Tuesday Trip Tidbits

I'm back from a 4-day road trip and thought I'd fill you in for today's post.

1. Friday night we arrived at Six Flags planning to use a "bring a friend for free" coupon that expired that day.  Of all the Friday's this summer, we happened to arrive on the night they closed the park early and got there 10 minutes after the park closed.  Really?  Since when do amusement parks close at 7 on a summer Friday?

2. Instead of the park we headed to an outlet mall.  By the time we cleared the traffic jam exiting the park and made it to the mall, we had about 40 minutes to shop.

3. Movie and BLUE popcorn.  Yep, my friend found microwave popcorn in the clearance section that pops blue.  It's pretty much just blue food coloring in the butter.  Or something like that, I don't really want to know.

4. Saturday morning we slept in, and then 3 of us went for a run around a pond where we saw turtles, ducks and a heron.

5.  Breakfast and then a second attempt at the amusement park.  Unfortunately our free coupons were no longer valid. We started out at the water park then moved to the rides.  Roller coasters, yes please!

6. After some crazy fun rides we headed to Sweet Tomatoes  for dinner.  Sweet Tomatoes is a buffet loaded with fresh, healthy choices full of flavor.  Every few weeks the theme of the menu changes for a fun twist.  The last time my friend went the theme was strawberries (think strawberry-spinach salad, strawberry muffins, strawberry short cake, etc).  This time around was an Asian theme featuring dishes such as Fresh Herb Thai Slaw, Mandarin Shells with Almonds, Indian Lentil Stew and Thai Chicken and Peanut Focaccia.  I would definitely stop there again!

7. Dinner was followed by a quick trip to another mall and then back to the apartment for a movie.

9.  Sunday we packed 5 people and a dog into the front 4 seats of a van while the back half (and any other available inch of space) was loaded with everything needed for a college apartment.  We made it through 2 hours of driving, then unloaded belongings and helped unpack.  After dinner out and a run to the store we were back on the road.  While the drive back to the apartment was less crowded, it was a little more intense with hard rain all through Chicago.  We were all ready for bed by the time we made it back.

10. Another morning of sleeping in and a late breakfast.  A quick stop (literally 5 minutes) at the Jelly Belly factory for some clearance candy and we hit the road for home.  Good conversation made the 5-6 hour trip seem much faster.  Thanks to the G's for including me in your family trip this weekend!

Food for Thought: "A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow." -William Shakespeare