11 Years of Bliss

QE and I celebrated 11 years together on Friday. To humor me, he took me to the zoo. What fun! I will upload pics on Flickr when I get a chance. My boy Tai Shan was in a willow tree sleeping, so I had to find a new best friend. Mei Xiang was sleeping sitting up, with her head resting on a rock, just like kids sleeping in class on their desk. Tian Tian was sleeping in his grotto for a while and moved elsewhere when we went back. Highlights were watching the staff feed a cheetah (daddy of cubs) because he wasn't happy about the change in his diet. They were concerned about how much he was eating, so handfeeding him was the only way to ensure he was eating everything. He was up close too! So awesome. When he was done eating (note that he wasn't FINISHED with his meal, he was just done), he meowed once and walked away. The staff called him and he ignored them. Typical cat! We also saw...meerkats!!!! in the small mammal house. They are the cutest little creatures! QE's little friend was running back and forth like he was on speed or something. A few of them stood on their hind legs. They are just as cute in person as on TV. Furry little faces, cute little feet. There was a momma in the back nursing her cubs. We also saw a momma tiger and her three cubs. Two were napping peacefully while a third kept trying to pounce on mom. He was hilarious. I managed to capture one pounce on video. Mom would be lounging while junior stalked her. His paws were huge, much too big for his body. While we watched the tigers, the staff clanged some metal pans together indoors, signaling meal time. Momma tiger promptly got up and trotted indoors for her meal. Again, so housecat like it was hilarious. We encountered several herds of field tripping kids. OMG There's nothing like the sound of 15+ kids screaming, squealing and running everywhere. We promptly left every time a herd approached. And we always knew when an exhibit had something cool because those shrill voices would pierce the peaceful morning air.

As my sugar daddy, QE bought me a Tai Shan plush doll. He's so cute. And he goes perfectly with the big Mei Xiang plush I bought on our last visit. Maybe that's why QE doesn't take me to the zoo often! One other cool thing was buying ice cream from a vending machine. Some kid asked for ice cream while mom said it was too cold and they weren't selling ice cream. All while QE and I were buying ice cream and watched the cool contraption that stores and dispenses ice cream. Ice cream before 11 a.m. rocks. Especially when all the kids were jealous. HA!