America IS Great!

Oh, and how!

This summer my dad did something he's never done before -- took a week off of work just to hang out with me! (Oh, and Rowan. He probably wanted to see Rowan, too. And maybe my mom.)

But anyway, the point is that he's taking a whole week off of work to go cool places and do fun things. And what better way to start off the week than a trip to Great America? It was my very first visit.

Headed out the door!

It was our intent at the outset of our trip to ride all the best rides (i.e., NOT the ones for babies), eat nothing but garbage and spend shamefully on souvenirs. To live the dream, we knew Mom and Rowan were going to need to stay home.

We share different values when it comes to amusement-park living.

While the rides were awesome, the food greasy and delicious and the souvenirs plentiful, perhaps the highlight of the trip was my first singing performance in front a major audience at "Great American Idol," which was set up in the middle of the park. I told the lady managing the "auditions" that I wanted to get up and sing like everybody else. While she warned me that they didn't have "The ABCs" among their selections of prerecorded background music, I assured her that singing a cappella is really my thing. And I'm guessing I was pretty good because I got a standing ovation at the end!

It's hard to hear, but at the beginning, I say,

"My name is Jillian, and I'm singing my ABCs."

We stayed until the park closed.

Today, as we gear up for an afternoon at an indoor water park, I am admiring my souvenirs from yesterday, almost all of which are Tweety Bird themed. While my dad didn't get any souvenirs for himself (aside from a few pictures), he says the pain in his legs from carrying 36 pounds around a park for eight hours will keep the memory of our first trip to Great America alive for days to come.