Ben and Jamie's Day o' Fun

Like I said earlier, this week was Ben's Spring Break. We decided to take a vacation day to celebrate all of the looooong hours and hard work he has put in this semester. Our entertainment options included a tour of our the local cookie factory (Bud's Best), the Georgia Aquarium and the Birmingham Zoo. We decided the zoo would be a great way to take advantage of the lovely weather. Plus after living here for so many years (5 for me and 12 for Ben) we thought it time we patron this attraction. We slept in a little - 9 AM...woo hoo! Then headed to wash the car. I know this doesn't sound like it should be included in a "Day o' Fun" but with our upcoming trip to the Music City it had to be done. Once the car was done getting her bath, we ate a picnic lunch at the Botanical Gardens. It has been a long time since I had a picnic and I must say, it was quite lovely. The zoo just happens to be right next door to the gardens, so we moseyed our way over to gawk at the wide varieties of wildlife.

Egg Salad sandwich, grapes, cheese and crackers and a homemade blueberry muffin. Yummy!

Tulips - my favorite!

Here we go...lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

The flamingos were my first stop when we got to the zoo (besides the ladies room). It was hard to top that exhibit the rest of our day there.

This one kept flirting with me! Check him out below...such a pimp!

Ben visited the Reptile Room (no thanks!) while I hung out with the flamingos and watched them eat, fight with each other and balance on one leg. I could have stayed there all day.

So pretty.

Did you know that flamingos are born white?
They don't get their beautiful color until after their first birthday.

Gators. Boo.

There was a entire House of Primates at the B'ham Zoo. Unfortunately most of the photos didn't turn out. We were extra excited about seeing the gorilla, but he was napping in small cave and didn't feel like coming out to have his photo taken...sigh.

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas.
Only a hippopotamus will do...uh hum, sorry.
Did you know that hippos kill more humans than any other animal in Africa? They also make their own sunscreen!
Dangerous, yet resourceful.

The giraffes were my second favorite animal at the zoo.

The camera didn't catch it, but this guy totally just winked at me.

I was surprised at how small the zebras were. More the size of a donkey than a horse.

Tigers sleep 20 hours a day...lucky animal. He did however wake up long enough for me to see him pee...definitely a boy! His paws were almost as big as Marley's!

Mufasa.

Lady Lioness.

While everything wasn't quite open yet (still a little early in the season, I suppose) we had a great time at the zoo. Lots to see. I think I might go back and visit my flamingo and giraffe friends again soon. Maybe next time we will get to see Babec the gorilla.

We finished the day off with visit to the Mountain Brook Creamery where I enjoyed a strawberry smoothie and Ben cooled off with 2 scoops of mint chocolate chip. It was a fun day of sightseeing in our very own city...but the best part was spending some quality time with my hubby.