Field trip

This weekend, I finally made it {back} to the Field Museum.

My first visit wasn't exactly the ideal time to be checking out exhibits. Not in heels and a cocktail dress, with a glass full of bubbly.

The last time I went, it was for my office Christmas party. That's back when, for two brief and interesting months, I worked for Groupon. I have lots of nice things to say about my favorite coupon seller. But right at the top of my list is that they were not stingy about giving back to their employees. I felt quite posh that evening, walking up that stone staircase in stilettos, with a museum full of cocktails and party fare awaiting me.

View from floor two.

What party is complete without an ice sculpture?

We did get to wander around the building at the party, but most of the exhibits were closed. So we were left with Sue:

And the few other displays we could sneak a peak at from the atrium.

We also got to take some photos in a photo booth. Lucky for Alex, we didn't find the thing until the end of the night. Had I discovered that baby earlier in the evening, I would have subjected him to enough shoots to fill an entire album. Who doesn't love a photo booth?

But anyway. This past Sunday, at Katie's request, we decided to do the Field Museum right. Ever since she saw The Ghost and the Darkness, Katie has wanted to see the lions featured in the film. Do you know the story? It happened way back a zillion years ago, when somewhere in Kenya, a pair of man-easting lions wreaked havoc on some railroad workers. They killed more than 100 men. Scary stuff.

Not so tough stuffed, are ya?

The whole day turned out great, apart from the fact that Katie ended up getting a super late start on her long drive back to Columbus. But it was well worth it. We didn't get through all (or even many) of the exhibits at the Field Museum, but I got my chance to coo over the stuffed baby animals (as long as I didn't think too hard about the fact that they had to have died somehow at those tender ages before being stuffed).

And we visited our T-Rex friend Sue again.

Teeth.

We also saw an awesome exhibit called Design for a Living World, which featured all of these designers using of natural materials to create all kinds of sustainable products. Clothing, furniture, tools, and lots of other stuff. It's a little difficult to explain, especially because there were like 10 designers with a whole range of materials and ideas, but you can check out the site for yourself here.

The day ended perfectly, too. Katie hit the road at about 5:30, leaving Alex and I just enough time to relax for a bit before making a quick dinner and watching a movie. He got home Saturday after a week in Oklahoma City (his last out-of-town work trip before our big move. Yay!)

Of course, I was thrilled to have him all to myself again.

And now we're really into the countdown. Less than three weeks left until we head east for my cousin's wedding and apartment hunting. We're working right up until the day before we leave, and we have barely started to pack yet.

Better get a move on.