If the Brady Bunch played miniature golf.

I had heard about a campy little indoor miniature golf course in town, and we decided to check it out. I think that this place hasn't been remodeled since the 80's. It was definitely showing some wear, but that just added to it's appeal. It had a whole Brady Bunch goes to Hawaii vibe to it. I mean, it was like we walked into the Tiki Caves episode.

Don't make a necklace and wear these guys while you are surfing.

Let the games begin!

The course was enough of a challenge, that it neither bored or overwhelmed the kids. 

You see. Happy faces!

There were cool little bridges to cross.

One of the more challenging holes. 

There was an actual cave! 

I think we were through the course in just under an hour. It was a nice little activity. It's a great way for Noah to work on his patience, and for both kids to work on some motor skills. I love discovering a new little gem in town. Let's face it. There isn't a lot to do around here. So to find Brady Bunch Hawaii meets miniature golf, was a real pleasure.  We will definitely be back here.  

I think we are being stalked by Star Wars characters

Last week, we headed to the zoo. When we first moved here, it seemed like we were there every month. I guess we got sick of it, and just stopped going. It had been a few years since our last visit, and we wanted to check out some of the new exhibits.

We got there in the morning, ahead of the crowds.  Our first stop was to check out the Polar Bear Passage area. This was something new to us. Since it was early, we had a clear view of the polar bears, without having to wait for people to clear the way. One polar bear just kept jumping in the water, and swimming right up to the glass. The kids got a kick out of it.

There was just a hint of a chill in the air, but it was a beautiful day. The leaves are starting to turn here! I love fall.

Here are a group of monkeys, both inside and outside of the cage. 

All of the animals were awake and moving around. Check out how close the tigers were to the fence.

Noah staring down an orangutan.

Kangaroos. We had just watched the youtube clip of kangaroos fighting in the streets of Australia, so the kids were very curious about them.

We crossed a suspension bridge to get to the gorilla exhibit. The bridge actually sways a bit, so I'm usually nervous walking across.

At this point, we decided to take a break for lunch. It was under that tent, so we ate fast and got back out into the sunlight.

We took the tram to get to the other side of the zoo.

It was so pretty on that side.

We checked out the gators, or crocs. I can't remember which they were.

And the new baby zebra. So cute!

Then we took the tram back to the front of the park. 

I had new boots on, and my feet were killing me.

We checked out the new to us penguin exhibit.

We were ready to leave at that point. I mean, my boots. I couldn't go on without being carried out. On our way out, we saw some Star Wars characters. Because, you know, it's us. Star Wars characters go where we go. What a way to end a great day!

Sadly, we didn't get a picture with Jango Fett. Noah tried, but Jango kept running away. 

It was a great day at the zoo. I couldn't help but think back to all of our previous trips, several years ago. Back when Noah's anxiety was at an all time high. And all we could do was go to Target or the zoo. And now look at our family. We never gave up trying. We kept on pushing and moving forward, even in the darkest days. Never give up, friends. No matter what your struggles are. No matter how hard it is. Keep on getting out there. Never stop trying. Never give up hope.