Animals and Fries

So yesterday was the official first day of spring and its arrival could be felt everywhere you went in St. Louis.

The sun was high and hot, and the air was clear (if you ignored the pollen), and everyone was outside working in their yards, washing their cars, and exercising.

You could feel the energy swelling up and infiltrating the day. It put a little pep in my step.

I woke up early in the morning to go to church and then went on to lunch with some friends I volunteer with. Already a good day, the highlight was the fact that Red and I were meeting our friends at the Zoo.

Yes, I said it. The zoo. I am like a little child when it comes to the zoo. It lights me up from the inside. It makes me get goose-bumpy. The feeling I get may or may not actually make me want to skip through the entrance. (Today I resisted for our friends' sake).



Ahhh, the people, the sounds, the aroma. Life is all around you!

The St. Louis zoo is free to the public and is WONDERFUL!

Here is a picture of my favorite: the elephant

Me and the elephant's rear-end. Nice, right?

I definitely grew up sleeping with a stuffed elephant named: Mr. E.L. Phant. He rocks...and could possibly be why elephants are my fave.

After 2 exhausting but fruitful hours exploring the zoo, we decided that chips and salsa were exactly what we needed. And so the adventure begins.

Having heard of a good place across town, we all decide to go check it out. So, we drive 25 mins to get there...and we are pumped. There is John Mayer playing in the background, the boys are up front talking man talk; we girls are in the back having girl time. Good times, right? just wait...

We get to the Bean House and wait 25 mins to order and then another 30 mins...before we leave. A bit disappointing for such a trip, we agree on another place.

We are again, in the car, and now hungry for burgers. We are pumped. There is O.A.R. playing in the background, the boys are up front talking man talk; we girls are in the back having girl time. Good times. Oh, wait... another 25 mins of driving and...the next restaurant is closed.

At this point we are all laughing and agree that McDonalds is our next stop. As we make our way back to where some of our cars are parked, the realization that we are tired and half full of chips and salsa began to sink in. We looked around at each other and said..."you know what? Let's just go our separate ways."

And that we did. We now had the chance to pull reserve energy (where is that, I wonder?) and actually get a decent meal somewhere. Mmmmm....didn't happen.

Red and I followed our hearts to McDonald's where I chowed down on my Mighty Kids chicken Mcnugget meal (is your mouth watering? I know).

And you know what? While I was sitting there, dipping my fries into ketchup and barbecue sauce, I realized that it really was a satisfying ending to a great Spring day.

I had spent the gorgeous day with my husband and dear friends at the zoo and ended it with my favorite meal from McDonald's. The adventure worked out, maybe not as planned...but better.

No complaints my friends. No complaints.