Run Wild!

Another in our family running adventures - Run Wild at the Phoenix Zoo back at the end of March. A 5k for mommy and a "Kid's k" for the kiddos. A 5k is only 3 miles so a run on the shorter side for me but the girls have been bit by running bug so an event like this is great for everyone. It was early, yes, but after we were able to spend the morning at the zoo and saw tons of animals up close - early mornings are when they are at their most visible. A super fun day for all of us!

Pinning the race bib on a sleepy participant.

Gosh, I look so serious. Just putting in ear buds, that is all.

Two little runners getting ready for their "Kid's k" race.

If they have sunglasses on, they are the Simpson Girls!

And finishing the race - I stayed about 15 feet behind the girls so they could cross the finish by themselves. They loved the table of snacks for the runners - fruit and muffins and stuff.

Off to see animals - running the race meant early admission to the zoo and early mornings are the best time to see animals!

GREAT views of the lions...and I don't have a camera with telephoto lens! (yet...)

Rhinos...

Orangutans...

Turns out we were there to celebrate Dutchess' 50th birthday - the oldest Orangutan in captivity in the US. Lindsay fell in love with Orangutans during this visit and decided this would be the topic of her upcoming animal report - her big research report for the end of 3rd grade.

I don't know about these critters. This must have been when Caroline was sprinting from exhibit to exhibit - I don't think she wanted the race to be over.

Isn't the monkey walk-thru a cool exhibit?

After we went to the YUM-O Joe's Farm Grill. Tasty as always.

We ate outside under the citrus trees and it was lovely. The place was packed though - they were celebrating "Diners Drive-Ins and Dives" - the Food Network show that featured Joe's, and were featuring recipes that were shown on the show. I love the BBQ chicken pizza - tons of fresh basil, so good.

Anyway, we don't get a lot of days like this, where we can just play on a saturday, so this was definitely one to remember. Because soon our Saturdays would be spent digging up and fixing our sprinkler and drip irrigation system. Yea us.