A Birthday on the Wild Side

My twenty-fifth birthday has come and passed and it was so awesome. Andre's off-days are Tuesdays and my birthday fell on a Tuesday this...

My twenty-fifth birthday has come and passed and it was so awesome. Andre's off-days are Tuesdays and my birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, so I used some vacation time and took the day off. It was 95 degrees plus, but I somehow convinced Andre to take me to the Animal Safari in Pine Mountain. I'd only ever been when I was in pre-k and I only remembered two things- the camels that slobbered all over you and the potty-trained rhinoceros with a pile of poop bigger than he was (no exaggeration). Andre had never been, so we decided to go. We had taken a trip to the Atlanta Zoo sometime last year and it was so overwhelmingly sad for the animals there. We only knew the Wild Animal Safari couldn't be any worse than that. Plus, at only $21.95 a person, it's such a deal!

The park has two areas: the walk-about, which is like your traditional zoo. You can walk around and see the animals in their cages and feed some of them. That area has a ton of different monkeys, wolves(!), tigers, a liger, kangaroos, and more. There's also a small reptile house. The other area is the major highlight and was so much fun! This area is the drive-thru part of the park. There are several options for the drive-thru area: you can ride the bus (which is an old school bus with the windows taken out and painted with zebra stripes), you can rent a van or car to drive-thru for $20, or you can drive your own car (which sounds like a terrible nightmare). We opted to take the bus because it's free and the bus driver acts as a tour guide and provides facts throughout the five-mile drive. Within the drive-thru area, there are zebras, giraffes, bison, water buffalo, pot-belly pigs, a camel, lions, watusi, several types of deer, and a rhinoceros, plus more. The lions, camel, and rhino were all fenced in separately, but the others were able to roam freely about with each other. It was so awesome to get to feed and pet so many different types of animals. 



























After the animal safari and sweating buckets, we stopped by downtown Pine Mountain where I got a milkshake made with expresso and got sung Happy Birthday to by a precious family inside the ice cream shop. It was great!

We then went by my parents where they cooked us dinner and made me a birthday cake. 

It was such an amazing 25th birthday! Twenty-four was the best year of my life so far. I started out that year with the love of my life asking me to marry him. Within the year, I was able to travel solo on my first plane ride to Texas, I started my dream job. It was just the best year of my life so far and I just can't wait to see what my twenty-fifth year holds for me. 

Thanks to everyone that wished me a happy birthday!


xx,










Kayla Whitter is a 30-something INFJ and Hufflepuff. She enjoys reading avidly, binge-watching tv shows, and occasionally venturing out into the world. She can often be found drinking coffee, and eating burritos or Chick-fil-a.

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4 comments

  1. bevchenJune 18, 2015 at 3:52 AM

    Happy belated birthday! Animals and milkshake seems like the perfect way to celebrate :-)

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    1. Kayla | A Paper ArrowJune 18, 2015 at 8:05 AM

      Thank you! And it was definitely the perfect way to celebrate!

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  2. AnonymousJune 19, 2015 at 12:35 PM

    Awesome.Thanks for the pics. Did u see the liger? Did u get a pic. I Love u Aunt Val

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    Replies
    1. Kayla | A Paper ArrowJune 19, 2015 at 1:27 PM

      We did see the liger, but couldn't get a picture because he was in his shelter because of the heat. Basically, he looked just like a female lion with a striped face.

      Love you!

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