During each baseball season I always look forward to the All Star Break. As the end of June approaches, I usually start to get a bit homesick and worn out from baseball. But then July rolls around, bringing with it the All Star Break. And with that comes three days of family time, unplanned days, and a break from the daily baseball grind.
After the day game on Sunday, we kicked off the break with a relaxing night at home. Dinner, play time with Abby, and then a movie and pj's for me and the hubs.
Despite the heat on Monday, we decided to brave the Baltimore Zoo for a few hours. At first Jim and I were a bit disappointed, after seeing several closed exhibits for renovations ... and only squirrels, ducks, and farm animals. After almost an hour and one lost shoe, we finally found the zebras, giraffes, rhinos, monkeys, and polar bears. Now that was a bit more exciting!
We never found the elephants (or Abby's shoe), although I know they have them there. Maybe next time! Abby enjoyed watching the fish and turtles swim all around and loved watching the monkeys playing. She is still talking about the "ooo ooo ahhh ahhhs" nonstop.
Not only were the monkeys Abby's favorite, but they were also mine. We had a lot of fun with one of the chimpanzees. (pictured above) When we first got to the monkey exhibit, I noticed that the chimp was playing with a stick, pushing it in between a crack. The stick was actually coming through our side of the exhibit. So of course Jim had to play back ... He pulled the stick out, showed the chimp he had it and pushed it back. Then the chimp would do the same thing. This little game went out for a few minutes, while other zoo visitors watched and waited to have a turn doing the same thing. It was so funny!
Jim's favorite part of the Zoo was the polar bears. It amazes me that these huge animals can look so peaceful floating in the water. After a hot and sweaty morning at the Zoo, we went home for a bit so Abby could take a nap. She ended up taking one of her record breaking long naps and woke up super happy. I had been planning to cook that night, but we decided to go out to dinner at our favorite Irish Pub instead. We met up with friends, enjoyed a tasty dinner and a few brews. :)
The rest of the break was just as busy. Jim got a round of golf in, we did some car shopping, and met up with my family for dinner and the carnival. As relaxing as we try to make the break, we always end up doing so much ... but we wouldn't have it any other way.
One of the best parts about the All Star Break is the ability to be plan free and spontaneous. The family time was refreshing, giving us just what we needed to get through the second half of the season. As much as the hubs and I look forward to this break, it would be much more exciting to make it to the All Star Game ... who knows, maybe that's in our future :)
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