrance. Trying not to freak out, we casually drove past him, fearing the whole time that we would see flashing lights in the rearview mirror. Through some stroke of luck he didn't pull us over and we made it back home. That was the scariest part of the trip, not all the ghosts and pictures we got.

I would give this trip a 9 for scaring me to death.

Skydiving

My nerves had been building up from the moment the plane left the ground. Now I am standing 2nd in line to jump from this cursed plane into the open air. The two men in front of me simply disappear before my eyes. My thoughts are running wild. It would have been better for me to have gone first so I wouldn't have to watch them jump off. I can't see them at all out the door. How am I to know that they are still alive. What if something happened?

My guide indicates that it is our turn. He gestures me to slide my feet out so that they are standing on a small slender ledge, located just below the door. I grab onto the wing strut support for dear life! My mind imagines that the scratches on the side of the plane are left there from the fingernails of those who had gone before me, desperately clawing their way back to safety.

The horrid jump master signals that it is time to jump. I raise my right foot up as we were trained, so that it is flapping in the wind. 2000 feet below me I can see the ground. How stupid was I for wanting to do this. The wind thunders around my head and the jump master yells, "JUMP! LET GO!" After what seems like years, I finally summon up the courage to take that final step.


It was not as I expected at all. There wasn't much of a falling sensation. The earth was just becoming larger and larger. The wind was whipping through my ears. At the right moment, I reached back and opened my parachute. I look up and greatly relieved, see it billowing out above me. My velocity slows down and now the parachute allows me to slowly drift towards the earth. It is the greatest thing in the world just floating through the air. Buildings and landscape begins to become clearer and now the feeling that I'm falling finally sinks in. I hit the ground on target and roll in the five points previously taught. Checking myself to make sure nothing is hurt, I prepare to do it again!

(Never having been skydiving myself, I interviewed my Dad for the information above.) I would give skydiving a rank of 10 and I can't wait to get out there and try it myself someday!

Jet skiing

It's like I'm driving a motorcycle except on the water. The lake is so smooth that the jet ski simply glides across the surface. My sister's hands that are wrapped around me tighten as we bounce over the waves. Building up speed, we cry out in glee as the wind whips at our face. I feel so alive and free.

If you like to go out on the lake a lot, then jet skiing is your activity. Jet skis are fairly easy to operate. I was driving one by myself at 12 years old with no problem. Jet skis also come in very handy when you don't want to pack a speed boat all up with equipment, and instead just a few people want to go out on the lake and have some fun.

Some fun things to do when riding jet skis is to follow behind a speed boat that makes huge waves and ride their wake behind them. Some of the waves will be so high that the jet ski will come out of the water 2-5 feet. Also, it's fun to drive around in circles for awhile, building up the waves. Once they are high enough, ride through the middle of them were the crests are the highest. If it is tall enough, sometimes the front of the jet ski will become completely submerged underwater, spraying you with a mist of water. Jet skiing is a real exciting adventure and is fun for everyone.

I give jet skiing a rank of 7.

Spelunking

The skinny toothpicks ahead of me easily squeeze through the slabs of pure rock. I'm a little weary but my friends tell me that it'll be alright. Putting my faith (and life) in them, I scoot through the slight opening, sucking in my stomach. I reach the halfway mark, happy to be almost through, when all of a sudden I stop moving forward. Frantically, I try to push myself further into the hole, thinking I can still make it through. This only adds to my problem causing me to become further wedged into the rocks. I try to turn around, but my body will not budge in that direction either. Nothing will work. I try to exhale out all my breath imagine I am thinner, but to no avail. The stone is pushing against my stomach, and I struggle to take in my next breath.

Panicking, I call for my friends to help, all the while my heart is racing in my chest. Even with one person shoving me from behind while the other is pulling, I don't move an inch. My mind already begins to imagine a skeleton hanging in the place that I know stand. This will be my tomb. After what seems like hours, when in reality, it has only been a few minutes, I calm down and try to think logically. I realize that my panic has only worsened the situation. Finding my composure, we all give it one more try and finally I slide out of the crevasse. My clothes rip in multiple places from the rescue but it was a price well paid. I am out safe and sound!

Spelunking is the fancy term for saying exploring caves. Not having a lot of experience in this field, I went to my dad for information. The scenario above actually happened to him on one of his caving trips. He was terrified at the time, but that didn't stop him from continuing on to more and more caves.

Caves are all different. In some of the more dangerous, yet exciting ones, you must crawl on your hands and knees through a quarter mile of pitch-black nothingness. Sometimes, you are forced to wade through a small stream of ice-cold water in order to reach the other side. And the whole time while you are overcoming these hazards, your mind spins off imagining deaths that could succumb you. What if there was an earthquake or the river flooded while you are inside? Will you be able to find your way back out?

Inspite of the dangers though, there are so many beautiful aspects to be seen. Like for instance, the amazing structure the stalagmites form on the ground or a nest of sleeping bats waiting for the evening. Spelunking allows you to feel closer to nature and all its components and is a great activity to try out.

I give spelunking a rank of 9.

Drop Zone

The gentle ascending motion of the ride would almost be relaxing if not for the fact that it was all a facade. They were trying to deceive me, so that I would be unprepared for what was to come. I dangled my feet in the open air, loving the feeling of freedom. The upward movement stopped and the view around us was spectacular. It would have been even more beautiful if a host of butterflies had not decided at that very moment to invade my stomach. Then, I happened to glance down at the ground. As if a raw carcass of meat was thrown into den of starving lions, the host of butterflies in my stomach transformed into an angry hoard of bees out for revenge.

Why oh why had I thought this ride was fun? What had made me get on it a second time, knowing what was about to happen? Any moment now I would be free-falling down to the earth. 3...2...1...NOW! The bees reach a peak. Ok that wasn't it. Now! Nope. Ok just a few more seconds and then it will be over with. What was taking them so long to drop us? I could handle it if we got up here and right away they let us fall, but this waiting and the fear that was accumulating in my stomach made it only that much worse. Well, since they don't seem to be in any of a hurry, I'll just enjoy myself and forget about the horrid, upcoming descent. Off to my right I recognize the bright red gleam of the Firehawk. I can hear the distant sound of people screaming. I quickly search the park for the White River Rapids, a ride that I had planned to visit next. Was it near the Beast or was that...AAAAAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm flying up out of my seat and all the air rushes out of my chest. My parents smiling faces grow larger and larger and just about when I don't think I can take anymore of this, the ride slows down and I am able to touch the sweet, blessed ground again.

"That was a rush!!! Let's do it again," I tell my friends and we step back in line, longing for more torture.


Drop Zone is an amusement ride also located at Kings Island in Ohio. As you can probably guess and as seen passengers are strapped in the seats and the device slowly rises up. It then waits for an excruciating 20 seconds at the top until you are plunged 26 stories down, going a speed of 61 mph. This ride is so much fun, yet it scares me to death every time.

I would give this ride a rank of 8.

Ghost Hunting in Mulberry, IN

Halloween is coming just around the corner and I though it fitting that I share a ghost hunting experience with you. So this time last year, my friends and I decided we wanted to go to some haunted places to get us into the Halloween Spirit. We looked online and found this place on Hamilton Road in Mulberry, IN. There were a multitude of places along that road that were deemed 'haunted'. (For more haunted places in Indiana click here.)

The first of these was the three one-lane bridges on Hamilton Road. Once you came to third bridge, you should stop in the middle and flash your lights three times and then go. It is said that a short man can be seen chasing after the car. The first time we tried this out, my roommate all of a sudden screamed and burrowed into my shoulder crying. She swears up and down that she could see the ghost running behind us. This is her description of him: he was a short man in overall's, a straw hat on his head and a bandanna around his neck. His shirt was blue while the overalls were tan. None of the rest of us saw anything, even though we repeated it about 10 more times.

Next, we were supposed to stop in the middle of these old-looking train tracks, put baby powder on the back bumper of the car, turn off all the lights and wait. You were supposed to be able to see and hear a train coming and then you got out and would see baby fingerprints on your bumper. This was a total fluke! We tried it a few more times but nothing happened at all.

Lastly, there was this old, fallen apart cemetery alongside the road. This, I have to say, is the creepiest place I have ever been. The tombstones were all falling apart and cracked. Woods surrounded the place and there wasn't another around house for at least a mile. Half of our group started to walk towards the back, where it was supposed to be haunted, but they couldn't make it. The place was just too chilling.

This adventure gets a rank of 6. It will cause your heart to race and shivers down your spine. Sometime this Halloween, get out there and investigate a haunted place near you. It's a lot of fun with friends, but just make sure you have some brave people in the group to hold on to!

Kneeboarding!

You're lying on the kneeboard with your elbow's in position, snuggly fit into the knee grooves of the board. The speed boat starts up and they take off. The slack in the string you are holding abruptly tightens and your arms strain to hold on. The first few moments are the worst. Struggling to keep the board from being washed away by the turbulent water, you shimmy up the device, sliding your knees into the spots your elbows had previously been. Now, if you feel steady enough, you can straighten your back and get into a kneeling position as shown in the picture and you are ready to ride out the waves.

Once you are up on your knees, it is best if you can get out the wake. (The wake, for those of you who don't know, is the turbulence left caused by something moving through the water. In this case, I am referring to the wake of the boat, or the white water and waves that come out from behind a speed boat while it's going.) The water should be crystal clear and it feels as if you are gliding over surface. Every now and then you will be forced to ride over some waves. The trick to staying on is that when you hit one, unlock your legs and get lower to the board. Move with the board, don't try and just wait for the wave to go by. Also, you can bring your arms and the rope closer to your body steadying yourself. Once it's over, straighten back up and prepare for the next onslaught.

If you're really daring, a few years ago I discovered that I could do a 360 behind the boat. Holding the rope as far over as you can with one hand, you then swing the board back and forth, creating momentum. Once you are ready, give the board a good push in one direction using your lower-body, and quickly reach behind your back grabbing rope out of your other hand. At this point you should be facing backwards in the water. If you are quick enough, once you grab onto the rope with your free hand, your body should pull the rest of you and the board back, so that you are again facing the proper way.

Kneeboarding is a fun water activity to do on a lake with a bunch of friends. It is similar to water skiing except that you are on your knees instead of your feet. In many regards it's a lot easier than skiing. For one thing you only have the one board to keep track of contrary to balancing out two skiis. One thing I will say though is that it is a lot more enjoyable to perform this on smooth water, away from other motorists, than it would be on choppy water. Being so close to the water on a kneeboard, you are able to feel every little wave and ripple on the water unlike with tubing or skiing. Still though, the feeling of surfing on the water is amazing. Everyone should get out there and try it!

I would give kneeboarding a rank of 7.

Swimming in Gullies

"SHHHH don't let it slam shut. If you wake them, we are in so much trouble!" my brother whispered to me as we snuck out of the house.
Once we reached our destination and met up with the others, we stripped down to our underwear and waded into the green water.

During the rainy season in Taiwan, the normally dry, rocky ditches or gullies, as they are called there, fill up with chest-high water. My mom and a group her friends when they were younger, (young enough that it did not matter that they were were all in their underwear) decided that it would be fun to go out and play around in these gullies. Her parents believed that she was simply playing in the rain with some friends, but little did they know that she was stripping down to her barest, frolicking along, chest-deep in the stagnant water.

The group was sworn to secrecy, never allowed to tell a soul. Arriving at the gullies, they would play tag and just splash around in the water, having the time of their lives. My mom told me how in order to get back up out of the gullies, you would have to pull yourself up by the bamboo growing on the hill. The bamboo was very sturdy and the roots were strong enough that from all the children pulling on them, they never came unearthed. This made it more exciting and the kids would swing themselves from one stalk to another zigzagging their way to the top.

Thinking back on it now, my mom cannot believe how she could have ever swam in that disgusting putrid water. There was a high possibility that they could have gotten typhoid! Yet still, she greatly enjoyed it when she was young, whether it was just the thrill of deceiving her parents or playing around in the water with some friends.

She would give this activity a rank of 5. So the next time you come across some stagnant water-filled gully, why don't you just strip on down and give it a try!

Sling Shot

3...2...1...GO!!! The two boys on either side of me immediately run in opposite directions. The blanket around my waist becomes taunt and I am launched face-first towards my opponent. We collide with a shattering CRACK and I fall to the ground wincing in pain. Walking home with a broken collar bone, I fail to see how we could have been so naive.

When my dad was younger, he and a group of his buddies came up with what they believed to be an AMAZING idea, a game they liked to call "Slingshot". They paired up with three people on each team. Two guys held the ends of a blanket, while the unlucky person stood a few steps behind them, in the middle of the loose collapsed up blanket. The other team stood in this exact stance opposite the first. When the signal was given, the people holding the edges of the blankets would run as fast as they could in opposite directions, sending the two people in the middle soaring at each other. They would then fight it out, so that the last man left standing would be the winner. This is how it was supposed to happen anyway.

The first couple of tries went OK and nobody got injured. After that though, it started to turn ugly. One unlucky guy got his nose broken by the force of the slingshot while my dad, going against someone substantially shorter than himself, received a broken collar bone from the effect of his opponents head striking his collar. The rest of the boys also walked out with various other injuries. Needless to say, they never gave their little game of 'Slingshot' a second chance.

If they had stopped after the first few times then my dad would give their game a rank of 8 but after all the injuries they ensued and the many weeks it took to recuperate, he would have to give it an overall rank of 4 Got any interesting activities you've come up with? Let me know.

Fountain Running

“Are you ready?” my friend asks, excitement written on her face.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I say, aware of the others watching me. For a moment I pause, thinking if I really want to plunge. I feel as if I’m about to back out, after all the wind isn’t favorable. My friend, noticing the uncertainty on my face makes the decision for me. She grabs my arm and starts running into the fountain spouting water. I resist her pull all the way, until she has won and I am drenched in ice cold water.

Oh the art of fountain running and all its joys. What is fountain running you ask? It is the mastered skill of running into a fountain. There are two types of fountain runs. There’s the fountain run that you plan ahead of time and dress for the occasion. Then there’s the second run. The one where you happen to be strolling by a beautiful fountain, and in the heat of the moment, you drop everything. You disregard the fact that you’re no wearing proper attire, and you make a beeline for the water. The second, I find to be most exhilarating, although both leave you with a faint buzz.

My friend and I discovered fountain running on our freshman year. One day, on our way back from class, we noticed the unbearable heat just as we happened to come across a fountain. WE looked at each other, dropped our baggage and the rest is history. Ever since, we have made it a tradition to go every Thursday. We put a halt to our tradition when the water is too cold and resume when the weather warms up. After our runs, we like to lie out on the stone benches. The warmth emanating from them and the sun are enough to slowly bake us and dry our clothes.

These two activities put together merit a full 7 on my ratings chart. Let me know if you guys have found other ways to enhance the fountain running sport.

White Water Rafting

So it seems as if almost everything exciting I do is always with my cousins and family. This was again on one of our family reunions. One of the days, we decided to go white water rafting on the Ocoee River in Tennessee. I was really excited for this because the Ocoee is the river they ran the Olympic white river rafting course on in 1996. We would be rafting on the waters just below the part they used for the Olympics and even though there weren't any class 5 rapids, there were a lot of class three's and four's.

Our family had enough people for two rafts, so of course all of the younger generation quickly grabs a raft together leaving the elders on their own. My group consisted of my two sisters, one older and one younger, and then two of my guys cousin, who are super competitive. Right off my cousins told our guide that we wanted to go over the roughest and most dangerous waters. Good to his word, not 30 seconds into the ride our boat hit some rapids everyone except for me and the guide was thrown out of the raft. I still pride myself over the fact that I was able to hold on while my macho cousins flew into the water.

After that it became more and more exciting. The whole trip was now a competition to see who could stay in the raft more than the others. Our instructor managed to flip us, on purpose might I add, a total of 2 times and then I personally fell out five times. My cousin on the other hand fell out four so I still have that lorded over my head. The funniest part of it was when our guided instructed us to paddle right in to a rapid called "washing machine". His goal was that once we got into it, the water would spin us around a couple of times and then spit us out. During the course of this procedure, my six-foot cousin fell out of the boat and everyone but the guide reached out and tried to help him back in. Instead of helping, the guide simply shouted at us to "LEAVE HIM". We immediately just grabbed up our paddles and started rowing while my cousin floated down the river. We flipped the raft and were all then floating along behind him. My cousin told us afterwords how he couldn't believe that our guide wouldn't try to help him and how we all just let him go. He felt so unloved, but we got a kick out of it!

All-in-all, everyone had a great time. The trip lasted 3 hours and there was never a dull moment. At one point, our guide let us get out of the raft and ride the rapids on our backs! It was an amazing experience. The course that we took was through Ocoee Adventures and is said to be one of the best because at one point on the trip, they allow you to stop and jump off of this rock into the river. No other group is allowed to do that. Here is a link to the Ocoee Adventure website in case you want to plan your own trip: Ocoee Adventures and here's a map of the river: Ocoee River


I would give white water rafting on the Ocoee River a rank of 10.

Rock Hopping

Ok, so another fun activity we do on our family vacations is rock hopping. If you've never done this before then you are missing out. Basically, the gist of it is, you find a creek with lots of stones in it. Make sure the current isn't that strong or else it could become very dangerous. Then, you try to see if you can jump from one rock to another without falling in the water! It's more fun if you go with a big group of people. Also, it's a great activity for all ages and young kids especially love it. So parents, this could be a way to keep your children occupied for a few hours.

The most fun I've had rock hopping is when I went with 6 or 7 of my cousins, who are all around 15-25 years old. We went in our normal clothes and the whole time it was a competition to see who could stay on the rocks the longest. Of course with half of the group being guys, they were constantly trying to knock us all off the rocks. By the end, it would have turned into a huge water fight and everyone would come out of it soaking wet.



I would give rock hopping a rank of 6 because it can be pretty dangerous with the rocks being slippery and all. Although I will admit this isn't the most risky activity, many of my best memories come from rock hopping with my family.

FireHawk and The Beast

So, if you're looking for excitement and live in the Midwest, Kings Island is a great theme park to check into. Their newest roller coaster, Firehawk, has quickly become my favorite coaster ever!

The ride starts off in a sitting position and once the operators receive the all clear signal, the seats tilt back until you are laying flat, staring up at the sky. Next, it's just up, up and up one of those dreaded steep hills. This part is really relaxing and enjoyable. You are laying down at an incline and are able to take in the view of the rest of the park. Then, the ride flips you over to where the ground is all you can see and from there it's just a multitude of flips, loop-de-loops, and turns until the end of the ride. My favorite part about it is that, to me, it is almost as if I am flying and can pretend to be Superman for those 2 minutes.


My second favorite ride is The Beast. At 7,359 ft, this is the world's longest wooden roller coaster. That might be part of why I love it so much. Just the fact that you get more out of your half-hour wait in line, since it lasts double that of other roller coasters. This roller coaster is a little jerky but well worth it! My favorite part of this ride is the 141 foot fall that leads right into a pitch dark tunnel going around 65 mph.

For Firehawk, I would give it a rank of 9and The Beast a rank of 8. Let me know your opinion.

So, I've been told that Cedar Point also has some amazing rides that top Kings Island's but to my disappointment, I have not been able to test that hypothesis out yet. Hopefully soon I will have the chance to go there and will inform you about my conclusions when I do.

Jumping off of a Train Trussle

This is one of my Absolute favorite things to do!!! Every year since I can remember my family vacations at Norris Lake in Tennessee. It is so beautiful there with the green glass-like water and its never congested with people. There are a multitude of exciting things that we can do there (many of them will come up later on this blog).

Coming out of the boat dock, we'll pass the 1st trussle (one pictured above) and a little ways farther is the 2nd trussle, practically identical to the first. The only difference is that next to the 2nd trussle is a rock cliff about 15 ft high in the summer that the younger children enjoy jumping off of.

In order to reach the top of the trussle, you have to swim to the far bank and climb up a rocky path full of overgrown weeds. It is a foot-wide path, with a sheer drop to one side and the mountain to the other. Once at the top, a white sign warns you of the possible dangers you could encounter if you were to proceed up the trussle. In addition, if you are caught, there will heavy financial consequences. Once you reach the top of the trussle, there is not turning back, since the path is too dangerous to attempt in reverse.

The most chilling part, at least for me, is having to navigate myself to the middle of the bridge. Having only the cross ties of the railroad to walk on, with each step taken I am privy to the immensity of the plunge to the water. Because of the uneven wood, it is that much harder to remember why on earth I talked myself into leaping from this ridiculously high trussle. The suspense builds with every step that takes you closer to the seemingly bottomless section of the lake, the safest point to dive off.

As for me, when I am about to step off the edge, I indulge delusions that I am not as high up as I really am. Then it all crunches down to that single second where I ignore the voice in the back of my head and inexplicable courage surges through my body, allowing me to take that final step. I shoot through the air with uncanny speed, like a dart reaching its target and I am engulfed by water.

Another aspect that adds to the thrill factor of this is that trains are periodically scheduled to pass through that area. We have a friend who loves to boast and yet never follows through with his claims. He climbed up the trussle swearing he would jump and ended up just sitting there for hours. Off in the distance we could hear the sound of a train approaching and we fervently tried to warn him. Not believing us at first, simply thinking we were only trying to force him to jump , he did not heed our warning. The train rounded the bend and belief flooded his eyes, while he raced back across the tracks the way he had come instead of just taking one step off. Luckily, he just barely made it off the tracks before the train overtook him.

I give this thrill a rank of 9.5. It is so AMAZING so get out there and try it!!!

Paintball

So this summer I finally got the chance to go paintballing. If you haven't ever been yet, it is well worth it.

I went with a group of 9 people from my work, around the ages of 18-22. I've never shot any type of gun before this, so when we get there and they hand me this heavy paintball gun, (that to me looks a little more real than I imagined) it was a little daunting. White River Paintball, the place we went to, is located in Anderson, IN for any who care.

All the fields were outdoor. The first field was called the Fort. The scenario was that half of the group lived in the fort and were protecting it, while the rest of the people had to run in and out of the trees to try and grab a flag in the middle of the clearing. Once they got they flag they had to take it back to their side. Furthermore, they had to complete all this without getting hit by a single paintball.

I first thought that that'd be easy, not to get hit by the paintballs. I mean, there's only 4 people shooting at our four people and the paintballs have a diameter of one inch. Well, when you are the only one who is moving and all four people's gun's are aimed for you, let alone you don't know where your enemies are, it gets very difficult. For all of you scared about whether it hurts or not, well only about 2 out of the 15 times I got hit really caused me pain. It depends upon where it hits you and how close the shooter is to you. Word of warning, if you don't want to get hurt and end up like this guy, make sure you don't take a trigger happy, paintball pro along with you. We had one of those in our group who, just for fun, would run right up to you and shoot you multiple times even after you've yelled that you've been hit.

Overall, it was an amazing experience and I can't wait to get out there and try it again. I would give paintballing a rank of 7. Any fun experiences or disagree let me know.

Scuba Diving

Ok so I personally have never been scuba diving, although I hope to eventually. The information comes from my best friend that I interviewed. She grew up on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. She was wanting to apply for an internship at the zoo and one of the requirements was to become a licensed scuba diver. So this past summer she went and trained with an instructor on the beaches of Puerto Rico. Here is an account of her experience:

In order to a get a scuba diving license, I first had to read an informational book and then take a test over it. I had to pass the test in order to proceed in the training. Then, I had to complete 5 requirements: basic skills under water, basic retrieving and reviving, how to descend and ascend from the water without damaging my lungs, the practice of different emergency scenarios, and how to communicate with fellow divers under water.

The experience was awesome. It's a big thrill just being able to breath under water. At first it is a little daunting, but eventually you get used to it. Also, the marine life you see down there is beautiful. My tutor, who has been going down there for years, would always feed the fish. Now, they've come to recognize her so when we were down there a huge herd of fish was just following us as we swam. Just imagine a school of fish, 2 feet to 3 feet long, surrounding you as you try to swim along.


In the instructional book, it talks about how seeing a barracuda while your underwater is not at all uncommon. They are usually 3 to 4 ft in length and extremely curious. If they see something shiny, then they will follow it for quite awhile. Luckily I never saw a barracuda, but it was always a big fear.

On a scale from 1 to 10 I rank scuba diving as a 10 although I might be a little bit biased. I just can't think of anything that would be more exciting then scuba diving!

Agree or disagree with the ranking? Leave a comment and get out there and try scuba diving for yourself!

Climb a mountain at midnight with NO flashlights

Ok, just to be clear here, I am talking about a mountain that's not covered with snow. It doesn't have to be very high. Also, every time I've been, we have stuck to the trail so. Be my guest if you want to go and find a uncharted way up some unknown mountain by yourself at midnight, but I think I'll just stick to the ones with bunny trails.

Again this is one of the fun activities me and my cousins do on our family vacations in North Carolina. The mountain we climb is Lookout Mountain, in Montreat, N.C. It's always fun! They have a bunny trail which can get kind of boring in the day and then Suicide Trail (which is now deemed illegal) which is a big thrill all in itself to climb in the daylight. I don't even want to try to attempt climbing it without any light.

Anyways, in the daytime, it's takes a good hour to hike up to the peak of the mountain. Usually we bring one or two flashlights in case of any emergencies. Once we get to the beginning of the trail though all lights are turned off and we wait awhile for our eyes to adjust. We hike up the dirt trail avoiding all the tree roots, rocks, and logs (which are used to make a sort of stairway at points along the trail) which are scatter around everywhere. Going up can get a little boring, so in order to add some spice to the trip, we always try and run back down the same trail, still without any flashlights. This is always my favorite part.

I give this activity a rank of 6 . It's not extreme and out there but I can be pretty scary being in the mountains when it's pitch black, running down the trail. Agree, disagree, or Questions? Leave me a comment.

Midnight Hole

Midnight Hole is located in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. Every year my family vacations in Asheville, NC for a big family reunion. We found this place on the internet and decided to try it out. The driving direction will take you down this country road that snakes around in all directions. At the end of that road you will come to a camping area with a parking lot where the Big Creek Trail Begins. Hike 1.5 miles on Big Creek Trail. The hike seems forever long but eventually you'll see a small, rocky opening between the trees, leading down towards the creek and Midnight Hole as seen in the picture. Since the creek is in the Smokey Mountains, the water is freezing cold. That's what makes this such a thrilling adventure!

The red arrows indicate where we usually jump off from the rocks. Although, a few people have gotten to the middle and jumped off right into the waterfall. I personally don't like to jump from there because the water is very shallow at that point and it's very dangerous, but hey if your up for it, be my guest! The main place we jump off of is from where the red arrow on the left is. It is the easiest to get to and you can fit the most people there at one time.

Getting to the rock is the hardest part. The water is about 60 degrees or less but it feels like 0 degrees. The easiest way to get in I feel is to just dive right in. That way you can't back out and you can get the shock of the cold water all over with at once. You then have to swim against the current of the waterfall and make it to the area circled in blue. There is a big rock slab underneath the water here that you can stand on to help you climb up the rock. It's very hard though because the rock is covered with moss and it's very slippery. When standing on top of the rock looking down, the water is so clear that you can see the bottom. I always jump in where the water is foamy from the water fall. Your body falls into the icy water and it feels as if your lungs are frozen (which they probably are). Just keep moving and eventually you won't feel a thing since your whole body is numb. Then just swim back over and jump off again! Watch this video!

On a scale from 1 to 10 I would rank this activity as a 7. It's pretty exciting to jump into a mini waterfall and the whole freezing water factor really adds a lot to it. So get out there and check this thrill out and leave me your feedback on whether you agree with the rank I gave it or not.

Introduction

Welcome to Thrill Seekers, a blog about fun, exciting, and/or dangerous activities that either I or someone I've interviewed has done. Each week I will post a different activity, like sky diving or white water rafting, and share with you my experience or the experience of another person and then at the end of the post, I will rank the activity from 1 to 10 according to how much fun I believed it was. Feel free to comment on the posts to let me know whether or not you believe I am right. Or if you simply want to make a remark about something on there, feel free to. Also, if you have any fun activities or thrills that you've done, let me know. I would love to post them on here.

I picked the topic of Thrill Seekers because I was thinking about all the fun things I've done and was trying to brainstorm about what else I could do. Reading a blog that contained all types of different, exhilarating activities would have been very helpful. This is one of the main reason's I am making this blog, so that all you Thrill Seekers out there don't have to search and hunt for your next activity on your agenda. You can just find it all here on my blog.

You might be asking me, "Who are you to say which thrilling activities are more exciting than the next?" or "How can you be the expert on these things?" Well, I don't claim to be an expert at all and as I said before, when I rank them, it is by how exciting it was to me. People all have different opinions and I would love to hear them. Out of my family, I am usually the most daring and adventuresome. I am always looking for something new and fun to try out. Therefore, I feel like I will have a wide variety of exciting things for you all to explore. So dig in, enjoy, and most importantly, get out there and try some of these things for yourself!