I've Made a HUGE Mistake

Remember how Amie shnockered me and then I shnockered Michelle into buying Season Passes for our local water park for many years in a row despite an ever-growing list of grievances, but then they changed their food policy in an effort to infuriate us even more so we didn't buy passes for the past two summers. Well, since then they have offered a great deal on a Season Pass that also includes two fun center type places, so my mom kindly bought our family these passes for Christmas (the main draw was NOT the water park, but the fun centers for batting cages, mini golf and so on).

Monday was our first official day of summer vacation AND the first forecasted 80 degree day, and thanks to a text from sent  Amie the previous Friday, we ended up agreeing to go to the water park together on Monday. Of course all the kids were very excited (they don't have the scarring we as mothers suffer from dealing with this place) so we reluctantly agreed to go.

Max will be turning 16 in a few weeks and has completed drivers education, so he drove us there!

Happiness from the backseat.

 

Cautious optimism from the middle seats.

It's about a 15 drive to the water park from Michelle's house, and we were all in good spirits (even me!) but things began to unravel as we approached the park and joined a ridiculously long line of cars just waiting to get into the parking lot! Amie, ever the smart one, had arrived at 10:00am and experienced no lines.


Immediately I began to feel my good mood draining and my years of frustration with this place resurfacing. Why don't they have the lower parking lot open? Why can't they have a line just for those with paid parking passes? Why can't they have more people working there to direct traffic and take payment so we don't have to inch along? Aargh!

After another 15 minutes in the car (with increasingly anxious children) we were finally able to park and make our way to the entrance to stand in a LONG line so we could get in. Since they changed their food policy to no outside food allowed in the park (we used to be allowed to bring coolers) and only one 20 ounce SEALED water bottle per person, we get to increase our time in line as they search through everyone bags and shake out their towels! What's next body scans and cavity searches?!

 

Needless to say, my ire was in the red zone by this point and I felt like I was going to lose it completely. Michelle and the kids had already made it into the park, so it was just me standing in line with a ton of irritated strangers wondering why I was putting myself through this. I texted Amie while I stood in line (she was happily lounging in her chair inside the park) and said, "I remember why I hate this place" and she texted back "I was expecting that, ha!" By the time I finally made it through the bag search and pass scanning into the park I was enraged. Michelle was standing there waiting for me and I yelled, "I HATE THIS PLACE!!!" to her and then again to an employee walking by. (This is not something I would normally do of course, but this place brings out the worst in me.) I had to rant to Michelle as we walked down to our camp where Amie and the kids had set up and then seriously had to take some cleansing breaths to try to pull myself together. Clearly this was not my finest hour.

 

Eventually as I sat in my lounge chair talking to Amie (Michelle had to watch Eva over at the kiddie pool) I was able to calm down.

But then I saw this sign (which hasn't been there in year's past) and got bugged again. What in the world? The whole place is full of unattended items...what does this mean? (FYI--I had sunscreen on my camera lens for a bunch of these pictures.)

The weather turned windy and cloudy on us, so though it was pleasant for Amie and I who were dry and just chatting, it made the kids freezing. Max returned from a slide run to try to warm up.

When it was time to eat lunch (this place wears us out and makes us starving) we had to leave our spot and go outside the park to their "picnic area", which is a small barbed-wire fenced in area where outside food can be eaten. We felt like we'd been banished. Plus we got the added delight of having to wait in line AGAIN to get back in the park, though we this time we didn't have any bags with us to be searched!

There were some amusing moments.

And the kids had a good time, so that's the reason I'm willing to do this at all.

I'm really hoping that our future visits won't be this nightmarish. We will go earlier and it won't be the first official day of summer vacation again, so hopefully everyone in Utah County won't be joining us there.

Comment Window Tidbit: Just writing this post got me all riled up again...I may need anger-management treatment.