Monday, May 23, 2016

Dinosaurs, Shrimp and Pie...Oh My!

I am doing a little bit of a weekend wrap up, on a Tuesday around here today because yesterday was a school holiday, so today is a Monday to us.  I don't typically do weekend wrap-up posts, but this one included a dinosaur siting, so it was definitely blog worthy.  

On Friday, we enjoyed a laid back evening on the back porch.  We are soaking in this beautiful spring-like weather and grilling out every chance we get.  Before long it will be scorching outside. #TexasProbs  My kids are loving this spray paint chalk from the Target Dollar Spot.  If you haven't tried it, grab a couple next time you're there.  


Saturday night, Mark and I had a date night at one of our favorite restaurants, Rick's Chophouse in downtown, McKinney.  You may remember it from my post, You Ask Me What I Like About Texas, DFW Edition.  If you're local...or even semi-local, I highly recommend it.  I have never been disappointed at Rick's.  The food is stellar (you're welcome, Kendall) and the ambiance is perfect.  


I tried my hardest to be a good blogger and take pics of our beautiful dinner.  I snapped these with my iPhone quickly, because I was totally getting the side eye from the snooty couple next to us.  

Mark started off the meal with a tomato and melon salad containing heirloom tomato, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, crispy prosciutto, balsamic, goat cheese puree, red sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.  I didn't try it because I have a thing with savory fruit, but he went on and on about how delish it was (and no, he didn't actually use the word delish). 


Those of you that know me well, won't be surprised...I had a Cesar.  I'm not adventurous at all in the salad department.  But, it was an excellent Cesar (and I'm kind of a Cesar connoisseur).  


For his entree, Mark had the sea bass served with roasted garlic whipped potatoes, baby carrots, and a to die for citrus butter.  I absolutely tasted this one and it was amazing!


But, Mark's dinner, was not as good as mine (in my opinion, not Mark's).  If shrimp and grits are on the menu, they will be in my belly.  I think it is safe to say, I don't count carbs on date night.  These shrimp and grits were off the charts!  I am the type of person that orders the same thing over and over at a restaurant.  I usually order the filet at Rick's, so this was a change for me, but I am a changed woman and this will be my go-to Rick's dish from here on out (and, no fellow carb counters, I did not eat that baguette, just the grits).  


On Sunday, we went to church and then went to our sweet friend's house, so the hubbies could watch the Byron Nelson together.  We cooked out, and played a round (or two) of Pie in the Face.  Last time we played it, Jess would not do it, but this time we convinced him (or maybe those cute, little blondes did), but he insisted on wearing my sunglasses, so the whipped cream wouldn't get in his eyes.  To me, this picture looks like a young Hank Williams Jr, playing Pie in the Face...


Monday, was a school holiday (actually it was a bad weather day we did not use in the winter).  Since Kendall was off, my mom took off and we had a fun day together learning how dinosaurs are made.  To those of you that wondered why dinosaurs aren't in the Bible, and if God really made them, I am here to answer that question for you.  They are actually made in a warehouse in Allen, Texas.  There you have it.  Mystery solved!


 Jess' first look at the huge, life like Tyrannosaurus Rex.  


Billings Productions builds realistic dinosaurs and ships them all over the world for exhibits in zoos and museums.  They were amazing!


 He was like a kid in a prehistoric playground.  



At first, Jentry was a little nervous, but then she realized they were like big toys, and she was fine.  


It was interesting to see the people working on different projects, too.  These two men were sculpting the face of a dinosaur.  That's something you don't see everyday!


This gentleman, was repainting a T-Rex.  Apparently their paint lasts approximately five years, since they are generally outdoors for their exhibits.  


This is my Aunt Jerry (with my mom and kids).  Her brother, Larry Billings, was the mastermind behind this business.  He began this business in 2003 because, according to their website, he was "not satisfied with the inferior design and movements of animatronic dinosaurs available in the market, he believed he could build them to look and move more realistically."  And that he did!


Their website also states that Mr. Billings, "most enjoyable part of the business was seeing the joy the animatronic dinosaurs brought to children. For him, it was a perfect way to combine education with entertainment."  He is known for saying, “It's all for the kids.”

This is Sandra, Larry Billings' wife, and President of Billings Productions giving Jess a little parting gift, a replica dinosaur egg.


I think it's safe to say that Jess was thrilled with his souvenir.  I think Mr. Billings would find satisfaction in knowing that his dinosaurs brought great joy to my kids this week.  



Thank you so much Sandra and Aunt Jerry for giving us a special, VIP, tour of Billings Productions.  I have a feeling my kids will be talking about this for a while!

Have a great rest of the week, friends!  I am linking up with Beth today for Tuesday Talk.  She's one of my favorites, check her out!

Emily







22 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness I love shrimp and grits! Sadly though I haven't found a place around here that makes a good one. That spray chalk looks amazing, Mason would LOVE that! We have a dinosaur exhibit coming to our civic center soon, I wonder if they use your dinosaurs. Oh and you dinosaur exploring outfit! Loving it!!!

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    1. Thank you, Jacie! The "kimono" (is that what it's called?) is actually my daughter's, but since I've now been photographed wearing it, it's probably safe to say she won't be seen in it. Ha!
      They may be the same dinosaurs. They also make huge bugs. There was a huge tarantula I should have taken a picture of. Creepy!!

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    1. It was so good! I keep thinking about it. Yum!!

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  3. What a fun adventure to see all of those awesome dinosaurs. I am doing my weekend recap today too! Yesterday was a crazy day. Our bad weather day is this Friday. I am so glad we have a 4 day weekend coming up! Have a great day.

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    1. Woohoo, a four day weekend, I bet you are looking forward to that! I'll have to check out your recap today.

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  4. What a great weekend and hello pretty lady! You looked so pretty in that date night photo friend. My friend has that pie in the face game and her boys LOVE it. Glad you had so much fun. I hope your "Monday" goes well.

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    1. Awww, thank you, Beth! I haven't played the pie game. I may have used the excuse that I was allergic to whip cream.... ;)

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  5. Dinosaurs, shrimp and pie…oh my! <<< is chanting in my head now! Haha. Totally going to grab the spray paint chalk next time. I saw it a couple of weeks ago and just thought it wouldn’t work. Yay for date night! Nate and I are going to have to try Rick’s Chophouse sometime. How awesome that your mom took off on Monday for a fun day! So wild…Mason was just asking us yesterday if Dinosaurs were here before Adam and Eve, or after. I never knew this place existed here in the dfw area. Mason would love it!

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    1. You would love Rick's & downtown McKinney. You'll have to add it to your Texas Bucket List. I think the Billings are planning to open a museum for the public later in 2016. I'll let you know.

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  6. That dinosaur place looks awesome! I love Caesar salad too.

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    1. I'm not a big raw vegetable eater, so I always keep it simple with a Caesar!

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  7. That food from your date night looked AMAZING! Yum! And how cool is that dinosaur exhibit? Sounds like you guys had a great weekend!

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    1. Thanks, Leslie! We had a great weekend!! And yes, our food was amazing!! Those pictures made me crave it again.

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  8. That dinosaur place is so awesome!!! What a special day!

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    1. Yes, they loved it! I was afraid they might be scared, but it went really well.

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  9. Wow that is so cool I bet the kids LOVED it! I mean, I think I would've been scared, but I'm glad they weren't haha!

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    1. I was afraid they might be scared, but they weren't. It probably helped that the surroundings weren't authentic. A warehouse isn't as scary as a museum.

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  10. This post is full of awesomeness! Date night looked fabulous! I am looking forward to ours this coming weekend. Dinosaurs! My son would be tickled pink, purple, and orange to get to see all of that! Super cool! Xo Amanda

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    1. Thank you, Amanda! The kids loved the dinosaurs almost as much as I loved my date night!

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  11. I can see why your kids were so excited to see the dinosaurs. I think it'd be neat too. That food looks delish. I've never heard of spray paint chalk. Sounds like something my young nieces would like.

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    1. Thanks, Terra!! You should check out the spray paint chalk. I found it at the dollar spot at Target.

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