A few weeks ago, Amy and I decided to treat the boys to an evening at MagiQuest. This was our first visit there, but I had heard some wonderful things about it, and the boys were extremely excited at the thought of getting their own wand. If you have never heard of MagiQuest, the best way I could describe it would be to call it a “high-tech” scavenger hunt. Actually, there is more to it than that, but the majority of our time spent trying to earn runes. Let me start from the beginning. Once you go through the registration process, both of our little magi each picked out a wand. The wands are used to “activate” objects placed all throughout the building. The first task for our novice magicians was to earn runes. This happens by activating a series of items in a certain order. When that is accomplished, you go back to the “Stone Circle” (A place where there are wand-sensitive computer screens) and see if you have completed the steps to earn that particular rune. If so, you can work on earning another rune. The wand keeps up with your progress throughout your stay.
Each rune quest varies in the number of steps to complete and the difficulty of each step. Once a rune is earned, the magi then has the ability to cast a particular spell. So, if you earn the lightning rune, your wand can then cast a lightning bolt spell…. which could then be used much later in the “adventure quests.” The whole setup was impressive, and there are a ton of items spread throughout that the players can interact with. Both Brian and Will had a ball running around and activating things with their wands and earning runes. We agreed that the best way to tackle these things was to split up in groups of 2. Amy went with Brian, and I took Will. In the 2 hours that we spent there, we had completed all but 3 of the rune quests(different ones for each boy). They really had a blast and are excited to go back.
All that wand-waving had made us extremely hungry, so we decided to walk down to the Yamato Japanese Restaurant and treat the kids to a great hibachi show and good food. Unfortunately, when we planned this outing, we had forgotten that it would be Labor Day weekend, and there was a 2-hour wait!!! By this time, it was already late and everyone was so hungry that we decided to scrap the Japanese food and go to Chik-fil-A instetad…. Our boys LOVE some CHIKIN!!! Afterwards, I don’t think it took more than 5 minutes in the car before both boys were fast asleep – wands still tightly gripped in their hands.
The following weekend, was Teacher’s Appreciation Weekend for the Ripley’s Entertainment Group where all Horry County certified teachers got free passes to all of the Ripley’s attractions. Well, you know we were going to take advantage of that deal!!! So we loaded up the car and went to Ripley’s Aquarium. We realized that we hadn’t been there since Will was still a bald-headed baby, so the whole experience would be new to him. They had a blast going through the tunnel and looking at the sharks, and were shocked when their mom reached in the interactive pool, pulled out a horsehoe crab and turned it over, revealing its underside. But to see them at Ray Bay, petting the stingrays… I think the look on their faces was near priceless. I just wish I had remembered to bring my camera!
After the aquarium, we decided to take another stab at going to Yamato’s and this time, we were able to get in with no issues. I think everyone enjoyed the hibachi performance,(what is it with the males species and fire?) and both of the boys really liked Amy’s tempura appetizer, but I’m not to sure that Will was too keen on his hibachi shrimp. I think he was expecting fried popcorn shrimp. No matter – it made for a great Sunday snack for me.
Where was Victoria in all of this? Well, since school started, she has become the typical college student enjoying her newfound freedom. Football games, and visiting her friends in the dorms, and any other excuse to get out of the house. I can’t really complain, though. Her grades are good, and she hasn’t gotten into any major trouble. In fact, she has gone to Conway today to see if she can substitute at the elementary school on the days she doesn’t have class. Not bad….
[tags]Victoria, Brian, Will, Ripleys-Aquarium, Yamato, MagiQuest,[/tags]
Tags: Amy-and-David, Brian, kids, MagiQuest, Ripleys-Aquarium, Victoria, Will, Yamato
