Dickerson Park Zoo

A few months ago, the hubby had a week of training in Springfield, MO. All of the training was on the computer, so why he had to go all the way to Missouri for it I still do not quite comprehend. That really is not the point of this post though.

Since I am staying at home with Claire we decided to tag along for the ride. I "Googled" some fun things to do while we were there and found a really long list of fun activities for Claire and I. In fact I posted about our trip after we returned home (Springfield, MO).

 

 One of the fun things Claire and I did was go to the Dickerson Park Zoo. It is a smaller zoo, but it is so neat. It has a lot of opportunities for animal contact for the littles.

Jared is kind of an animal lover (which is one reason we ended up with two dogs and two cats--I might have been the other reason) and he was so sad that he had to work while we enjoyed the zoo. It was so sad to see him pout over not getting to go to the zoo that I promised him we would return some weekend so that he could see it with Claire too.

Thus our Saturday adventure to Springfield and the Dickerson Park Zoo. The zoo is really more fun in the morning, so we got up REALLY early and made it all the way to Springfield in time for the zoo opening. In fact they were just opening the gates when we pulled up and parked.

Claire got to see a hippopotamus (she loves to say "happo") and lots of snakes, frogs, and turtles. She saw a deer, she fed the giraffes, and watched the elephants get a bath. She fed some goats and even a donkey; although the donkey did mistake some of Claire's fingers for a tasty treat--which was a pretty scary parent moment--but she lived to feed again (although we avoided the donkey from that point forward).

 There was a bald eagle, and a red fox, some really lazy lions, cheetahs and tigers. (Why are all the big cats so lazy?). We saw a couple of black bears chasing each other and bug-tussling (as my mother would say). We also saw some otters, wolves, and other assorted animals.

My all-time favorite thing about the Dickerson Park Zoo is the giraffe deck. They sell these wafers and the giraffes all come over, stick out their extremely long tongues, and take the wafers right out of your hands. Claire thought this was pretty great and so did her daddy.

I think Jared really enjoyed watching the bears. And of course we made a pit-stop at the playground so Claire could go down the slide about twenty times. Thank goodness there were no swings, or we would have been there for another hour.

All in all it was a really great day. I don't know how many times we would be willing to spend more of a day driving than actually being at our destination, but I am still glad we kept our promise to daddy and let him take Claire to the zoo.

People.

Sometimes I don't understand people. People (me, I, we, and they) are selfish, controlling, hateful, mean, insincere, forgetful,  passive aggressive, and the list just goes on and on.

There are days when I have to constantly remind myself that people (me, I, we, and they) can also be kind, good, helpful, loving, selfless, loyal, and generous too. And that the good qualities can go on and on as well.

The thing is that life is hard. And every person is dealing with it in the best way they now how. Who knows what a person is struggling with/rejoicing over at any given moment that they might cross your path. I have to remember that we are a flawed and fallen people. Each person (myself included) deserves the benefit of the doubt in most cases.

I have been really struggling with people lately. Especially with people that I thought loved and cherished me (and my circumstances) unconditionally. It is just really hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that close friends and family are going to be the people that disappoint and let me down the most/hardest.

These are some verses that God has given me in recent weeks and they have been giving me a great deal of comfort and peace. (I hope they can/will do the same for you.)

John 16:33 (NASB), "These things I have spoken to you, so that in ME you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Romans 8:18 (NASB), "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Romans 8:26 (NASB), "In the same way that the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NASB), "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."

Ephesians 4:32 (NASB), "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

I am not a perfect person and I never will be. Nobody on this earth is perfect or ever will be, but God is perfect. So I am striving to seek Him daily, so that what I fill myself up with might spill out of me onto others.

Oh my back!

Holy cow. I played in an ultimate tournament this past weekend and my lower back is killing me.

I have played in tournaments many times before. Some much more strenuous and/or long. Granted I did get form tackled by a young male player (in what is supposed to be a non-contact sport!), but I have been knocked over before. I have never felt this kind of terrible and lingering pain in my back before.

If this is what it means to be "getting older" they can have it back. I don't want to age and have this much trouble recuperating after a day of mostly fun ultimate.

I can hardly even pick up my daughter and you can forget about carrying her around the house. I have been alternating  between ice and heat, and rest and stretching, but nothing seems to help.

Getting old is for the birds. And it makes my back hurt.

Guess I will be making my first chiropractic appointment if things don't improve in the next day or two.