Fresno Tweetup Goes Wild GIVEAWAY!

You read that right, Fresnans! Which word that starts with F is the only thing to almost match my love for Fresno?

Free!

As in you can get in FREE to the Fresno Tweetup Goes Wild, this Saturday, April 24th from 5-8 PM at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo if you are the very first to answer this trivia question:

Question:
"What animal will be featured in the Zoo's exhibit that is scheduled to open in 2012?"

The only catch is that you must have a Twitter Account (or be willing to make one just for the occasion... and then get hooked on the sweet magic of microblogging.)

So what is this Tweetup that I speak of? Two of my 31 Days favorites, The Fresno Beehive and The Chaffee Zoo are coming together to make this gathering of local Twitterers happen. It's a private after hours event, there are games, drinks, and, oh yeah, Zoo Animals! Even if you don't win on here, you can still go on the cheap by direct messaging @fresnozoo or @fresnobeehive to get on the $5 list to get in. For more info, click here! And if you tweet this event, use the hashtag #wildfresno!

So guess away, and be sure to leave your Twitter name with your response!

Thanks Fresno Beehive for making this event and this giveaway possible!

My Super Sweet Frewsnawesome Birthday!

Yesterday I celebrated my 27th birthday, and I did it with some of the best that Fresno has to offer.

First, a few of my friends from NoTown dropped by for Burlycise (meaning 30 minutes of cardio that we couldn't wimp out on like we probably would have done if we had been on our own) and we now have... Burly's of Steel....

Then I headed over to KYNO to chat with Bill McEwen. KYNO is kind of a valley legend, playing top 40 when my parents were kids, and now it's a news-talk station. And its in a really cool building downtown- you can check it out for youself, KYNO and KJWL participate in art hop once a month. Bill McEwen was pretty great, I left there with a silly 'ol grin on my face.

Immediately I headed over to Cosmopolitan. What else do you do on your birthday when you find yourself downtown at lunch time? Declaring that calories can definitely spill over the daily allotment on my birthday, I ordered my dear and precious Cheddar Burger, and some sweet potato fries. (Yes, I do realize that the calories burned in Burlycize barely even covered the amount in the bun. shut up.)

Doug was wonderful and had taken the day off, so we enjoyed our lunch and then decided to give the zoo a shot, even though it was still pretty dark and stormy looking outside.

Best decision ever. If you ever want to get the whole zoo to yourself, go when it has just stopped raining. The animals were all active, the staff were ready to answer any questions because, hey- we had the zoo to ourselves, and the kids had a blast alternating admiring the animals with puddle-hopping.

Afterward we tried a new Mexican restaurant, La Kebrada. It was killing me knowing I had Mexican food within arm's reach but we hadn't tried it yet, so I told my whole family it was time to try something new. It was great!

La Kebrada has been open for about 2 months, they aren't serving beer yet, but that's just a matter of time. Its located on the corner of Belmont and Marks, and the inside is really cute, very clean and neat, with some really cool wooden table tops on the booths. I had to ask about the name, and it is after a place in Acapulco famous for cliff diving, which is where the restaurant owners are from.

I topped the evening off with my favorite drink at Teazer (Cherry Monks Blend, if you must know. Tastes like a cupcake!) and a teapot cookie, and my favorite photographer-wiz-kid, Jennifer Emerling. And now I'm basically still very full from all day yesterday, but also very happy. Probably one of the best birthdays I've ever celebrated, and all local! (Even my trip to Save Mart for formula technically fits that bill, since Save Mart is a Central Valley owned business!)



(Photo by Doug and his trusty Doug magic, of Cary and I hanging out and watching the orangutans do their orangutan thing.)

Hopefully this will hold you all over, I probably won't be blogging on Saturday, instead, look for my real blog to hit next Wednesday or Thursday. This one will take a little more effort and time and maybe just a touch of Fresninsanity.

Day 8- Chaffee Zoo

Wild animals, beautiful vegetation, and all of the wonder and learning that comes with it- That is what I love about the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

We go to the zoo all the time- when the weather is nice we go weekly. I have 2 kids under 3 years of age, the Chaffee Zoo is a lifesaver. It gets us out of the house, we can try out new words, practice our animal noises, and run a little wild ourselves. We have a family membership, and are beginning our second year as members. Even without a membership, its cheap entertainment, adults are $7, kids $3.50.

I personally love the cute little black footed cats, I could watch them all day. My son is a big fan of the "Oh-Fwents", and we have to head over to them first thing every time. The bird shows are great, the rainforest is amazing, the petting zoo is fun, even the gift shop is awesome.

The zoo is open almost every day of the year, they have fun after-hours things like Zoo Boo and Zoo lights, and my favorite part- in the summer they open an hour earlier for members. All summer long we still went weekly, but at 8 AM instead of 9. I absolutely love the wild side of Fresno.

(Photo taken by me, of my son, You can see my husband in the background, probably pretending to be with another family. I would if I were him.)