I'm not sure when it hit, but the desire to go to the Wild Animal Park took a hold of me on Presidents' Day. I like looking at animals, but I think I really wanted to feel like I was on a safari in Africa. After being indecisive for about an hour, we just ran with the idea, packed our cooler with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sliced oranges, vanilla and strawberry milks and two water bottles, then set out to San Diego. (We brought the new camera, too, as you'll see.)
Our welcome to the park animal, a bright blue macaw.
First official stop: Feeding the lorikeets. They loved Kent (and the cup of nectar he was holding). 
It was a strange feeling having a bird on my arm, but look at those awesomely vibrant colors? Definitely worth it for an up close experience.
Long, "monkey" arms run in my family, so I could relate to this guy. 
The Serengeti? Not quite, but isn't it lovely?
It sort of felt like we were entering the Heart of Africa although the sidewalks, fences and trams kind of killed that feeling. Oh well, it was still beautiful.
I liked this guy. (He's the blurry brown spot to the left of the sign.)
This is a common Kent stance. It says, "Really? Do you need to stop and read every sign? Do you really need a shot of that? I'll wait here, but let's go." What a good husband.
Leo. How do you like the staged jeep? And look at the size of those paws? Apparently, he sleeps like that for most of the day and then comes to life at night. I think I'll take the sleepy lion.
Flamingos and Kent.
We went to the Cheetah show and I discovered an unknown fact about Kent: The cheetah was his favorite animal as a child and he had a poster on his wall that read, "Blow in my ear and I'll follow you anywhere." Rowr.
A gorilla, just crossing his feet, looking down. He seemed completely bored and interestingly enough, human-like.
A little documentation of the trip in front of the gorilla cage.
We also saw a DAY old elephant. Isn't it adorable? I bet that mama elephant is so happy not to be pregnant. If I remember correctly, the elephant gestation period is 22 months. Yikes.
Mr. Ryan Darby and baby Kate joined us later in the afternoon. It was great seeing them and Kate was an angel baby.
All in all, it was a wonderful day at the Wild Animal Park. I don't know when we'll back (maybe when we have kids?), but it was worth the trip.
Spa Week? $50 treatments? How come I never knew about this until now?
I apologize for the dirty windshield and camera phone picture quality, but I couldn't miss a chance to capture this:
How awesome is that? Definitely made me chuckle, and I might want a pair of red glitter Converse high tops now.
Do all husbands look like this after work?
Our welcome to the park animal, a bright blue macaw.
First official stop: Feeding the lorikeets. They loved Kent (and the cup of nectar he was holding). 
It was a strange feeling having a bird on my arm, but look at those awesomely vibrant colors? Definitely worth it for an up close experience.
Long, "monkey" arms run in my family, so I could relate to this guy. 
The Serengeti? Not quite, but isn't it lovely?
It sort of felt like we were entering the Heart of Africa although the sidewalks, fences and trams kind of killed that feeling. Oh well, it was still beautiful.
I liked this guy. (He's the blurry brown spot to the left of the sign.)
This is a common Kent stance. It says, "Really? Do you need to stop and read every sign? Do you really need a shot of that? I'll wait here, but let's go." What a good husband.
Leo. How do you like the staged jeep? And look at the size of those paws? Apparently, he sleeps like that for most of the day and then comes to life at night. I think I'll take the sleepy lion.
Flamingos and Kent.
We went to the Cheetah show and I discovered an unknown fact about Kent: The cheetah was his favorite animal as a child and he had a poster on his wall that read, "Blow in my ear and I'll follow you anywhere." Rowr.
A gorilla, just crossing his feet, looking down. He seemed completely bored and interestingly enough, human-like.
A little documentation of the trip in front of the gorilla cage.
We also saw a DAY old elephant. Isn't it adorable? I bet that mama elephant is so happy not to be pregnant. If I remember correctly, the elephant gestation period is 22 months. Yikes.
Mr. Ryan Darby and baby Kate joined us later in the afternoon. It was great seeing them and Kate was an angel baby.
All in all, it was a wonderful day at the Wild Animal Park. I don't know when we'll back (maybe when we have kids?), but it was worth the trip.
has its benefits. Pink slippers and tights all day?
Kent hasn't read it yet, but I zoomed through this little shorty in about 5 hours (more or less). It was a fascinating book, a book that made me think, and made me look at Heaven and people in a different light. Most importantly, the lessons learned rang true to me. I know this book is fictional, but I feel that most stories are built upon real experiences, viewpoints and people (Albom's uncle was an inspiration). Fiction or nonfiction, it makes me want to be a more understanding, better person. 
