Flea Markets, Fireworks, and Frogs, Oh My!

*Warning! This blog post is going to be extremely long, so if you prefer to skip it and just look at the pictures, I don't mind. I've personally been putting off writing this post for a long time XD

Well, these past two weeks have been quite a whirlwind for me! My family and I have been everywhere from antique shopping to the zoo, and a million places in between!!

First up (and the shortest story) is the flea market I visited on Sunday the 5th, and there were quite some interesting things I had found at this fairground, let me tell you! (And people... there was a lady who was walking around with a live snake draped around her neck. I gave her a wide berth).  I had a budget of $40, so of course I wasn't able to buy much, but I came home with a beautiful black and purple dress, matching horse figurines for me and my sister, a pretty box with flowers on it to store the money I am saving for a car, an exquisite Venetian mask imported from Italy (I would attach a picture, but I don't have one stored on my phone and I don't want to run up stairs to photograph it, lol), and 2 Nancy Drew books! The books are extremely antique, one had written "Xmas 1955" in the front cover, and while one of them, called "The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion", was a very good quality, the other book, "The Clue of the Velvet Mask", was just the opposite, I later found out that it was missing the ending!! Nancy is in the hands of the bad guys right now, and I'm dying to find out how the mystery is solved :(

The Monday after this flea market we visited the zoo!! Luckily for you, there is not a long story with this one, only pictures, so enjoy! :D

Przewalski's Horse (my people) <3

Probably the best photo I got of the giraffe :D

My favorite zoo animal:  the African Painted Dogs!
(I apologize for the blurry photo lol)

I did not know that they kept anteaters in the same exhibits as the primates

Mom and baby <3

Meet Tanner: a California Sea Lion from the Shedd Aquarium to this zoo to breed with the females :)

(I'm so jealous of this tiger right now...)

The Mexican Gray Wolf... we were told by zoo staff that two of the wolves had had
 pups this past spring, but we didn't get to see them :(

The next thing I'm about to mention isn't very happy or exciting in any way, but on Saturday June 11th, my favorite singer, Christina Grimmie passed away.  She had an amazing voice and will be remembered by all who loved her.

Her first EP that was published in 2011 that I had signed while at a
Selena Gomez concert in the same year

Flash forward to Friday June 17th, I actually have 2 exciting stories to share! First, I had found a frog (a toad, really) in our backyard while my mom and I were doing yard work:

Isn't he cute??  My mom said she might have let us keep them, but I guess that day was not the day, haha.  I don't mind though, I am not dying to have a frog in the house ;)

Last order of business:  the same day I found Mr. Frog, my family attended a local minor league baseball game at Silver Cross Field, near my hometown.  Our Joliet Slammers seem to always win when my family visits, and that day was no exception, with the home team besting the visitors 9-0!!  And every Friday at the Slammers' stadium they put on a fireworks show, and I managed to catch about the last 10 seconds of the show, so enjoy! (I would advise you to turn down your volume ;) )

"Jo Without an E"

You met the avatars of this blog quite a while ago, unfortunately, and I sincerely apologize for the time gap between their posts and mine.  I am a human, which might surprise you, and, as I'm sure anyone reading this would understand, I've been pretty busy, which kept me from introducing myself.  Speaking of introductions, my name is Jo, specifically without the e (don't forget it!). (Also, please note this is not my real name ;), just a nickname I've had among my friends for years)

And, just like the avatars, I am prepared to show the world a photo of yours truly, although it's not the kind of photo you might expect...

Was I right?? ;)

Well, obviously my photo did not reveal quite as many features as Gem's and Sensa's did, but at least now you can tell I'm a human ;) Just to (mentally) paint the picture a little more, I have brown hair and hazel eyes. That's all I'm telling you about myself, but I'll share some facts about my life:

• My birthday is March 6th, and I was born in between the years 2002 and 1996
• I was born, raised, and currently reside in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois
• I have always loved horses, and although I don't currently own one (or take lessons or anything), I play many online horse games, and hope to own a horse at some time in my life, lol
• My family is rather small, I only have a sister, and the extended family is also small:  4 cousins and 4 aunts/uncles.
• In addition to human family members, my immediate family and I own a super cute (although sometimes really stupid) beagle mix named Buster, and a completely black cat named Misty. They were both adopted from shelters <3

  

  Buster <3 (normally, he doesn't have the bald spots on his legs, but he recently had surgery and the shaved patches on his legs are where the IVs were inserted in him)

  

  Misty <3 (she looks quite angry in this picture, lol)

  Well, those are all the facts I can think of right now! I'm sure as I post more I will reveal more about myself, so stay tuned! My next post will be about my recent trip to the zoo and the local flea market, and who doesn't love animals and antiques? ;)