Weekend Review

 Family Portrait? Liv thinks buckets make good hats

It's Wednesday...so I know this post is overdue. Monday, Liv was teething and super clingy. Yesterday, I had a migraine. But today the sun is shining and the day is looking good.I promised to share my Southern Adventures in my bio...and that is what I plan on doing. Keep in mind...this is not Southern California where there are a million things to do on any given day. But this weekend in Northwest Louisiana, there were a few things going on, and the weather decided to cooperate...not too hot, not too cold (although since I've been here it hasn't been too cold ever).

The first thing I want to mention was the Barksdale AFB Defenders of Liberty Air Show. I have never been to an air show...and I did not go to this one. But...I could see and hear the show from my front yard. The main attraction it seems was the Thunderbirds. They are very loud and do some cool aerobatics. Snapping pictures was not the easiest thing to do, but I did manage to get a couple. From what I have seen in the news, they had about 200,000 attendees to the two day event.

Instead of going to the air show...I wanted to take Liv to a place that I read about. It is only open one Saturday a month, and only during certain months of the year, and only for a few hours; Chimpanzee Haven. We took her to see the Disney Movie Chimpanzee on Friday. I consider myself compassionate about animals, however, I do not agree with radical animal rights groups and their methods. I have been involved with shelter donation collections and whatnot in the past. After reading about Chimpanzee Haven, I wanted to see it and decided that it is my animal charity. The chimps at the sanctuary are retired from medical research, entertainment, or are unwanted pets. Their goal is to provide lifelong care for these animals. Many of them do have AIDS (and were intentionally given AIDS for research). I don't want to debate the right and wrong of animal testing...but rather...I am compassionate about their current situation. If you want to know more about the sanctuary, click the link above. They have a baby that was unexpectedly born on Valentine's Day. The dad has been sterilized twice, but seems to keep making those babies. :) I did not have a chance to see the baby, but it was really cool seeing the other chimps.

 Liv's first time having popcorn...enjoying the pre-movie show

Chimp Haven is about minutes from where we live, but it took forever to get there because we kept getting lost (remember I am new to Louisiana). And...it was a little on the creepy side when we saw a road sign warning against picking up hitch hikers because there was a prison. But we made it there...it was muddy because it had rained recently, and a little cooler than I had planned. Admission is free, but you can donate $5 to receive a flyer with all the chimps and their names.  I actually liked this setting more than the zoo because you were separated by a short fence and a mote...I'm not sure what keeps the chimps from crossing the mote. Next time I go I will have to ask. It was pretty crowded, but not uncomfortably. And...if you have to go to the bathroom, there are only port-a-potties. It's nothing fancy...but it does seem like a good place for the chimps.

This guy put on a show making his chimp sounds

 Yes...my jacket is outdated. It was cold..and its my emergency in the trunk jacket. :)

So Friday and Saturday were chimp days...Sunday was shopping day. Usually I shop on base because I would rather spend money on fun stuff than groceries...so I try to keep our food budget as small as possible. But with the Air Show crowds, there was no way I was going on base. I spent the morning planning and going through coupons. Then I made my way to Target, list and coupons in hand. I spent $156..saved $39 with coupons and my Target Red Debit card (save 5% automatically, no fees, no interest). AND...I got $15 in Target Gift cards to use later...which I used that same day to buy Liv her first potty. Pretty successful trip :) I'm by no means an extreme couponer, but I do what I can and I am always proud when those savings add up. I will probably do a blog post about couponing and grocery shopping another time.


So what's on tap for the upcoming weekend....hmmm....it may rain, and I have already been warned that Nick will be geeking it up all weekend with some new video game beta test. Maybe one day I will post a blog about how much I detest video games, but also why I don't put up too much of a stink. Off track...this weekend...our single dad friend wants to do something with the girls...we are thinking the Alligator Park. I'll keep you posted. :)

Cheers!
CC