Don’t you hate it when you have a ridiculous phobia and your kids really want to do something that makes you face it?  I mean, you don’t want to pass on your fears and you don’t want to look like a weeny, but you also really want to avoid a panic attack.  Well, I happen to have an insane fear of both heights and tight spaces.  I know they aren't entirely rational, but try convincing my body of that when I'm standing near the edge of a big drop.  Fast forward to our tour of the St. Louis Gateway Arch .  The boys had been discussing going to the top to look out the windows.  Neither Daddy nor I were particularly enthused about going up.  It’s 630 feet tall and in order to get to the top you have to ride in a little metal “pod” that should hold 3 people, but instead they stuff 5 people inside (to ensure that all of the oxygen is used up by the time you get to the top).   Determined to get the job done, I bought our tickets without looking at the sample pod next to the ticket counter.  I didn’t even want to know what I was in for.  I just started praying.  This trip is not about fear.  It’s about really living, so I was going to the top, even if I had to puke in the pod on the way!  This would also be a real test for the medication that controls my dizziness because it's usually brought on by stress.  So how’d I do? Read on...

We piled in and luckily there were windows in the door.  That helped.  I was sure I could pound through that glass if I ran out of air.  There was also a very calm voice coming over a speaker inside giving us information about how the tram system was built.  Nice distraction.  The 4 minutes was over before I knew it.  Incredibly I was still breathing when we reached the top and I wasn't too dizzy to walk.  Fabulous.  The view was great as long as I looked out and not down.  The boys even found our RV.  I was so glad that I did it.  I’m sure there will be many more occasions to face my fears while we’re on the road.  Luckily, this one ended pleasantly and the ride down was a piece of cake.