So we got ready and headed toward the Arboretum. We'd been there a few times before, and I knew we had to get on 635 briefly and then take the Garland Road exit to get there. So we took Shiloh Road down to 635, and there ended up not being an on-ramp there! But we quickly figured out which way to go to get on 635, but I had already fired up the GPS on the phone to help us. Now, I knew there was a sign for the Arboretum telling you which exit to take, so once we were on 635, I started looking for it. We passed a couple of exits and I didn't see it. The GPS was telling us to take every exit we were passing. Finally I listened and told Will to take the next exit. We did and then discovered we were somehow in Mesquite. I don't think I realized Mesquite went that far over. Anyway, we had to turn on lots of different streets and in the process realized we had way overshot the exit we should have taken (where we got on 635 is actually where the exit we needed to take was. Doh.) But we got there with minutes to spare. At least we got to the vicinity of the Arboretum with minutes to spare.
The place was a-hoppin! Signs told us that all the lots connected to the Arboretum were full and closed. Our only option was to park in the satellite lot and take a bus to the front gate. Even the satellite lot was almost completely full, and there was a long line of people waiting to get on the bus! And it was hot. We were getting discouraged, but we got in the long line and called Jamie to tell her we were going to be late. Thankfully, the line moved pretty quickly and it didn't take too long to get on a bus, none of us in seatbelts, of course.
We got to the front gate and there were people everywhere! It was so crowded. Did I mention it was hot? Waaaay too hot for the end of October. We met up with Jamie, and she took us to a little area that wasn't crowded and started taking pictures of Liam. One day it won't be a challenge to get him to look and smile at the camera, right? Then I think we went to the pumpkin patch area that was completely full of people and she snapped some more pictures. Liam just wanted to pick up and move pumpkins. That was all he was interested in. We then moved on to a grassy area and attempted some family pictures. It was so difficult to make Liam sit still for even a moment! He kept running away. I think she got some, though. Lastly, she took some pictures of Liam in a secluded, shady spot, and that was it. It was quite the whirlwind photo session, but Liam had no patience for anything else, and Jamie had another family to photograph! Thank you to Jamie for photographing our family! I'm looking forward to seeing them!
After we were done with pictures, we decided to walk around and see the Chihuly glass that was being displayed throughout the Arboretum. In the process of doing this, we discovered that some parts of the Arboretum are not stroller friendly. But we came across the big pieces, and they were impressive. There were still people everywhere, no doubt there to see the Chihuly stuff. Did I mention it was hot? The sun was just blazing down on us. We went back to the pumpkin patch area so Liam could do some rearranging and so I could get a few pictures of him. Before too long, we decided to just leave. We were hot, tired, and thirsty. I think we had only been there about an hour. But we had a long wait to get on a bus ahead of us, and the park was actually closing soon, so it was time to go.
I had never been to the Arboretum when it was that busy, and honestly, I don't want to go when it's that crowded again. The Arboretum is a peaceful place and should be enjoyed at a slow pace. However, I have a feeling I won't be able to enjoy anything at a slow pace until Liam is much older!
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