Yeah, wit kind-of runs in the family

My sister says the funniest things. One of her earliest was: "Chocolate milk is my favorite fruit." I think my personal favorite was the time she brought home her math paper with the problem that read "What is the difference between 8 and 15?" Her answer? "8 is an even number and 15 is odd." Technically, a very correct answer.

This weekend, my family came out to see me in sunny California. This warranted a first-ever trip to the beach for my two youngest siblings, and a trip to Magic Mountain. Being the not-so-avid-roller-coaster-riders that we are, there was some almost-universal trepidation upon seeing so many iron edifices cutting into the Valencia skyline.

We warmed up with a few of the classics, but after lunch we decided it was time to tackle Goliath. Looking at that 255 ft drop didn't exactly instill me with warm feelings of peace and serenity. I have a fear of falling and a sensitive equilbrium, but there was no way I was going to chicken out of this ride.

As we advanced to the front of the line, my sister (now age 8) expressed her concerns about the upcoming "adventure." By this time now, though, I was getting excited. The rest of the bunch was too. In an attempt to mollify her concern, my mom said, "Look, those people who are just getting off are smiling. They had a great time." And then came the classic Alisa line. Without missing a beat, she returned, "Yeah, they're just smiling because they're grateful to be getting off!"

She may have had a point.