Our family decided it would be "fun" to drive to Iowa. We wanted to bring Rizzo with us and make some fun pit stops along the way. Our first stop was in Knoxville, TN where we spent two nights with Jodi and Paul Yau and their girls. We hadn't met their youngest daughter, Dana, yet and she was three. Their girls loved playing with Rizzo and our kids enjoyed playing with their guinea pig. Our kids also enjoyed playing on their climbing wall.
We let Kaylee babysit one night so we could have a date night with Paul and Jodi. They took us to a fun greek tapas restaurant and then we walked around a nearby park to get some exercise. It was a fun couple of days with our friends.
From there, we drove to Lexington, KY where we dropped Rizzo off at Brian and Jamie Ross' house before heading to the Arc Encounter. Little did we know, they had just gotten a german shepherd puppy who was crazy. I felt so bad leaving Rizzo with them, as the two dogs were barking incessantly at each other. It was so loud...
We spent the day at the nearby Arc Encounter in Williamstown, KY. They recreated Noah's Arc to scale as written about in Genesis. The arc was 510 feet long, 85 feet wide and 51 feet high. The arc had three stories. Each level focused on explaining a different portion of how the arc may have functioned in reality. They explained how Noah and his family may have fed, watered, and cleaned up after the large quantity of animals on the arc. Kaylee and I took our time reading every placard and enjoying the exhibit, while Trevor and the other two did the quicker tour. They finished an hour and a half before we did, which made them very ready to leave by the time we finished. Thankfully, there was a park and some animals at the end of the exhibit that kept them busy for awhile...
After the arc, we headed back to Brian and Jamie's house where we spent the evening with them. We had a nice meal out and then caught up with our friends while the kids played. We had some good laughs together. Brian is hilarious!
The following day, we headed to the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY. We weren't in the mood for another museum, but had already prepaid, so went anyway. However, I don't feel like we really experienced it. We sped through it, just to say we had been there. The information was very similar to the Arc Encounter as it focused a lot on creation vs evolution. Anyway, we checked that box and then were on the road again. However, before leaving Kentucky, the kids insisted that we get Kentucky Fried Chicken in Kentucky. Thankfully there was one nearby...
From there we headed to Uncle Todd and Aunt Tracy's house in Bloomington, IN. We spent two nights with them and had an amazing time. They are so great with our kids. Kianna especially adores Aunt Tracy. They had fun feeding the fish together. Uncle Todd and Aunt Tracy have created an organic garden, which keeps expanding. The garden is part of their retirement plan, as they hope to one day have a place where families come to pick their own fruits and veggies. We let Rizzo off leash while there and he was in heaven chasing their dog, Sammy.
