Zoo

I've wanted to go to the Kansas City Zoo all summer but the weather has been so hot that the thought of walking around all day in the extreme heat was not appealing, plus, I had no one to go with. Well, on Tuesday, Sarah, the wife of our bible study leader asked if I wanted to go with her and her 3 kids (oh...and she's 22 weeks pregnant!) to the zoo today. She has a family pass so I was able to tag along for free! The zoo is only a 13 minute drive from my house so we met there this morning. The weather was a perfect 22 degrees, sunny and blue skies. And the zoo was EMPTY. No kids, no school trips, no lines. It was amazing. We stayed for 5 hours (the kiddos were exhausted by the time we were done). I'm glad I went with kids, they really do make trips like that more fun with their hilarious commentary. I'm glad I was able to spend the day with Sarah. Sarah is the Mark Speelman (one of Nathan's friend's from church back home) of Kansas City. She's quiet and an amazing listener and when she talks you feel the need to stop and really focus on what she's saying because you know she never says anything just to fill a silence. She's very thoughtful and the day was effortless and relaxing even with the (comfortable) silences. I was able to take a few pictures of Sarah and the kids too.I like being able to take pictures for families, it reminds me of Saba when I would do it for moms that their hands full with kids and didn't have room for a camera. I wonder if there's a vacation photographer job where you can hire yourself out for family vacations and just tag along and take pictures and travel for free..hmmm....

Because the day was a little cooler the animals were much more active than they are in the peak of summer. Most put on a good show and I had a great time. My favourite animal was the polar bear. It is a new exhibit at the zoo and he was beautiful to watch. We were able to get up close and personal when we attended a bird feeding. Shiloh, Sarah's oldest daughter, was a little frightened but she stayed brave - as did I, even when a bird landed on my head!

Another KC adventure to check off my list!