Today, we were vets.

If you had asked me at any point during my childhood what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have answered without hesitation: "A vet!" It was only when I got to my junior year of high school and realized how much I loved books and writing that my dreams changed. Well, that and the fact that I didn't exactly, um, excel in Chemistry. If I had had a teacher who knew what she was doing, perhaps I would have taken on a different perspective on the subject. Or if I had been introduced to elementary Chemistry using R.E.A.L. Science, perhaps things would have turned out differently. But I am getting off topic here; there is plenty of time to discuss curriculum later.

Anyway, today was the University of Georgia's annual Veterinary School Open House. Although the various buildings of the vet school sit right across the street from Aderhold Hall where I sat in education classes for many an hour, I never had--or took--the opportunity to visit, so I was excited about today. Just about all of that enthusiasm evaporated, though, when we pulled into the remote parking lot and saw the line just for the shuttle to the vet school.

In case you're slow you don't know, I hate crowds. Do I homeschool because I want the freedom to teach what I want to teach? Yes. Do I homeschool because our public schools here stink? Yes. Do I homeschool because I have an opportunity to typically avoid crowds? ABSOLUTELY!!! OK, again, I'm getting off topic.

The line was long, but my kids were quick to entertain themselves by doing what they could to spread all of the carefully laid pinestraw that covered the hill beside the line. Of course, they weren't the only ones; in fact, it was not even their original idea. Some landscaper is not going to be happy.

When we finally got there, there were lots of activities:

We arrived at the tail end (ha!) of a great show featuring an Australian shepherd and a frisbee. He looked like he was having so much fun!

We saw lots of fun animals like a zebra.

Camels. I think this is the first time the kids have seen real, live camels.

Llamas. This one reminded me of Cuzco from The Emperor's New Groove.

A baby sheep and its mama.


A monkey in a tree.

I couldn't resist this picture of the cow with the prestigious halls of higher education as its backdrop.


We enjoyed a horse show and even got to pet the horse and ask questions.




We were entertained--and informed--by a beautiful black retriever and his trainer.


Michael tried his hand at ropin' a "calf".


We walked an exotic animal exhibit, saw some quail eggs hatch, and even read a book to the biggest dog I've ever seen. Jake the St. Bernard was less than enthused about the story but did indeed make a great pillow.


And we caught the tail end (ha again!) of a stunt show starring some sweet canines.



What we weren't able to do was surgery on a teddy bear. This apparently is one of the biggest attractions of this annual event because the line was as long as the queue in front of Space Mountain at Disney World during spring break. We skipped it. The lines for concessions were equally as long. (Note to self: bring your own lunch next time.) And of course there was some whining about the heat; I kept reminding them that they were complaining about the cold a week ago. Despite the crowds and a few complaints, however, I'd rate it pretty high as far as free field trips go.

Go Dawgs!