JOMA's Travels

Kite Festival @ River Legacy Park

2011-03-14T17:37:00.000-05:00

Just last weekend, we went to a Kite Festival in the Elm Grove Pavilion Area in the River Legacy Park in Arlington, Texas. Its our first time to visit the park. Admission is free. There's a nearby Science Center where admission is free as well but donations are very much accepted. The park is open daily from 5am to 10pm (vehicular traffic) 12am (pedestrian traffic).

The Kite Festival is done annually and being hosted by the Arlington Parks and Recreation. It has been years already since we have flown a kite. So when we heard about this event, we can't help but check it out.
When we arrived, we saw a lot of families enjoying their kites. From young to old, people enjoyed flying their kites.

The weather was just perfect. The wind cooperated. A lot of colorful kites soared up in the sky.

We were amazed how kites can take different shapes, styles and color. Too bad we didn't see any kites made up of grocery bags or newspaper and sticks since that's how we used to do it before. :)

Flying a kite brings back the joys of childhood: simple family time, away from work and away from the computers. I hope we can fly a kite again in the near future.

Texas State Capitol

2011-02-20T01:02:00.000-06:00

It was a beautiful sunny February afternoon when we decided to have 3-hr drive to finally see the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas. Actually we drove south to eat again in Salt Lick Barbecue and since the Capitol Complex is in the heart of downtown Austin, which is 30-minutes away from Salt Lick in Round Rock, it was a perfect complement to our.

Since this is our first time to visit the capitol, our main objective was to enjoy the magnificent architecture of the capitol building. Here are some of our shots.

North View of the Capitol

We visited California State Capitol before but we were not able to enter the building. This time, I made sure that the capitol is open.

We joined the first part of the guided tour and according to the tour guide the Texas being the largest state boasts to have the largest state capitol building as well.

interior view of the dome

Stephen F. Austin (father of Texas) statue at the capitol foyer

Samuel Houston (leader of Texas revolution) statue at the capitol foyer

Check perforator

Terry's Texas Rangers

This bronze statue, by Pompeo Coppini, portrays one of Terry's Texas Rangers astride a spirited horse. In 1861, during the Civil War, Terry's Texas Rangers were mustered at Houston after Benjamin Terry and Thomas Lubbock's call for volunteers. Ten companies of 100 men each were formally activated as the 8th Texas Cavalry, and during the following five years participated in many engagements defending the Southern Confederacy.

Source: State Preservation Board

view from the south gate

There are still a lot of places to see inside the State Capitol Complex. Hopefully we can visit again next time and explore the other places.

If you want to visit the Texas State Capitol, you can plan your visit using the State Preservation Board site so that you can maximize your stay.

Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach, Florida

2010-11-23T15:57:00.002-06:00

We were blessed to have a day trip and be able to visit a friend in Clearwater, Florida during our week stay in Orlando.

Clearwater Beach is a 2-hr drive from Orlando, Florida. It was a long drive already for us, but we did not hesitate to go since we really miss the beach atmosphere . We used to go to the beach when we were still in Orange County, California. But when we moved here in Texas, we never had a chance to go to one since it is a very long drive.

This maybe one of the best beach that I have been to. I like how wide the beach is from the sea water. The water is not that cold. There's also a playground for kids and it is covered. Hence we let our toddler played there if we want her to have a break from sun exposure.

I can't remember if I have seen a perfect sunset before...but I really felt in love with the sunset there. I was wondering if I could see a perfect sunset everyday.

Here are our pictures. Enjoy.

Universal Orlando Resort

2010-11-04T12:36:00.002-05:00

In our recent vacation trip to Orlando, Florida, we were able to visit Universal Studios. There are 3 theme parks already: Universal Studios Florida, Universal's Islands of Adventure and the recently opened, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. They also have a waterpark, "Wet and Wild." However, since we did not have enough time and we were with our toddler we decided not to enter the theme park. We just enjoyed the sceneries of City Walk.

So where do we want to go?

There's a lake within the City Walk. The lake give more wonderful sceneries.

The famous Universal sign.

Too bad, we did not get a chance to enter. That's why there's a reason to come back.

A restaurant and gift shop with the NBA experience.

This is the other theme park. The entrance are both found within the City Walk. We were not able to see the entrance of the Harry Potter theme park. I think it is in a different compound.

Want to plan a visit? Check out their homepage.

Trick or Treat 2010

2010-11-01T11:09:00.001-05:00

Its our first time to experience trick or treating here in the US. We had a wonderful experience. We were amazed how people really took time to decorate their houses and welcome every trick-or-treaters. We found out that once the light is turned on at their front door you can trick or treat at that house. It means they have candies to share. Usually the kids would start trick-or-treating in the afternoon and once the sunsets you will see the teenagers roam around already. Once the light is turned off at the front door that means they are done for the day giving out candies.

Some homeowners told us to get two candies, others told us to get a handful. That's why our baby got a bag full of chocolates and candies for mommy and daddy. These chocolates can be a year's supply already.

Check out the houses with Halloween decorations.

Thank you to the Lim Family for allowing us to join them trick-or-treating in their neighborhood in Grapevine.

Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden

2010-10-17T00:30:00.002-05:00

We went here last October 9, 2010. We knew this place was famous for its pumpkin festival so we checked it out while the weather is still perfect.

Autumn at the Arboretum presents The Great Pumpkin Festival. This is ongoing from September 18 - November 14, 2010. Entrance fee was $10/adult while children under 3 yrs old are free. Parking costs us $7. You can visit their homepage for more details since they offer membership and discounts.

Upon entering the vicinity, one will be greeted by these different kinds of pumpkins. Can you name them all?

Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins!

Of course, the Dallas Arboretum is so much more than their pumpkin village. One can still enjoy the beauty of the garden.

Can you identify what the statue is?

We needed a closer look to have a clearer picture. :)

Too bad, we need to leave early. We were not able to explore the place so much. I guess we need to come back during spring so that we can check out the flowers in bloom.

Hot Air Balloon Festival - Balloon Glow

2010-10-13T13:59:00.001-05:00

After the Balloon launch, we just waited for about an hour or so, then vans started entering the launch area again. Some are new groups and the others came from the balloon launch and also joined the balloon glow.

We are so near the balloons. We do not know if its a good thing or a bad thing since we only got these shots.

Maybe next time we will try to stay far from launch area but on a hill.

can you guess what kind of balloon this is?

may i have this electric fan during the summer?

After the balloon glow, we were requested to vacate the field for the fireworks. We just waited for a few minutes and then the fireworks show began.

That's it for now. See you next year.

Hot Air Balloon Festival - Balloon Launch

2010-10-04T12:34:00.000-05:00

We were grateful to be able to attend the 31st Hot Air Balloon Festival last September 18, 2010. It was a 3-day festival and we were able to attend the second day. The festival was held in Oak Point Park in Plano, Texas. It was around 50 miles away from our place.

At first, we planned to go to the Grapefest festival in Grapevine, Texas. This is much nearer our place. However, when we knew about the hot air balloon festival, we thought that the balloon festival will be more interesting and since we needed to go to IKEA in Frisco, Texas, Plano, Texas will be on the way home.

I think we made a good decision since we really enjoyed our stay. We were able to attend a hot air balloon festival in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines last 2008. We stayed there for the whole day but no hot air balloon was launched because of the bad weather. So this was really our first time to see hot air balloons.

We arrived in the area around 5:00pm. The parking cost $5/car. There was another parking area which is closer to the park but costs $10/car. Since we are more willing to walk than to pay more, we stayed at the far parking area. From the parking area, it was more than a mile walk to the launch area. So we suggest, one should really wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Good thing, there was a service for the disabled since it was really a long walk.

When we got to the launch area, we were just right on time for the Parachute Exhibition. We had not found our spot yet so we just stopped for a while to take a view of the skydivers.

Skydiver # 1 is a girl

Skydiver # 2 with the Texas State flag

Everyone was asked to sing the national anthem while the flag was carried down.

After the parachute exhibition, we looked for a spot where we can lay our mat. There was a viewing spot which was on top of the hill but we decided to stay right beside the launch area. Maybe next year we will try the viewing area on top of the hill to have a different angle.

Before 6:00pm they started to set up the hot air balloons. They were also calling all the guest who purchased the balloon ride tickets. I think the balloon ride cost $250 each.

This is how they make the balloon stand...I think.

Then the hot air balloon flew one at a time

In a few minutes, they were up in the sky.

It was nice to see them all up in the air

After the balloon launch, we were entertained by the Moving Colors band. While waiting for the balloon glow we changed spot again hoping to see a wider variety of balloons.

Stay tuned on the next blog entry for the Balloon Glow.

Colorado State Capitol and Denver City-County Building

2010-09-30T20:04:00.001-05:00

On our last day in Colorado, we decided to spend the rest of it at Denver since the airport will just be a few minutes away. We had other places in mind to visit (in Denver) but decided to go to the State Capitol area. We parked our car at the east side of the capitol building. From this view you can see this statue below.

Walking around the capitol going west you'll find another good view of the state capitol building.

Walking towards Denver City & County building you'll pass by Civic Center, you can find a replica of the Liberty Bell.

A nice garden where people hang around which also gives a good view of the Denver City & County building.

Full view of the Denver City & County building. Visitors in the are on the Christmas season should go and see this building since they set it up with beautiful lights.

On our way back to the car, we decided to take a tour inside the state capitol. It is for free anyways. We were particularly interested in going up the dome. A nice lady (sorry I forgot her name) guided as in our tour and explained the history of the building. Inside there is a replica of it made of cans.

At the top-most area of the dome where we were able to climb up, our tour-guide pointed to us the different places around the area which we can visit. Seeing us equipped with our camera she pointed out good and must-see places. I highly recommend photography enthusiasts to visit the state capitol first so you'll get a good idea of the area.

One window in the dome gives a good view of the Denver City & County building as well as civic center.

Colorado State Capitol and Denver City-County Building was very much worth the stop. We learned a lot about the place and were able to get good pictures. Hope to visit the place again soon!

Hyatt Summerfield Suites in Broomfield, Colorado

2010-09-29T13:52:00.000-05:00

This has been the best Hyatt hotel room that I have been to. At first I was expecting a small and typical room with just a bed and a bathroom but I wow-ed when I entered.

At the room's entrance immediately is the kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, stove, and cooking/eating utensils. The counter is extended where guests can eat, prepare food, or put their things upon checkin (which I did).

Walking further inside you'll get to see a well designed interior utilizing the room very well. A center shelf divides the room where you can see at the right is the king sized bed and on the left a sofa/lounge area. From the shelf you'll find a Hi-Definition TV where you can opt to watch from the sofa or on the bed because of its "turn-able" mounting.

Further inside the room is a small desk area where guests on a business trip can do further work or check email. From this view you can see how spacious the room really is.

The restroom is mostly filled with mirrors which gives the illusion of it as being very spacious.

Given the chance to come back and visit Boulder/Broomfield Colorado again, I would definitely choose to stay here again! Highly recommended and two thumbs up!

BTW: I am in no case being paid for by Hyatt..hehe...just wanting to share the experience. =)

Sceneries in Boulder and Broomfield, Colorado

2010-09-21T20:00:00.001-05:00

So I was able to visit the cities of Broomfield and Superior Colorado on a business trip for 3 days. Both cities were great! I recalled how I miss Orange County, CA. Elevation is about 6000 feet from sea level so climbing up/down the stairs (3 floors) tired me out. I needed to catch my breath.

First afternoon strolling around the area we made a stop at Rock Creek Community Park. It was almost sunset and the weather was nice. We crossed this small bridge to circle around a small dried-up lake.

Around the lake you'll get to see benches like this.

Continuing our walk we can see this plane making multiple trips. We learned that it was the plane being used to douse of the wildfire over the nearby Boulder City that happened the weekend before we arrived.

The dark cloud below the sun is actually the smoke coming from the wildfire happening at that time.

A little over half-way around the lake this will be the view. There is again a bench (behind me) and the green/grassy area below is where the lake is at. Probably over the rainy/winter season this gets filled up.

The next day was a little gloomy. It started to rain in the afternoon. Over my hotel room's window I saw a perfect rainbow. I immediately went out to take pictures. Looking up again I noticed that there were actually two perfect rainbows! The one on top is not as clearly visible though but still is a wonderful sight. I was playing around with my camera's white balance here as well to get the rainbow to stand out from the clouds.

Soon the rainbow slowly disappeared. It was a good experience to see such wonder but we were yet to see another one. Golden hour has arrived! With the sun setting behind the mountains, it turns the rain clouds to a magnificent color.

On our last day in Broomfield, we decided to wake up early to catch a Superior sunrise. It was superior indeed! We set-up our gear near a lake and waited for the sun to come out.

A few minutes later you can almost see the sun.

With the sun out, it now time to pack our gear, check out from the hotel, and drive back to Denver airport.

The Salt Lick Barbeque

2010-09-20T20:05:00.012-05:00

Another Man vs Food Adventure

We went here last September 5, 2010. We joined the other hungry boys to take this food adventure. The Salt Lick Barbeque Restaurant that we went to is located in Round Rock, Texas. It is about 180 miles south from our place. We were willing to drive that far just to get the taste of their meat, meat, meat. What makes it intriguing is that the restaurant was featured in the Man vs Food. Watching that episode really made us want to try it.

At $18.95/person you get all you can eat beef brisket, sausage, and pork ribs, served with potato salad, cole slaw, beans, bread, pickles, and onions.

I think they were able to ask for more than five servings of the meat. The sides were left untouched. Why fill your stomach with sides if you can fill it up with meat, meat, and more meat.

This is my plate. Same combination of the meats and sides but just a single serving. This cost $12. Good thing, I did not go for the all you can eat since I was not able to finish this single serving myself. The boys were not able to finish the last serving too. The restaurant was kind enough to give us a "to go" box and take them all home.

However, don't get us wrong by not finishing the food. They were great. We like the sausage, then the beef brisket. Moreover, we like the pork ribs the most. The barbecue sauce completes the whole experience.

What makes them unique?

"The Bar-B-Que sauce has no tomatoes so it won’t burn or become bitter. It does have sugar – a Southeastern tradition – so it will easily caramelize. We sear the meat and then move it away from the hottest part of the fire to cook slowly. We finish our products over an open fire fed by live oak wood.
Live oak is the most solid and heavy oak wood. It burns cleaner, more uniform, and the smoke particulates are finer. It gives a more distinct and lighter flavor and doesn’t become gritty on the meat. We don’t use mesquite because it has too much tar in it, and we feel it creates a bitter taste. When the fire flares, we throw into the flames pecan hulls soaked in water.

We put sauce on the meat four times. The high sugar and acid content causes it to caramelize on the outside. Basting and caramelizing work to hold moisture in. Sauce drips and hits the coals and the fire flares. The smoke from these flares gives the meat a unique flavor.

The first recipes for the side dishes were originated before refrigeration so they come from simple and fresh ingredients. In a normal year we cook over 750,000 pounds of brisket, 350,000 pounds of pork ribs, 200,000 pounds of sausage and more chickens than you want to count. The chicken is the only place we broke from Thurman’s tradition. He would never allow chicken on his pit.

Briskets are cooked 20-24 hours and pork ribs 2.5-3 hours. We hold to the hot-and-fast school of thought on ribs. We use high temperatures and lots of basting to keep them moist. The longer you leave them on the fire the more they dry out. They are not like a thick brisket. Sausages are smoked for 3 hours with 45 minutes on direct heat until they swell and spit juice. They are a combination of beef with pork for taste. Ribs are traditional full spare ribs.

We stop the cooking process on meats before they are finished and refrigerate them for at least 24 hours. This process increases flavor. It is similar to what you do with spaghetti sauce. The problem with doing this at home is that you have to get the temperature of the meat to 38 degrees within four hours." - Salt Lick Home Page

I guess in this adventure...the FOOD won. We shall return. :)

Texas Discovery Garden

2010-09-13T22:29:00.001-05:00

Texas Discovery Garden is about 30 miles from our place and it is a 30-45 minute drive. We went here last August 28, 2010.

I heard about this place when I saw from a TV ad that it will have its annual butterfly festival. Since JC wanted to try taking a photo of butterflies he was excited to go. The butterfly festival was scheduled August 14 but I advised JC that if we want to take photos we should go another day since there might be a lot of people during the festival. Hence JC needed some patience and wait for another week. The night before August 21, JC was planning everything already and told me that we need to leave before 9am so that we would be there by 10am as it opens. As seen in the website, that's the best time to go since the butterflies are not that active which is good for photography.

August 21 came and we were ready to go. Our baby Denise even cooperated by waking up early. So we are right on time. When we arrived at the parking lot, a woman approached us and gave us a one adult pass for free since no one will use it on their side. When we were ready to walk into the Garden entrance, JC asked where the camera was. We realized that we left the camera bag. :o We decided not to go inside the garden since we did not want to spend on anything that we won't be able to take pictures. We were both frustrated but were laughing at the same time. Hence we needed to wait another week.

Finally we were able to get in already last August 28. With the free ticket , we only paid another adult ticket amounting to $8. Once we got in, we entered already the Rosine Smith Sammons Butterfly House & Insectarium to take pictures.

The butterfly was testing JC if he can still capture the butterfly if it stays on his camera.

JC was patiently following this kind of butterfly because it has blue wings but the butterfly never opened its wings when on the leaves.

My favorite butterfly shot

I hope you enjoyed the pictures since JC endured the sweat caused by the high humidity inside the butterfly house. After the butterfly house, we went around the garden but since its summer we did not see a lot of flowers. :( Maybe not the best season to visit the garden.

Want to know more about this place? Visit the Texas Discovery Garden Homepage and visit them soon.

Las Vegas Part IV: Bellagio's Dancing Waters and Flamingo Wildlife Habitat

2010-08-06T10:13:00.000-05:00

July 31

Dinner at Hilton's buffet. Then we went back to the hotel to park our car. We went outside again to walk up to Bellagio and watch again another Bellagio's dancing waters show.

Aug 1

We heard mass again from The Guardian Angel Cathedral and had lunch at Jollibee. :)

In the afternoon, JC finally had time to visit the Flamingo wild life habitat.

After taking pictures of the animals, we dipped into the pool. We stayed there for about 2 hours, together with JC's cousins and kids. They have a nice pool, too bad, it was only on the last day that we got a chance to try it. They all hanged out after swimming, while we were packing. We were so grateful since Denise was able to play with them.

Aug 2

Our flight back home. Our flight was scheduled at 12:20am.

Inside McCarran Airport

We arrived in our place around 6am already. We instantly lost 2 hours.

We are grateful for a wonderful experience

Las Vegas Part III: Luxor Hotel and Buca di Beppo

2010-08-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

July 28

We went to Las Vegas Premium Outlet and Walmart.

July 29

We went to Costco in Herderson, Nevada. We ate and played for a while in a nearby mall. When we got back to the strip, we decided to enter Luxor. We discovered that Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay are connected so you can go hotel hopping without actually going out the strip.

July 30

Dinner with cousins at Buca di Beppo. We love the food and we love the ambiance. Check out what you can see in the women's restroom.

We are happy Denise enjoyed playing with her cousins. I think its her first time to actually play with other kids.

Las Vegas Part II: Stratosphere, The Strip, and The Crystals

2010-08-05T06:31:00.002-05:00

July 26

JC attends conference while Denise and I amused ourselves. After his conference for the day, we went to Stratosphere. Its my first time to go up the structure. I think we reached above 100 floors. Here were the views from the place.

July 27

We walked along the Las Vegas Boulevard. From Flamingo Hotel, we headed south.

We entered the Crystals at City Center. Its a new shopping mall in front of a new hotel also named Aria. Retail shops include Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co, Versace and other known brands. Since those are not my favorite brands, we just enjoyed the elegance of the place.

We ate at Denny's for dinner and bought something from M&M's world. Denise had a blast playing with all the M&M's stuff.

Go to Las Vegas Part III

Las Vegas Part I: Guardian Angel Cathedral, Caesar's Palace & Circus Act

2010-08-04T14:45:00.003-05:00

We went back to Las Vegas. I think, every year we got an opportunity to visit Las Vegas. Thank you to the conferences, we got to see the place again and our dearest friends and relatives. So here's how our week went.
Enjoy the pictures.

July 24
Arrival - The flight was delayed for more than an hour. The flight was about 2 hours and 40 minutes. The whole flight was exhausting. There were a lot of turbulence. I really felt I was riding the Anchor's away. When we landed, many passengers applauded for the safe arrival.

We got our baggage and went off to get our car rental. I was teasing JC because we only borrowed a compact car but it turned out we borrowed a semi-manual car which I am not used to anymore. Transmission was automatic, but the door locks and windows are manual and there was no cruise control which JC is used to as well. I just got scared because it seems the car's machine was crying when we hit the hi-way. JC is reaching 5000 rpm just to increase speed. I think we did not go down 3000 rpm. Poor car. We were comparing it with Sharon (Toyota Vios), our previous car. JC mentioned that Sharon would also run like that when we are in SLEX. However, I said I like Sharon better since it has power locks and windows. :) To think, we planned to go to Grand Canyon. I just said to JC that we might not go since I am not confident with the car we have since his cousin said there will be off roads as well. However, don't get me wrong. I am still thankful with the transportation that we have. :)

After getting our car rental, we just checked in at The Flamingo Hotel and Casino along Las Vegas Boulevard. Our room had a nice view of the Caesar's Palace. After checking in, we just freshened up then we went out to meet my college friend. We had dinner in an Italian Restaurant. Sorry, we were not able to get pictures of the food we ate.

July 25

We went to Jollibee. JC ate cornsilog, I ate the Chicken Joy and Denise ate a lot of the Jollibee spaghetti. Then, we heard mass at The Guardian Angel Cathedral . We were blessed with an orchestra for the mass songs. We really enjoyed the music.

After the mass, we went to Caesar's palace since JC needs to register in the Black Hat conference. However, since we were there early, we just walked around.

We even saw Pete Rose signing autographs. Actually we really don't know him but he seems to be famous in baseball so we got a picture of him as well.

From Caesar's Palace, we went to Circus Circus to watch a circus act. It is a free show and the act differs every hour.

Then we had dinner with Denise godmother and JC's cousin in Krazy Buffet. The food was great. Although it is an Asian Buffet, the taste was unlike any other Asian Buffet and we liked it. Here's a picture of one of our plates.

Go to Las Vegas Part II

7/10/10 Road Trip: 4th Stop: Holiday Inn, Wichita Falls, Texas

2010-07-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Continuation from the previous blog...

We set our GPS to Holiday Inn and hoping we can see the falls somewhere from there. We parked on the far end of the hotel's parking area.

View Larger Map

We went down to stretch our legs, then after a few steps, we noticed the falls already. Since it was dark already, we did not recognize it easily. However, looking from the pictures found in the net, it was very similar, the difference only was we did not see any water. We arrived there past 10pm already so we just thought, they are turning the water off. Too bad we did not see the actual water fall so we did not take picture of it already. After a few minutes we drove off for the last stretch of the trip. We arrived at our apartment around 2am already. We were all tired that we went straight to bed.

7/10/10 Road Trip: 3rd Stop: Cadillac Ranch

2010-07-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

We went also to Cadillac Ranch.

Cadillac Ranch can be found at the following Google Maps location:

View Larger Map

Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm, and it consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of early Cadillacs; the tail fin) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The piece is a statement about the paradoxical simultaneous American fascinations with both a "sense of place" — and roadside attractions, such as The Ranch itself — and the mobility and freedom of the automobile. Cadillac Ranch is currently located between exit 62 and 60 at I-40 and is visible from the highway, and though it is located on private land, visiting it is tacitly encouraged. In addition, writing graffiti on or otherwise spray-painting the vehicles is also encouraged, and the vehicles, which have long since lost their original colors, are wildly decorated. Source: Wikipedia

Once we opened the door, we were greeted by a breeze with poop smell. Although, we were enjoying the view, we were really bothered by the smell. Hence after taking pictures, we left immediately. There was no reason to stay longer.

On our way home, we decided to stop by Wichita Falls again. Read about it on our next blog.

7/10/10 Road Trip: 2nd Stop: The BIG Texan Steak Ranch

2010-07-15T11:03:00.000-05:00

Continuation from the previous blog entry....
After four hours of driving we arrived at The Big Texan Steak Ranch.

7/10/10 Road Trip: 1st Stop: Wichita Falls, Texas

2010-07-14T13:15:00.001-05:00

JC and I were looking for a long drive trip to test Denise's front facing car seat. When JC was invited to drive to The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas which is about 350 miles from our place and a 6 hour drive, we decided to join. We woke up around 530am and left our place at 7am and headed north east. However, since our end point is way too far, we decided to have stop overs. Our first stop was Wichita Falls, Texas.

4th of July Fireworks at Lake Grapevine

2010-07-07T00:54:00.002-05:00

For the actual 4th of July, we were wondering at first where to watch the fireworks. We had two options, either we go to Arlington Highlands which is nearer our place or we go to Lake Grapevine which is a more than 30-minute drive.

Light Up Arlington (The Fireworks)

2010-07-06T01:31:00.003-05:00

We continued to join the 4th of July celebration by going to the Light Up Arlington Event that same night (July 3). The event started at 6pm and had live music, food vendors, children's play area and of course a fireworks display. We were not able to go there early since we still needed to ran some errands and we really just wanted to see the fireworks.

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Arlington's Independence Day Parade

2010-07-05T14:45:00.001-05:00

It's the 45th Annual Independence Day Parade for Arlington, Texas, but its the first time for us to ever attend a 4th of July Parade. At first we were hesitant to go since it was very cloudy and according to the weather forecast there was a big chance of rain. However, we were tired of staying in the house every weekend and we knew that 4th of July is one of the biggest celebration here so we decided we might as well give it a try and just be ready for the rain.

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Father's Day @ Dave & Buster's

2010-06-23T21:46:00.003-05:00

So for Father's day we decided to celebrate it by having lunch at Dave & Buster's in Arlington Highlands. JC wanted to try the place on his birthday but we were not able to do it. So, here's the other chance so why not try it already.

Dave and Buster's is a restaurant with a video arcade. It is like Chuck E Cheese, but with a whole different atmosphere.

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