Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa, FL

Note: As of November 2014 this is not the most up to date entry of Lowry Park Zoo. For a more updated entry, please click on the Lowry Park Zoo tab at the bottom of this entry. Thank you!

Lowry Park Zoo
Tampa, FL
Date of Visit: August 22, 2011

Lowry Park Zoo is our home zoo now, and we visited it as one of our first stops in our new home Tampa, back in August. We absolutely loved it! This zoo is rated #1 in the United States by Parents Magazine and there is reason for the hype.

Highlights: This zoo is so close to where we live now. It took us less than 10 minutes to get there. There is a very wide range of animals at this zoo from all over the world. They have penguins, komodo dragons, and rhinos which are some of our favorite zoo animals. They also have plenty of elephants (Jenna's favorite). They have a walk through with wallabies and are supposed to have a koala (we will have to go back soon to see if it is there).

Disappointments: Safari ride smelt really bad and gassy. No koala. Real komodo dragon seemed very sick.

Pictures Taken by Noland (sorry I stink at photos)

Us on the komodo dragon statue. The real one was looking pretty rough so we decided not to include that picture.

Mom and baby Indian Rhino

Bald Eagle

Camel

Close Up W/ Giraffe

Elephants

Giraffes and Zebras

Hornbill

Penguins

Wallaby

Rhino on the Move

We gave this zoo a 4.5 out of 5 elephants.
It was pretty close to the perfect zoo. However, the absence of the Koala when we went was quite disappointing. It also wasn't quite as good as either the Maryland Zoo (review to come), Atlanta Zoo, or Disney's Animal Kingdom so we knocked it down .5. We could have easily given it a 5 and probably would have if we didn't have so many fives already. Definitely check out the Lowry Park Zoo if you are in the Tampa Area.

-Jenna & Noland

Guest Post: (Bee)autiful Blessings!

Hey Everyone! We have a guest post from Kaity at (Bee)autiful Blessings! Go check out her awesome blog! 
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When Jenna put the call out for guest bloggers, I immediately jumped at the opportunity! I've read so many guests posts that were filled with laughs, love and inspiration and led me to some wonderful bloggers whom I definitely wanted to keep tabs on! So bare with me as I try to join the ranks of some of the lovely ladies who have gone before me and lose my guest post virginity!

I'm Kaity and I blog over at (Bee)autiful Blessings.

That handsome man you see on my face, is my hubby-to-be (as of September 2, 2012). While writing about the trials and tribulations of  planning a wedding to the man of my dreams is all well and good; I decided to use this post to talk about something I haven't yet managed to incorporate into my own blog: tattoos. More specifically, my tattoos.

There's something so beautiful to me about carrying the beautiful scars of life experiences and memories with you for the rest of your life. Although my measly two tattoos have not exactly achieved "art form" status, they're symbols of two beautiful times in my life that I have managed to immortalize on myself forever.

#1: Tribute to my Daddy

When I was a baby, my Daddy wrote a song for me called "Kaity Through the Glass" about the first time he ever saw me through the glass of the hospital nursery. My Daddy was an amazing musician and even opened for bands like The Grateful Dead back in the day. When I was 10, he suffered a massive stroke and lost the use of the entire right side of his body and his ability to speak. Needless to say, he no longer plays music, but this tattoo was my way to honor the memory of the beautifully talented Daddy I grew up with.

#2: Tribute to Uganda

When I was a junior in college, I spent four months abroad in Uganda. Over our Spring Break, we spent a week living with rural Ugandan families and experiencing life as part of an impoverished Ugandan family. At the end of my stay, my family blessed me with the name "Ainapakin" which means "peace" and "comfort." At the end of the semester, we visited Rwanda and spoke to survivors of the genocide. I shared my favorite Bible verse with the congregation of a Rwandan church, Isaiah 40:31, "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will fly on wings like eagles..." The eagle feather symbolizes the power of that verse as it applied to my time in Uganda/Rwanda and the black, red and yellow are the colors found on the Ugandan national flag.

So that's my ink in a nutshell. I have an ongoing inventory of new tattoo ideas that I plan to pursue as soon as money and my zero pain tolerance are no longer a factor, but as for now, my measly two are all I need.

Thanks to Jenna for allowing me to rant and rave on this adorable blog of hers and if you have some ink you'd like to share, be sure to stop by and tell me all your tattoo stories:

Hunger Games Movie Review

Have you read the book?

It is soo good! I did a book review awhile ago which you can read here!

Here's the preview:

Highlights: This movie really did follow closely with the book. There were a few details that they left out which really bothered me because I loved every inch of the book. The characters really fit the part, and my favorite was Rue--She was so cute.

Disappointments: If you haven't read the book, I can't imagine that you would love the movie, because you don't get a full explanation of what is going on. I would recommend reading a summary before you go just to get the gist. My husband went with me and he liked it but I did not explain a lot of the details so he mostly just liked it because he expected it to be horrible... and it wasn't. haha. 

To Know ahead of time: It is important to be knowledgeable that this is a post-apocalyptic nation called Panem. There used to be 13 districts and a capitol in this nation but the 13th district rebelled and the Capitol one. Every year as punishment to keep the other districts from revolting, the Capital hosts the Hunger Games! One boy and one girl aged 12-18 from each of the 12 districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle in which only one person can survive. The winners are crowned by President Snow, receive a large amount of money to keep them comfortable for the rest of their lives, a monthly allowance of food for the rest of his/her life, a house to live in through out their lives and a victor's plaque from each district.

Also the Capitol is the richest, which each district getting poorer-- all the way to District 12 being the poorest. District 12 is where Katniss is from.

I love details. I felt the movie left out a lot of important details but my  husband said if they would have included everything, it would have been long and boring. --I totally agree. Also, if they would have included everything, it probably would have been rated R. For a movie where kids are killing each other, Hollywood managed to pull this off gracefully. 

Here's Taylor Swift's song from the movie: 

Here is my movie rating of this movie: 

That's all for now!

Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!

PS. Leave me your opinion if you saw the movie... 

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Sorry Everyone! I've been a bit of a slacker lately on the updates! I have the blog over at itsjustcalledspicy and since my last update have gotten married and pregnant. However, Noland and I have been to quite a few zoos since November. After this update on Disney's Animal Kingdom, we will post on our local zoo next week and we got many more updates coming soon! Unfortunately, this update will not include many pictures.

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Lake Buena Vista, Florida

Dates of Visit: December 27, 2011 & February 18, 2012

We went to Animal Kingdom with Noland's family right before the wedding and again just the two of us in February. However, when we went back I was pregnant so it was quite a different experience.For seeing animals the first trip was much better. You cannot ride the Kilimanjaro Safari ride while pregnant so we missed the biggest attraction at this park during the visit. We also were unable to do practically anything in Dinoland USA because of the pregnancy. Disney's Animal Kingdom is still a fantastic time whether pregnant or not. In fact it is Noland's favorite of all the Disney Parks.

Highlights: This is one of the best if not the best animal attractions in the country. You could easily spend the whole day there! They have an amazing "African" area and "Asian" area! The animals are all awesome! There are some spots where you can't see certain animals, but there are so many viewing decks, you could probably move somewhere and get a view of them. The Kilimanjaro Safari is easily the best part and it is probably the closest thing to a safari there is outside of Africa. The up close views of animals on the safari are incredible and some cross the path. We have never seen rhinos that close and so many of them. The rhino is my husband's favorite animal so it was awesome for him to see. It was also our nephew Luke's favorite ride as he wanted to ride it a couple of times. I definitely recommend getting there early and getting a fastpass for later. You see more the second time around. The Komodo Dragon exhibit was another highlight for us as we saw one of our favorite animals and we could see it outside of the safari. Also for Florida Residents you can go to Disney 3 days for $99 which made our tickets extremely affordable.

I've added some other people's pictures from online because ours did not come out to good from our phones. We both managed to leave our cameras behind in Tampa.

Giraffes and Zebras courtesy: travellandleasure.com

Rhinos courtesy: DisneyEveryDay (There were a ton of these guys!)

Tree of Life, Kilimanjaro Safari, and Komodo Dragon courtesy: Wikimedia

Disappointments: We did not have many disappointments for this place! We both wish that there were some walk throughs where you could see more African animals outside of the safari. This inability to see many of the animals made us miss our favorite part of the park in February. Another good idea would be to add some more bones/plastic dinosaurs in DinoLand for the little ones, but other than that, WE LOVED THIS PLACE!

We gave it a 5 out of 5!

That's all for now!

Leave a comment or your opinion if you have been to Disney's Animal Kingdom!

♥ jen

Guest Post: Shine On!

Hey Everyone! We have a guest post today with Meghan from Shine On! Take it away girl! 

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Hello lovelies! I hope you are all having a fabulous day. Please let me introduce myself -- my name is Meghan, and I blog over at Shine On. I'm a twenty-something, coffee-loving, professional sorority girl living in Music City, TN. It's nice to meet you!

I am thrilled to be a guest on Jenna's blog today! She is a fantastic woman, and I always look forward to reading her blog each and every day. Is she not one of the cutest little preggo ladies you've ever seen?! Adorable!

When Jenna asked for guest bloggers, I was so beyond excited. Like I said, I love reading her blog, and I am so excited to 'meet' all of her wonderful followers. Yes, you all. I sincerely hope we can become blog buddies! That's one of my favorite things about the blogosphere -- 'meeting' and making new friends all over the place!

Anywhoo, Jenna told me I could write about whatever my little heart desired. At first, I was a bit nervous about this. I like to think I'm creative, but when the whole blogging world was my oyster [that's the saying, right?], I wasn't sure where to go. Until my Pinterest-ing post yesterday...

Books.

I started thinking about the hype that series like The Hunger Games, Twilight & Harry Potter have had within today's youth. With THG release on Friday, and the fact that I love the series, I started thinking about the series that I grew up reading. So without further adieu, I give you to my Top Five Favorite Book Series (from the childhood me).

1. Goosebumps

R.L. Stine

source

I would sit down and read an entire Goosebumps book in an afternoon. Thinking back, these were sort-of creepy, don't you think? But man, R.L. Stine did an awesome job at engaging us and actually giving us, well...goosebumps. Favorites? The Haunted Mask, Night of the Living Dummy, and all of the 'create your own ending' books.

2. Nancy Drew

Carolyn Keene (ghostwriters)

source

Did you want to be Nancy Drew? I sure did. I loved that she was able to solve all of her crimes by dinnertime...wait, that was Mary Kate & Ashley. Anywhoo, Nancy Drew was amazing. While it's an older series, it didn't lose it's oomph across the generations. I read the same books that my mom read as a child, and that's pretty darn special. Favorites? Secret of the Old Clock, Secret of the Shadow Ranch, and The Hidden Staircase.

3. The Babysitters Club

Ann M. Martin

source

Ohhh, The Babysitters Club. I don't think anyone will ever forgot those bright book covers with those ever-so-stylish child blocks. After reading the books, who created a BSC with their friends? I know I did!! The storylines were hysterical, and, like, totally awesome!

4. Sweet Valley High

Francine Pascal (ghostwriters)

source

Sweet Valley High is a series that focuses on Elizabeth & Jessica Wakefield. They're twins..and they're great. As a tween, I really aspired to be like the Wakefield Twins. Like, totally! ;) They really hit on a lot of the important topics of a young adult...first boyfriends, first kisses, breakups and more!

Last, but certainly not least (because I really could go on forever...)

5. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Alvin Schwartz

source

This was one of the series (three books in total) that you will never forget. Actually, I still can't believe I was allowed to read them. Reading some of the stories now...and considering how much of a wuss I am, I'm not sure how I made it out of these books alive.  I mean, let's just check out these photos.. yikes!

source

So friends, what were your favorite childhood series?

Feel free to comment below, or even get a little crazy and stop by my blog to reply!

I'd love to see y'all over there!

Jenna - Thank you so much for letting me guest blog. Here's to a great year!! Muah!

Restless Blog Hop!

Hey Everyone! I'm hosting a blog hop over at the Restless blog hop! :) So Excited.. And Sorry I got this up a little late!
I wanted to share a few things that I'm loving on Pinterest too! Since we just had St. Patty's day.. I'll share some cute things I would love to do for Easter:

Home made cadbury eggs!!! Yum. Can be found here

Dye easter eggs with Kool-Aid. So easy and cheap! You can find it here

And third:

a cute and simple wreath to make for Easter here

adorable Easter eggs, can be found here

 And that's all I have... 

Here is the Young & Restless Blog! You should check out her awesome blog and join the weekly blog hop! Make sure to follow if you are linking up!


 And if you are linking up today! Be sure to grab a Restless Blog Hop button!

<center><a href="http://christanncox.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="young and restless" src="http://www.thislittlelightblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Faerie_Wings.jpg" /></a></center>
Now Link Away!

Hair Therapy!

So being pregnant has been some kind of wonderful. 

I can't wait to hold the sweet little one but I've been so busy that I can't wait til May when I can really focus on this cute little new being! Getting the hospital ready and all that jazz.

But yesterday, I really needed some hair therapy.. 

so I got a hair cut!

BEFORE:

(PS. I have no make-up in this picture above)

AFTER:

I feel better. Now I actually will have time to straighten my hair. 

That's all for today! 

Thanks for stoppin by, 

xoxo Jen.

Tag! You're it!

So, I don't think  I've done one of these before... I was tagged by Kylee from 20&Counting! Here are 11 things about me, followed by the 11 questions Kylee posed. I'll then post 11 new ones for the girls I tag to answer! 

photo credit goes to mariannegreig.com

So here are 11 things about me:

(in no particular order)

1. Weekends are my favorite because I love spending time with my husband!

2. If you could get paid to sleep, I would be rich... because I can out-sleep anyone. I have to keep a strict sleep schedule to function or I could sleep 12+ hours a day!

3. I'm currently watching once upon a time on hulu because I missed it last night.

4. I was a dancer... for 15 years (from 3 to 18). Sometimes I miss it but then I just have a dance fest around the house.

5. My kids will not be allowed to go to UF. I am a Florida State Seminole! I bleed garnet & gold... OK so maybe not gold... but garnet ;)

6. God has blessed my life and I live to praise him!

7. I love Ranch dressing...its weird I know. I love it on fries, salad, wraps, sandwiches, to dip chips in it. Its so good.

8. I'm not a pet person. We will never have cats or dogs. The hubs is allergic. They cost more money and are just an animal to clean up after. Sounds bad. I am a compassionate person... Its just, I would rather have goldfish.

9. My motto for life is to "stay positive"! Sometimes you have to "fake it to make it"! Not every day is going to be the best but if you pretend it is and keep a positive attitude... your day will most likely get better! I always say, "I'm riding the positive train!"

10. I don't usually admit this but, I kinda like the Kardashians... There show is entertaining.

11. Baseball is my favorite sport to watch. My husband and I are going to a game on Saturday! ...so excited

Now for the 11 questions posed by Kylee:

1.  Favorite feature about yourself. I have pretty eyes. My hair is pretty great too.. some days I don't even have to brush it and it looks nice.

2.  One thing you want more than anything. A healthy baby.

3.  One thing that scares you about your  future. I get scared sometimes when I watch politics. I hope our nation can stay "one nation, under God" as long as I'm alive... and I pray for my future descendants that America stays, "the land of the free and the home of the brave."

4. Biggest phobia? Snakes! Ugh... I can't even go near them. I don't like cockroaches or spiders either.

5.  Most exciting thing you have ever done? got married to the man of my dreams!

6.  Biggest accomplishment? graduating college with my Bachelor's... soon it will be my Masters!

7.  What is your biggest pet peeve? Messes.. but I also hate when boys/men leave the toilet seat up... 

8.  If you could be anything in the world when you grow up, what would it be? Well I'm getting my Masters in Social work... so something in the social work field that is also faith related! 

9.  Would you rather have no eyebrows or no eyelashes? no eye lashes.. cause you can buy fakes that look real but you can't buy fake brows that look real..

10.  Cookies or ice cream? cookies... my husband would say ice cream. we have this disagreement every once in a while ;)

11.  What's one thing you want to do before you die? Go to Hawaii with my husband and go on the honeymoon we dreamed up but couldn't afford. haha.

Tagging 11:

♥Mallory♥Tori♥Mel♥Chelsea♥Annelise♥Kinsi♥Esther♥Jennifer♥Paulette♥Britt♥Emily 

You're it! Now tell us 11 things about yourself and answer my 11 questions! Then Pass it on!

1. What's your favorite food? 

2. What were/are going to be your wedding colors?

3. What is the one thing you miss from your childhood? 

4. What is the biggest dream you have for the future?

5. Favorite Sport & Team? 

6. What are you doing right this second besides blogging? 

7.What is your life "motto"?

8. Do you like country music? If so, what's your favorite song?

9. Know any funny jokes?

10. How did you get started blogging? 

11. Top two favorite movies of all time?

Next time.. I'll add more pictures!

That's all for now! Thanks for stoppin by!

xoxo Jen.

Couponing & Saving some $$$

Who likes saving money?

Who likes sales? 

Well me too.

I've never been that great at couponing but today I can officially say "I did it!" I successfully couponed at CVS and saved over half my bill. A few weeks ago, I went to Publix and saved about 1/3 of my bill.. Here's the receipt:

Actual Price: $190.23

Total Saved: $63.53

Total actually paid: $126.70

That was good but not the absolute best. I knew I could do a little bit better. I look at the ads at CVS and Publix every week. We pick up two newspapers and clip all the coupons out of them... even the ones we think that we probably won't use (because you never know).

The key for me to save the most is to look at the ads of what is already on sale and use coupons on top of Buy One Get One FREE type of deal. So let me show you what I got today: 

2 packs of Gushers fruit snacks, 2 packs of Dole peaches fruit cups, 2 Welch's white grape juice, 1 T.G. Lee milk, 2 Arizona brand Teas, Colgate toothpaste and 2 Colgate manual Toothbrushes.

Actual Price: $36.08

Total Saved: $23.28

Total Actually paid: $12.80

So let me explain how I did it. I started couponing about 2 weeks ago at CVS and after my last purchase, I had 3 "Extra-Care Bucks" to spend for my next visit. If you have a CVS card, you get all the deals in the ad... and sometimes if you buy certain items they give you money back in the form of "CVS Extra-Care bucks" on the bottom of your receipt, which helps you save soo much!

So today, I mapped out all the deals before church and got the coupons ready. We did two separate purchases at CVS:

And that's all! Just wanted to share my amazing savings... 

To learn how to coupon, check out Southernsavers.com! She taught me everything I know!

Also, here is post I did way back when... when I first started to learn to coupon. It has a bunch of wonderful links that will help you! If you are couponing at CVS, don't forget that all the new deals come out every Sunday! Happy Couponing and hope you had a great weekend! 

Thanks for stoppin' by:

xoxo Jen.

P.S. On March 23rd, I'm co-hosting my first Blog-Hop with Young & Restless! So Mark your calendars and be ready to link up your favorite posts!

Linking Up: 

Nifty Thrifty Things

Show and Tell Saturday

Lovely Crafty Home