Lions and Tigers and Bears and Giraffes and Rhinoceroses

Back in April I got this brilliant plan. Kaycie was really getting into animals so I signed up for an annual zoo membership. Our zoo membership is stupid cheap. I didn't even go for the least expensive one, I got the companion membership, so me (or Greg) plus one other person can go for free (well, $1 for parking each time) all year. And that's an extra person, because Kaycie is free until November. After that I think she qualifies as my extra person and then MicroTot can be free until age 2. For $30 a year. Awesome. Mostly because I really don't enjoy going to the zoo and spending all day, which I always feel compelled to do when I'm paying per trip. Gotta get that money's worth! Plus our zoo isn't fabulous. It's... well, I'll be kind and call it adequate. They've updated some parts that are better than the old areas, but they have a loooooong way to go. Some areas are seriously inadequate. But anyway, with the membership we can go, check out two or three animals, and leave. Or just go to the petting zoo part. Or hang with the otters in their nice new air conditioned space and then bail. We can do that once a month and it would be well worth it, considering adult admission is $9 a pop.

So when I signed up for the membership in April it said it could take up to three weeks to get our card. Dang. But ok. I wanted to get in some trips before the oppressive heat set in, but that should leave me some time.

Four weeks later, I still didn't have a card.

I contacted the membership lady at the zoo, who said they'd mailed it April 7. Crap. But the nice lady said she'd glady get me a new one printed and ship it off. This was the first week of May.

Four weeks later, I still didn't have a card.

I contacted them again on Monday and the nice membership lady no longer works there, but a new nice membership lady told me they had indeed mailed it. Twice. ????? But being the nice membership lady, she printed me a third one and left it at the ticket window for me. Thank you, nice membership lady!

Except now it's June. And I'm pregnant. And while it's June, it actually feels like August, which is a valid complaint for people who understand the subtle differences between 90, 95, and 100 degrees. And being pregnant, I feel that subtle difference even more than usual. I suffer.

But we trooped on. This morning we picked up our card, paid our $1 to park, and skipped off into the zoo. Where we stayed 20 minutes. We didn't actually see any lions. Or tigers. Or bears. We did see the giraffes, which Kaycie found fascinating. They had the mama and the daddy (who happens to be named Casper!) an adolescent, and the baby! We also saw the brand new baby tapir, and assortment of swans, ducks, and flamingos (who Kaycie wanted to climb in and join), and the rhino. I was looking for the elephant but never found him. We were both about to pass out by this point so that was all we took in today.

And that's ok. Because we can go back next week if we want and look for the elephant. Except we won't because Kaycie has music camp next week and we'll be at the church from 10-11 every day. But the week after that, we can go on a safari in search of the elephant! They also have a story time on Tuesday mornings that we might check out at some point. And the Discovery Station play area was closed today but I'm hoping that'll be open soon and she can go through that and the petting zoo. Overall, I think it'll be worth the $30. Especially if I still feel like waddling through in the fall when the weather becomes bearable again.