I think the long blogging break deserves a few photo montages…

This one–Celebrating Bears! They are the best!

Whoa, it is now June 11 and my last written blog post was May 7. Blog fail. 

But, in my defense A LOT has happened in the last month. 

Here’s a little May/June-so-far recap:

1. I GOT DIVE CERTIFIED!

After many long days of classes in St. Charles and a fantastic trip to Mermet Springs I am now ready to start diving in Sea Lion Sound this summer!

2. DID ME SOME JURY DUTY

Quite an interesting day. More to come on that…

3. BOWLED FOR RHINOS

Our STL AAZK chapter raised over $8,000 for rhino conservation at this year’s event! My good friend and fellow Keeper, Sarah Riffle, won this stuffed naked mole rat below. 

4. WENT TO AN ORDINATION PARTY

That was a first. It was a lot like a wedding, but not exactly. A lot of fun catching up with friends and the after party was at the Zoo! Fun to be a guest there for once too. 

5. RESCUED A KITTEN

This adorable little guy was found on the side of the highway en route to Arkansas, near Poplar Bluff, Missouri. John and I took him to Jonesboro, got him all fixed up and then drove him back to St. Louis where he has found a forever home with another Keeper from the Zoo. His name is Drogo!

6. SURPRISE WEEK!

This past week I had five surprises, five secrets to keep. Dear lord, it was tough. The first one was my cousin, Katie, coming from Arkansas to surprise her mom (my Aunt Regina) for her birthday. Then we had a surprise baby shower for a fellow Keeper at work. Aaaandd a surprise birthday party for that same Aunt Regina. And the biggest, craziest surprise…

We had to plan/pull off a surprise engagement for Katie because her boyfriend, Markus, was flying in to surprise her from Salzburg! Phew! Lots of surprises!

7. WEDDING SEASON, OF COURSE

Then, on Saturday I got to celebrate the marriage of my dear friends, Sarah Boehm and Jeff Devero. The weather was perfect and it was So. Much. Fun. 

8. PLUS!

I tallied it up this evening (you know, tax stuff) and realized I have thus far in 2013 travelled 1,128 miles to schools all over Missouri with “Bubbles.” That is a lot of early mornings, a lot of Kaldis and a lot of cornfields! I hope to do many MO school visits in the fall (get it, cause MO=Missouri? haha)! 

All of that stuff on top of the regular, ol’ forty hours was a lot! I am looking forward to settling into my summer routine now that I can check all of those events off of the calendar. 

That means (hopefully!) better blogging, more writing (getting a good start on that next book) and much, much more sleep. Maybe. 

Can’t wait to share more about my adventures with bears! Happy Summer everyone!

Happy Bear!…Bert, enjoying his enrichment. 

Ok, so I know National Poetry Month was last month, but the photo below (snapped by Carnivore Keeper, extraordinaire, Ms. Carrie Felsher) reminded me so much of a favorite poem by William Carlos Williams. 

The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens. 

Perhaps we could change it to a red barn door…next to a cow glazed with rain water? Lord knows our girl, Bubbles has had plenty of opportunity to be glazed with rain water as of late!

Here’s to May and hopefully more sunshine!!!

me carolyn, you jane.

One week ago yesterday, one of my many lifelong dreams came true! 

I got to meet my hero. JANE GOODALL!

Check! Scratch that one off the bucket list! I got to meet her at my alma mater, DePauw University, which made it even more special for me. Seeing one of my idols in a familiar, wonderful place like DePauw was just too much. 

Here are some of the highlights:

1. I got to speak to her! Yes, I waited for an hour. And I’m sure she was super tired. And she probably didn’t want to talk to one more single person. But this was my one shot so I had to take it. I told her that she has inspired my whole life and career and has always been my hero and I thanked her for all of the work that she’s done.

I don’t say this lightly. I was the kid that did all of my school reports on Jane Goodall. I put on a safari hat and dressed up like Jane Goodall for “hero day” in fourth grade. I’ve read her 600 page biography. For real. My whole life. My whole career. Inspired by this woman. 

2. I got a picture with her! Stalkerish? Perhaps. But I’ll treasure it forever. The phone version is below! 

3. She really is as wonderful as you would hope Jane Goodall would be. She is soft spoken, kind, courteous to everyone around her. And her message about caring for animals, people and our planet is just what I needed to hear after a week of marathon bombings/explosions/shot down gun legislation. We need more Jane Goodalls in our world right now, that is for sure. 

4. I just need to point something out. The woman is 79 years old. 79. She spoke that evening for over an hour without notes.  None. She is an incredible storyteller. She also mentioned that she has not spent more than three weeks in one place since 1986! And she is 79 YEARS OLD! She truly is a heart on fire who believes in her message and her dedication shows through her amazing stamina and energy. I can only pray to live with such vitality when I am that old. 

5. I got to experience the evening with my Dad, my good DePauw/Zoo friend Sarah and Zoo friends Brandon, Lisa and Jon. And we got GCBs after. What a night. 

All in all I left Greencastle with a renewed sense of purpose for not only my work at the Zoo, but also for work with the Bubbles book and this website. Jane is just simply that inspiring. 

I’ll cross that one off of my bucket list! Now on to climbing Mt. Everest…right? 

thinking about boston.

Usually I save this blog for fun animal photos and stories, but tonight I’m going to take it on a little detour. 

The best way for me to clear my head is to write or run and since it is dark and raining I’m going to go the writing route this evening. Obviously. 

Today, I’ve been thinking a lot about what happened in Boston. 

Sure, I’ve watched the videos and press conferences. I’ve seen the pictures of the heroes and the victims and allowed myself to become sucked into the media swarm. But more than that I have just been remembering. 

I ran the Boston Marathon one year ago and it was an experience that will always be special to me. All day I’ve been thinking back on my time in Boston. It was hot, hotter than hot, ninety degrees, at one point, and sunny. There were no leaves on the trees yet and the sun just beat down on the runners all day. But the crowds came out and all the way from Hopkinton to Boston people lined the streets handing us bags of ice, spraying runners with their garden hoses, offering cold rags and gatorade. 

Turning onto Boylston Street and seeing the long stretch of humanity waiting to greet me and cheer for all of the runners is nothing short of spectacular. Many times over the last year while I’ve whiled away the miles on a treadmill or through a dreary day, I’ve conjured that memory, smiled, and ran harder. 

You see, a marathon is truly all goodness. The good people cheering on the streets. The good friends you meet at the starting line, or when you need a little inspiration at mile 18. Volunteers, handing out blankets and medals. Spectators wanting to give a runner high fives. John once experienced a retired cross country coach, whom he had never met, step out of the crowd to massage a cramp out of his calf. There are people there running for charities or in memory of someone they love. There are people running who are achieving a lifelong dream. Everyone out there is getting the chance to experience the immense strength of which the human body is capable. 

To see an event that is all about good become marred by such evil is simply sickening. I cannot fathom a mind that could conjure and act on such a plot. 

In Boston, mile 20 is the beginning of what is famously known in the race as “Heartbreak Hill.” Last year, while running, I’d been thinking about this hill from the very start. I knew that the beast would rear before me at a crucial time in the race and so, through the first half of the run I was saving myself for it, battling through the heat. I remember turning to a spectator as the ground began to rise and saying, “Where’s Heartbreak Hill?” The man yelled his answer, “You’re on it! Go! Go! You’re on it!” Go, indeed. I ran as hard as I could up that hill and getting to the top I remember feeling stronger than I’d ever felt before, not physically, no, my body was beyond spent, but more of an internal strength, like nothing could ever break me.

And that is exactly what marathons are all about. That is what Boston is all about. Through the sweat and the miles of a race like that every runner gets to experience what it means to be strong. 

Yesterday’s sad events are a tragedy for Boston, the United States and runners everywhere. But just as the pain of 26.2 miles brings out the strength of any marathoner, I hope that the sadness we all feel for yesterday’s victims can pull forth the strength we all have inside of us to stand up for what is truly at the heart of any marathon. For goodness.

I am keeping everyone who suffered yesterday in my thoughts and prayers. I hope that everyone can someday move forward from this, and keep running.