Washington State History Museum

I know, I know... don't fall over and die... Christina is actually writing a blog post! Man... when I look back at all the old things I blogged, I'm REALLY sad that I didn't blog this past year. But hindsight is always 20/20 right? All I can do is move forward. I may, over time, go back and do some old entries based on photos or memories. It's great to journal that stuff.

The kids were out of school for MLK Jr. day. So Jodi and I decided to pack them up and head downtown for some fun. I love that we live so close to downtown Tacoma. It's literally right down the hill from us. We went to the Washington State History Museum. They had a free day for the holiday and we took advantage. Due to proposed state budget cuts, it's possible that this museum could actually close later in the year. Very sad! Thankfully, we arrived early so we got prime parking and it wasn't crowded at all. Here are some pictures from our day:

Josie, Justin and Evan in the front of an old covered wagon.

Evan and Justin using the computers.

Ethan and Josie dressed up in period clothing.

Josie and Evan dressed up.

Evan, Justin, Josie, Ethan, and Austyn listening to fun messages on the "phones".

Evan, Josie, Ethan and Justin standing in front of the trains.

From bottom to top: Austyn, Justin, Evan, Ethan and Josie.

The museum with Union Station in its reflection.

Jodi and her kids.

We told the kids that when we were done at the museum, we'd take them across the street to Hello, Cupcake for some yummy cupcakes. Believe me, by the end of our museum stint, they were practically chanting, "Cupcakes! Cupcakes! Cupcakes!" Good thing they were open. It dawned on me, as we were crossing the street, that they might be closed for the holiday. What a sigh of relief when I saw that they were indeed open for business. We LOVE Hello, Cupcake. I've been to several cupcake joints. This place still sits at the top of my list... even over the swankier places in Bellevue and Seattle. Their cupcakes are just plain yummy and they are slightly cheaper than than their north Sound counterparts.

I got my usual favorite... coconut! It's divine! Ethan got his typical favorite... red velvet. Evan wanted pumpkin SO bad but it's now out of season. I convinced him to try the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. He was skeptical, but soon declared it his new favorite. I didn't even get a picture of his. By the time I tried, he had eaten half of the frosting already!

Before heading back to the car, we decided to walk across the bridge to the Museum of Glass (though we didn't actually go in... we were keeping it cheap that day). In the center of the bridge, it's covered with a ceiling of Chihuly glass. It's GORGEOUS. When you first approach it, you wonder why people are standing in the middle of the bridge, looking up and shooting pictures. Then you get there and this is just a fraction of what you see:

Here is Jodi and the crew looking at some of the hundreds of unique pieces made by Dale Chihuly. This is all outdoors and anyone has access to it. It's a wonderful gift to the people of Tacoma. If you are ever downtown, I highly recommend walking across the bridge and getting a glimpse of all the talent there! (And hey, isn't Josie so stylish in her dress and boots?!)

Evan, Josie, and Ethan, Justin and Austyn standing on a bench outside the Museum of Glass.

Heading back to the car after a fun day!

Oh look... a patch of blue sky as we left!