Spring Break

So, our hope for spring break was to visit the zoo... and we all loved seeing the animals, even if some of the animals didn't seem to love to see us.

On the way to and from our destination, we felt as if we were inside a living snow globe.  It was a beautiful drive!

Kind of strange to go from a snowglobe world, to this:

We started with the aquariums at the zoo, as they were indoors and there was a bitter wind coming off the Sound.  The kids giggled with delight at large fish who seemed to be smiling at us, one who seemed to have a giant brain yet acted lost, and the glowing jellyfish floating up and down.

One benefit of arriving just as the doors opened was watching the zookeepers release the animals.  At the tiger exhibit, we found no tiger, and realized they were waking her up and opening the cage.  The tiger leapt across the width of the exhibit to the other tower and waited.  The zookeeper motioned us, as a special privilege, to follow him and stand outside the door of the tower.  We were far enough away that it was safe, yet still up close and personal to the enormous face of the tiger behind the barred door.  The keeper threw giant chunks of beef through the bar, and the tiger caught it!  Literally!  With one paw, she caught and then fed herself the beef.  Apparently, she doesn't like the beef to touch the bleached cement next to the doors - I wouldn't either.  

At the shark exhibit, I gasped as the kids, as if with one mind, began dancing in front of the glass, taunting, "Try to get me!  Try to get me!"  But yet they, as my little rule keepers, made sure no one used flash photography or tapped the glass.

Monkeys apparently don't like to go out of their cages when it's cold and wet.  Go figure.  Yet we saw this little guy swinging around, and.... Note To ZooKeepers:  We observed this guy go to the top of the exhibit and work around the pole as if progressing on a longterm project of making an escape hole big enough.  He gets his entire arm out and waves it around.  It's quite comical.

  

Admittedly, the kids miss having Chuck E Cheese around the corner from our house.  So, we try to make it a point of visiting one once or twice a year.  The kids love it.
Another high point, besides the hotel's indoor pool, was Lazer Tag!  Finally our children are old enough to play as a family.  It was so much fun!!!  Nighthawk a.k.a Dad kicked our vest-covered behinds, but Ace a.k.a Mom was close behind as well as Destroyer (Sam) and Phoenix (Katarina).  Anabelle was too nervous to try on a vest herself so she served as a lookout in the blacklit facility.  She peeked around corners and was a great ally to me!  It was a blast seeing not only red lights flickering towards you but seeing giant white smiles in the middle of the darkness.  Definitely have to do that again.
Last but not least we visited a botanical conservatory, a pretty lame one, but it was free so we enjoyed the 20-steps-and-you're-done-flower-garden.  
In the middle of the high points, we visited Olive Garden (none of them in the Northwest are as good as the ones in the Midwest - what's up wit dat?), and Red Lobster (Oh MY delicious! Plus, they treated us like kings & queens), plus .... sigh... McDonalds.  I've discovered that once you're away from McDonalds for months at a time that if you suddenly have a burger and fries you can expect to be sick.  At least that's my experience - queasy, nauseous - I'm actually thankful we're not near a fast food restaurant to tempt us with a cheap, easy dinner, because ugh... I'd rather cook any day.  And that's saying something.  

Although we do wish for a Red Lobster in the neighborhood.  Especially one that gives you free plates of crab legs, and loads of coloring pages and crayons to the kids.  

Sadly, the trip was only two nights  (How can there be SO MUCH LAUNDRY for only two nights?) but we had a good time.  Now it's cleaning and working time to catch up on everything we're not able to normally do during school weeks.  Happy Spring Break!