Ohhhh, look what is new at the zoo!

EEEEEEK!  If you haven’t gotten your booty on down to the Dallas zoo…you better!  (Or call me so we can set up a zoo date and go for free!)  Opening this weekend, the new Giants of the Savannah exhibit…

Wonderful.

  

Amazing.

 

OH my goodness I’m so thrilled.  Baby gets to see lions!  Everyone who knows me knows I love my job.  I am so excited about this amazing new exhibit – fantastic for families, for students, for individuals, for research (YEP, the zoo has a phenomenal research department!), it’s just great!!

At an employee preview party last week…

 

 

The official ribbon cutting ceremony with the mayor…(my good blonde buddy pictured here, Melissa, made the sign!)

Yummy treats…I’ve got such talented friends!

(Training yard for public educational demos…not where these handsome, intimidating men are usually on exhibit!)

Check out that tongue!!   AHHHH, animals!

I was fortunate enough to get to tag along with my researching buddy (have I mentioned that I get paid to do this…so unreal) to one of the “look out booths” as I call them, and I was so thankful that I had my camera!  Stumpy and Mama – two of the newest girls to come live at the zoo.

Just in case you’d imagined yourself to be on safari…I loved this picture as I was heading back in towards the public area…Reunion Tower, McDonald’s, Bank of America Building…and two beauties from Africa.

The Abi Diet

In our continued quest to eat as Abi, here’s a tasty summer find (thanks chelle for the pasta primavera encouragement!) – tell me if you want the recipe, it’s a keeper!

The initial toss:

Once the additional goodies found their way in (can I please get a resounding “amen” for fresh mozzarella?!):

Our greatest critic…it passed the test!

4 8 15 16 23 42…done

Well, that little ol’ show came to an end.  The timing was so appropriate as our dear Mike & Rachel are loading up the moving van and heading towards doctoral life in Waco this week.  It wouldn’t have been right to end LOST without the traditional wallace/whitenton experience.

So to say goodbye in proper fashion…

The house was rearranged for maximum viewing pleasure:

No detail was overlooked:

Good memories, Whitentons!  Waco is a lucky place indeed.

Michigan – Part I: Getting there and just being at home!

So, with donald heading to Asia – Abi & I decided it fitting to pack our bags and head up north to the land o’ lakes.

I got insanely lucky…each time we had two seats to ourselves (only paying for one!  Although, truth be told I am not going to be that sorry when we are legally required to purchase abi her own seat).  I was so thankful, it made the three hours so much fun – and in truth I was really worried about finagling abi, two carry-ons, and a stroller by myself!

We had so many fun moments while we were there.  It is always impactful to me to reflect on where I was in life (and all the silly that came with it) when I was living in my parents’ house and then to see abi running around.

If you know my dad, it wouldn’t be a michigan trip without the stereotypical…here’s where we live!  Love you, dad!

Helping out in the yard…please notice the amazing place that is my parents’ backyard.  Amazing place to grow up.  I love having abi play there.  Ducks, deer, ponds, gardens…it’s got it all!

Something both wise and fun

I love it when wise and fun go together.  If life could always exist with those two in tandem…

Anyway, caused by a “phone dump” of pictures, we went through pictures of the past two years – probably more to come, but here’s some of the house that made me slow down and appreciate good ol’ hard work, family, laughter, and caused me to be amazed at how life happens so beautifully! 

YAY for post-pregnancy belly!!  You could potentially judge me for bringing an infant into a serious construction zone…so go ahead if you must.  (Looking at the main room from the front door – where the kitchen/french doors now are)

Please notice the holes in our walls :)

Yep, that’s a tent (goodness, I gained more pounds during pregnancy than I thought!!) and in that tent…

Dearest Grant and Chelle – I promise we cleaned that bouncy seat well and it went straight from the car into the tent and back again…don’t be afraid!

She’s going to be 2 in july!!!

Oh, ugly paint color and icky chandeliers…

And MORE changing of paint colors and insanely inefficient windows!

Can you say creepy??!!  Just a sampling of what we found in our garage attic.  Shiver.

I mean, really??!!  Ahhh, delight.

 

(excuse the graininess of the pics…thanks for walking down memory lane with us!)

At 5:46 PM

The air conditioner got turned on at casa del Wallace.  I am always a little bit sad when this day rolls around.  I love the smell of a house with windows open.  My cat likes it too.  I like the sounds that enter.  The wind outside, the birds singing.  Yes, please.  But, when we walked inside at the aforementioned 5:46 PM and our thermostat was reading the following:

We knew it was time.  The time to turn the AC on.  Boo.  Here’s how our Abi coped.

Is that not the sassiest look you’ve ever seen?!  Oh, Abi – we love you so so much!

Reflections of the eternal…