Yesterday it was watching two bunnies playfully chase each other around our courtyard at dusk.
Today it was 31¢ scoop night at Baskin-Robbins (I got two scoops: fudge brownie and Oreo cookies n’ cream).
It doesn’t take much to make me smile.
Category: Animals
Shedd Aquarium
We did it! We finally made it to the Shedd Aquarium and I’m glad we waited as long as we did because it was a gorgeous day! Getting there was a bit tricky however since most streets connecting Michigan Avenue and Lake Shore Dr. were blocked, and the museum campus can be confusing. I can’t imagine how the poor tourists handle it when us Chi-town natives get turned around! But eventually we made it and best yet, we secured free parking by the Adler Planetarium which is walking distance from both the Shedd and the Museum of Natural History. Usually you have to feed the meters, but not on Sundays.
When we got to the aquarium there was no line whatsoever. They ask for your zip code when you’re buying tickets and we always give my parents’ (not sure why), which unbeknown to us got us a 25% discount. Score! I guess they should check I.D. or something. We got the All-Access pass which included a 3D SpongeBob Squarepants movie but we skipped that because it’s the same exact movie we saw three years ago at King’s Island in Ohio.
We spent most of our visit on the lower-level of the Oceanarium watching the beluga whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, and penguins. Those penguins are hilarious! I could sit and watch them for hours. We also saw the infamous Komodo Dragon as well as a bunch of lizards which are easy to photograph since they barely move.
Eventually we made it through the entire aquarium in about three hours. We even took our time, but the place isn’t that big. It wasn’t too crowded, though, which was very nice. There were hardly any incidents where someone got in the way while I was trying to take a picture.
As we left, there was line out the door and down the stairs. It was incredible! I guess that’s what you get when you arrive late. I always like to get to museums when they open to avoid that craziness.
We were going to have lunch in the aquarium but I couldn’t stomach the thought of paying $7 for a hot dog, so we walked over to a concession stand outside and got food there. We just relaxed for a bit and enjoyed the people and seagull watching.
After lunch we walked around the lakefront getting photos of the skyline and the other museums nearby. We also got ice cream before we left. In all, a fantastic day.
I think our next trip to the city will be to visit the Adler Planetarium. I haven’t been there since before Joe and I got together and Joe hasn’t been there since he was a kid.
More photos from our day can be viewed here.
Cute animals
This morning I was up at 8 am. Joey wasn’t as he spent the night on the couch. No, we didn’t have an argument. He just does that sometimes when he wants to stay up late watching tv and playing Warcraft. I did a little spring cleaning in my dresser and got rid of some clothes I never wear. I also tried on all my shorts to see which ones fit. Luckily, most of them! I washed them later in the day to remove the wrinkles and make them smell fresh. I’m ready for the 80 degree weather that’s heading our way. Bring it on!
Once Joe was fully awake, we made breakfast. I fried some tater tots and then came out really yummy. Diet? What diet? Yes, I fully realize I have no room to complain about my weight when I’m doing stuff like that. We also had fried eggs and toast. Although since we had a big breakfast I haven’t eaten much the rest of the day. Just one steak sopa for lunch and the small amount of turkey sausage and peppers that was left over from last night for dinner.
We decided to take advantage of the nice weather today and take pictures. We went to a forest preserve, Willowbrook Wildlife Center, and Cosley Zoo. Willowbrook had the cutest baby raccoons who were sleeping but I didn’t get any photos that came out due to the lighting and how dirty the glass was on their cage. Cosley wasn’t too crowded since it was close to closing when we arrived. Joe finds it a bit boring but there’s always something a little different when we visit. This time they had baby goats and sheep who were born earlier in the month. Total cuteness!
That was our day, just cruising around and taking pictures. Tomorrow we’re finally going downtown to The Shedd! We plan to also visit Millennium Park so I can finally get some pictures of the bean (aka cloud gate), but we’ll see what happens. I always have the best intentions when we go downtown but I quickly grow tired of the traffic and crowds and want to get the hell out of there.
Horsies and kitties
I really wanted to see Hot Fuzz today, but it was so gorgeous outside that I couldn’t stand the idea of wasting the afternoon sitting inside a movie theatre. After dropping off the kids we went to Target where I got some cute new clothes and then we took our cameras out to get some photos. We wanted to go to Cosley Zoo, but it was way too crowded so we found ourselves at Danada Equestrian Center again. I got some great shots of the horses, and met a very friendly feline who wanted lots of affection. She even started following us and meowing “don’t go!” after we spent some time petting her. She reinforced just how much I want a kitty of my own.
You can check out all the photos I took today at Perfect Pixels. Interestingly enough, the last photo set I posted in 2006 was at the same place. Also, the first set I posted in 2006 was taken on April 21st. I guess January, February, and March are bad photo months for me.
Saturday
Yesterday we were out of the house before 10 am to check out Kuiper’s Family Farm. We take the kids apple picking every year, but we usually go to Jonamac Orchard. We wanted to scope this other place out before deciding to change our tradition. On the way there this guy completely cut us off and almost hit us. Joe was so mad that when we ended up at the next light, he gave the guy a severe beating. No, just kidding. He did roll down the window and yell at him, though (he had moved back into the other lane after he passed the person he almost hit us trying to get around). I haven’t seen Joe that mad in a long time! You could tell the guy was scared because he had this nervous grin and said he was sorry. To Joe’s credit, he didn’t call the guy any names, just explained he needs to turn his head and look before just moving over. Hopefully the whole experience taught the guy to be more careful in the future because he could really hurt someone with his shitty driving.
Anyway, the farm was ok. It’s much bigger and spread out than the place we usually visit, but it’s more expensive and crowded too. We spent less time there than it took to drive back and forth. They have a huge bakery and store on premise so Joe got some coffee and donuts. While he was doing that I used the restroom. And the only reason I am telling you this is because I cannot believe how ignorant some people are. When I got into the restroom I had to wait because all the stalls were occupied. I happened to notice that the faucets on one of the two sinks was on and the sink was filling up, so I walked over and shut it off. When a stall opened up, I went inside and did my business. When I came out, the same sink was running and filling up once again! So I went over and shut it off. WTF? The handles are the kind you pull toward you to turn on and push back to shut off, so I don’t think on a difficulty scale of 1-10 it was above a 1, yet both the hot and cold water were on full blast. Are people that lazy? Somehow I doubt people leave their sinks running at home so I really don’t get it.
After I met up with Joe again we decided to get some homemade caramel apples and this yummy looking brownie mix. I’m really looking forward to trying it; I just I hope it’s worth the $5.50 we paid. It’s gourmet, so it has to be, right? ;)
The way to the farm takes you through downtown St. Charles so on the way back we stopped to check out a beading store I had found online called Spill The Beads. It was really cute and I bought a couple of mixed bead sets I plan on using to make bracelets. Overall I found their prices a little high, but the selection is superb and if you prefer buying only the exact amount of beads you need, it’s better than going to a craft store. I might go back next weekend for World Bead Day since everything is 30% off and I was thinking about getting a beading instructional book.
The store is located a block or two from the Fox River, so we hung out there for a bit taking pictures, then started walking along the path. These two ducks kept following me, no doubt thinking I had food. Too bad I didn’t. We discovered a huge park past the bridge where they have a ton of picnic tables. It’s a really cute area that I’d like to visit again, this time with bread for the duckies! Also, I just found out while researching the area for this post that there’s a minature golf course at the park. Cool beans!
I can’t remember what we did after that. Oh yea, we checked out a new taco joint for lunch. It was really cute and inexpensive but I wasn’t impressed with the quality of their steak, so we’ll probably just stick to our regular place.
We took advantage of the nice weather by going out back to play catch for a bit. Joe was teaching me the proper way to throw a baseball. I’m not exactly what you call athletic, or coordinated, but I used to play catch with my dad all the time because the older of my brothers was never into sports and my youngest brother was born ten years after my dad lost interest in any sort of father/child bonding experiences. It’s kinda funny when you think about it: I was the one my dad took fishing, to Sox games, played games with, etc. My brother preferred to be inside playing video games. He hasn’t changed a whole lot, either. Except now it’s the internet.