Archive for 'Places to Go'
July 31st, 2010 by Jen Hen under Places to Go, Travel Bug, Travels. No Comments.
I guess I left off somewhere around Epcot. Here’s the problem with procrastination, especially in conjunction with pregnancy: my memory is awfully foggy now. I’m back to pulling a “Winnie-the-Pooh”… *hand tap to forehead* Think, think, think.
Ah, yes. The day after Epcot was an adventure to the Atlantic Ocean. This was not only a first time experience for X-man, but also for me. We headed off to Cocoa Beach, FL to see part of the “Florida Space Coast” and the great wide open blue. Aaaaa-Mazing. Mine and DH’s friend M. met up with us in the parking garage of the Cocoa Beach Surf Shop. Hubs and I had to have some Starbucks before setting on our way but once we retrieved our Cafe Mocha’s we were good to go. The four of us browsed through Cocoa Beach Surf Shop, then walked across the street to Ron Jon’s Surf Shop and did a brief once-over of the merchandise there. After that? Time for a beach chair and beach umbrella rental from Cocoa Beach Surf Company, grab the stuff out of the car, then walk the three blocks down to the surf and sand. I was practically speechless. Unusual for me, I know.
The guys helped get everything set up for me to camp out in my chair for most of the afternoon. X-man went straight to the shore with his buckets, shovels, and castle building materials. And once the guys knew I was settled they headed for the water with their boogie boards.
X-man boogie boarding in the Atlantic. June 2010
I waddled my way to the ocean, waded into the water, and experienced the feeling of the push and pull of the water. Stand far enough out in the water for a while, and leg lifts have nothing on the workout your legs get trying to keep balance. I also learned that salt water… it really does taste salty. (No, I didn’t intentionally take a drink.)
DH and M taught X how to boogie board. After that, there was no stopping him. I believe he smiled more that afternoon than any other day of the trip.
I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in my beach chair, alternating between sitting in the sun and sitting in the shade, reading my book, and hearing the peaceful noise of the ocean. I even managed to doze off for a half hour and I believe it was the most refreshing nap I’d ever taken.
DH and M decided to walk to the McD’s and grab us some Dollar Menu burgers and fries, a stop at the Wal-Green’s for some bottled water, and a surprise stop to bring a brand new boogie board back to X-man so that all three could enjoy the water.
I believe that day was the most relaxing and completely content day of the entire trip for all of us. I don’t think that DH or X-man would be opposed to our next trip being scheduled in a condo at the beach. I’m completely in love with the idea of waking up early in the morning and sitting on a deck with my coffee and book with the ocean directly in view. When we retire, perhaps I can convince DH that we should just spend half our year on the shore.
Tags:Atlantic Ocean, Boogie boarding, Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Beach Surf Company, family vacations, ocean, Ron Jons Surf Shop, vacations.
June 30th, 2010 by Jen Hen under Places to Go, Travel Bug, Travels. No Comments.
Where did I leave off yesterday? I knew I should have checked before I started writing… Oh! I left off at shopping… and I almost forgot to include that we decided to go to that near mandatory tourist stop, Joe’s Crab Shack. This was a first time experience for all of us, and I dare say that if you ask my husband you’ll find that he fell in love. DH is a seafood fan. When he opened the menu I was pretty sure I started seeing drool run down his chin. He ordered some huge basket of food that had everything from corn on the cob to crab legs in it, and he got to wear one of those bibs. (X and I might have giggled a little when the waiter tied a bib on Cam.) Yes, I got the souvenir tie-dye shirt before we left (with $5 off because X and I solved the word puzzle on the wall).
Time to pick up on Tuesday of our trip to Florida. Tuesday was a full day at Sea World’s new water park, Aquatica (I think it opened in 2008… but check out their website by clicking HERE and it will give you the details). This was a huge splurging day for us as the waterpark was the main thing that X-man kept talking about wanting to do while we were coming up with our list of things to do in the months leading up to the vacation. We rented a Cabana for the day and I assure you I was glad that we did. The Cabana had curtains you could close on all sides, 2 loungers, 4 beach chairs, a table, private locker, private fridge stocked with 16 drinks in a combination of water, soda, and tropical punch (any of which you could trade out for other options), a ceiling fan to bring in some air circulation, and shade (courtesy of those curtains). We also got arm bands that gave us the “VIP” treatment which boiled down to 20% discounts on food and merchandise at the park. We dined at Banana Beach Cookout with the all-you-care-to-eat ALL day plan which meant unlimited trips back to the buffet during the day… fantastic deal when you have a husband that eats like mine does. The buffet had hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit, dessert, bar-b-que, chicken, veggies, and salad. You couldn’t leave the dining area with your food but you could go back as many times as you wanted for refills on your drink and take the drink with you around the park. I’m fairly certain DH Cam got our money’s worth out of the buffet. haha. We ate lunch mid-afternoon at the cookout, then went back and got our dinner a little while before dining closing time so that we got a full two meals out of our purchase.
X-man and DH had a BLAST together as they ventured around to all the big slides that I decided to opt out of with Baby 3 in tow. I enjoyed floating on their version of the lazy river, Loggerhead Lane. My only complaint on this river was that there was nowhere for the unused floats to be placed so they stayed on a constant course which brought some congestion at times. However, it was so neat overall. In two different sections you floated under aquariums and got to see tropical fish and dolphins! The three of us hung out at the wave pool for quite a while and on occasion Cam and I, or just I, would go back to the Cabana and let X-man have his fun while we took a break from the sun. I even managed to steal a 30 minute cat nap at the Cabana while DH and X went to go on some of the water slides.
When we left the park we were exhausted from the walking, the sun, and the play so we went straight back to our condo at Silver Lake Resortto relax the rest of the evening. X-man is a fish out of water so we ended up at the pool again that night, but most of the evening consisted of resting, reading, and watching television. Wednesday was promising to be another big adventure and I had to recoop.
X-man at 8:30am: “What are we doing today mom?”
Me: “Oh… nothing really. I think we’ll just stay here at the condo all day.”
X-man: “Oh.”
Me: “Just kidding! How about…. hmmm… Disney World? Epcot?”
X-man: “YESsssssssss! When do we leave?!?”
I made him wait a full 4 hours before leaving (hey, the park doesn’t even open until 11am and I wasn’t about to wait in line for an hour just to get in!).
I believe he thinks I'm crazy
And so we arrived… at Epcot. DH Cam and I went to Epcot when we traveled to Florida by ourselves in June of 2009 and absolutely loved the park but there was a lot we didn’t get to while we were there (mostly for lack of interest without any kids with us because they were kiddie rides). X-man being with us meant a better excuse to go through those areas and X-man loved it. We did everything from going into our “future” to taking a boat ride through Disney’s greenhouse (they have some seriously neat techniques for optimizing space and produce growth… think… tomato “trees”). Then we ventured into the countries in the World Center.
DH Cam and me (and Baby 3 bumping out my belly)
X-man playing the drums in "Mawahli" at Disney's Epcot
X-man decided he wanted American food for dinner, so we ate in “America” at Epcot (DH Cam and I don’t really recommend their roast beef sandwiches) then ventured around to the rest of the countries. X and I decided we wanted to get some chocolate from “France” and can I just say… de-li-cious! We both LOVED it. Seriously, far superior to any I’ve ever eaten.
Venturing through “Morocco”, “China”, “Japan”, “Mexico”, “Germany”, “Switzerland”, and the “Netherlands” gave us the opportunity to see authentic foods, toys, and various items from each country. I, of course, had to keep some educational factor into the experience so X and I talked about the different things we were seeing, the different foods available in each of the countries, and the different Disney stories that came from each of the countries (ie. Snow White from Germany, Aladdin from Morocco, The Three Caballeros from Mexico, etc.). X was surprised to learn that The Smurfs also came from German stories.
As nightfall approached we decided to “set-up camp” in “Japan” to wait for “Disney Illuminations”, the firework, music, and light show. AMAZING! It was by far the most breathtaking firework display I have seen in my life. I was crying by half way through and X-man never took his eyes off. I could go into great detail describing what we saw, but it’s really just not the same as seeing it for yourself. Just know that I HIGHLY recommend the experience if the opportunity ever presents itself.
We apparently went on a really good day because the crowd wasn’t overpowering, we hardly had to wait in lines, and when the fireworks were over it took us a mere 10 minutes to walk from “Japan” on the opposite side of the park to the entrance, and make it back to our car. Within 20 minutes of “Illuminations” ending we were back at our condo and recouping from the day’s adventure.
Of course I have about a hundred more photos I could share, but I’ll spare the bogging of your browser. Nice, right? Stay tuned for Part 3 of the Summer Adventure series.
Tags:America, Aquatica, China, Disney Illuminations, Disney World, Epcot, family trips, Florida, France, French chocolate, German, Japan, Joe's Crab Shack, Mawahli, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Orlando, Sea World, Silver Lake Resort, Switzerland, vacation.
June 29th, 2010 by Jen Hen under Places to Go, Travel Bug, Travels. No Comments.
This summer has been full of activity, surprises, and life changes. Most everything has been nothing but positive and exciting. I could probably write one incredibly long entry about those adventures but I’m probably going to split things up a little. First, since I don’t really remember if I’ve updated with all the information and since I know I have been slacking with my updates, DH got a position with a local company as a supervisor. That has been one HUGE change for us. Fortunately when he was hired the company was willing to work with him on the vacation we had already scheduled and paid for a year in advance so we were still able to take X-man on his “big boy only” trip. I was able to get an extra 8 days with DH without him having work to do… I assure you that is something I was looking forward to because even on his days off from his full time job, it seems there’s always something else he needs to do whether it’s a side service job for someone or a self imposed project he has going on.
On June 4th we hit the road at 9pm for an overnight drive to our final destination: Orlando, Florida.
Our first day we napped, hung out in the hotel pool, went to eat at Carraba’s Italian Grill (can we say calimari?), and headed over to Wonder Works. Wonder Works was basically a children’s science museum with exhibits on most any scientifically related topic. X-man and I both experienced laying on a bed of nails; DH, X-man and I took turns putting our hands in water that was kept at the temperature equivalent of the ocean the night the Titanic sank to see how long we could endure the cold on just one small portion of our body; the three of us experienced a 5.3 earthquake; and we played music on a floor piano (think 80′s movie starring Tom Hanks, “Big”). X-man really enjoyed himself and I’m pretty sure DH had a good time experimenting with the helicopter flight simulator. As for my experience? I was glad that X had a good time, but honestly I was disappointed with what we got for the expense. When you have some reference points for comparison Wonder Works really fell short of the mark for the price they charge.
Some of our favorite Children’s Science Museums (kid tested, mother approved):
Chattanooga, TN: Creative Discovery Museum
St. Louis, MO: Saint Louis Science Center
Nashville, TN: Adventure Science Center (formerly known as Cumberland Science Museum)
At any rate, our Sunday in Orlando consisted of a previously arranged meeting which brought about a new change for us. In the end we moved from Comfort Suites Maingate to Silver Lake Resort. What. A. CHANGE! We’re talking, we went from a damp, musty smelling room with little printed cards about the bugs that are present, but harmless to…. a condo with a kitchen, whirlpool jet tub and stand up shower in the bathroom, washer, dryer, living and dining area, etc. Needless to say, we were happy with the upgrade. We spent that afternoon relaxing in the pool, playing in the game room, and chilling in the condo.
Monday… rain, rain…. and more, you guessed it, rain. So… shopping, walking, shopping and more… shopping. Can I just tell you I LOVE outlet store steals! DH Cam and I found Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores last year and got some seriously fantastic deals on clothes for the kids, so we hit the shopping center again this year. We decided to go check out Orlando Premium Outlets while we were shopping. I managed to find some major deals at the Motherhood Maternity store there including a great pair of cool weather pajamas I’ll be taking to the hospital with me when I go to have Baby 3.
Tags:Adventure Science Center, Carraba's Italian Grill, Comfort Suites Maingate, Creative Discovery Museum, family trips, Kissimee, Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores, Motherhood Maternity, Orlando, Orlando Premium Outlets, RCI, shopping, Silver Lake Resort, St. Louis Science Center, summer, vacation, WonderWorks Orlando.
December 18th, 2009 by Jen Hen under Places to Go. 2 Comments.
Yeah, I skipped the Thursday Thirteen this week. All I could seem to come up with was a thirteen point bullet list on ways to sedate my children and I was afraid that might get me into a little trouble. I’m only kidding. Maybe. haha.
It has been a while since I highlighted anything on a Friday Finding. I tell you this one is totally worth checking out for anyone who lives in this area of the sticks. A friend of mine had mentioned this place to me in the past and I had meant to go check it out multiple times but I had never followed through. Well, I followed through earlier this week and I tell you it was fantastic.
If you live around here you should go down to Paris, Tennessee. Once you get to the court square, go to Jack Jones Florists and Gifts. In the loft area of Jack Jones is Studio J.
But what IS Studio J? It’s a relaxing little corner of reality. They have figurines ranging from tiny little dogs to giant serving bowls. Chip and dip platters, to piggy banks. Christmas ornaments to skateboards. All of which are blank canvases for creative people of all ages. There are three full shelves of paints, a dozen containers of paint brushes and mounds of stamping and stenciling tools. Aprons, paper towels, fans, and a portable CD player; all for your use.
For a $5 studio fee you can paint as many of these items as you want in a day. All of the items have really reasonable prices. I think the most expensive I picked up was about $21 and the cheapest was a bearable $3. I’m sure one of the largest items was probably more expensive, but really very reasonable if you have it in your budget (I don’t, but that’s me). You can take as long as you want and sit there for every bit of 8 hours if you choose. You get to paint and decorate your selected item however you decide to do it, then when you are finished you take your item downstairs to the ladies at the front of the store. Pay for your item and they take the item for the final touches. This is the part that takes a little longer, so don’t plan on taking your treasure home with you that day. The employees of Studio J/Jack Jones will put a special protective glaze on your item, then slow fire/cure it in the kiln for a full 24 hours. The end result? Something that looks close to a masterpiece (dishwasher safe even!).
I spent two hours or so painting a spoon ladle for my grandmother for Christmas. I enjoyed every bit of that two and a half hours. It has been several days, but I get to pick up my item today. It seems I’m nowhere near one of a few people who have already found this hidden treasure trove. If you decide to check Studio J out I would recommend going in with the expectations of waiting a week for your item to be complete, but it is worth the wait.
They even host painting parties! If you have a kid, I would say any over the age of 6 could have a little birthday party there. Some of the items require a little more time because you need to do multiple layers, as with any painting project, to get to the end. Or, you can get a group of your momma friends together and just have a nice outing together to sit and chat and make something for someone else, or something for your own home. Personally, I’m planning on going back down by myself sometime for the serenity of it all.
No, this isn’t a paid advertisement of any sort. I just really thought it was worthy of some extra attention. 
They don’t have a website but here are the specifics:
Jack Jones Flowers and Gifts~ Studio J
118 North Market Street
Paris, TN 38242
Phone: 731-642-5251
I believe their hours were 8 or 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday, and 9am to 2pm? on Saturday. Closed on Sunday. You can call their phone number to check on that though. Let me know if you go! I’d really like to hear about your experience.
Tags:ceramics, crafts, Jack Jones Flowers and Gifts, painting, Paris, Studio J, Tennessee.
