Happy Thanksgiving

To my friends and family,
So they're not turkeys, but here are some pretty birds to look at. I hope ya'll have safe travels and a very filling Thanksgiving season. Love ya'll!
~Holly Rae

Adventure Aquarium - Camden, NJ

Went with some of the Zoo Science majors today to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ. We were taken on a behind-the-scenes tour with one of the lead people at the aquarium. We were then let to wander about the place and explore for ourselves. At one point, I had a little helper following me around asking, "Do you want to take a picture of this?" For such a small kid he really knew a lot about the fish I was photographing. He & his dad are picture in the bottom right corner of the diver's tank. Hope you enjoy some of the pics! *muah*

http://www.adventureaquarium.com/

Philadelphia Zoo Vet Center

This is a back post so I won't say much about it but here are some kool pics from my lab one Friday at the Philadelphia Zoo. We got to go behind the scenes and take a tour of the Vet Center there.

Back at School & On with Life

It's been a while since my last post. Life has calmed down a bit for me since summer. On Aug. 26th I celebrated my 20th birthday and finally joined the class of people whom I used to refer to as adults. Poor me right? Nah, I think I'll somehow survive this adventure as well.
My degree is in Zoo Science here at good 'old DelVal. This fall I started taking classes for my major. Every Friday afternoon I travel to either the Philadelphia Zoo or the Elmwood Zoo for a 3 hour lab. Last week I spent the class staring into the eyes of 4 mountain gorillas as I critiqued their exhibit design.
There is no real reason for this post. Nothing in particular has been going on that I thought was important enough to write on. I have however just wanted to tell everyone that since I've been back at school, I've been revealing to myself one thing after another of who I really am, and what I am made of. This next year is going to be a trying one, but I will probably also consider it the one with the most potential for growth in my life. I hope you all are having a wonderful day. I would love to hear from everyone and it's always nice to keep in touch with a wide network of friends.
Remember, don't take life too seriously. It isn't permanent.

Baby Emily Rae

Here is a picture of the newest edition to the Groff Family. My brother Charlie, and his wife Laura have just given birth to Emily Rae Groff. She has a good middle name. ;-) She is guaranteed to be smart and beautiful. heh heh heh.
"Today August 16th, at 4:48 am Emily Rae Groff came into the world. She was 7lbs, 8 ounces, 19.8 inches long. Both Mother and baby are healthy and doing great."

Baby Bobcat

After hearing rumors of the baby, I asked my friend while at work if it were true that they came into ownership of a baby bobcat. It was true, so tonight I ventured up and snapped a few pictures w/ the gorgous little girl. So here they are...

NYC & The Bronx Zoo

On my first visit of the summer to DelVal, my spur-or-the-moment traveling companion, Christopher, and myself found ourselves in the jungles of some of the most savage beast I have ever seen. No, actually it was just New York City, and I can't say anything bad about the people there. They're all friggin awesome. After long months of waiting, one car ride that seemed to take forever, and all the skin I chewed off my lips for being nervous, I finally got to meet the elusive Jama! I could go on and on about how awesome she is, but I don't have the time and the more I get to know the Williams family (even the newest editions!), the more I truely fall in love with them. We crashed in Curtis and Jama's apartment for 3 days on their living room floor. Thanx so much you two for letting us do that! On our second day tho, Chris and I decided to venture out to the Bronx Zoo for some time alone and some much needed time w/ nature. Well... as much nature as you can get in the heart of NYC. The pics aren't working, but I'll keep trying!