The Eight Days of Ocho

This Friday the Little Ocho will finally turn eight.

(For those who thought the nickname was a reference to her age, think again. You can click HERE to discover it's true origin.)

A couple of months ago she decided she wanted a roller skating party so I did a little research. Then I talked her out of it. But I did so because I had an even better idea. I came up with a plan that was a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. And I believe I just did.

Since her birthday comes during fall break AND it's the big 0-8 in the year of '08, why not make it a virtual Ocho extravaganza? Thus "The Eight Days of Ocho" was born.

It started this past Saturday and will run through this coming Saturday. Along the way she gets to do eight super-special things of her choosing. The first event of this Festival of Fun took us a few hours up the road to Louisville, KY. It was there that I realized a dream I've harbored since becoming her mom. I am proud to announce that my girl.....she loves roller coasters!

Now, I realize posting the following images are going to send a couple of sets of grandparents into cardiac arrest and might possibly earn us a visit from the DCS, but so be it. Because, in her own words, these rides were "sooooo awesome!"

We started her off slow with the Road Runner Express:

It was alot like being in a Looney Tunes cartoon and is scarier than it looks. In fact, Handiman voted this one the scariest of the day. In a few moments you'll see how absurd that statement is.

Next was Greazed Lightnin':

She wasn't altogether excited about the upside down loop but she trusted her Daddy when he promised she wouldn't fall out. When it was over, she proudly exclaimed "I did it! I can do anything!!!"

The last coaster we rode was Thunder Run:

She said it was her favorite of the day. It's just an old fashioned wooden coaster with lots of turns and drops. And it shook me so hard I thought brain matter was coming out of my ears.

Along the way the Ocho and I rode lots of rides that spin and turn and fly. Handiman had to sit all of them out. He claims they'll make him puke. I think he's just a big chicken.

The scariest moment of the day probably came at the Tin Lizzies. That is where we got a glimpse into our future as we let The Ocho take the wheel.


Since Handiman's thrill riding was limited to coasters and a couple of them were closed, we allowed him to ride one alone that the Ocho wasn't tall enough to enjoy. Not that she would have anyway. It's called Chang and it looks like this:

Upon exiting the ride he decided that perhaps he was too old for all this coaster nonsense and then he disappeared into a restroom for a while.

We had a fabulous day. It was blazing hot but the lines were short and the amusement park riff-raff wasn't that bad. Oh, don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.

We headed back to our hotel after dinner to enjoy the Second event in our Celebration. And it can be summed up in the Ocho's two favorite words of all time. Indoor. Pool. I'm pretty sure we could just let her swim inside for eight straight days and she would be perfectly happy.

Yesterday before heading home we decided to ride around Louisville and see the sights. First stop was the Louisville Slugger museum. We didn't actually go inside because what we wanted to see was on the sidewalk. May I present The Giant Bat:

Oh yes, Handiman and the Ocho were thoroughly impressed.

Next up was a stop at Churchill Downs. We walked around the perimeter, took a few photos and explained to our daughter the evils of gambling.


We searched out a few parks and then headed south because Handiman was on a mission. On the drive up he announced that he would be making a stop in Bowling Green on our drive home. Lucky for us, it's the home of the National Corvette Museum. Yippee.

Ocho is really the perfect child because she shares her mommy's love of roller coasters and her daddy's love of cars. That's why I let them take the tour while I waited on the bench in the lobby. It was an economic decision. I could have paid to walk for an hour and look at a bunch of cars or I could sit in the lobby and stare at the parking lot for free. Same difference if you ask me.

The weekend was a grand kick-off to our Eight Day Celebration. Today it will continue with Mommy/Daughter day which will include some shopping and maybe a manicure. Tomorrow will be Daddy/Daughter day and then both grandparents will take a day. If you're counting that's three straight days that the Ocho will be out of the house.

And that is where the "stroke of genius" part comes in.

**Edited to add: How creepy is it that my post time is 8:08? I seriously didn't do that on purpose.