With Christmas only a week away, Cory and I decided to take Emmy to the Memphis Zoo for their Zoo Lights! After normal business hours, the zoo re-opens for people to walk through and enjoy some light displays. We knew it would be cold, and that Emmy is a diva, so we broke out her snow leopard coat, complete with little ears on the hood. She was so excited to head to the zoo.
The drive to the zoo is about 20-25 minutes from our house, so we listened to Christmas music on the way, and assured each other that on a Thursday night it shouldn't be too crowded. We were sadly disappointed when we arrived and were directed to the overflow parking lot, only then to discover the lot was full, which led us to a large field where more parking was available. There was a long line of cars, and only one entrance into that field. As I got out of the car and looked back at the line of cars, I made the comment to Cory, "We aren't getting out of here for a while."
That didn't matter, though, because we were going to take our time inside the zoo! We made our way to the front entrance where tables were set up to buy tickets. Cory walked up to one of the tables and asked, "Is this where we pay to get in?" The lady sitting at the table answered, "Are you a St. Jude employee?" Nope. "Tonight is St. Jude Night. Only St. Jude employees and their families can get in."
So, we somehow picked the only night of the month that there was no general admission at zoo lights to drive to the zoo and park in a field that there was no escape from. I started to think that we would have to sit in our car for maybe an hour, just waiting for an opening to leave. While we stood in disbelief, I wandered over to the tables again and watched a man walk up and say he needed three wristbands. He was given the wristbands free of charge without showing any credentials. It was literally their company holiday party, and admission was free. A plan was hatched. Cory went to the farthest table from where we had our first encounter and said she needed three wristbands. She was given the wristbands, no questions asked. IT WAS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!
Once we got in, I was continually paranoid that someone was going to small talk us and ask what department of St. Jude we worked in, blowing our cover. Luckily it never happened. I will say, though, that guilt started to creep in when we realized that everything inside the zoo was also free. So as not to look suspicious, we took everything. Free hot chocolate. Free cider. Free dinner buffet. Free smores.
To be fair, I have a classmate in my program that works at St. Jude and had agreed to get us wristbands if we couldn't get any at the entrance. Therefore, for the rest of this post, I will cease attempting to justify our actions.
Everything we did was made more enjoyable by the fact that we hadn't paid for it.
Obviously, all of the animals had gone to bed for the evening, but they did have some live reindeer out. For the most part they were very uninterested in socializing with the good people of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
I originally thought that the habitats would be decked out in lights. I soon realized that was not the smartest assumption. That would be a huge hassle, and most likely a liability for the animals during the day. Instead, there were displays along the walking paths.
Emmy did really well in the cold. We pushed her in the stroller, but got her in and out when we wanted photos. FYI, we did not go on the Ferris wheel.
At the panda exhibit they even had a dance party going. Cory and Emmy busted a few moves before we continued our walk.
They had lots of big trees throughout the zoo all decorated differently.
Before Emmy was born, Cory made the comment in passing, "I really want the baby to be into elephants." I thought it was just a random comment from her, but since then she has really stuck to her guns. By proxy for Emmy, Cory has come to love all things elephant. Imagine her joy at being able to snap this picture of us.
Don't tell Cory, but I think Emmy was more into the Peacocks.
On our way out we snapped a picture by the big tree at the entrance. They had fake snow falling from the rooftops. It turned out to be kind of foamy and soapy. AKA nasty.
Here Emmy and I brave the fake snow.
Overall we had a great time at the Zoo Lights, and are getting more and more excited for Christmas to come.
We also would like to thank St. Jude one last time for sponsoring our family outing.
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