"Do people throw up on this thing?"

The girls and I went to the county fair tonight. I didn't really want to go - it was so hot, and my tooth was hurting from my trip to the dentist. Stella didn't want to go either. But neither of us could resist Zoey's burning desire.

So off we went, into the heat and the overcrowded, dusty parking lot and the 30-minute line just to get through the gates.

Once inside, we took in some muttin' bustin', checked out all of the 4H animals, and then headed for the main attraction: the rides, stopping for a little cotton candy en route.

After a few kiddie rides, we made our way over to my favorite, the swings.

Standing on her tippy toes, Zoey just cleared the height requirement.

Contriving the extra inch was well worth it:

Post-swings, I grew restless and sought a distraction from my decidedly un-fun job of saying no to the many, many requests to play all the carnival games.

Off in the distance, a ride caught my eye. It looked like a ferris wheel on its side — thrilling, but not too herky-jerky. Maybe just right for my former rollercoaster, zipper, kamikake-riding self, now humbled by some late-onset nausea that puts even the lowly swings at the park out of reach.

While the girls enjoyed a romp through a bouncy house attraction, I made my way over to the Star Trooper, climbing into this odd little fiberglass vessel that required the ride controller to lock me in.

The whole lock-down thing should have been an indicator, but I pressed on, eager for a thrill.

The ride began, going up and down and faster and faster, my sparkly vessel turning into a torture pod mere moments after takeoff. I held onto my lock-down bar so tight, feeling green and nauseous and totally insane. After an eternity, it slowed down and I started to breathe again, only to have it beginning spinning the other direction.

Finally, it came to a stop, and the man released me from my caged hell.

"Do people throw up on this thing?" I asked as I tumbled out, casting a good long look at the mottled ground waving beneath my feet as I stumbled toward the exit.

"Oh yeah! All the time."