JohnnyBGamer

Weekend Trip: Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park

This past Saturday (6/30), one of my good friends was visiting his inlaws in Dallas. So, I loaded up the family and met up with him for lunch at the Twisted Root Burger Company (hadn’t seen him in 5 years!). Lunch was fantastic! The food was great and I really enjoyed getting to visit with Andy and having the opportunity to meet his wife for the second time.

After lunch, we said goodbye to Andy and his wife and headed on over to Fair Park. After an almost 2 and a half hour drive from Longview, I figured we’d stretch our legs a bit and visit the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park.

Who knew there was a Hall street in Dallas? I didn’t.

The Texas Star Ferris wheel. The largest Ferris wheel in North America, of course.

A fountain in Fair Park was apparently calling my son’s name. Thankfully, he did not heed that call. Not that I would have blamed him with the 100 degree heat.

All of the aquarium’s displays were at toddler level. This meant my son could engage the aquatic life on his own terms.

Alligator Snapping Turtle — Whenever we’d go to any lake in Arizona or Nevada as a kid, my Dad would always joke about snapping turtles. Guess what, they do exist in Texas!

This Alligator Snapping Turtle had his own ecosystem on his back.

As you can tell, I loved this guy. Just check out those claws!

I end with a symbiotic relationship that certainly must “suck”. Get it?

Overall, the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park is a fun way to spend an hour or two. They also have an excellent sting ray pool where you can feed and pet the wondrous monsters as they glide by. I enjoyed putting my hands in the tank, barely moving them, and being swarmed by sting rays! I don’t remember the sting ray exhibit at Sea World ever being this good.

Caddo Lake Trip

Took a Sunday (7/1) drive out to the Big Pines Lodge on the banks of Caddo Lake.

An evening rainbow marking the end of a very relaxing Sunday.

Barksdale AFB Defenders of Liberty 2012 Air Show

Back in April, my family and I headed East to Shreveport, Louisiana for the Barksdale Air Force Base Defenders of Liberty 2012 Air Show.

Normally the air show is held in May, not this year. Holding the show earlier meant much nicer weather!

Now, for those of you who don’t know, the air show is free to the public. Talk about an ultimate recruitment event. The show features different planes from different eras. Some planes you can walk into and others you can at least touch.

Unless they are running. 🙂
I always wanted a plane like this as a kid. The thought of sitting up front in the glass nose had/has a certain appeal.

At one point I turned around and saw this.

The following are more “artistic shots”. Enjoy!

A big thanks to all the service men and women who made this event possible. The memories of time spent with family, crawling over airplanes, and my son crying as the Thunderbirds screamed over the parking lot are memories I won’t soon forget. I’ll see ya’ll next year!

2012 Hall Family Vacation

Went and visited family in California a few weeks ago. Had a blast! Below are a few pictures:

beach — June gloom was in full swing during our trip (it was cold and overcast). Surprisingly, the Pacific was warm!

Mike and Me — I love this picture of my brother and I. Can’t tell what we are talking about but I know he was making me laugh.

Legacy

This morning I went to a funeral of a former co-worker’s dad. Knowing nothing about the deceased, I learned that he had been:

In the Korean War
A local sheriff
A husband, father, and friend to many
A man set in his ways
A man who was willing to drive to the far corners of the country in order to barter and bargain

The gentleman was also described as:

Being set in his ways
Onry
Stern/strict
Frugal
There when his family needed him

As I sat in this church built in 1920’s “mission style” architecture, I started to think of my own legacy. How do I want people to remember me? What words do I want people to use to describe me?

First and foremost, I want people to remember me not for my own idiosyncrasies but for my actions. I want people to remember that I was obedient to Christ. That I followed Him and was obedient enough to allow Him to use me.

Second, I want those that I come into contact with (family, friends, etc.) to know that I loved Jesus. Not only that I love Him, but that I was willing to put action to Christ’s words. That I went forth and made disciples (shared my presence, my life with others); That I truly loved those around me as God loves them.

Every man wants to make a mark upon this world. I want my mark, my legacy, to not be about me. I want my legacy to be all about God and His work. I want people to say:

He was a believer in deed

He had a heart of a different breed

He made his mark and he lived by his creed

A true believer, a believer in deed.

– Petra, “Believer In Deed”

What do you want your legacy to be?