Lifelong Dream Fulfilled

So here's the problem with having lifelong dreams:
you (may be) left (slightly) disappointed when they come true.


My lifelong dream:
A trip to the San Diego Zoo


Dream come true. 
But slightly disappointing.
Allow me to explain. The zoo is ginormous, so the size alone is impressive. The foliage is exotic and cool. The fauna, however...not exactly what I had expected. Not really sure what I was expecting, but I was frustrated with the fact that several exhibits ("several" as in more than Zookeeper Madison approves of) were empty...or seemed to be that way. So either the keepers hadn't let the animals out yet OR there were no animals to release into the exhibit OR the animals were out and I'm actually terrible at "Where's Waldo?" I mean, if I were them, I would much appreciate a beautiful sunny day in the mid 70s in Southern California, but maybe that's just me. Secondly, I was miffed that there were several repeats ("several" as in more than Zookeeper Madison approves of). It's like they ran out of animals and dispersed the same ones across several different exhibits ("several" as in more than Zookeeper Madison approves of). Anywho, enough of my minor complaints. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am thrilled I finally got the opportunity to visit (and eat their most delicious soft serve ice cream). PLUS, I had a blast with my dear friend, Lindsay, who interpreted for me all day what the MILLIONS of Hispanic children on field trips were saying. Fun times.

"Kookaburra sits in the ole gum tree, eating all the gum drops he can see..."

(Apparently, that's not the actual second line as I just learned when I Googled the lyrics, but that's how I've always sung it.)

Tender.

This guy had some serious neurological problems and wouldn't stop swaying his head back and forth. And check out the claws on this beast! (And the crazy hair on his ears that reminds me of the creepy clown guy from "Air Bud.")

So crazy to run into the first-years!

Baby Bear.

Where's Waldo?

Mama Bear.

Did you know that the U.S. does not own ANY of the pandas it has in captivity? All pandas in America are loaned to us by Asia for breeding purposes. Asia sends us the stud and/or the suga mama (pronounced "shoo-gah"). We provide the ambiance conducive for panda love. The pandas do their magic, and voila...baby panda. We can only keep baby panda for 3 years, and then baby panda must return to Asia to be introduced to the wild and give hope to the rest of the panda race in the jungle.  

The. most. amazing. picture. ever.

Yes, his first hump is deflated.

Saw several very immodest animals that day. This is one of the more appropriate ones, believe it or not.

Hard to tell from the sunlight, but Mama Hippo has her nose smushed up against the glass and is using Baby Hippo as a pillow.

Thanks for helping to make my dream come true, Lindsay!

"All Things Pumpkin" Party

1 Saturday night after church + my apartment + 17 people + 3 carved pumpkins + lots of candles (especially the "Leaves" and "Autumn" ones from Bath & Body Works!) + hot apple cider (aka apple juice and red hots) + homemade hot chocolate + curried pumpkin soup (the biggest hit) + pumpkin salad (yes, pumpkin salad with roasted chunks of garlic pumpkin...YUM) + pumpkin pie + pumpkin cookies + pumpkin-shaped cookies + pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing + spiced pumpkin seeds + pumpkin cheesecake + pumpkin cheesecake dip = ALL THINGS PUMPKIN PARTY!! 

I don't have pictures of half the people that were party-hearty-ing it up with us because:
1) We were having too much fun to stop and take pictures.
2) I don't have an iPhone at my immediate disposable like every other human being on the face of the planet.
3) Half of the people were having serious conversations that I didn't want to interrupt with the annoying camera flash.

So here's a tiny taste of the festivities...

One-of-a-kind autumn wreath hand-crafted with materials from the dollar store.  Who needs Hobby Lobby?!

This centerpiece was a beast to put together, mostly because pine cones for some reason like to float in water, but I'm proud of the final product.

Apparently when you tell Meleah and Lindsay to do something "natural" and "candid," this is what you get.

Introducing Master Pumpkin Carver extraordinaire.

Please meet Dietrich, the "sculpted" pumpkin (named by Joel, spelled by Norma).

Creepy.

So lighting Dietrich proved to be quite the challenge.
Idea #1: Use Madison's wooden tongs to pick up the lighted candle and place into Dietrich.
Fail.

Idea #2: Use Madison's wooden tongs to hold the match and light the candle already inside Dietrich.

Fail.

Idea #3: Use Kevin's carving scalpels to stab the lit candle and lower it into Dietrich.

Success!

This would be Idea #4 (successfully utilized to light the other pumpkins): Use Madison's pancake spatula to place the lit candle.

And here is my souvenir from the night. A Kevin West original, inspired by the treble clef.