One of my favorite memories with Ryan is when we went to Silver Dollar City with my mom and Jimma. Since he grew up in Texas near a Six Flags, he had never been, so I was really excited to show him around. But what made it even more fun is that he had no idea what any of the rides were like.

We were there the last summer that the original Fire in the Hole would be open. Most of you probably know that this is a super old rollercoaster that is marketed as "family friendly." The most exciting thing that happens on it is that you go down a hill.

While we were in line, my mom said, "I can't wait for this coaster. It's the scariest one in the whole park." Jimma and I both tried to hide our smiles as Ryan said, "Really?" He had already been tricked by Powder Keg, so this made him a little nervous.

My mom kept going, saying things like, "Yeah. it's pitch black in there, and it's like a haunted house. People will jump out at you, and you have no idea when they're coming."

Ryan and I sat in the front row of the ride, and Mom and Jimma sat right behind us. We pulled down the lap bar, and he said, "Wait, that's it? Is this safe? This doesn't seem like enough to hold us." And his knuckles turned white from gripping the bar so hard.

We slowly, slowly rolled into the darkness of the ride. The cave was silent except the creaking of the coaster.

And then my mom screamed as loud as she could. Ryan screamed back and grabbed my hand and frantically looked around trying to see what was coming for him. It took him a long time to realize that we were all laughing at him, along with several strangers on the ride.

When we got off the ride, he said, "That was so mean. She really got me." I laughed and said, "Yep. That means you're part of the family."

Wedding Day

Reception