Andrew was off of school today for MLK Day. So his Daddy and I packed up and headed to Birmingham, AL to spend the long-weekend with him.
It was COLD in B-Ham, thank goodness I had my own personal heater!
Andrew's not the easiest person to sleep with. He wants to be either on top of you or underneath you, has to have his arm around your neck, and I have to check his teeth in the morning to make sure he has some left because he grinds them ALL NIGHT LONG...just like I do. Drew says it's just his luck to end up with two people who grind their teeth like we do, sorry my love but you're stuck with us and the ERRRGRRR sounds we make. ;)
Yes, the waterfall at our hotel was frozen...told ya it was COLD!
My first SNOW of the winter!
Of course I had to eat some...it tasted a little like cedar thanks to the mulch.
Ha!
It's a Bird....It's a Plane....It's Super Day!
Saturday our first stop was the Southern Museum of Flight. It's on a lot smaller scale than the Naval Flight Museum in Pensacola, but my boys still enjoyed themselves.
Link Trainer
Think "flight simulator"...wow I know right?
We've come a long way!
"I can do it Daddy...ok maybe you should stand right here."
Our little pilot flying...himself. ;)
Pete's Famous Hot Dogs
If there is a hot dog joint worth going to within a 100 mile radius, Drew can sniff it out. For lunch we headed to Pete's.
Welcome to the "Hot Dog Time Machine."
No sitting! Standing room only!
Meet Gus. Gus has been slinging hot dogs from this 7-foot wide slot since 1948. His uncle Pete Koutroulakis, bought the place in 1939 for $600...which he won in a Pinochle game! Drew and I ordered two "Specials, all the way" and Andrew ordered a "Regular, only red & yellow."
Sides: Golden Flake Chips
Drinks: Coke/Pepsi in a glass bottle or Grapico
That's right Dad, Grapico. Wish I could have mailed you one! :)
Wild Ocean!
After Pete's we headed down the street to the science center to catch the IMax movie, Wild Ocean.
Drew had never been to an IMax movie...Andrew and I were shocked! (Andrew and I had also seen Sea Monster's at the IMax in BR. Plus the countless movies I've seen in NO at the Aquarium) IMax is pretty amazing, the "screen" is a 5-story tall dome, so it pretty much feels like you're surrounded by whatever you're watching. In our case we were in a feeding frenzy with sharks, dolphins, and sea lions in the oceans of South Africa.
The Summit
After our movie we headed back towards our hotel and made a pit stop at The Summit for some shopping. It's a pretty spread out shopping center that reminds me of Perkins Rowe or Town Center here in BR. Except for the fact that the Summit has a Vera Bradley...one word, Irresistible. Since my pattern has been retired I picked out a new pattern: Baroque
While window shopping we saw this sign:
Between Drew and I it would be pretty much impossible not to notice a sign with the words "Burger Boutique" on it. We unanimously decided this was our destination for supper.
We headed back to the hotel for a Mario tournament and to relax before heading to Flip.
Flip
As it turns out (thanks to Google) we found out that Flip's chef is none other than
Richard Blais...one of the chefs on Top Chef All-Stars. I can honestly admit that this burger was the best burger I have EVER had. The patties are made of a combination of grass-fed beef, short rib meat, and flank steak.
Ceiling in Flip
Finally, Andrew and I just HAD to split the Krispy Kreme milkshake!
Yes...they blend up real, live Krispy Kreme donuts! Talk about a sugar rush!
Sunday was a short day for me with my boys. Since I just started in my new position I didn't want to take a day off just yet, so I flew back to LA Sunday night. We slept in and barely made it downstairs in time for Continental breakfast, then we got dressed and goofed off around town.
Love this chair.
Really love this little boy!
Then off to the airport we went, Andrew was pretty bummed I had to go home...I think he thought the party was over because I was leaving. :( I had just checked in and got my boarding pass when my phone started buzzing....
"I just wanted to tell you that I miss you already and I wanted to know how your flight was going. What color is your plane?"
My sweet little man managed to call me 3 more times before I could board the plane!
My cup runneth over.
