When in Dallas...

It was one of those wonderful, cosmic, karmic, whatever you want to call it, string of events that led us to Dallas on Monday. A long-lost friend visiting from Michigan, a mom-in-law going to market at the Dallas World Trade Center and an open calendar! We made a quick stop on the way out of town to pick up some Round Rock Donuts, my bunch just CAN'T travel without donuts! Yes, I can hear the gasping, but it only happens on road trips! Moderation folks. Moderation. The drive was actually quite lovely. Springtime along the I-35 corridor is amazing. Amidst heavy traffic, orange barrels and concrete barriers, wildflowers bloomed with wild abandon, absolutely blanketing the sides of the freeway! I noted a particularly lovely patch right outside of West near mile marker 357, something to hit on the way home!

I spent the afternoon getting re-acquainted with one of my best friends and watching our children become new friends! One of those strange moments, regretting that we let time, miscommunication, and anger get in the way of something so special. I hope we can continue and move forward. We grew up together and became who we are together, now if we can just grasp this second opportunity so we can grow old together, friends forever.

Now, I don't know about everyone else, but my family CANNOT go to Dallas and not visit the Dallas World Aquarium! What a cool place! And it would have been truly awesome had we not been joined by approximately 8 schoolbuses full of NOISY elementary kids! What is up with that? I could have had a more peaceful time at a Pantera concert! But of course the animals were amazing... sloths, giant South American river otters, manatees, tamarins, Orinoco crocodiles, I get all tingly just thinking about it! Here is a picture of a hammerhead shark cruising over the tunnel. NEAT-O!

And as if the aquarium wasn't quite enough excitement for one day, the kids and I headed to the Dallas Museum of Art to see King Tut! Well, OK, we didn't really see King Tut himself, just a lot of the treasures that were found in his tomb and in the tombs of some of his relatives. The Monkey Man and I have been discussing Ancient Egypt for some time now and ironically we had just spent the last two weeks covering Tut and his father Akhenaten. It really couldn't have been better timing! I cringed at the $50 entrance fee, but by the time we walked into the second room, I realized I would have paid $150 when I saw the look in my son's eyes! To have something read to you out of a book is one thing, to have history staring you in the face is quite another! To see carvings of the gods on coffins and jewelry, to see statues of pharaohs, and to see everyday items such as chairs, mirrors, and games, to finally understand that these people lived, loved, worked, played and died. The Monkey Man looked at every artifact, read every plaque and listened to every bit of the audio tour. And much to my amazement and great joy, he began to point out all of the things he had learned during our studies. "Look Mommy! That's Thoth... the god of wisdom, and Ooo! Anubis and look, the Eye of Ra! Hey, that one has a falcon's head, that must be Horus!" We could have spent another 2 hours in that exhibit if it weren't for a sleepy, crabby toddler!

You would think that much adventure would have not only worn out the Piggy, but the Monkey Man too! No such luck! I was relentlessly nagged until I finally agreed to take him swimming while the Piggy napped. I was so pooped out! Then Nana treated us to a lovely seafood dinner in which the Monkey and I shared a Cedar Plank Salmon with asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes, YUM! What a great day for one really lucky and really happy little boy!

On the way home we stopped by to visit Big Daddy's grandmother and learned about all of her latest dumpster diving excursions. I personally think she should get the "Green Award" for most adamant about reusing and recycling discarded objects. Her house is LOADED with second hand treasures. I narrowly escaped with just one doll for the Piggy and a bag full of toiletry items that have questionable origin and are neatly stowed in a biohazard bag! Any takers? And yes, we did stop at mile marker 357 on the way home and I was able to snap a couple of shots before the Piggy had a major meltdown. Spring in Central Texas is gorgeous!