Zoo Zoo Zoobalee Zoo

Here's a TON of photos from a recent trip to Hogle Zoo. It is so amazing having Jeff, Juline, Adi and Kohen living so close! And my camera sure doesn't slow down whenever I'm around these adorable kids!

Loves her Hello Kitty shades

Hanging with our long-necked friends

Look at that chubby boy!

So beautiful

The next show on "Must-See TV"?

I've always thought most of the quirky, unbelievable, odd, hilarious, humiliating, ridiculous, painful, bizarre and even heart-breaking moments of my life would make a PERFECT sitcom ... Some situation that would be a classic Ross story from "Friends" or even an Elaine tale from "Seinfeld" (no ... I do NOT dance like her, thank heavens!)

Here is a quick rundown of some classics in Jenn's life:
* The Peppermint Head doll. Ok, this is a lengthy story that is worth a whole post, but the quick version is this was a "Doll" adorned in starlight mints that a so-called boyfriend (I use that term VERY loosely) gave me for Valentine's Day. HORRIFYING!
* Being run over (nearly knocked down) by a car while walking through the parking lot at work. And ... it was a hit and run!
* Having my home and car broken into a total of 3 times ... all within 1 year. The cell phone being the victim all 3 times.
* Fainting a couple of times while working on stories for the newspaper.
* 3-inch-long cockroach crawling through my hair while I slept.
* Falling down the stairs (falling is a common occurrence in my life) and not only seriously bruising my fanny, but actually causing a deformity.
* Being attacked by a cat in the middle of the night.
* Exploding television sets.
And the list could go on and on and on...

I was recently reminded of a CLASSIC moment in the dating realm of my life...

Online dating has never been that big of a deal for me. Maybe I’m a little too trusting. Maybe I’m a tad naïve. Maybe I’m overly hopeful. At any rate, I have had many a date where we “met” online.

The most memorable, and actually one of my first, online dates was with a guy we’ll call “Jackson”. After emailing back and forth, texting and talking on the phone for several weeks, we decided to meet up for lunch.

My dad, who thinks himself quite the clever comedian and prank-instigator, mentioned how humorous it would be to spook this blind date.

“Ask him if he has experience with wheelchairs,” he said with a devious grin. “And then tell him you’re going to need help getting from your car to the restaurant.” Knowing full well teasing this unsuspecting guy and making him think I’m wheelchair-bound would not be nice, I of course kept Dad’s idea to myself.

D-day arrived and I met Jackson at the restaurant and everything went smoothly. Conversation was quite comfortable. In fact, it felt so comfortable I decided to relate my dad’s prankster idea, laughing near-hysterically as I told the story.

“Actually,” Jackson began … “my daughter is in a wheelchair.”

Oh My GOSH! I was so embarrassed, mortified, floored and shocked!

Needless to say, Dad doesn’t get involved in the “planning” of my online or blind dates anymore.

Posting Promise...

I hereby promise to post more regularly on this blog!
I hereby also promise to visit and comment on my friends' blogs more regularly as well!

OK, that said ... here's a taste of what is in store for the next few days!
* Author Signing Starvation
* Zoo-tastic
* Making a "Spectacle" of myself
* And whatever other photos, observances, stories, embarassing moments or other blog fodder I can come up with.

It's the simple things...

A load of laundry these days really does make me feel like all of my dreams have come true, namely ... no more LAUNDROMAT!!!

No more hefting, hauling, dragging, hoisting or wheeling loads of laundry through the courtyard of an apartment complex.

No more scrounging for every spare quarter I can find and begging the people at Wal-Mart to exchange a $10 or $20 into the precious coins.

No more running back and forth to switch loads and trying to time it just right so no one would steal my undies.

Now I have my OWN washer and dryer in my OWN laundry room a mere 12 steps (or so, not that I've counted) from my bedroom.

There are so many amazing things about home-ownership, but this is one I suffered a whole year of Laundromat hell for. And boy have I enjoyed every load these past few weeks!