Newport Aquarium: Discovering the Wonder Together

During our met-up with the Dias family  this summer,  we were not able to make it on time to go with them  at the Noah's Ark due to time constraints.  Even though we left Tennessee  early that day, it  wasn't enough time for us to make it so we  just rested  when we arrived and planned our adventure  the next day.  

We went to Newport Aquarium the next day.  It's a fun place to explore as it showcases thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of water.  I did  not get to see the enormously popular “Sweet Pea” and “Scooter,” which are the stars of the first shark ray breeding program in the world but I enjoyed every animal that I saw.  My kids had a blast too.

I did not know it  but this state-of-the-art facility  acquired quite a bit of recognition so it was worth visiting.  Below are the awards;

•  the No. 1 aquarium in the 2012 Readers’ Choice Travel Awards from 10Best.com; 
• the Best Rainy Day Outing in 2006 in Cincinnati Family Magazine; and 
• the Best Aquarium in the Midwest in the Zagat Survey’s U.S. Family Travel Guide in 2004.  

When you have children zoo and aquarium, are always the best places to visit  because not only it's fun to see different kinds of animal species but it  is also very educational not only for the kids but for adults as well.

It's so much fun to do it with friends, you get to learn while catching up with the  people you don't get to see very often.  What more could be fun than discovering the wonder together right?

Our children are definitely growing up.  I remember the first time we  met up in Florida, these kiddos were still little, now they are  almost teens.

They live in Texas so meeting each other is  a bit hard but we  try our best to do that once in a while when  time permits.

Gladly, they are still friends  just like us, parents.

My daughter is almost my height.  They will be taller than me soon.  They grow so much while I think I shrink as time goes by ha ha.

It's neat that they have this height and weight measuring  features at the aquarium.

After we  have explored  inside the aquarium, we tried to find a good place to eat but almost all of the place we checked are packed so we asked siri some nearby places we could go to.

We ended up eating at  Chick Fil A which was nice because we all love the place.  I am not sure when we can meet up again but I hope that it would be  sometime soon. 

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We finally got-together again after years have passed since our met-up in #DisneyWorld then in #Texas. It’s a great feeling to reunite with friends. We’ve known each other since I started blogging, almost ten years now. It’s rare to find real friends nowadays that’s why I value ours, thank you for all the wonderful memories we shared all these years, most especially for the friendship. #Friendship #GetTogether #AdventureWithFriends

A post shared by Chubskulit Rose (@chubskulitrose) on Jul 7, 2018 at 7:53am PDT

Anyway, one thing worth mentioning  for about the aquarium is that, they give discount to veterans  so if you have your military ID you can avail some savings such as photos and other  stuff.  We did not use it during the  admission though.  I am not sure if they allow it but we  were able to have a discount for the pictures we  claimed upon  getting out.

Help Your Children Think About Jobs at an Attraction

The next time that you are taking your children on a family vacation, you may want to spend some time talking about all the different types of services that are needed to run a top-notch attraction. There are many that stay hidden that you might want to introduce to your children. Here are some that you might find at a golf course.

Club Operations

These are often the head of the golf course, and they often worry about if the golf course is making money or not. These officers often oversee background checks for the club's employees. They may also help order merchandise for the pro shop.

Agronomy

The grass at a golf course has to be maintained in a certain way to make the ball land correctly, and that is the job of an agronomist. This individual usually oversees the landscaping crew. They must work in concert with nature to keep the course looking great without harming the environment.

Food and Beverage

Many golf courses have wonderful places to eat. While some focus on light snacks like hamburgers and nachos, others operate full-service restaurants serving steak and lobster. Other golf courses offer a place where golfers can get some liquid embellishment before or after a round.

Design and Development

Most golfers never think about the design and development work done at a golf course. Even older courses must stay current so that players want to continue to use them. Club rooms, restaurants and other public areas must carefully be designed to attract golfers and others.

Risk Management

Another area that most people overlook when it comes to operating a golf course is risk management. These individuals are responsible for creating and seeing that policies are in enforced to keep guests safe. They are often responsible for seeing that fire equipment is functioning properly and that all areas are kept clean of anything that a golfer might trip over.

There are many golf management services, like Troon, that operate numerous golf courses. You may want to set up a tour of one so that your children can get a behind-the-scenes look at all the different types of jobs available at golf courses.

Last Day in Vegas

We did not have anything planned  on our last day in Vegas so we decided to  roam around.   We had a whole day to kill since our flight wasn't until in the evening.  I wanted to go to the residential facilities for veterans in Las Vegas but my husband said that we might need an appointment for it so we just abandoned the idea.  It would have been a good opportunity for the kids to  greet veterans.

Even early in the morning, the heat of the sun was already setting in so our  strategy was to go in some of the shopping building to cool off then go out again and explore.  

 Being able to explore  on foot is a lot better than driving around as you get to see a lot of things and also experience it.  A lot of walking and sweating is a great exercise.

We got to roam around Vegas on a hot summer day but it was a lot of fun.

Las Vegas  is a beautiful place to really explore.  You get to see different  building structures that you would see visiting different places but it is all there in Vegas.

Caesar's Palace is what captivated me the most.  It's beautiful, I am sure it cost a fortune just to build what's on the exterior of the building.  I used to admire it from movies but seeing it in person is  awesome.

When we were walking around, there were many instances where sales people  were trying to entice us with "freebies" again but  we never fell for it since we knew the drill already from what we experienced on our second day of our vacation.

We do our  vacation during summer time when our kids are off from school so it is always super hot.  We also do it  during this time to celebrate  either our daughter's birthday or our wedding anniversary.  

I can't believe it's been over a year since we last visited Vegas, time do flies!   I think  one of the   shocking experience my kids  had during our roaming journey is when they saw a man lying on the sidewalk, he seem lifeless and we didn't really know if we will try to help but he seemed so drugged out that my husband said don't bother him.  

We don't gamble and we didn't really  watch any of the shows in Vegas so exploring the city and the nearby  natural beauty like the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead was really awesome.

I think our son's favorite is  the car show that we went to.

We stayed in Vegas for our vacation but the most memorable that we did was our roadtrip to Grand Canyon.  It's true that we've seen  so many beautiful things in Vegas but the  beauty of nature still wins for me.

Everything You Need To Know About Escape Games

If you are thinking about something entertaining to do as a group or family, then you may well be interested in one of the latest trends in interactive live entertainment – escape room games. Escape room games are live experiences where players are trapped in a location with a time limit to escape, which they do by solving puzzles, finding clues, and unraveling mysteries. Originally a Japanese idea based on a series of video games, real live escape rooms have been around in the US for some time now, and have even been featured on TV shows like The Big Bang Theory. With locations all over the country such as these Atlanta escape room facilities, an escape room experience could be a great fun activity for you to enjoy.

How Does it Work?

Escape room games have a story. You and the other players in your group of between two and about eight people are trapped somewhere and have to race against the clock to escape. There are different themes, with some escape rooms going for spooky haunted house type themes, others with exciting action movie type scenarios, and others with classic mysteries to solve. Usually, the time limit is influenced by the story to give a real sense of rising tension as you work to find the answers you need to escape. A games master monitors your group while you play and will offer hints if you are struggling to solve the puzzles, as the idea is for people to get the full experience and for people of all ages to be able to play.

Are Players Really Trapped?

Escape rooms are an entertainment facility, and so while they do create the sense that you really are in the story and under pressure to solve the puzzle or mystery, you aren’t actually trapped. This means that if the experience unexpectedly makes one of your group anxious, they can, in reality, leave the room at any time without completing the challenge.

Who Are Escape Rooms Appealing to?

Escape rooms are becoming popular as team building activities for coworkers, as they give people a scenario outside of the norm where they have to work together, as well as being fun and exciting. Families too can enjoy escape room games together, particularly games designed to be less scary and to include some puzzle elements that younger children can have a chance to solve. In general, anyone who enjoys games, roleplay, and live shows can have fun with this style of entertainment, and most escape room locations offer multiple different rooms and stories so people who have had fun there can go back for a different challenge and experience next time.

If you are looking for something new and interesting to do, whether with friends, family, or your team at work, check out the escape room games in your area and give it a try – it can be a lot of fun and also gives a surprising sense of achievement when you beat the game!

Journey Behind Niagara Falls

On labor Day  weekend last month (Sept. 1-3), we decided to cross the border.  We have never visited  Niagara Falls before so this was a spontaneous trip  that we thought would be fun.  We live in the Mountain State so it took us a little over 4 hours of driving to  reach Toronto.  I previously suggested to just go on the New York side so  our business stays in the US but hubby said it would be a chance to see part of Canada since we haven't been there, so that's what we ended up doing.

We did the tour offered by the hotel where we stayed in so after  an hour or so rest upon checking in, we explored a 3-hour scenic  tour around Niagara Falls.  Since it was on a holiday weekend, it was a bit pricey but we really did not a have a choice because we will only be there for a day so we took that option.

The good thing about going on this VIP tours is that you'll get the VIP treatment which means, you don't have to fall in the long lines.  The professional tour guide  arranged all of the things that needs to be done so you can just enjoy the journey. 

Seeing the Falls is really breathtaking.  I have seen so many  pictures and videos of it but it is quite different seeing it for real in person.

I am glad that they allow camera, we got to take some pictures behind the Falls although it was misty.

There were so many people so  taking pictures  takes time as you have to wait  for other people to  clear up a spot but we managed to get some.

The tour guide did not go with us by the Falls but we have limited time to see everything and  get back to the bus.

I was in awe  looking at the Falls but at the same time I always  have  fear of seeing the  force in water.  I grew up in a coastal area so I am used to water but a tidal wave wiped out everything we had when  I was 10 years old so that traumatic experience  stuck with me.

Niagara Falls is one of the places in our bucket list so we are so happy that we got to see it this year. 

Traveling  is not cheap, as  a family of four, it's quite expensive actually for an average-income earner family but we love doing it.  We want our kids to have  good experiences through traveling to places.  This is something both hubby and I never experienced when we were kids so we want our children to have a different experience than us.  We still have a lot of places that we want to  travel so hopefully we will get the chance to do it in the future.