Week 5 - For the CHILD in all of us

The nice thing about this personal challenge to find 52 different things to do in Midland/Odessa in 2010 is that I didn't give myself very many parameters (aside from "no restaurants" and "no repeating events"). Since I never specified that they had to be "adult" events, this week I decided to take a trip to The Museum of the Southwest's CHILDREN MUSEUM! And just to feel justified, I took my sister and 2 nieces along. =)

My first impression was a great one because on Sunday afternoon's the Children's Museum is free of charge. But even at $3.00 a person on weekdays, it would have been worth the money. We started our tour in the grocery store. This room was a little nostalgic for me in a way. Not because I went there as a child, but because I have very fond memories of playing "grocery store" with my Mima when I was a little girl. She used to pull all of her canned goods out of the cabinets and set them up on "aisles". Then she would give me a purse with some money and I would shop for groceries. Mima of course, would act as cashier when I was ready to check out. Well, no offense to Mima, but her store was like a 7-11 compared to this grocery playland.

After Maia & Josie had finished their shopping, we headed to the Veterinary clinic. This is where the laughter began. I honestly couldn't tell you what Marleah and I found so funny, but we laughed all the way from the Vet to the Burger King upstairs. I think it was just fun seeing the joy on the girl's faces and acting a little like kids again ourselves. Unfortunately, our fun was cut short because it was closing time. (In fact, my one complaint of this event would be that they actually closed a little early, but then Marleah figured if we get in for free, we probably shouldn't complain...and I agreed.)

Overall, regardless if you have children or are just a big kid yourself, this is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon...especially if the funds are a little low.

Amy's Opinion on The Children's Museum: No child (actual or at heart) should be left behind!

Amy's Advice: Don't forget your camera like we did because there's guaranteed to be some precious moments!

Week 4 - Everyone loves a Mini-Retreat!

For the 4th week event, I decided to count the Ladies Mini-Retreat at my church, Kelview Heights Baptist. The Mini-Retreat featured numerous workshops, breakfast, lunch, shopping (one of my all-time favorite things) and a keynote speaker. It went from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from what I could tell had a wonderful turnout. I attended workshops ranging in topic from reaching your weight loss/fitness goals to letting go of the painful pieces of your past. I also was privileged to co-teach a workshop with my sister (I use the term "teach" loosely) called "Be Wise, Accessorize!" Sounds appropriate, right? I can't be sure that we offered a lot of useful information that the ladies didn't already know, but I can be sure that I had fun in the process. Accessorizing is one of those topics that I can speak on for hours! The event was wrapped up by the keynote speaker who did a wonderful job of challenging us to make 2010 not only a great year, but a godly year. All in all, it was a great event and a great Saturday. We all need a little gal-pal time and a little time refocusing on the important issues in our lives.

Amy's Final Opinion: Well, obviously it's biased, but I'd give it two thumbs up!

Amy's advice (to herself): Start saving now for next year's event so you can buy that $239.00 necklace you were just dying to have!