A Different Zoo Every Year

Good Wednesday morning!

NOTE #1: I know it isn't Thursday (Weekend Family Fun), but I wanted you to know the Argo Drive-In is showing Night at the Museum 2 this week. The show starts at 8:10 and it costs $10 a carload except for Wednesday night ($5 a carload). Starting this Friday, July 3, they are going to start showing Ice Age 3. I just wanted everyone to know in case you get a chance to go the next two nights. (Also, we've been on the 4th of July before, and it was INCREDIBLY crowded with a new movie. Plan on getting there at least an hour early, or maybe even 90 minutes early. Take your dinner, bug spray and a Frisbee and just relax until the movie starts if you go this weekend.) WARNING: Always call first to make sure nothing has changed. (467-3434)

NOTE #2: Don't forget to go by Arby's today for your FREE Beef and Cheddar Sandwich with the purchase of a soft drink.

NOTE #3: If you go to the Galleria fairly often, sign up for the Godiva Reward Club. They offer coupons, etc., but the REAL DEAL is... (DRUM ROLL, PLEASE) you get a free piece of chocolate each month. That's right. You're just minding your own business, and you're shopping till you drop when you walk past the Godiva Chocolate Shop in the food court and you remember, "I GET A FREE PIECE OF CHOCOLATE THIS MONTH!" And you go inside and hand them your card... and they give you a truffle or something comparable... and you just feel better! Ahh! It's a nice, little FREE thing.

Last night, Roxie and I sat down to watch Free Willy. Do you remember that movie? (Little Known Fact: I love whales.) We borrowed the video from Roxie's friend, Ally, and turned it on. I did not remember Michael Jackson performed the title song for Free Willy. At the beginning of the video, there was Michael, singing and dancing. So amazing. So, so sad.

It was a very good movie though. It makes me want to go to Sea World again. We'll probably try to watch Free Willy 2 tomorrow night. Ally had both of them!

Where in the world is Mike and Austin?

I know you're probably ready for them to be home, too, so I'll stop talking about their whereabouts. But until they come through the door, that's the subject for the week.

Yesterday they went to the Washington, D.C. International Zoo. They were going to stay there part of the day, see a couple more monuments, the Library of Congress, etc., but they never left the zoo. All day long! (Which is how I like to visit a zoo. I don't like to rush through.) They saw one panda. We've never been to a zoo that had a panda exhibit, but I've ALWAYS wanted to see one. When we were in Memphis last fall, we didn't plan on going to the zoo, but on our last day we bumped into a family and they were talking about their visit to the zoo... and guess what? THERE'S A PANDA AT THE MEMPHIS ZOO! Argh! So close and yet so far.

But, I will live vicariously through Austin and Mikie. They saw a panda and that will have to be good enough for me. For those of you who don't know, Austin worked at the Birmingham Zoo from the time he was 13 until he was 16 with two of his friends (Daniel, Robin's son, and Andrew). He loved volunteering there.

They are tired tonight. Tomorrow is going to be an incredibly full and busy day. They are planning on seeing the Library of Congress, the Archives, the rest of the monuments, take the White House Tour first thing tomorrow morning and eat at one more famous Washington restaurant before they call it a day! "But what about the Spy Museum? Didn't you say Austin wanted to go to the Spy Museum?"

Yes. Yes, I did. They're saving the best for last (which can be a disaster if things don't work out just right), but they are going there Thursday morning before starting a two-day trek home. And while they haven't seen EVERYTHING Washington, D.C. has to offer, they have definitely made a dent. They've gone at their own slow, "plaque reading" pace without me behind them saying, "Let's go!" and taking a picture of the plaque for them to read when they get home. (Code for THEY ARE HAPPY WITH THEIR TRIP.)

And that takes us to our Seasonal Tradition for this week.

A Different Zoo Every Year

If there is something special your family enjoys, make plans to see a different one around the same time each year or two. I put the word "Zoo" in the title, but it could be anything.

I read about a father and two sons who loved baseball. They went to different famous baseball stadiums together and had their pictures taken at each one.

Some people may love small town festivals. This would be an easy one because in our area alone, there are probably a dozen. You wouldn't have to go very far, and they all have different themes. (We've attended festivals in Cullman, Decatur, Dothan, Gardendale, Demopolis, etc., and we weren't even trying to see a different one each year.)

Josh has a goal of attending a football game at a different SEC stadium each year with his dad and brother. So far he's been to three different ones the last three years. He may miss one here and there, but it's something he plans and looks forward to each year around the same time.

My sister, Bev, and her family are trying out new campgrounds right now. They'll be going to their second "new" campground this summer in just a few days, and she has plans for them to try several others.

The kids and I love zoos. (Mikie just "likes" them.) We've been to The Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, The Atlanta Zoo, The Birmingham Zoo, and I would count the Wild Animal Safari Park near Callaway Gardens as a zoo, too. (We are close to the Montgomery Zoo and we could have gone to the zoos in Memphis and Nashville if I had planned our itinerary a little differently.) If you wanted to add Aquariums to the mix, we've been to Sea World, Atlanta, Gatlinburg and Chattanooga. (Mike and I went to one in Baltimore on our honeymoon, too. NOTE: I didn't go to sleep at the Aquarium. I LOVE aquariums!)

All of the things I mentioned above have "just happened." They haven't been planned or specifically chosen each and every year. But they could very easily have been.

I talked to a friend this week who has been to several restaurants their family has seen on Drive-Ins, Diners and Dives. We have "accidentally" been to three or four of these restaurants ourselves.

Talk to your family and "pick" a yearly destination. It doesn't have to be a major trip, and it doesn't have to cost major money. Here's a list of some ideas. Feel free to add some of your own (and share with us if you like).

Zoos
Aquariums
Small Town Festivals
County Fairs
College Football Games (Away)
Minor League or Major League Baseball Games (Away)
Water Parks
Farms
State Capitols
Campgrounds
Botanical Gardens

Have a beautiful Wednesday. I'm loving this humidity-free week. I'm not expecting it to last very long... but I am loving it! Check in tomorrow for Weekend Family Fun, another update on Mikie and Austin, and a very "doable" date.

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.