Saturday, May 3, 2008

The Galaxie

The Galaxie held a family open house this morning. The boys were complaining the whole way there (a whopping 30 minutes ... apparently we don't get out much) ... "Do we have to go?" "Are we there yet?" Mom says, "Sometimes we have to drive a little to get to the cool stuff, just trust me!"

What a great great place! We hung out for an hour and a half. This is what we drove up to. Don't judge a book by it's cover was what came to my mind. It's very city, very warehousey, very awesome!

Once we got there, I'm sure it took them about one second to change their minds about the unknowns of the trip in once they saw this.

They had a dress up section.They had a piano the kids could play and not get yelled at for being too loud. My little musician spent some time making up a nice song. They had this garage door type thing that could be left open in nice weather but had a wire gate type thing (very downtown city like) that kept the gaping opening blocked. Was it to keep the ragamuffins in ... or out? Maybe both.

And there was this giant piece of wood that they had available for the kids to paint on. They had creative license to do whatever they wanted. The boys spent the most time here, next to the tire swing of course.

I love that place. I wish we had something like it in the suburbs. To encourage self expression without rules. To give a place for kids and adults alike to be free. Dance, visual art, music. They have everything. I don't know if the suburbs would have the same vibe though. There's something about the city - for me anyway ... I love the atmosphere. I loved this morning ... even though I just watched, it was pure joy to watch.

I also found out who my creative secret encourager is. But I'm going to keep it close to my heart. She almost didn't let me know but the director of the Gallaxie called her while I was there! I actually got to talk to her on the phone!! I can't stop smiling. Thank you again. xo


2 comments:

meg duerksen said...

ok you just gave me a fabulous idea.

i am going to find something very big that the kids can paint (outside? maybe) over the course of the summer...like that wood. maybe just a big piece of plywood - or two.

it could be an ongoing project.
where is that place? did i miss that. it's a wonderful idea. love the garage door too.
looks like a fun day.

Julie said...

The Galaxie is located in the Logan Square neighborhood, near California and Diversy. I think it's only been there a year or so.

I was thinking of doing the same thing with plywood for a birthday party or something ... but an ongoing summer project is a great idea!!

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I'm a creative spirit who, only recently, has discovered that I must do something creative every day. I love my three children. I love my hard working husband. I love experiencing God's goodness in everyday things and my deepest desire is to grow more in love with Him every day. I love worship, I love God's Word, and I love expressing the gifts he's given me through art and in my home. I am passionate about life and all things creative! All text, art, and photos are copyrighted 2007 - 2008 all rights reserved.

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