Three fun things to do in NC

We've done some new fun things lately and I thought I'd share. Because other people like to have fun, too. And who am I to hold them back?

1. The NC Zoo

Ok, this wasn't actually new to us, but it was Caroline's first visit. She is way into birds right now. Loves to point at them when she sees them flying about. So I was all excited to take her into the aviary.

She liked it, but wasn't as pumped as
I was expecting.
Brandon and Whit were ready to move on.

They were thrilled to find this new statue
of the dung beetle. (I think this artist is
still young at heart.)

"Those crazy kids."

They have a really cool carousel with giraffes,
gorillas, lions, etc.

Our kids chose....
the nest.
It did spin around.
Which was cool.

The closest we got to a family picture--
taken in the rearview mirror of the tram.

2. The NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Andrew and I have learned the hard way over the years that you get what you pay for. So when we heard that this museum was FREE, we didn't have our expectations set too high.

Wow. We were blown away. It rocked!

Help! We're being eaten by the fossilized jaws of
a giant shark!

They have a butterfly exhibit.
One of them got up close and friendly with Andrew.

Caroline did lots and lots of pointing and grunting.
Her favorite forms of communication.

This giant praying mantis is friendly...right?

Aaagh! Now the T-Rex skull is attacking!
Sheesh!

We survived all the scary exhibits and would
go back in a heartbeat. Highly recommend it.

3. The Melting Pot

While Marianne was here, Andrew volunteered to watch the kids one night so we could go out. We debated between getting pedicures or going out for fondue. Our stomachs won.

It was 70's night at our local Melting Pot.

We hit the thrift store and tried to look
as groovy as possible. We decided a lot of the
styles that are in right now are 70-ish.
I could get away with wearing this shirt
on a normal day, right? Right?

We started off with appetizers. We dipped
bread and apples into the cheese of our choice.
It was made with beer.
We wondered if we needed to talk to our
bishops after that. Our waiter assured
us that all the alcohol burns off.
We took his word for it and wolfed it down.

Then salads with a crumbly cheese that
neither of us was too fond of.

Then the main course.
They bring it out uncooked.
(But they don't like the word "raw.")
And we got to cook it ourselves in our little pot.
(Ingenious! Let's make our customers pay big
bucks and make them cook their food themselves!)
Neither of us is a very adventurous eater.
They served ravioli, Ahi Tuna, shrimp, and BBQ pork.

We felt very brave when we tried the shrimp.
It was more like a dare than a meal.
I could only eat the one.
But the tuna and pork were surprisingly tasty!

But far and away my favorite part was...
the chocolate.
It was almost too pretty to eat.
Almost.

Cheesecake + rice krispy treats + strawberries + chocolate=
two very happy and very full friends.