Day 3 began much like the previous two...sun, children buzzing like jackhammers that someone forgot to shut off, coffee...having not had any luck with fitness the previous days, i decided to sequester myself upstairs; one can only imagine how this feat of ten uninterrupted minutes was achieved - if i had a clue, trust me, i would use it more often...i digress - i did my guaranteed* "Six Steps to Courteney Cox's Bikini Body" and felt so energized and ecstatic afterwards that I thoughts I would corall the small ones for an adventure to the wild...i.e. the zoo. We pack a picnic lunch of stinky tuna sandwiches and snacks - with reserves in tow, a.k.a. Husband, we took off for the zoo. Traffic on the way there - duh. Insane crowds, double-duh. Had a picnic in the family transport - it now smells like tuna that's been left in the sun (I will never find that crust of bread). We had special VIP family privileges that allowed us to pass the lay man waiting on a line of 4,000+...we pulled out our "membership cards" and quickly bypassed the throngs...only to walk immediately into more throngs once inside. Ahhh, children in their natural habitat - cavorting with wild animals, ya know, safely behind 3 inch glass partitions, sipping on Slurpys looking irritable and bored. Well, not entirely true - the python was a hit. Both the hippo and the rhino made an appearance, so that was cool. Though, even the elephants looked a bit Blase' - I swear one even rolled its eyes, while the other literally leaned its trunk against a wall. The orangutan had her newborn baby clinging to her back and swung two stories in the air away from the onlookers. I felt both sad and embarrassed. A mother trying to keep her baby safe from the faces pressing against the glass - it looked like she was searching for a modicum of privacy and settled behind a thick piling at the back of her room. I teared up and wanted to scream for everyone to get back - but found when i turned and saw the small newborn peek around her mother with curiosity, its gaze settled on my face - i couldn't help but turn entirely toward the tiny one and stare with a stupid look of wonder. A mother of any kind, looking at a bright eyed child - you cant help but smile broadly. I shrunk away from the crowd with bittersweet grin and moved on to the gorilla habitat. They have proved to be equally magnificent and captivating.
We finished our trip past the okapi, and Kudu around by the giraffes and out the Entrance/Exit. The whole expedition took under 3 hours - yet felt like surely it had been closer to 6. (Or so said my back and knees and patience told me). We took an alternate route home and stopped to get the children some ice cream - complete with servers on roller skates.
Having spent the day busy and full of treats, the Husband and I felt comfortable enough "mailing in" the rest of the day.
*Six Steps to Courteney Cox's Bikini Body makes no guarantees that workout will result in a figure anything near Cox's own. Let's face it, she has money and a personal trainer and you have an article online and your bedroom.
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