Free Lunch!

The park where the boys take swimming lessons is one of a few in the city that participates in a summer nutrition program for kids. One lady I've been visiting with during swimming lessons said she lets her two grandchildren play on the playground after lessons, then have the free lunch. She didn't want to at first because she thought they may be taking a needed meal from someone else, but the man who works that park said the more people he serves, the more funding he gets to do it.

She said they serve a variety of hot and cold lunches. Monday was steak fingers, mashed potatoes, green beans, and chocolate milk. I don't remember what Tuesday's lunch was. We decided to stay for it Wednesday, which ended up being turkey and cheese sandwiches on wheat bread, apples, fruit juice, and chocolate milk. (I think there's chocolate milk every day, which Caleb doesn't like. I end up drinking his milk and he drinks from the water fountain.)

Today's lunch was hamburger pizza, corn (YES! I know! Pizza and corn, just like in school!), and soggy tater tots. And chocolate milk. Caleb ate everything except for a few bites of his pizza; Jacob only ate a few bites of his. I told them we'd keep doing that after swimming lessons as long as they eat the food. Once they start picking at it and wasting it, we'll stop.

It's a great program. There are so many kids that just hang out at the park all day, unsupervised. The guy who works that park brings a few board games, some crayons and coloring books, and a few basketballs so the kids will have a variety of things to do. He also provides a visible adult presence to keep down any misconduct. It's too bad all the parks throughout the cities in the Metroplex can't do something like that, but as long as some parks in not-so-great areas are covered, it's a vast improvement.

San Antonio: Sea World

Good news: We made it to Sea World!

Bad news: We got there over an hour after the park opened. Closing time: 6:00 p.m.

Good news: Daddy had pre-purchased tickets online, so we didn't have to wait in line to get ours. We were able to go right through the turnstile.

Bad news: Instead of planning our day around the shows we wanted to see, we just went here and there willy-nilly and ended up missing out on a few shows and exhibits.

Good news: In spite of all that, we had a blast! I'm ready to go back!

In a nutshell:
1. The Budweiser Clydesdales are beautiful! And HUGE!

2. We fed the dolphins some fish and tried our best to pet them, but they were just always out of reach. I think maybe Melissa got to touch one. I couldn't lean across the wall very far because my purse would've gone splashing into the tank, and I didn't want to set it down and risk losing it or getting it wet. Otherwise I think I would've been able to reach one. Maybe next time...

3. Shamu's show Believe was good, but not as great as the show I remember seeing as a child. I really wanted to see the trainers swim with the orcas. Still it was good seeing how the whales and their trainers interacted.

4. Rio Loco is great! We all got soaked at the waterfall. Luckily we had enough foresight to rent a locker to stash our stuff so it would be nice and dry. It was the boys' first theme park ride and they loved it. Jacob was scared to get on at first and was fighting me when it was time to get in our raft, but my dad picked him up and he settled right down. In the end, though, he wanted to ride again.

5. Daddy made friends with a macaw, who bobbed up and down every time he shook out his wet handkerchief.

6. We all liked Viva! better than Believe. Dolphins and belugas jumped and did flips while divers dove from scary heights and acrobats performed on wires and rings above the water. A diving clown also provided some comic relief.

7. There were a lot of places to choose our lunch, but we didn't want to venture halfway across the park to find something. We found something near where we were and really enjoyed our food. The boys got kids' meals in plastic Shamu lunch boxes, but they didn't eat much because of all the excitement. Daddy got a tasty-looking Caesar salad with grilled chicken. The rest of us got "healthy" bacon cheeseburgers and fries. Mmmmmm-mmmm good! We had some watermelon slices for a fresh, cool dessert.

8. The boys had a lot of fun playing at Shamu's Happy Harbor. There was a huge rope net for climbing, all sorts of tunnels and bridges and slides, a ship, some sandboxes, and several scaled-down versions of adult rides. The boys rode their first roller coaster - Shamu Express - and Caleb was hooked. He also liked riding the Paint Mixer with my dad. He loves anything that spins really fast! Jacob's favorite ride was one that went up and down really fast. They spent a long time playing at the harbor with my parents in tow.

9. While the boys played at the harbor, my sisters and I went to ride The Great White: "Texas' first inverted steel roller coaster! You'll dangle your legs from ski-lift-style seats and go heels-over-head five times during more than 2,500 feet of breathtaking loops, corkscrews and other thrilling maneuvers at speeds of almost 50 mph!" I was nervous at first because I can't remember the last time I rode a coaster. But it was so much fun, we ended up riding three times in a row. After our last time, we thought we knew what "shaken baby syndrome" feels like.

10. Melissa went back to Shamu's Happy Harbor while Lindsay and I went through the penguin exhibit. It was really cool and colorful inside, but the smell wasn't that great.

11. We were running out of time, so after the boys finished riding a few more rides and climbing the nets, we headed back toward the entrance/exit to visit the shark aquarium and the coral reef. It was really relaxing being inside the coolness again, and we got to see all sorts of fish. One of the medium-sized fish had a large chunk bitten out of its back. We saw another one with a similar-looking scar. Guess they don't feed their sharks enough... :o)

12. Almost as an afterthought, we realized we needed to find a souvenir shop. The boys had seen stuffed Shamus and each wanted one. I wanted to find some T-shirts for us. Then I remembered I wanted to get some playing cards. We had to go to three different shops before we found those! (My mom and sisters and I collect playing cards. Comes in really handy for playing Nerts, where everyone needs a different-looking deck. It also makes it easy to sort out the cards after a game of Nines.)

We left just as the park was closing at 6:00 p.m. The next day, it was going to start staying open until 8:00 p.m. We could've really used those extra two hours, but we were exhausted. Our clothes had dried out and the boys were getting a little grumpy. And we were getting really hot.

After we got back to the hotel, we went for a dip in the pool, then went out to Chick-Fil-A for supper. (We found it this time.) After we got back from there, we all got together for a short game of Nines before heading to bed.

Enjoy these pictures of our Sea World adventure.

Summer Plans

I never truly realized how busy the summer can be!

We just finished a week of VBS yesterday, and I also got the boys signed up for swimming lessons for July 7-17. In addition to that, there are 2 scheduled play dates with my old Bible study group members' children, as well as 2 scheduled ladies' nights with the group.

I didn't want to forget anything, so I got out my planner and started putting all that info in. Then I found a flyer advertising the Summer Movie Camp program at a local Cinemark theater, where certain G- and PG-rated movies will be showing for $1 admission. AMC has a similar program, too. They're showing basically the same movies, but on different dates. Some of the movies I don't particularly care for, so I made out my own schedule based on the offerings of 3 different theaters.

Plus, I have to work in a trip to Six Flags so Caleb and I can use the free tickets we got through a reading program. We're also in reading programs for the summer, so there's no telling what other fun things we'll end up "earning" tickets to. (I think there are some free passes to Texas Stadium in there somewhere...)

Now we've got several things to do every week this summer, in addition to our regular weekly library trips. I'm getting tired just looking at my planner.

Memorable Monday!

Today I got to pet my most favorite animal in the world! And she ate from my hand, too!

My mom and sisters went with the boys and me to Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, TX, today to attend a homeschool event.

At 10:00, we loaded into the Fossil Rim tour bus with two other families and went down to a fossil pit to dig for two hours. It had been cloudy on our drive down, but once we got there, the skies were clear and the temps were climbing.

Thankfully we managed to find a small shady spot. I really wasn't sure what to look for at first, but once I found a few fossils, it was easy. A few I found just by standing there and looking at the ground! Each person was allowed to keep 4 fossils from all they found.

After searching for fossils for 2 hours, we rode the bus back to the overlook for a picnic and a little time to cool down in the shade. We enjoyed PB&J sandwiches (Mama had turkey or ham), string cheese, pretzel sticks, carrot sticks, orange slices, and chocolate chip cookies. Yum! While we rested, the boys played a little in a sand box, then Caleb and Melissa played tag in a rock garden.

At 1:00, we boarded the bus again for a guided tour of the wildlife center. This was by far our favorite part! We started out in the pasture with zebras, giraffes, and different types of deer and antelope. Another pasture was home to about 33 cheetahs. A third pasture held ostriches, white rhinos, and more deer and antelope. (Oh give me a home...) A fourth pasture held emus and more deer and antelope. We ended our guided tour with one last drive among the zebras and giraffes - and finally got to feed a giraffe from our hands! That was the perfect ending! (Jacob missed it. He was so tired from everything that he fell asleep on one of the bus seats.)

Jason Castro Day

Yesterday was Jason Castro Day in Rockwall, complete with a parade through town and a free "concert" at the amphitheater at The Harbor. The boys and I went with our friends, the Thompsons, for the concert.

We got there early enough to let all the boys play in the sprinkler park for a while. It was so crowded, but they had a great time. Caleb, Jacob, and Mason mostly stayed together on the fringe of all the activity, but Matthew got right there in the middle of everything. He had a blast! It was hard keeping an eye on all the boys, but Caleb and Jacob had on bright orange and yellow shirts, so they were fairly easy to spot.

After about 20 minutes or so, we got the boys rounded up and went to find a place to picnic while we waited for the concert to begin. After we ate, we found a spot closer to the stage. The boys were disappointed that we couldn't see Jason from where we were. We couldn't hear from there, either, so we moved again. As it turned out, we weren't missing anything yet. There was about 30 minutes worth of speeches (from his "manager", the mayor, and a few other local bigwigs) and presentations of a key to the city and other awards. Then there were a few interview questions. The boys did remarkably well during all this. I think it helped that they found a small cedar tree nearby they kept trying to climb.

Finally it was time for him to sing! He started off with "Daydream", then proceeded to sing something I didn't recognize. Then there was a brief "intermission" - a short speech and prayer by his pastor. Jason took to the stage again to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", complete with ukelele, and ended his set with "Deep in the Heart of Texas". I thought for sure he would sing "Hallelujah". I was really hoping he would. But no, he was done. Another band started tuning up for their 7:30 performance.

At one point during the concert, we found a spot where we could catch a glimpse of him. We took turns holding the boys up so they could see him, too. I think that satisfied them - and thankfully they didn't ask to be held up too many times. They're too heavy for that! Oh, and when I got my camera out to try to snap a shot of him onstage, I realized my battery was dead. Go figure! That always seems to happen...

I thought it was really neat that Jason arrived at the amphitheater via sailboat on Lake Ray Hubbard. Once he reached the pier, he walked along touching hands until he reached the walkway leading to the stage. I wish we had known he was coming in that way! We heard several girls talking about how he had touched their hands or how they had touched his hair, followed by, "I'll never wash this hand again!" It was funny seeing the teenage guys there, too. Mostly they were following their girlfriends around and saying (in high-pitched voices), "Oh! Jason Caaasssstroooo!"

Jason did really well at his "concert" - much better than he did on his last few appearances on American Idol. My friend Kim goes to his church and had heard that he wasn't happy in Hollywood, that he didn't like the fast pace or the pressures of being there. Apparently he intentionally didn't do well during his later performances because he wanted to come home and was trying to get voted off. I recall Simon saying something about him looking relieved when he had been voted off. He did, and apparently was.

It was interesting seeing all the people there, all different ages and races. The news reported "thousands of fans" were there, but I don't know if there was much of a way to count that crowd, unless the news helicopters circling overhead were doing it somehow. There were those who went to see and those who went to be seen... I saw one woman (probably late 40s or early 50s) strolling around in a bikini. Her motto must be you can never be too dark. She didn't have a healthy tan; it was more like she'd burned to a crisp, only she wasn't red.

All in all, it was a fun evening. My only regret is that I didn't think beforehand to recharge my camera battery!

And a bonus: I got home in time to watch the last hour and forty minutes of the LOST finale. When it was over, I went back and watched the first 20 minutes. (I remembered to record it so Billy can see it when he gets back from his trip.)

Up in the Air

Billy called on his way home one afternoon and told us to look up in the sky near the house. The boys were thrilled to see this blimp, and even more so after it turned and they saw Snoopy on its side.

A few windy days later, we went to one of our favorite parks to fly our kites. I made the mistake of getting the boys' plastic kites out at the same time, and the whipping wind caught the tails and string and got them tangled beyond repair. I tossed them back in the van and we took turns flying my kite instead.

How Many Mes?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 144 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

*There are 481,616 people in the U.S. with the first name Ashley.
*Statistically the 114th most popular first name.
*95.58 percent of people with the first name Ashley are female.
I don't think I've ever met a guy with my first name. The closest I've come was a boy I taught in 6th and 7th grades many years ago. His name was Ashton.

*There are 91,158 people in the U.S. with the last name Todd.
*Statistically the 357th most popular last name.

I used to be nonexistent, according to that website. My maiden name isn't in their database. Sorry, Mama, Daddy, Melissa, Lindsay, Josh, Josef, etc.

Now for Billy:
*There are 115 people in the U.S. named Billy Todd.
I know two of them!
*There are 382,862 people in the U.S. with the first name Billy.
*Statistically the 145th most popular first name.
*98.41 percent of people with the first name Billy are male.

I thought Caleb's name would've been more popular:
*There are 34,944 people in the U.S. with the first name Caleb.
*Statistically the 975th most popular first name.
*There are only 10 people in the U.S. named Caleb Todd.

Jacob's name was more popular:
*There are 250,683 people in the U.S. with the first name Jacob.
*Statistically the 259th most popular first name.
*There are 75 people in the U.S. named Jacob Todd.

Other fun statistics:
*There are 906 people in the U.S. with the name Charlie Brown.
*There are 1,303 named George Washington.
*There are 299 named John Doe.
*There are only 23 named Jane Doe.
*There are 50,178 named John Smith.
*There are 50,865 named James Smith, the most popular first and last names.

How many of you are there?

ht: PoMonkey

Nines

You'd think I had nothing better to do today since this is my third post, but I've been busy. I've even made a cake! We're taking a cream cheese blueberry pound cake to the New Year's Eve Fellowship tonight. Of course, after I got home from the grocery store, I thought of another cake I would've liked to have made, but it's a new idea and I don't want to use the congregation as guinea pigs...

A few weeks ago, our good friends Jay and Allison taught us a card game they had recently learned - Nines, or Nine Card Golf (no relation to Golf Solitaire). It was a blast! We taught my parents, my sister Melissa, and my cousin's husband Rusty last week. In fact, Billy and I played Nines with my parents for about 4 hours the day after Christmas! Since then, my parents have taught my other two sisters to play, and they're planning to teach some good friends of theirs to play tonight while they wait to ring in the new year. My sisters may even teach their friends at their New Year's Eve party (parties?). It's spreading like wildfire!

One thing we discussed while we were playing was how the game would work with just two people. We talked over different options and decided we'd have to try them to see what worked best.

Last night after the boys went to bed, Billy and I got out some decks of cards and started experimenting. The first few games were one grid each with one deck. It went too fast and wasn't as much fun as the game we had been playing.

Next we played one grid each with two decks. Better, but still not very challenging.

Our next variation was to play two grids each (using two decks), but to alternate our grids on each turn. That proved to be too confusing. Billy and I kept forgetting which one we were supposed to be playing. Finally I came up with the idea to lean one direction or the other, but it just didn't work well.

Next we tried playing with the same layout, but we could choose to play either grid. The trick was to make sure you played your two grids evenly and not end up with one uncovered and one with tons of hidden points. (Low score wins.) That round was the best! We now can play it with just two people and still be challenged by it. We call it "Double Nines".

We'll probably ring in the new year tonight playing Double Nines and watching the CSI marathon on Spike TV. Don't we lead exciting lives? ;o)

If you managed to make it through this post and still have no idea what I'm talking about, I applaud you. I probably would have quit after the first time I saw the word grid. For your reward, Billy and I will teach you how to play Nines (or Double Nines) next time we see you. All you need are two decks of cards (preferably the same size) and some paper for keeping score. Aren't you glad you stuck around?

10 Best Games

Today's Ten on Tuesday list is the 10 Best Games - video, board, card, etc. Since I've already made a list of 13 computer games, I'll stick with board and card games today.

1. Apples to Apples - I love this game! I've played it with anywhere from 3 to 9 people and it's always a blast!

2. Nerts - Billy doesn't like this card game, so I have to play it with my parents and my sisters. It's like a speed version of group solitaire.

3. Balderdash- This is a hoot! You come up with crazy definitions or explanations for random initials, people, movies, etc. Always lots of laughs, but you need to have a lot of imagination!

4. Scrabble - Classic.

5. Scattergories - Another classic. Bible Scattergories is fun too, but quite a bit harder. Especially when playing against a seminary student... :o)

6. Phase 10 (and Phase 10 Dice) - I love playing this with Caleb now. He loves games as much as I do. This was his first "big person" game to learn. Once I've been playing the dice game for a while, though, it's hard to switch gears to the cards again.

7. Whoonu - Caleb got this Cranium game last Christmas and we've really enjoyed playing it. You select a card from the four in your hand that you think the "Whoozit" likes best. When all players have submitted their choices, the Whoozit ranks them from least to most favorite. You get points based on your ranking.

8. Trivial Pursuit - So many versions - and I like most of them! My head is full of random facts, so trivia games are perfect for me... I was just thinking the other day how Billy and I need to watch all the LOTR movies, then play our LOTR Trivial Pursuit. Maybe that'll be something good for our New Year's Day party...

9. Mancala - This is a great strategy game for two people. Travis and Wendy taught us to play at a game night our small group had about 6 or 7 years ago.

10. Scopa - (Italian for "sweep") Glenn and Amy taught Billy how to play this card game at that same game night. Scopa cards are hard to come by, but we finally found some. I think we got them on eBay.

Since I'm on a roll, I'll go ahead and add a few more. Then I can count it as my Thursday Thirteen, too.
Bonus:

11. Pocket Farkel - Mr. Ginger and PoMonkey gave us this for Christmas one year. It's a tiny dice game housed in a film canister. It's not like Yahtzee, and there's some strategy involved. It's addicting! I bet Caleb would like this game...

12. Rush Hour - Caleb got this game for his birthday a few years ago. You place little plastic cars on a grid, then move them up and down or back and forth to get a particular car out of the traffic jam. It's a great logic game, but can sometimes be frustrating.

13. Cranium - I can't forget this one! It's not my favorite, but I do like to play. It's been a while. Maybe that will be a good one for New Year's Day...

There are so many more that I didn't include (Imaginiff, Scene It?, Loaded Questions, Rook, Planet Hollywood, etc.), but I need to stop now. What are some of your favorite games?

I didn't see that coming!

That should be the tagline for Lost. I didn't see that coming! Billy and I have said that at the end of many episodes - and often during them. There have also been some moments where I have been so intensely focused on the show that something happens and makes me jump!

We've finished watching the first 2 seasons and are now watching season 3 online. We'll definitely be caught up in time to watch season 4 when it begins in early February. It comes on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. (CST), so we've decided to temporarily give up CSI: NY when the new season of Lost starts airing. It's that good.

Neither Billy nor I can remember a television show that had us so entranced. In fact, we're wondering what we're going to do when we can only watch one episode a week instead of several...

You've got to check this out!

Billy was searching on iTunes Saturday evening and found the band ApologetiX. They're great! They're like the Weird Al of Christian music! We listened to several music samples and kept saying how we had to share them with some friends we know would love it: Taran, PoMonkey, Mr. Ginger, Jay and Allison,... I think Cindy and Geeding would get a kick out of them, too!

If you like music from the 70's, 80's, and 90's, you've got to check them out. Listen to some samples on iTunes. Read some lyrics. Laugh and sing along.

Please join me in my nerdiness.

By testing your vocabulary and learning new words, you can help feed the hungry.

The sponsors that appear at the bottom of the screen have signed on to donate funds to help the United Nations provide Free Rice to poverty-stricken countries.

I've played the last two days, donating about 2,400 grains of rice. Yes, I'm a nerd. I love word and vocabulary games. I like to try to take apart each word, to examine the prefix, root, and suffix, to determine its meaning. I've been hovering around levels 37 and 38. I've got more to do with my time, but the nerd in me finds this too much fun to ignore. At least I'm helping someone out while I'm doing it.

ht: Bag of Nothing

Little Blue Ball

My workout buddy Kim called last night to say she wouldn't make it today. She had popped her knee out earlier in the day and figured it would be sore and stiff today. I was determined to go in anyway to keep in the habit.

I woke up to rain shortly before 6:00 this morning. It was raining harder when the boys and I began our school day. I was so tempted to stay in, but I knew if I did, I would feel lousy for it. As soon as we finished, we headed out. In the rain.

All the way there, I kept thinking, I should have just stayed home. The traffic on the interstate was slow, but since it wasn't at a standstill, I decided to stay on it instead of detouring and taking an extra 10 minutes or so to get there. I was already cutting it close for the boys' reservation time in the "Kids Clubhouse". Besides, since seminary students and family members aren't allowed to work out during the peak lunch hour time there, I would have to be out around 11:30. I wanted to get in as much of my hour as possible. By the time we got there, the rain had slacked up, the sky was looking a little lighter, and I was feeling better about getting out.

I stowed my purse and gym bag and headed straight for the racquetball courts, but they were both taken. I decided to bike for a while, so I rode about 3 1/2 miles (22 minutes). I had my iPod with me, so I enjoyed listening to a little Daughtry. Then I started playing through the alphabetical song list. I had noticed my heart rate had gotten up to near 130 bpm. Then a Josh Groban song came on and my heart rate dropped to 123. The next song was by Kutless, and I was soon back up to 130. My rpms varied slightly during the song changes, but not enough to really alter my heart rate. I think it was just the effect of the music. Interesting... I think I'll test it again next week.

I checked the courts again when I finished with the bike and they were empty. I went in, stored my gear in the safe box in the wall, and spent the next 20 minutes hitting that little blue ball back and forth. What a feeling! I had really been missing playing, so it was great to get in there and sweat and MOVE!

I wonder how sore I'll be tomorrow...

What Not to Say

The boys and I stopped by Wal-Mart on our way home to pick up groceries for the next week. Jacob climbed up on one of the large refrigerated bins in the middle of the aisle and studied the packages and packages of ground beef stacked in it. After looking at it a few seconds, he yelled out, "Are those worms?!?"

13 Time-Wasters

Today's Thursday Thirteen: 13 computer games I find myself playing when I have other things I should be doing. Or sometimes when I'm just winding down for the night.

1. Arithmetiles - This is the latest game of choice. The highest I've gotten is level 27, and that was only once. Most other times I lose around level 22 or 23.

2. Crazy Cube - I really enjoyed playing this game at first; then I got stuck on level 16. Somehow I passed it and finished the game (30 levels), but I haven't been able to get past level 16 again. It's frustrating, but I'm determined to figure it out one of these days.

3. Sudoku - I'm hooked. I'll admit I haven't played this in a while, but I'll probably get back to it again soon. Caleb likes to watch me play and help me with it sometimes. He's even got his own "Sudoku for Kids" puzzle book. (He also likes to help me work logic puzzles.)

4. Letter Rip - It's like Arithmetiles, only you make words.

5. Diner Dash - I haven't played this one in a while, but it was fun.

6. Speed Marbles - This game is so addictive! Even the boys like to play it from time to time.

7. Billiards Classic - This is a great game to wind down with in the evenings. It's frustrating to play against the computer, so I mostly play against myself.

8. Mini Golf Classic - Mini golf is fun whether you're playing it on a course or on the computer!

9. Mah-Jongg - This was probably one of the first computer games I got hooked on. I think it was one of Caleb's, too.

10. Bookworm - Another fun word game.

11. Alchemy - I also have this game on my hard drive so I don't have to play it online. It's addictive, too.

12. Hidden Expedition: Mt. Everest - This is like the "I Spy" games, only harder. There are also a few other hidden picture games like this. I only play the free online part of the game. There's not much to those, but they have a few different puzzles to go through each time.

13. Inspector Parker - I finally found a fun, online logic puzzle game. I can play this for hours. I shouldn't, but I just get caught up in it sometimes...

There are other games I like to play from time to time, too, but these are my favorites. I may go for weeks or months without playing certain ones, then go back. Others I may play some every day.

What do you like to play?

iGot an iPod!

Billy bought a new Mac laptop today, and he was able to get a free iPod with his educational discount. Since he already has one, and since iWill be going back to the gym in the fall, he let me choose the one iWanted. iPicked red!

Now iJust have to learn how to use it!

Roly Poly

Billy and I went to NorthPark Center last night. Since they've finished adding on, it's become a really great mall. It used to not be child-friendly at all - no children's stores (other than clothing stores, but boys don't like those!), no food court (only La Madeleine and other upscale eateries). The only thing of interest they had for children was the small indoor "pond" with a few ducks and turtles.

In fact, it wasn't too me-friendly, either. Most of the stores were upscale and unaffordable. The anchor department stores that I could afford were the same ones I could find closer to home, so I rarely went there. But now they've added other stores that the ordinary person can afford to shop in.

There's a great toy store there now called Puzzle Zoo. It's got a lot of the usual toy store stuff, but they also carry retro and unique items - and the prices are pretty comparable to other toy stores, too. It's going to be our new birthday and Christmas shopping place!

There's also a food court an International Food Plaza. There's the usual: Chick-Fil-A and Sonic. Then there are the really fun, unique options: Which Wich?; Snappy Salads; The Original Soup Man (the Soup Nazi!); Tin Star Taco Bar; Famous Famiglia; Panda Express; and Hibachi-San.

We couldn't pass up a chance to eat food from a Japanese grill, fast-food style. We haven't been anywhere like our beloved Shogun in Shreveport since we moved to Dallas. Our closest Japanese restaurant is just a sushi bar, and I don't like sushi. (Yes, I've tried it.) The food from Hibachi-San was delicious! (The chef, Pedro, did a great job!) Billy chose steak; I chose chicken and steak. It was served on a bed of fried rice, with stir-fried vegetables on the side. We also split an order of dumplings, which were pretty good. I ate way too much food, but it was so good I couldn't stop myself. I was truly miserable when I finally got up from the table.

For dessert, you also have many options: Great American Cookie Co.; Cold Stone Creamery; Auntie Anne's; Jamba Juice; CrepeMaker; and Peciugo Italian Gelato. I had paid particular attention to Paciugo as we walked by on our way to the food court International Food Plaza. We even turned around and went back to look over their extensive flavor offerings before we made it to the restaurant section. It looked so tempting, I was determined to try some after we ate - but the food from Hibachi-San was so good, I completely forgot! I was disappointed as we rounded the corner again and I realized that I was too full for even a sample bite of that creamy Italian treat. Billy chose his three flavors: Tiramisu, Amaretto (I think), and Cinnamon. He said they made a great combination. I don't know what three I would have chosen. There were so many! Hopefully we'll make it by there again soon so I can try some. Maybe I'll eat dessert first!