Chicago, Ohio and Kentucky

Firstly, here are some more pictures from Chicago from the Sunday. I visited 'The Bean' which is basically... a giant silver bean and a huge toursit attraction. It's actually really funny how it is just inbetween all of these huge skyscrapers.

Me underneath the bean

It was really rainy that day so everyone was huddled under the bean taking photos of themselves in the reflection. Thought i might as well do the same! I also went to the Museum of Science and Technology which was so much fun, even though i felt like a right nerd by myself!

Watched the chick on the right hatch! SO cute. I know they look dead but they aren't i promise. They had all just hatched.

I thought these were pretty cool, old fire engines.

They created a tornado inside.

I thought this LED dress was perfect for Kayleys wedding dress!

My legs grew while i've been here

Their space section was really cool

 I think i actually spent about 5 hours there in total, it was a huge place and really interesting. It was also really cool seeing stuff like WWII from their perspective. It was a hugely expensive weekend but totally worth going (and i'd love to go back!) I ended up back in Indiana quite late, but to end my nerdy day i popped into the cinema to watch The Lion King 3D on my own... but it was THE LION KING and 3D damnit, it had to be done. Sorry if i used the word cool a lot, i should probably say awesome since i'm an American gal now.

Skipping foward a week or two...


I was going to wait to post this part until i stole some pictures off of facebook (because i didn't take many!) but it's fall break and i don't want to hassle people to upload pictures. Once i get the pictures i'll add them to this post.
 

 Last weekend i went to Ohio and Kentucky with Zoo Club and had a blast (see, my expressions are becoming more American!) I wasn't planning on going because i had a stats exam on Monday and two science exams on Tuesday but since i had already paid the 40 bucks i decided to go. On the way there i sat with two girls called Cassie and Kara, we clicked straight away and they are so much fun. It was a 180 mile trip which took about 3 1/2 hours. I originally had two seats to myself which was perfect because we left at 7am sharp and i managed to get some sleep, we had a pit stop about 2 hours in and when i got back onto the coach a girl called Ashley took my seat (yes, i still have a grudge!) so i was perched on the edge for an hour and a half because she stretched her legs across my seat. Anyway, we got to Cincinnati Zoo at about 10.30am and were told to split off and meet at the coach at 4.30pm. It was freezing by the way! The first thing Cassie, Kara and I decided to do was get our faces painted at the kids stall, haha we got weird looks all day. It was a really amazing zoo, they didn't have cages for any of the animals, just railings and big ditches filled with water so the dangerous animals didn't get too close. My favourite animals were the elephants. We went to a cheetah show where they attached something to a piece of string to show us how fast they run. It was so cool. 

We had some lunch and there was a country band playing while we ate. Cassie and Kara asked me to teach them how to speak in an Irish accent and for the rest of the day we talked in "Irish accents". No, seriously from about 12.30pm until we went to bed, we spoke in Irish accents haha. 

Just hanging out with the rhinos

When we got on the coach we were told to split into groups of four for the hotel room. Ashley decided to take my seat again (grudge!) so we invited her to stay in our room and she said yes. We had dinner at a buffet and at this point i think Ashley hated us because we wouldn't stop talking in Irish accents lol. I had a lovely steak and jacket potato if anyone is wondering. 

That night Cassie told us some personal stuff and to cut a long story short Ashley walked into the room when we were all crying and thought we were such freaks so we were laughing and crying at the same time because we must have looked like psychos. Poor Ashley!!! I think she regretted sharing a room with the face painted, irish speaking, crying weirdos! But Cassie and Kara have basically become really good friends now.

Cassie and Kara + amazing face paint!

On day two we went to an Aquarium in Kentucky, but i can't remember what it was called. On the coach there i realised i had left my iphone at the hotel (which luckily they send back to me!!) so i didn't manage to take any photos. It was really cool though, we got to touch crabs, starfish and there was a huge tank with sharks which we got to touch. 

Touching the sharks

They also had those really cool tunnels which you walk through and the sharks and fish are swimming all around you. 

Walking through the tunnel

My favourite bit was actually the jellyfish, we sat there and watched them for about 20 minutes. 

Hanging with the frogs

There were penguins there too and we got to watch them being fed. We also went into this place where you can buy bird food and go into this enclosure and feed it to the birds. One climbed on my hand and shoulder, Kara has a video which i'll try and get off her because i look so scared haha. 

Feed the birds

 We went and had lunch in a shopping mall next door and looked around an art gallery. We found a photo booth as well and took photos in there haha.

Kara is on the left and Cassie is in the middle. We kept singing that song from The Hangover ("we are the three best friends that anybody could have") and decided to make a wolf pack but called it the lion pack haha that's what the first photo is all about.

We made it back to Indiana at about 6pm that evening. I'm SO glad i went because i made 2 great friends from it and i got to travel to two different states. 

Oh and..

P.S. We got tattoos. Sorry dad!!!! Don't worry it's hideable!!!

xx