Sky Coaster Take 3

In the last 2 days i have spent 20 hours at Kentucky Kingdom Six Flags :) Now nothing can beat Six Flags New England but this was very close! The line were so short they let us stay on one ride 8 consecutive times...grease lightning. You were strapped in and shot off into a loop and straight into the air, then went backwards through the loop and back into the air...8 times. So amazing. Another ride we went on multiple times was tornado, and i think this could have been my favorite ride ever (other than superman)... you start off in water and swim to the tub, then once in the tube you are dropped about 50 feet at close to a 90 degree angle and into a funnel that spins and throws you up against the wall...needless to say SO fun. However the best of them all was the Sky Coaster which somewhat simulated skydiving (hopefully something ill be blogging SOON ;) anyways Abbey me and my father were strapped into stray jacket type things and then hoisted 187 feet into the air. The guy that worked it said that it was the second tallest in America, the first being one in Florida which my dad and i had already been on. Anyways so 187 feet into the air then 3...2...1..go! and i had to pull the lever that plummeted us into the ground and back again, kind of like a huge swing.

Therefore in spite of this wonderful experience i have made it my mission to ride the following roller coasters before i die... i know somewhat cheesy and cliche but still thrilling! here they are...anyone want to come along!

1. Kingda Ka
   Jackson Township, New Jersey
2. Top Thrill Dragster
   Sandusky, Ohio
3. Millennium Force
   Sandusky, Ohio
4. Goliath
   Valencia, California
5. Superman: The Escape
   Valencia, California
6. Son of Beast
   Mason, Ohio
7. El Toro
   Jackson Township, New Jersey

So all in all ill be spending my next few summers in Cambodia, New Jersey, Ohio and California...right after i win the lottery :)

Phnom Penh, Cambodia Here I COME!!

When I was a kid I had a really good friend, Hilary Gumely, and when I was like 9ish she moved to Cambodia with her family...permanently. Ever since then I have always had some sort of fascination with Cambodia, but it wasn't till about a year ago that I was determined to travel abroad and live in Cambodia.


The summer before my freshman year in college I received my summer reading assignment, Lucky Child, needless to say I was less than enthused to spend my hot summer days reading a, what i thought would be a dry and utterly boring book. However I was enthralled with everything in the book, from the style of writing, the descriptive nature of the text, even the explicit pictures throughout the pages...Quick little synopsis of the book...Two sisters get separated during the Kumar Rouge in Cambodia, one escapes to the states the other is a prisoner in her own country...all in all two VERY different life experiences. But what was more interesting about the book was the vast cultural differences between America and Cambodia, something I too hope to experience...hence the title of this blog! Come summer of next year I have decided to take off 3 weeks and travel to Cambodia with "A Broader View" volunteer program. IM SO EXCITED! nothing is finalized yet (aka i haven't paid yet lol but SOON!)


Its a very well planned out program. Most days ill be at the orphanage but the program also provides a few "free" days where i can go sightseeing!


The program I'll be apart of is technically called- Orphanage and Child Care Assistant meaning tutoring, cooking, playing, and teaching English! The orphanage provides a home and education to over 100 children, which I thought was surprisingly low. From my understanding most of the children previously worked as garbage pickers at a landfill in Phnom Penh.


I don't think this could be a better opportunity for me, just as a future teacher but also just as a person...I'm hoping it will be a fun and humbling experience! ...who knows maybe ill never come back:)

The Wood Gals :)

I think that it is interesting how, as a family, we grow and become closer by the activities, tragedies, laughter and fantastical times we encounter. For instance, the majority of Benjamin and Becky’s vacation here in North Carolina was full of fun and laughter, but I also cried harder and longer with Becky, than I ever have in front of anyone else, and although the circumstances of the crying still suck, I feel that it brought us so much closer. One of my favorite things about Becky is our “woodette-code” or “sister-code”. It goes without saying the “sister-code” is a code of secrecy and I know no matter what I say or how honest I am, Becky is never going to judge or hate me, which is the best feeling in the world and i would go as far to say she is the only person i feel this with(well Lauren too.). I cant think of any other person that has gone through things Becky has gone through and who still has such a strong faith in God and in people. As much as it amazes me I still find it incomprehensible. anyways Becky I love you and am so lucky that you are apart of our family and my life :)

Another person i am so greatful for in sad times is Smelly, or as many others know her, Abbey, my baby sister. Through this past week she was everything a pain, adorable, annoying, funny, comforting, etc. When my "crapppppy" situation happened abbey did everythingg she could to make me happy, rubbed lotion on my arms because it "makes you feel good", she brought me diet cokes, she even crawled into bed to rub my back when i could hardly move, even had a good attitude about all the pranks!! I realize she is only 11 and cant really understand the exact things i am going through but everything she did and said was so perfect and really did make me so much more happy. Another attribute of Smelly that i love is her candidness. My dad always said think before you speak, well that life-lesson is beyond Smelly, she says what the truth even if its not what you want to hear. She is so honest and the most hysterical child i have ever encountered. I cant wait for her to grow up and get in a crappy situation so i can crawl in her bed and rub her back! :) Love you Smelly.

The last but certainly not least Wood is the WOMAN, or my mom! The only people who read this silly blog know we never got along until i moved out of the house...and thank God i did! I have never been happier with the status of our relationship as i am now. She goes above and beyond to make me happy (PM medicine to knock me out...amen to that!) but just little things she does, like bake my 4Th of July cake and breakfast casserole or scratch my back when I'm pathetically crying on the bathroom floor ha ha :D... overall i think that it is just comforting to know that my mother truly does love me and want the best for me. I think it is comforting that she knows i will make mistakes and will be a crazy indecisive child, but she still loves and supports my every decision. Love ya mama!

All in all i think its needless to say I love the wood gals :)