Teacher In Service: A Thing of Beauty

Up until yesterday, the thought of a teacher in service day meant juggling my poor "Little" between her father and grandparents. I am not a huge fan of vacation, which includes days off. I made an exception yesterday and it was the best Friday ever! This all being said, I kept an eye on my email and phone calls up until my office closed at 3pm. We had some breakfast, answered some email, watched some cartoons, made a few business calls, got dressed, ran a couple of errands, and took a picnic lunch to have with Daddy. His office is surrounded by trails and covered areas in which we could have a shady lunch. Leaving Daddy to his work, "Little" and I headed down to the zoo. Our priority was the Lorikeet exhibit. We love this because you walk amongst the birds with cups of nectar for them to drink. The key is to allow the clever birds to enjoy their treat without allowing them to steal the cups or spilling the sticky substance on yourself. While we kept a solid hold on our treasure, both of us needed a decent hand washing before moving on. The birds were delightful and one even held my hand in such a kind gesture while lapping up the cool liquid. Our next stop was the carousel, which we rode twice. We grabbed cool drinks and headed off to the other side where polar bears, sea lions, and felines could be found. Along the way we saw camels, zebras, and beautiful white wolves. We enjoyed ice cream cones while we watched the sea lions perform and then bought "Little" a stuffed polar bear to add to her collection. The Polar Bears, which are my favorite, were swimming in their pool, playing with their toys, and generally showing off. The snow leopards had a new addition in April and Robbie was as cute as could be. Though it was already 3pm, I was not ready for our day to be over. As we headed out of downtown, "Little" decided she was hungry and then promptly fell asleep. Traffic was heavy on the highway, so I pulled off on an exit where I knew a Barnes & Noble to be. We grabbed a quick snack and headed off to find wonderful books to bring home. "Little" went first. We looked at Barbie books and Thomas the Train books, and Dora books. We finally decided on two Strawberry Shortcake books and two Barbie as books. She was patient, sitting on the floor reading her stories, while I searched for additions to my ever growing library. After making our purchase, we hit the Chick-fil-A drive through, came home, put on our jammies, ate, and then curled up on the couch to read. After reading her two stories, she headed off to bed, while I watched the end of the Rockies game, stealing in a few pages between innings. Though it sounds mundane and without event, my day with "Little" was extraordinary. We talked and laughed and compromised and learned from one another and from the experts working at the zoo. We shared our treats, drinks, our hugs and our kisses. We shared our day and the experiences that came with our day. I am in love with my "Little" and feel thankful that I seized this day.