Cincy Trip Day Two

For those of you that know me should know I'm not a pet person or even an animal fan but I LOVE zoos.  As long as I'm at a distance and I don't have to pet the animals I am fine.  So before we left for our trip Zach knew the zoo would be one of the top places I would want to visit.  I have always heard great things about the Cincinnati Zoo and this year they had a bunch of zoo babies so I knew it would be a fun time to go visit.  

 A momma camel with her little one

 I love grouchy old gorillas

 A momma zebra with her baby

 Love watching the polar bears play in the water

 These zoo babies were my favorite!  It reminds me so much of all little kids.  They were hitting each other then running away while the mom and dad sat back and watched.  They only interrupted a time or two to separate the babies.  Too cute!

 I don't remember the names of these animals but they were singing/yelling the whole time.  They are LOUD and very cool.  I love how the sack in their throats get so big and they just swing around and sing/yell/argue with one another.

After the zoo, we went back to the hotel, swam in the pool, took a nap, then headed off to see Kyler and Kara's house and visit with them.  I didn't take any pictures while we were there but we ordered pizza and then ate some ice cream at a local place.  It was a fun night of eating, chatting, and relaxing!  Day three still to come so stay tuned...

Cincy Trip Day One

Our 4th wedding anniversary was June 14th and Zach decided that he would take a couple of days off work and go on a weekend trip with me to celebrate.  On Thursday we started by heading to the Creation Museum.  It was very cool but the animatronics are kind of creepy if you ask me.  Almost too real looking.  Below are some pictures we took.

 Adam in the Garden

The Tree of Knowledge

 The serpent

 A dinosaur attacking Zach

 The empty tomb

 Outside the museum they had a beautiful garden and pond to walk around.  

 Visiting the museum was something that I am glad we could do together.  I totally love that I found a guy that is a Christian and has the same beliefs that I do.  This trip made us realize once again what an AWESOME God we serve and how miraculous He is!!!  I am definitely blessed!

After the museum it was time for lunch and I wanted to eat somewhere that wasn't a chain restaurant.  So I looked in the GPS and found a place that sounded good.  What I didn't know is that we would have to board a ferry to get there.  This was my first time boarding a ferry and it was interesting!

 At first I was hesitant, but Zach said just follow the person ahead of you...such wonderful advice (haha)!

 A few miles and minutes later we arrived at Cabana on the River

 It was a beautiful day with a fantastic view (of the water and Zach)

 My meal...the biggest burger I have ever eaten!

 Nothing better than eating next to water!  After lunch we went and checked in at our hotel and relaxed for a couple of hours.  Then we headed out to Newport on the  Levee to walk around and eat dinner.  Our anniversary tradition is to eat somewhere we have never eaten before to celebrate and thought this would be the perfect place to go.

We found this delicious restaurant and our waiter made the experience memorable!  After dinner we headed back to the hotel.  Definitely a great day...check back for more posts and pictures from our trip!

From Dirty Girl to Indians Game...the update on the Whaley couple

I know it has been a while since we have posted, so here is an update on our life.  May 17th was a very busy day for us.  I (Emily) signed up for the Dirty Girl Mud Run to support awareness of breast cancer.  A teacher that I work with got a group of us girls together to participate.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I do know that we had a blast!  Below are a few pictures that Zach took of the event.

 My Dirty Girl Number!

 Showing the muscles...we look intimidating don't we?!?

 We saw some interesting people there including this guy.  I have no clue where or why anyone would purchase this shirt, but he did get some positive (and negative) attention!

 And we're off...

 One of the many muddy obstacles.

 Crossing the finish line together, just like we started!  Definitely a fun time!

Afterwards we headed home and took a shower then left for my cousin Brooke's wedding.  It was casual attire so we didn't have to get too dressed up which was a bonus for us.  I'm not sure what Kaden is doing, but I thought this picture was super cute!

 Oh and you can't forget about his buddy Uncle Kyler.

 Zach and me...I think we got a little sun from being outside.

The rest of May was pretty uneventful for us.  I finished up the school year and over Memorial Day weekend we went to visit Zach's dad.  He and his wife recently bought a pizza shop, but I didn't take any pictures from that weekend.  Sorry.  Then on June 4th, Zach and I went to an Indianapolis Indians game with some of his coworkers for dollar night.  

 Self portrait.  The girl directly behind me is another PT that Zach will work with when he starts his new job on July 1st.  The other two are PTs as well at the hospital with Zach.

 This is Ben...a PT tech at the hospital that organized the event.  He is definitely an interesting person with a love for life!

 Zach's group on the screen!

Last but not least, this past Sunday my parents (Thanks again Mom and Dad!!!) helped us move the last of the boxes with all my childhood memories and the furniture set they gave us to our apartment.  On Monday I went through all the boxes and threw away 8 trash bags full and 7 cardboard boxes full of stuff that I didn't feel the need to keep.  It took me about 6 hours to go through everything.  I'm glad that I had a mom that cared to keep everything, but some things were definitely not necessary!

Zach put the bed together that night and arranged the furniture as he saw fit.  Below is the finished product.  We bought some sheets to match the beautiful quilt my Grandma Lois had made for my high school graduation to go on the bed.  I had saved it until we got our own place, and I think it was meant for this bed...Thanks again Grandma Lois for this beautiful piece of artwork!

 Bed and bookshelf as viewed from the stairs.

 As you look to the right is the chaise lounge with the closet in the background.

 This may look cluttered to you, but it is very organized to us.  All my boxes from my childhood combined into about 6 along with a filing cabinet, a couple of chairs, and some board games.

The view of the bed and dresser from the closet.  We didn't want the mirror to cover the window completely so we decided not to attach it right now.  We put it under the bed to save it until we buy a house and have an official guest bedroom.

Now we have a place for our visitors to stay!  Well that is an update on our less than exciting life.  Check back in a couple of weeks for a post or two about or trip to Cincinnati that we are taking to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary this weekend!