Taking wild animals to a birthday party on the beach was a first for all of us. It wasn't bad, though. The kids paid attention okay, but were not as enthralled as I expected them to be. I mean, it's wild animals! At a birthday party! But some of them left to play on the rocks. Crazy kids.

Mallory, Kirsten and I brought the macaw, marmosets, fennec fox, great horned owl, lemur, raccoon, alligator, and a boa constrictor. I got to handle the macaw briefly, getting him in and out of his cage. Mallory handled him during the show. Also during the presentation, I got to handle the fennec and the marmosets for the first time in my life! Marmosets don't like being held, but will perch on top of you. I was so excited to have them sitting on my head and shoulders, feeling them crawl around. Here's an interesting fact: marmosets are teeny tiny animals that live in the rain forests, and in order for them not to get lost, it is their instinct to scent mark EVERYTHING. Which means they totally peed on me the instant they climbed onto my head, but it was so cool to be handling them that I didn't even care. Of course, the peeing thing? One of the many reasons they are not good pets!

After the show, the adults were super nice and gave us lots of compliments. There were the usual, "Now this animal is friendly right? That one makes a good pet, right?" People, listen. No. The answer is always NO. I'm always surprised when people don't know it's illegal to keep owls as pets. That's all I'm saying.

We stopped to get water on the way back (because wow, was it warm out there - where'd Winter run off to, anyway?) and laughed at how the entire world was moving in slow motion that day. Slow service, cash register issues, all day long, everywhere we went. I swear, it's got to be because we're in Mercury Retrograde.

We spent probably longer than we should have pondering the label on a pack of sugar-free gum that reads, "Not for Weight Control." I mean, why is that there? Are there other gums that are for weight control? Are people concerned about gaining weight due to their gum chewing habits? If so, my god. HOW MUCH GUM ARE YOU CHEWING?! I don't even know what to say about that! So there was much laughter and many exchanges of, "Oh sure, you can have some gum. But remember - it's not for weight control!"

When we got back to Little Zoo, Kirsten and I put the animals away while Mallory attended to important office work. I got to put the great horned owl back in his enclosure which was so awesome. I've handled a barn owl and a kestrel before, so this was my third type of raptor to ever handle. I think I'm in love with that bird. He's so patient and sweet and those huge golden eyes are simply captivating. Having him on my arm was amazing.

We put everyone else back, saying goodnight to them as we wandered around in the dark. Cleaning crates out in the dark is another first for me! Luckily, Kirsten is the super coolest and did the actual cleaning. I did hold the flashlight, though, so it's not like I'm a total slacker.

After everyone was secure in their enclosures, all the dirty towels in the laundry, and all the crates cleaned and put away, we had a foot-off in the office. Kirsten and Mallory both claimed to have wide feet, and I said I did, too. I should have asked how wide they meant BEFORE removing my shoes because the instant they saw my feet, they said, "You're out! Put your shoe back on right now!" It was so funny. They definitely have wider feet than me. As it turned out, it was too close to call a winner. We measured with tape and shockingly enough, it was a tie! I think I laughed the entire time!

I had so much fun with Mallory and Kirsten! They are incredibly awesome people who are fun to work with and joke around with, too. Mallory's always so nice and buys me water and/or food, and tells us what a great job we've done. And Kirsten and I get to make Strongbad references whenever we're together, too, confusing everyone else around us. Good times.

I can't speak for the little birthday girl whose party we worked at Saturday, but I can safely say her birthday was an incredibly fun day for me!