Car Show

My thoughtful mother knew that I have an interest in older cars and trucks, so she found where there would be would be an antique car show; which we recently attended in a neighboring town. I really enjoy vintage vehicles because of their unique style and background. If you enjoy antique cars the next car show is October 20th at  5 to 8 o'clock pm at the Seven Points Dairy Queen. Proceeds from the event will go to support the Humane Society.



My favorite antique model is either a 1954 Chevrolet truck or a 1948 Cheverolet truck. I like these model since they are both rounded on the roof, fenders, and hood. Also, they are not "rare" trucks and you can still find them for sale.

Thanks for reading this post, and feel free to comment.

Dallas World Aquarium

Recently, we drove to Dallas and ate at one of the Pappadeaux restaurants.
 After that we went to the Dallas World Aquarium. I don't know about you, but when I think about an aquarium; I picture fish and other aquatic animals. If you come to the D.W.A. just wanting aquatics then you're in for a surprise! As you walk up to the entrance, there are cages that hold exotic birds, fish ponds, and turtles. When we got to the entry booth, we were in for another surprise that wasn't so good. This surprise was the price; it was seventy-five dollars for two adults and two children. After my family and I walked up a set of stairs felt we were transported to a whole different country.
The room we were in was huge and there were several stories. There was a waterfall going all the way down and a pond that housed a manatee, fish, and turtles.  

The first stop was kind of like the canopy of a rain forest; we could see all the way up and down. In the trees we got to see monkeys that were playing and grooming each other. You could see all types of  exotic birds which were flying around.

As you walked down a little way there was a station where you could feed birds blueberries and on the other side you could see a small type of monkey.

At the second station there was an enclosed area that had different types of birds and Golden Tamarinds. Next to this enclosure, they had a little store where you could buy inexpensive food for an expensive price. In front of this little store there was a tree that a sloth was sleeping in.

Before you got to the third station there was a insect area, and an otter pool with no otters inside.

The third station was at the bottom or the waterfall and you could see crocodiles and turtles in the pond. You could also see ducks, swans, and other birds.

When we had reached the bottom of the rainforest  we followed the map down to a different part of the aquarium. Before we walked down to our destination, we got to see below the rainforest's pond. Here, there was a full glass wall where we could see fish and a white manatee.

As we continued our walk we passed the restrooms and a theater that was not active. Next, we entered a room that had large aquariums on the walls that held  the fish from different countries. Each tank had the name of a country above and the fish that lived in that country below. In a large corner of the room was a cafe area where you could eat and watch the fish.
It was kind of hard to take pictures in here because of the lighting, so I apologize for the quality of fish photos.

After touring the Fish of the World exhibit, we moved on to the penguin exhibit. The penguin exhibit was in an outside area that had a pond with a stream for the penguins to swim in. There were only three to four penguins out so we didn't spend a long time over there. Next to the penguins was a large group of reptiles that we observed. 

Our next destination at the aquarium was the shark tank. The tank that held the sharks was a huge pool which had a tunnel that was going through the middle of it. It was an extremely neat opportunity because there were many different types of sharks that we could watch  up close but safely. The exit of the aquarium came out at the gift shop, so we looked around a little before we left.

Some of my favorite parts of the aquarium were the signs that they had telling in sharks and the open rain forest area.

Advice- 
If you are homeschooled I would recommend not visiting in the summer because it was busy the day we went. Also, I would look for discounts or coupons before going.

Chocolate Contest

Recently my wonderful mother found a chocolate contest in Tyler, Texas which Andrew, Mom and I entered. Andrew made peanut butter chip cookies and Mom made chocolate cherry cookies for their divisions.  For my group I made a chocolate cake and chocolate truffles. While the desserts were being judged, a cooking demonstration was held. The demo taught how to make different types of truffles and how to cook with white chocolate. After the demonstration the judges announced the winners. Sadly Mom and Andrew didn't place, but I placed 2nd with my truffles.

Did you know that.........

Truffles originated in France?
Truffles got their name because they look like the truffle mushroom?
Truffles were first made on an accident?

 

 

 

Caribbean Cruise Day 5

On our fifth day of the cruise we went to the country of Belize. Due to shallow water and coral reefs, we had to be tendered to the  country of Belize. While we were on the tender boat a man who worked their told us to tell Dion to give us a good deal on a renal van and to say that Big Bird sent us. Doubtful we met Dion and after bartering Dad and our deacon talked him down from $50 a person to $25 for adults and $15 for the kids. Due to our bartering we got Erol for a driver who wasn't completely there. On our way to the Mayan ruins at Alto Hi we passed a sign that said 16 miles to the Mayan ruins at Alto Hi. Erol informed us psychologically it was more like 60. He also said that President Nixon was the most loved President and that "Joe Osteen is his man because he makes the Bible all cozy". This is wrong because the Bible should make you uncomfortable at times such as when Jesus was nailed to the cross and died for all of us. When we finial got to the ruins, Erol decided to be our tour guide and climbed  on top of the burial grounds to get a leaf from an allspice tree for us to smell. While we continued our tour people came up to us and told us not to listen to Erol. After completing our tour, we were driven back to the tender boat where we met a man who used to be a missionary to Belize and was revisiting the churches he had started. Once we got back to the cruise boat we changed unto some formal clothes and prepared for diner.

Caribbean Cruise Day 3

Departing the cruise ship.

 Our first stop was Cozumel; Mexico, here we rented a taxi to take us around the island. First, our driver took us to a family owned chocolate shop which still used an Mayan recipe. Second, we drove around the city and then to a  less populated area of the island. Then we ate at an Mexican restaurant, walked around the beach on the Caribbean Sea. While walking on the beach a man approached us asking if we wanted to hold Alberto his iguana. Me being the animal lover that I am gladly took his offer.When Dad went to get my picture we were told that pictures were five dollars. After our time on the beach we went back to the boat. While at a gas station near the boat the car wouldn't start so we 

Cozumel means Island of the Swallows.

walked back to the boat and enjoyed a good dinner of Fettuccini Alfredo and Crème Brûlée.

Caribbean Cruise Day 2

Church sermon

On day two at sea my family and I along with our friends attended a church service put on by one of the crew members from Alabama, U.S.A.  After singing a few songs he shared his mission statement which was "I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody about Somebody." I hope that everyone who is reading this knows the Somebody which is Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. What I liked about the preacher was that he had a love for the Lord and wasn't afraid to share it. After the sermon we ate breakfast and played Canasta. When we were done, we met up with some of the other members in our group and ate lunch. Once lunch was over my family and I learned how to play a game called Joker.

After mastering Joker, we went to our rooms to get

ready for formal night. When we finished eating an excellent meal, we left to watch a show called "Baby do you want to Dance?" Before we knew it day two aboard the Caribbean Princess had went over board.

Learning Joker

The Atrium

Andrew, Laura Ashley and I on the deck.

Caribbean Cruise

The Caribbean Princess

Last month my family and I went on a cruise with some friends. The cruise took us to Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Belize City, Belize.
 

Boarding the boat

Saturday morning after feeding all the pets and making sure that they were all okay, Dad drove us to a hotel near the Port of Houston where we met up with some of the people we were traveling with. At the hotel Dad found out that there was a four hour delay. Due to the delay, we went to Target and then to where our deacon and his wife                  were staying. After visiting with them for a few hours, they went with us to see if we would be able to board the cruise ship. Despite having to wait a long time in traffic we were able to board the boat with-out  any problems. 

We found our rooms but our bags hadn't arrived yet so we met up with our friends and ate dinner. Then we explored the ship. I found out that the boat had eight restaurants, a poolside movie screen, a theater, two spas,a exercise room,a casino, a sports deck, Kid's and Teen's Centers, a Library, a café, an Art Gallery, shops, and lots more. It was getting late so we went back to our rooms and unpacked our bags.

The boy's room

The boy's bathroom

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Louisiana

I will be doing two posts about a vacation we took, here go's. The first state we went to was Louisiana, we drove to the town of  Baton Rouge and spent the night in a hotel. The next morning, we drove to the Oak Alley Plantation, just outside of New Orleans. As their website states "It's more than a house. It's a majestic place by the Mighty Mississippi River where 300 year old oak trees have held root through times of prosperity and through times of suffering". This southern mansion is commonly called "The Grand Dame of the great river road" and that is what it is A beautiful house right next to the mighty Mississippi River. The admission to tour this house is $20.00 an adult, $7.50 for children 13 to 18 and $4.50 for kids who are between 6 and 12 years old. Even though this house is on the expensive side to tour, I would say that it is well worth it. The house and grounds take around two hours to see. My favorite parts are the antique vehicles and learning the history about the house. My favorite room of the mansion is the dining room. In the middle of this room, hung from the ceiling is a wood piece with fabric hanging from it.  A slave would have a rope tied to it and would slowly pull it to create a comfortable breeze. The dining room once had marble floors, but when the house was abandoned, cows got inside the house and cracked the floor and made a mess so the floor had to be changed into a wood floor.  I really enjoyed this tour and would go back again if I had the chance. The first image below is a video of the house taken from their website.

Master bedroom.

Bedroom.

Slave Quarters.

Grounds of the mansion. 

The parlor.

The dining room. 

Another thing we did in Louisiana was drive to the French Quarter in New Orleans and eat at Deanie's Seafood. To tell you the truth, I have had better seafood. After that, we drove to Mississippi; but that is an  another post....

A helpful tip for when visiting Louisiana is the following:  Louisiana is known for its gambling, so when driving through do not get tempted to do evil; for James 4:17 states "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin".

                                  Louisiana Facts                                       

                                         *State nickname is Sportsman's Paradise.

                                     State Motto is "Union, Justice, and Confidence "

                                  The Catahoula Leopard Dog is their state dog breed. 

                              Louisiana has the tallest state capitol building in the U.S.A

                                   Louisiana was named in honor of King Louis XIV.  

                                        State mammal: Louisiana Black bear.   

Christmas

                                          Merry Christmas

To celebrate this Christmas season we decorated our house for Christmas. Some of my favorite decorations are our ceramic Christmas villages, stockings, and nativity scene. I also really like our Christmas ornaments. This year for the first time we bought a fake Christmas tree from Hobby Lobby.The tree is a nine foot Montana Pine.
On Christmas Eve we open the presents that we got from each other. I got a coupon book for game time, books, and a dice game called Farkle from my little brother. My sister gave me Temple Run the board game ,and candy. From my parents I got the Lego camper, Lego minifigures, Bobwhite quail, books, and an awesome pair of cowboy boots. My favorite thing(s) from my parents would be the Bobwhite quail. I really like the quail because: I can take them to the local livestock show, hatch their eggs in my incubator, and release some of them in the wild. I will keep you updated with the raising of my quail.

Bobwhite quail

The next day we got to see what Santa had brought us. I received more Lego products, a replica of the wild west playset, clothes,candy, and a bunch of other really neat items.

What did you get for Christmas ? Please comment and let me know.