Family Photos: Our Day With the Dinosaurs

Ooooh, friends, I’ve been chomping at the bit harder than a velociraptor at snack time!! Why the dinosaur reference, you ask?? I’m not just trying to impress you with my knowledge of proper dinosaur names or paleontology, though I do dig both (get it? Dig + paleontology!). Anyway, we ventured into Chicago last week for some classic sun and fun. We decided to celebrate my birthday early by spending the day with the dinosaurs and strolling along the lakefront. And, WOW, what a wonderfully marvelous day it turned out to be! That’s me, above, with my new friend SUE in my favorite photo from the day — but more about that part of our trip later in this post!

Back in the spring, I read that The Field Museum would be opening the Jurassic World Exhibit this summer and, yes, I about fainted right there on the spot. Jurassic Park has been one of my favorite movies since I was 11 and fell in love with those mighty dinosaurs on the big screen. We hadn’t been to the city in ages, so this was the perfect time to hit the road and take it all in!

It was a lovely summer drive into the city, and it reminded me of all those days we’d drive to the hospital — oh, so many childhood memories came flooding back! Once we parked and the museum came into view, it was like the seas were parting and we were coming upon sweet, sweet paradise.

The sign for the exhibit beckoned me!

As we approached the exhibit, I heard it — the theme music from Jurassic Park! There was no mistaking that familiar tune, which has become somewhat of a comfort to me over the years. Just hearing it transports me to that remote island off the coast of Costa Rica full of lush green and dinosaurs on the loose.

Now, this is not hyperbole when I say this, but the exhibit was LIKE WHOA, SO REALISTIC!!! We stood face-to-face with all of the park’s finest species — Brachiosaurus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor. They were all present and accounted for, and the absolute best part?

They all came to life as animatronics! YESSSS!!! Life-size, movable creatures. It was just like those singing animals at Chuck-E-Cheese in the ’80s only scarier. You really felt as though you had stepped inside the movie and were witnessing history walking among us.

After the exhibit, we walked around the museum a bit more and then went to see SUE, the largest and most-complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever found. I’d been wanting to see SUE up close for years and am so glad I was finally able to! What a majestic, powerful, strong creature!!! Fun fact: SUE even has a Twitter account!

After we got home, I got to thinking about the day and how nice it was. Part of the reason it meant so much to me was because Jurassic Park was something I shared with my father. He loved it too, and we bonded over it. His birthday was last week too and seeing the exhibit made me feel closer to him, which is something I’ve always craved since his death in 2003.

Plus, spending the day out and about was such a refreshing and rejuvenating change in my normal, ho-hum routine. I feel like so much of the freelance life is solitary and it’s too easy to get trapped in your head. But just getting out and having a change of scenery was the perfect cure!! I now feel relaxed and ready to tackle writing with fresh eyes!!

There’s nothing quite like spending the day at the museum, is there? What’s the last museum you went to? What was your favorite exhibit? Are you a big dinosaur fan?? Stay tuned for our Lake Michigan adventure tomorrow!! xoxo

(Special thanks to Ms. Bear and Janelle for helping me capture these wonderful memories!)