New York City Day 3

Sunday morning we work up a bit early and headed out to the Museum of Natural History. We were meeting up with one if the Hubbs friends that we were stationed with in Hawaii. He's now a recruiter and lives in Queens, NY. He'd never been to the museum himself so it worked out perfect. 

We were to lucky to have a subway station right out side our B&B it's worked out so well. Especially coming back late at night when we are completely exhausted. 

We arrived right on time but of course the Subway and Traffic stalled A from getting there when we did. It's ok we enjoyed some Starbucks and did a little people watching while we waited.

Dinosaurs remind me of my Spouse, aka Sarah. She loves them, she's a true kid at heart still. 

 Hubbs and A hadn't seen each other since they both left back in 2011 but you never would have known that. They picked up right were they left off as if they had talked every day over the last two year. It was so great to hear them share stories and do the whole "Remember…." We had a great time and the museum it self was huge. Military got in free so that saved us a total of $44 dollars. We seriously could have been in there for days and still not have seen everything there was to see. 

Below is a view from out of one of the window on a upper level. I though it was really neat, it was a gloomy day but so pretty at the same time. When we got to the museum we really didn't have to wait at all to get in, thankfully because the line to simply get into the building was wrapping around the block. Talk about crazy. 

After the museum A had to head back home. So the hubbs and I went to lunch across the street at a place called Cafe Frida. It was a little mexican joint and well we all know you can't go wrong with mexican food. Fabulous!!! Although hubbs made a comment that this was the first mexican restaurant that we'd been into that didn't serve chips and salsa. FAIL!!! 

After lunch we stopped by a few local stores to do a little window shopping and then to a local pharmacy because well I still wasn't feeling myself. I knew I had to break down and finally get some meds. in my system if I was gonna beat this crud. I stocked up on day and nightquil along with some throat lozengers. We headed back to the B&B to relax a bit, it kinda worked out perfect because it was pretty rainy and nasty out so we really didn't want to walk around in that. 

After a much needed nap I woke up feeling so much better. I even had my appetite back, which was great seeings I hadn't eaten a whole lot in the past 2 days. We freshened up and headed out to dinner. 

We went to a little Italian place called Trattoria Pesce Pasta. I went with the Chicken Parm and let me tell you it was the size of my plate. It was HUGE. I didn't get any pictures of it but it was pretty fabulous, I had a side of steamed broccoli which is one of my favorite veggies and it was so good. The hubbs had been talking about Tiramisu all evening and how he wanted some. Me never have had any before didn't really care one way or the other. We caved and gave in and I have to say it was pretty tasty. It was a wonderful evening out. Thankfully it had stopped raining and the sky's had cleared up from earlier in the day. 

My day with the "W" girls!!!

The morning started off with this QT pie and breakfast!!!! 

Followed by this sweet one, doing my hair. She said she was going to make me look like Rapunzel because I had long hair. She's so cute and has such a imagination. 

We had a adventure ahead of us today for sure, visiting some very old creatures!!! To the HEARD Museum we went, located in downtown McKinney. It was a perfect day to be outside, not to hot and not to cold at all. It was a outside nature park, were they several different dinosaurs on display. Life size and animated as well, listed on a plaque was the details telling us about them. (size, weight, what they ate) It's crazy to think how long ago, dinosaurs walked the earth. It was set up very similar to a scene taken out of Jurassic Park.  Little Gigi had so much fun, she was a little hesitant about going near the dinosaurs at first. But she eventually warmed up a bit and started asking questions and pointing out different things on the Dino's. 

Also included in the museum they had a very mini zoo with a few animals. Mostly rodents that you don't see often, you know the ones that live in creeks and under the ground. 

There was a butterfly house but it wasn't as pretty as we were hoping. There were more butterflies outside the house then there were inside. (when I went to DC a few months back, the butterfly house we saw there was so neat) There really wasn't more than 2 or 3 different colors ones here either. It was pretty though and the kiddo had fun running through the flower garden. 

This is one that I saw inside, more of them looked like this. 

After we finished up at the museum we headed down further into McKinney for lunch at a place called Spoons Cafe. It was pretty yummy, I finally had some good Texas Brisket. Its just not the same in the South, must be a Texas thing. lol. From there we walked around the downtown square checking out some of the local shops, one including a candy store. 

Little Gigi, went to Preschool later that afternoon and I got to meet her teachers and see her class. She's grown up so quickly in the last year since we've left Hawaii. It really is true when they say time flies. In what seems like a blink of a eye she will be another year older. 

I had such a great time hanging out with the W girls and catching up, meeting baby A and exploring the city. Nothing better than being reunited with such awesome people. One thing I love about the Army, I've made some amazing friendships. Can't wait for our adventures together next week!!! 

~DAY 356~

Night @ the Museum

DAY 76

or not, may a day @ the museum :)

(I took this one here for the spouse, she <3's her dinosaurs )

We decided to check out the South Carolina State Museum today. I'm not big on museums but again I had heard great reviews about this one so I was excited going in.

A three story building full of Art, History, Natural History & Science. A bonus was the Body Works exhibit they have going on right now as well. (pictures weren't aloud in there) When we were in Vegas we were able to tour the Body Museum they had there and I have to say it was much bigger & more in detailed then the one here in SC.

We had the most fun on the 3rd floor that was full of science related gadgets, that were interactive. The first one below you had to balance yourself on and see how long you would stay there. It was alot harder then I though it would be, I tried showing the hubbs up but it didn't work. lol Not to worry he didn't do to hot himself either.

This one here was a closed in triangle, you had to go under a short wall to get in. It was pretty cool, enclosed with mirrors you could see yourself go on forever and ever. I felt like a kid playing around with all the fun stuff they had from pulley systems to testing your grip or hearing the delay in speech.

The museum took you back to before dinosaurs and though the Civil War. Taking you decade by decade change by change, through the Revolutionary War, Plantation Life, Native Americans, Mill Life and so much more. Below is a reenactment of a typical kitchen from the 1920's CRAZY how things have changed so much over the last 91+ years.

We had a really good time at the museum, I'm so glad we decided to go. We spent about 2 hours there looking at every last display and exhibit. I'm proud to say we did learn a bit more about SC and its history. A bonus was the gift shop afterwards it was so big and had some of the cutest things. Tons of stuff for your kitchen to, I came across the perfect sign for my wall talking about "The South". (I am going to have to go back for it for sure)

Kauai Coffee Company & Museum

I wahi kope nau? ~~~ Will you have some coffee? ~~ "in Hawaiian"

We made a stop at the Kauai Coffee Company for a look around. I don't drink coffee myself but Gabe does. We found some really good pancake mix as well that we just had to have and grabbed a couple bags to take home. On the patio you could sample many of the different types of coffee they had available and I think Gabe had a little sip of everyone.



The museum exhibits coffee artifacts from the past as well as a video presentation describing how they grow, harvest and process the coffee grow in Kauai.






We also managed to stumble across the Kauai Museum which was a neat experience in its self. They had artifacts from hundreds of years ago and even things they used today still. Camera's were not aloud in the museum it's self but it was nice to learn alittle but more about the history of the island and how things were in the past. Some of the house's we drove past while driving through the Canyon were displayed in pictures at the museum from decades ago when they were very first built.