Birthday Blast!

Well, I expected to spend today mostly at home. Maybe going out to eat, and if I was lucky, going to Putt Putt at our local All Star for my birthday celebration. The hubby never does much for birthdays, because they aren't a big deal in his world.

So imagine my freaking amazement when after our big lunch at CiCi's Pizza, he drives me to the zoo! If you've been a follower of this blog for very long, you'll remember that zoos and museums are basically my favorite places in the world, so I was thrilled beyond thrilled!

Flowers in the newly renovated Jungle exhibit.

Now, the Sedgwick County Zoo is massive, so it took us a few hours to get through, but I was having so much fun that I didn't care how sore my feet were or how hot I was! There are so many amazing exhibits, segregated by their region in the world. So you have Australia (my personal favorite), Africa, Asia, South America, and North America. Along with the regional exhibits, you have the stand alone buildings and exhibits: The Jungle (a freaking real life slice of the rainforest!), the amphibian and reptile houses, the penguin cove, and the children's farms (which showcase animals from different regions in a petting zoo like setting).

A tropical bird perched above the entrance to the waterfall, in the Jungle.

We hit the Children's Farm first, and spent an hour or so wandering the various barns and exhibits, feeding the sheep and goats, and the fish as well. Next, we swung by the penguins, then on to the reptile house! OUtside the doors to the enclosure, I noticed some very out of place sunflowers making a go of it, and snapped a photo.

We toured North America next, and saw all the bears and antelope, and even a few bison. The otter enclosure, wasn't super crowded, but there was a trio of children running wild along the glass tank and screaming bloody murder, so I had to bypass one of my favorite exhibits since the parents didn't seem to see that behavior as any amount of disruptive to the rest of the zoo goers. but I digress...

A sleeping Cougar in the North American region.

We finished up the rest of the regions, and had to backtrack a bit to find our favorite cluster of exhibits: Australia and South America. Unlike the rest of the zoo, these two regions are entirely open to explore, with the wildlife running free in many instances. Which means you get some awesome encounters, like these!

A wallaby grazing near the entrance, about 2 feet from the doors, happily greeting visitors as they come in!

A pair of macaws sitting over the river that runs through the exhibit. They were close enough to reach out and touch!

As we entered the Australia enclosure, there was a Tawny Frogmouth just sitting on the sign, posing for photos. So needless to say, I had to snap selfie! I had no idea he was smiling too!

Needless to say, today was awesome, and I couldn't' have spent my 27th birthday any better!

Love and Lightning Bugs,

 

Pika Pika!

Well, I recently found my copy of Pokemon Soul Silver for my DSi, and have been playing it almost nonstop! I forgot how great this particular Pokemon game is, and it's been so long since I've played anything from this franchise, it's a nice bit of nostalgia too.

That said, I quickly realized that one of the most iconic Pokemon from the series is also one of the rarest to find in that particular game! Turns out Pikachu can only be found in Viridian Forest, and even then it is exceedingly rare. So rare in fact, that I have been running around that forest for days, and still haven't come across one. 

So I decided to make my own! 

It took me about 15 hours to draft the pattern, crochet, stuff, and sew this little guy together, but it was well worth it! Everything was on him is yarn, except for the eyes, which are felt. I am stupidly proud of this little project, hehe.

Love and Lightning Bugs,
 

Missing Childhood: Polly Pocket

I was looking through the blogverse the other day, and came across this article by Chrystal over at Yumeating, about getting rid of beloved toys that her daughter was outgrowing, and it got me thinking about the toy I miss most from MY childhood. The Original Polly Pockets.

Back in the 90's it seemed like every one of my friends had at least three or four of these freaking lockets, and the envy was real. I grew up with not a lot of money, so I never really got the newest toys, but thankfully my friends let me play with theirs, and let me tell you, I was so in love with these it was sad.

The original Polly figures weren't anything to toot your horn at, but they were tiny enough to fit in the miniscule rooms and environments held in the lockets, and that was good enough for me! I had huge adventures at my fingertips, living out everything from the dainty princess, to the happy housewife, and much more. Most of the lockets only had a couple of moving parts, if any, but that didn't limit my imagination any less. I could dance with the prince in the castle courtyard, or have tea in the sitting room, or just go to the mall like to oh so amazing teenagers I couldn't wait to grow up to be.

Look at this magical mofo! It has lights and everything! That was some advanced tech for my childhood.

 After a year or so of pining almost desperately for a Locket of my own, I was surprised one day with this freaking amazing set. The Polly Pocket Magical Mansion. I was OVER THE FREAKING MOON, and for a few more years, I did nothing but play with this set, living out dreams of fancy adulthood with the M.A.S.H husband I had decided on.

And then one day, I just didn't play with it anymore. It eventually got sold for a fraction of the price at a yard sale, and I had decided that my time with Polly was over. It's sad really, to realize you've outgrown something you so loved as a child. But here's the thing about adulthood....you gain the ability to once again own the toys you loved as a kid! So if anyone happens to know of someone with a Polly Pocket Locket that might be rotting away in an attic or something, let me know. I want to give it a good, and very loving home again.

Where there any toys from your childhood you would love to have again?

Love and Lightning Bugs,