We usually reserve the day after Christmas to celebrate my niece Hannah's birthday (happy belated birthday, Hannah!). But since Hannah and her family weren't in town this year, we opted for the zoo instead.
The plan was to meet up with Scott and Mary's friend Donna at the zoo. Donna and her husband Josh were bringing their two daughters. They also brought Josh's sister, her son, and a couple other little nephews. That's right, we ended up at the zoo the day after Christmas with NINE kids! (They outnumbered us adults -- there were only 7 of us.)
I would best describe my day as an elaborate text scavenger hunt. My brother Scott seized the first opportunity he had to ditch us. He followed part of the group to the orangutan exhibit, and was nice enough to text me and tell me to meet him there. Of course, try herding 6 kids quickly through the zoo -- it's virtually impossible. We didn't even make it past the flamingos. They ooohed and ahhed at the pink birds, but as soon as they marvelled over the ducks, I moved them along.
"No fawning over ducks," I told them. "Save that for the tigers!"
It's been a long time since I've been to the zoo, and I ended up lost on some crazy path. We did come across this great photo op, however:
By the time I reached the end of the path, Scott had texted me three more times. I was two feet from the orangutan exhibit when he texted that he was now at the pandas.
So it was off to the pandas. Then the next text came in.
"Pandas too crowded. Going to the elephants."
Before I could even relay the message, the next text came in.
"Panda line moving fast. GET HERE QUICK!"
So it was off to the pandas after all. We had to shepherd the kids through an aviary and down three flights of stairs, all of which provided endless distractions. We got to the pandas just as Scott and Josh were at the front.
I'd like to say the pandas were beautiful and amazing. They were pretty, but they were also sleeping lazily in the trees above, facing away from us. I couldn't believe I'd rushed around the whole zoo to get a rare glimpse of a panda butt.
It was unusually cold for San Diego, so Mary and I stopped to get some hot coffee. The operative word here is "stop," something Scott refused to do. He grabbed all the kids but Mark and ran off. I knew I'd get a destination text momentarily.
"Take walkway up to elephant exhibit," it read.
Unfortunately, we took the wrong walkway and ended up back at the aviary. We had to re-trace our path down the three flights of stairs, this time holding two cups of hot coffee each. Mark was mad his cousins were off having fun without him. But I was having a good time laughing with my sister-in-law about my crazy brother.
We finally found the right walkway and ended up by the lions. I was a little nervous about a graphic picture of a lion with his tail raised that warned "Lions can spray 7-10 feet."
"Gross!" I told Mark. "It's bad enough when Frankie sprays. Can you imagine getting sprayed by a big ol' lion?"
We quickly moved away from that exhibit.
We finally found Scott and family by the elephants. He assured us that the lions were in their little cave, and we should go see them.
They were very cool to look at. But I felt really bad for them -- people were packed up against the glass, snapping endless pictures of them. The cave was dark, so with every picture, a flash popped, and the poor lions seized a little from the sudden light. It was like watching the paparazzi attack; it didn't seem very "king of the jungle" at all.
The kids were begging to go on the skyfari ride, so that's where we headed next. I have a very healthy fear of heights, and a son with a sick sense of humor, so the last place I wanted to be was in a tiny car in the air with him swinging it around. I reluctantly agreed to go provided I could also take my niece Nathalie (who wouldn't swing). Mark promised not to make any jarring movements only because Nathalie begged him not to; apparently, my motherly fears held no weight with him.
But I had the last laugh. As soon as the skyfari car rocked into the air, Mark turned to mush. He gripped onto the bar in the middle with all his might. I broke into a cold sweat, which didn't help much when Nathalie, then Mark, started freaking out.
"I'm scared!" Nathalie shouted.
"We're gonna die!" Mark shouted.
"I know!" I almost shouted.
Then I remembered I was the adult and was supposed to be the calming influence. They were not helping any, let me tell you. I finally calmed them down, and by the time we reached the other side of the zoo, Mark was half-heartedly threatening to rock the car again.
By then, we'd had enough. I was thankful I'd bought annual passes, because the zoo was so crowded, and frankly, I was tired of chasing after Scott all day long. I promised Mark we'd return soon.
All the craziness didn't deter the kids, though. They still had a blast, and even posed for a very good picture:
I wonder if the zookeepers even realized four little monkeys had escaped...
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