When we went to Lake Tahoe, we stayed in a condo that was bearly decorated.
It started outside the front door, when there was a door mat for wiping bear feet.
However, in case you missed the not so hidden meaning on the door mat, reinforcement was hung right inside the front door.
Inside the condo, the walls were definitely . . . well . . . bear.
Before you bear off in the wrong direction due to darkness, there was a light switch to help you get your bearings.
There were not one, but two coat racks . . .
to help bear your belongings. However, once rid of your coat, you could have bear arms.
I was beginning to think that the person who adorned this ursine utopia must have thought himself or herself to be a real Yogi of home decor.
However, I thought the whole place was one big Boo Boo. (Okay, I'm really fishing for puns.)
It doesn't bear repeating . . .
so I'll just give the bear facts.
This condo only had the bear necessities.
Pretty soon, everything in the condo started to bear a certain resemblance.
Just when you would think, I cannot bear to see another one . . .
there would be yet another, bearing bottles . . .
or bearing magazines.
I don't want to bruin any surprises, or be the bearer of bad news, but . . .
the throw pillows appeared to be threadbear.
I bear witness that this condo's decor was more than I could bear.
I honestly began to wonder how someone could bear the cost of this decorating spree.
I wondered if it started with just a few bears, and then friends came bearing gifts.
Or could it be that they started with a few items, and they began bearing fruit?
Bear with me as we are almost done, but I am not close to running out of puns.
It was nice to see some bears bearing one another up.
I saw some pieces that looked more like the great soul bearitone, Beary White (because they are beary large), or . . .
Beary Manilow (because it is beary tall and beary thin).
But my favorite was a piece that bears resemblance to Bearak Obama.
It seems that this has gotten quite grizzly. I can bear testimony that I, alone, bear the blame and responsibility. This has been my cross to bear. However, I won't let it bear down on me. If I was truly worried about embearassing myself, I never would have beared my soul. Now, can somebody give me a great, big bear hug?
First, we were given a private tour, one which included only members of our group. We started at the side of one of the pools where the dolphins live. Our guide told us a bunch of interesting facts about dolphins, but I would be hard-pressed to recite any of them now.
Next, we went below to a window where we could observe the dolphins as they swam around the pool.
Our guide told us more interesting facts about dolphins.
Then, we went to a private observation room. This was the best, because the dolphins kept coming up to the glass and smiling for the camera.
Angelina and her cousin, Nora, enjoyed seeing the dolphins up close.
The guides had the children sit down and they taught them more about dolphins.
To their credit, the children actually looked interested.
More dolphins up close.
Benjamin really loved the dolphins, and he laughed each time they came up to the glass.
After the observation room, we went to a separate pool that served as the nursery.
At the nursery, there were a couple of baby dolphins swimming with their moms.
After the dolphins, we went to the secret garden. If you have been to a regular zoo, the cool animals are always in hiding. Not in Vegas: they have to get out and perform. The white tigers didn't disappoint. This beast was the size of a small horse, and I'm not exaggerating.
They had a feeding of the tiger cubs while we were there. It was really funny to watch the "kittens" attack their bottles.
After the felines, we went back to the pools for some cake. The tiger cage was made of chocolate.
The two birthday boys.
Uncle Kris and Corbin had fun.
Cousins Aubrey and Lauren appear to have enjoyed the cake.
As usual, Angelina ate frosting first.
Joshua, Ethan and Jacob couldn't wait to eat the chocolate tiger cage.
Benjamin wasn't very excited about eating the cake with his grandmas.
The highlight of the birthday party was a family photo with the dolphin. Benjamin, who was squealing when he saw the dolphins in the pool, wasn't nearly as thrilled to see one out of the water and right next to us. At first, he looked a little unsettled, but by the time the photos were being snapped, he was certain that he did not like this. The rest of us were having a great time, as we had not previously touched a dolphin.
