Our heart-shaped rock from Helen. She taped it into a wedding card!
Our 6th rock is from Helen of White Plains, New York! What’s cool about this one is it’s heart-shaped.
A tour of the package she sent us:
Helen and I met back in the fall of 2002, when I went to volunteer at the Bronx Zoo’s then-annual Festival of Lights; in early November, the Zoo would enlist its members to come on down for the day and string thousands of lights all over the property for the Holiday event, which ran every Thanksgiving through the second week in January. The event, sadly, has been discontinued, probably due to cost, although no official reason, as far as I know, was ever given.
That November, Helen and I were thrown together on a team that decorated outside The World of Birds and then moved on to a back path behind Zoo Center. We became friends, and every November we went down to the Zoo to decorate. Our territories in following years includedTigerMountain(at least twice) and the River Parkway Entrance. A few times, we went down in April, when members were tapped for spring clean-up. We raked leaves, tidied up the exhibits, and removed trash along the river. Occasionally, we’d go to the Zoo to just enjoy it. I’m shocked when I realize we’ve known each other nearly a decade, all of our memories at the Zoo.
This year I’ve resolved to go back there with Helen. Nathan and I dropped our Bronx Zoo Membership last year when we thought we were moving, but now that we’re going to be around awhile, I’m going to renew. Watch out, Helen! We’re going back. Having a rock from you is bringing all of our magical times at the Zoo to our wedding day.
Helen at the Bronx Zoo Riverwalk, November 2003. This is very close to an area where, a few years later, we removed trash from the riverbed. Believe it or not, we had a ball.
Me at the Bronx Zoo Festival of Lights (before it began), November, 2003.
Clowning around. I love these put-your-face-in-the-hole things and so does she. She wasn’t going to miss out on this one either!
