Texas Bucket List: We're Going to the (Houston) Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

My Texas Bucket List began taking shape shortly after we arrived in College Station. At first the list consisted of only a few touristy day trips and experiences (think Six Flags, SeaWorld, etc.) I'd thought of or heard about prior to our move. But as we made new friends, especially new friends who grew up in Texas, we learned from them about the lesser-known - at least to Midwesterners - but not-to-miss sights and sounds of the Lone Star State.

Each time I cross something off my Texas Bucket List I document it here, both because Chasing Roots serves as my Texas journal and because looking back on these posts and "watching" our love affair, if you will, with our now-home state unfold is a beautiful thing.

You can see my full - but ever-growing - Texas Bucket List here. Feel free to let me know what I'm still missing!

I added "Visit a Texas Zoo" to my Texas Bucket List early on. Shortly thereafter, we visited the Waco Zoo, and then a few years after that we visited the San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium. But because zoos have always held a special place in our hearts, I knew our list wouldn't truly be complete until we'd experienced Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth as well.

I grew up just a couple of blocks from the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin, and many of my earliest memories involve the zoo and its residents. We take the kids almost every time we visit my parents, which is possible because there is no admittance fee. That's right - when Henry Vilas sold his land to the city so a zoo could be constructed, he did so with the stipulation that the city could NEVER charge people to visit. He believed strongly that everyone, regardless of wealth and privilege, should have access to these beautiful animals.

We wanted to take a spring break trip, but because the state's mask mandate was lifted a few days prior to our break, we only felt comfortable visiting establishments that were both outdoors and requiring masks. The Houston Zoo fit the bill, so we carved an (almost) full day out of Tom's schedule (he had to work in the car on the way there and back and "attended" one short meeting while we walked through the World of Primates exhibit) and headed to Houston.

Overall, I felt like the zoo had a good handle on COVID-19-related safety: tickets had to be purchased ahead of time, entry was scheduled for a specific window, masks were required, hand sanitizer was everywhere, social distancing was encouraged, and limited numbers of guests were allowed in buildings. We felt just about as safe as we could have, given that we were in a public place with a lot of other people. There were of course a few people who chose not to follow the rules (WHY?!?!), but we steered clear of these folks whenever possible.

The animals themselves lived up to our expectations, and I think all but a couple of exhibits were open. Big cats and primates were - always are - my favorites, while everyone else LOVED the reptiles and under-the-sea creatures. 

We also visited the Prehistoric Beasts exhibit, which showcased "animatronic predators and their modern-day descendants". Hallie in particular enjoyed the theatrics of this area... (This exhibit is open through the beginning of September for anyone who is interested in checking it out.)

For those who might be wondering, if we had family members or friends visiting and wanted to take them to a zoo, we'd opt for Waco. The Waco Zoo is less expensive and has much easier parking, and the Waco Zoo has - overall - a better feel to me. It reminds me of the Henry Vilas Zoo, so it reminds me of home.  

Only two more bucket list zoos to go!

High Five for Friday (4.23.21)

One
Track season came to an end Tuesday night. It wasn't the ending we expected, as this was attempt #2 at a district meet after attempt #1 was cancelled due to lightening and thunderstorms last Thursday evening. It also wasn't the season Will had hoped for: his times weren't as fast as he wanted them to be, his team didn't do as well as he would have liked, he wasn't able to break one particular record he worked toward for weeks, he injured his quad, and his team had to miss one of their four meets because a COVID-19 exposure quarantined half the team (not Will, thankfully). But it was still a season, and for that, I'm grateful.

4 x 400m relay

4 x 400m relay team

800m
He was proud of this finish: 3rd out of 24. Also of note here -
Coach Mo, bringing Will in to the finish line. Coach Mo was also
Will's basketball coach this year, and he never failed to impress me with
his approach to teaching, motivating, and just interacting with these kids. 

Two
Dance performance assessments were supposed to be completed in February, but Hallie spent all of February in a boot and therefore wasn't able to complete hers on the same timeline as the rest of the dancers at her studio. As of Tuesday, however, all of her assessments - ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, and hip hop - are DONE. Regardless of what these assessments say (we don't have them in hand yet), I'm so thankful this stressful time of year has nearly come to an end. 

Three
On a related note... Despite choosing a studio without a competition team (Hallie's dance company doesn't compete), dance has - over the last couple of years - become more competitive and then by extension, more emotionally and mentally challenging. Some of this competition is inevitable as kids get older, begin specializing in certain sports and activities, and are then up for the same parts, roles, and spots. But some of this competition is the result of outside forces, and that's the kind we wish we could and are trying our best to avoid. Thankfully, despite what is thrown at them, Hallie and her sweet dance friends continue to support and love one another. The tender moments when they mend each others' broken hearts with gentle words and acts of kindness...these have been beautiful to witness.

Four

These three are still delightful.

Five

Last Friday our ballet academy hosted a socially distant and masked movie night, and while the girls watched their movie, a few dance mama friends and I - all fully vaccinated - indulged in drinks and appetizers (and a couple of desserts) to celebrate...getting to go out, I guess? 

No picture of the mamas, so you
get a picture of movie night instead.

I've always considered myself an introverted extravert or an extraverted introvert, but I feel considerably more introverted now than I did before the pandemic. My desire to go out in large groups has decreased significantly, and I no longer want to spend time in crowded places, especially around lots of people I don't know. I do, however, still like intimate gatherings, in safe spaces, with friends I trust. Friday night was exactly that, and a welcome treat.

Happy weekend, friends!

Grandmaster

Ok, he's not actually a grandmaster. But he's still a champion in my book...

Will participated in his first UIL competition - Ready Writing - as a third grader. He performed well, but he didn't enjoy the category; his motivation for participating had been simply to learn how the UIL process worked in preparation for the following year, when, as a fourth grader, he could compete in his dream category: Chess Puzzles. 

He started learning a few months before he turned five.

By six, he knew the game fairly well... 

...and could beat me.

By seven he could hang with Tom.

And when he was eight he beat Tom for the first time.

At 10 he started playing "blindfolded". 

Also at 10, he tried unsuccessfully to teach Tux.

When the next year's UIL window arrived, fourth grade Will tried out for Chess Puzzles and made the team. He attended twice weekly practices with his coach and teammates after school, read chess puzzle books from the public library before he fell asleep at night, and practiced on his own on the weekends. All of this hard work paid off - Will won the district-wide Chess Puzzles competition that year.

One of our funniest family memories emerged around this time. In preparation for going to the library the following day, I called to the kids and asked them to bring me their library books. They called back, asking for titles so they could find the books that were due to return. When I yelled to Will, "Practical Chess Puzzles: 600 Positions to Improve Your Calculation and Judgement", Tom started laughing as the title didn't match what one would expect a 10-year-old little boy to be reading. And then, when I yelled to Hallie, "Keeker and the Sneaky Pony", Tom just about lost it. The differences between our two children - one of which was perfectly showcased by their choice of reading material - are delightful and endearing, and on that night, also oh so funny.

In fifth grade, Will entered the UIL season hoping to defend his title. He worked just as hard, even reaching out to his elementary school GT teacher, who had fostered his love of chess, to ask for her help as he prepared for the test. Bless her sweet heart - she invited Will over to her house and they spent an entire afternoon playing chess and studying chess puzzles over a lovely snack she'd made for him. Yet again, this hard work paid off and Will took home first place a second time.

In sixth grade, Will didn't just hope to defend his title, he demanded victory of himself. And he earned it, again.

But then in seventh grade, the world fell apart less than two weeks before the competition and the competition was cancelled. Will was CRUSHED. I honestly think not being able to compete in Chess Puzzles was for him the most significant loss of the 2019-2020 school year.

Fast forward to 2021...Will's last year to compete in UIL Chess Puzzles. He tried out. He made the team. He studied and practiced. (Though he couldn't play chess over a delicious snack with his elementary school GT teacher, thanks to COVID.) And he did it again. From fourth grade to eighth grade, he was undefeated, district-wide. 

I don't normally write posts - except maybe birthday posts - that are quite so focused on one child's success. I like to congratulate and compliment my kids when they do well, but I don't often grant them an entire post. And if/when an accomplishment does warrant an entire post, I make sure to include the full story - the struggles, the frustrations, the losses along the way - because those details are as much a part of the victory as the victory itself. But in this case, Will really does deserve this post, with no disclaimers. He worked hard and he succeeded. He's proud of himself, and I'm proud of him. Full stop.

Mrs. Gallagher... I know for certain that Will wouldn't be where he is today without you. Thank you for investing in him, and for showing him that his fourth grade goals - and by extension, future goals - were within his reach. Thank you.