Bears and Tigers and...goats? Oh, my!

Let's go to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

And you can come too, too, too...

With Cooper and Jeb gone at church camp, we decided to head out on a fun excursion.

It's been a long time since we visited the Minnesota Zoo, and we had a great time together!  

It was the three of us, and a lot of HOT animals.  Tigers, bears, camels, antelope, asian cows.  Lots to see! Unless you count all the animals submerged in murky green water waiting for dusk to arrive.  They were bumming, I'm telling you.  HOT animals!

 I won't bore you with Luke and Anna's animal shots.  Especially since I always make snarky comments about people who photograph the animals standing there bored in their "environments".  I know.  I'm sarcastic that way.  But really, what in the world are you going to do with animal photos once you are home?  

For us, the highlight was...(don't laugh now, we're city folk)

We had a ball.  Petting, snuggling, grooming.  The mennonite people who arrived at the farm in the same wagon load of people as us seemed a bit confused.  I think they might have thought we were a bit loony to come to a zoo to see...farm animals.  

As a girl who has always harbored quiet dreams of pygmy goats, I was in heaven.  Those goats are so cute.  And we learned they are mighty closely related to sheep, too.  Who knew?  Probably you did, but we didn't.  No wonder Scripture references sheep and goats together.  I'm sad the goats aren't coming along in that illustration.  I find them much cuter.  And if I had to chose, I'd want to be a goat.  Unless I"m in that illustration.  In that case I'll be a sheep.

But I digress.  

Here's how it all looked at the end of the visit, after four hours in broiling heat

Mighty fun!

Cooper and Jeb return today.  Luke and I head out on Sunday for camp.  Pray for us!  Pray for me!  I'm on staff and leading 130 campers to know, love and follow Jesus.  It is such a fun week.  I really look forward to it, and love seeing God at work in all those kids.  Beautiful.

Emma Kate, we can't wait for the day we sweat it out with you at the zoo.  And we long to laugh at camels wading in water and gasp at the majesty of the leopard as it leaps down a tree trunk.  WITH YOU.  

Time's flying by!  We'll be there SOON.