I am going to switch gears a tiny bit on this post..but not too very much.  I believe that everything in life can feed our creativity and this vacation I just took with my best friend and her daughter, my goddaughter, definitely stoked the fire for me.  It is easy to get bogged down in "being creative" when it is your job...in any field.  So it is important to let yourself have time where you aren't thinking so hard about making these photos be "professional" quality, or "is this something that will sell?"  I took time to appreciate the people I was with and to take photos JUST for memories and focus on having fun and not on taking that perfect photo.  True, I could have worked harder and gotten some way better photos of the big cats but my memory of the trip will be way more vivid and precious that the "perfect" shot.  I would love to go back to Tiger Creek someday to do a photo shoot, but..this time I was a godmother and friend and not a photographer/artist/writer, etc.  So, without further blah blah on my part, I present you...

Vacation...awesome style!

9 years ago, I went to Tyler with my friend and her daughter and we loved Tiger Creek so much that we couldn't wait to get back..well..I suppose we did wait..but really, 9 years kinda flew by..as is wont to do when watching a child grow up when you REALLY just want them to be little forever.  I digress..we decided to take a trip back to Tiger Creek last week and I wanted to share our experience with you beautiful friendorinos! 

Lily and Sarge - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek

If you aren't aware of what Tiger Creek is, it is a wildlife refuge that was started in Tyler and houses some really amazing big cats.  They got two cubs a long time ago, Lily and Sarge, and they were the focus of the Animal Planet show, Growing Up Tiger.  It showed not only them as the cutest lil' cubs in the world, but actually "growing up"..hence the name.  Today, Lily and Sarge are still a huge attraction for Tiger Creek and as our tour guide Kira said..don't let Sarge's size fool you...Lily is definitely the boss!  

Juda - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek 

Padma loves her Skanda - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek

Tiger Creek is home to not only some amazing animals, but some awesome caregivers too.  Our tour guide, Kira, was an intern and was wonderful.  She gave us not only the facts about each animal; she also gave us some super cute and sweet stories about each cat.  I only wish I could count on her being there next time we go...but alas, she is only an intern and if I remember correctly, her internship will be finished in about a month.  Of course, everyone that works there is just as wonderful and will, I'm sure, give you just as good a tour as we got.  They can be found online at www.tigercreek.org or on Facebook as Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge.  Go visit their site, follow their Facebook and give them as much support as you are able, they are doing great things for these animals and it takes support from everyone to keep it up.  If you can make a monetary donation, please do, if not..share until you can share no more!  I mean..who can resist these guys!!!!

Arule - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek

Bosco - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek

Amir - Photo Courtey of Tiger Creek

Nishchala - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek

Sakima - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek

Scrunches - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek

Skanda - Photo Courtesy of Tiger Creek

So, as you can see...Tiger Creek is well worth the trip and the measly price to see these beauties.  There are lots more gorgeous animals at this refuge and it is best to plan to meander along after the tour (and you definitely want to do the tour, these guys have great stories and it is worth it to hear the guides tell them) so you can get a glimpse of the cats who might be napping while you are taking your tour.  We were lucky while hearing about Katie and Tin Cup, the two Pumas up front, they graced us with a small visit.  Katie had to have one leg amputated and Tin Cup got his name because when the vet was explaining how big he was, they said he could fit inside of a tin cup..so the name stuck.  So cute.  Anyway..see for yourself, it was a blast.  I also just found out they have a resort as well and it looks so cool, check it out at www.tigercreek.com. 














On a side note, if you are looking for a place to stay in Tyler, you can't beat the Sleep Inn on Donnybrook.  Click HERE to check it out or book a room 

  The room was super comfy, they had free soup and salad in the evening, and free huge breakfast in the morning, and the pool was perfect.  The staff was really great, making sure the room met our needs, even going as far as to call us in the room after we put our stuff away to make sure we had everything  They even supplied this ill prepared girl with the extra big, super adhesive, fabric band-aids for my blistered feet.  The whole experience is what you would expect from a high price, 5 star joint, but it was really decent pricing.  It hit every single mark of a good hotel for me and I will certainly be a repeat customer.  


Ok..on to the next...

While chilling in Tyler, we went to this restaurant called The Potpourri House and, oh my goodness, it was super delicious.  They have excellent chicken fried steak AND amazing smoked Italian meatballs with penne pasta.  The picky 10 year old loved it as well, said it was "amazing" and that it was one of her favorite places! (huge props from this gal) We were stuffed but got some dutch apple pie and some chocolate ganach, rum soaked goodness that we completely devoured back in the hotel.  I rarely have perfect apple pie, but this..this was PERFECT dutch apple pie.  After you stuff yourself there, you can shop at the cool store surrounding the restaurant and get some delectable lotions and salt scrubs, some cool carved figures, jewelry, clothes, and then some pretty awesome chocolate truffles.  If you live around Tyler, or are there for a little while, it is worth it to put this place on your "to do" list. Click Here to go to the Potpourri House website

Another really fun thing we found was at the Tyler Junior College.  The Center for Earth and Space Science Education was incredibly cool.  They had this cool exhibit downstairs that has some hands on experiments with sound...including a scream chamber!  You step in and it measures the decibels of your scream and shows you the comparison with other sounds.  Yes, I tried it..and the first time I got somewhere between a Peacock Mating Call and Elephant...lame!!! So I tried again, let loose, and proudly got the "loudest human scream" rating (thank you...thank you very much...) The coolest thing there was the planetarium.  In 1963, Tyler Junior College (TJC) opened the first planetarium located in East Texas. Originally known as the Hudnall Planetarium, it was reopened in 2011 after a major expansion and renovation of its facilities and renamed The Center for Earth and Space Science Education.  Home to the first 40’ Spitz nano-seam domed theatre in East Texas, the state-of-the-art Planetarium features an immersive, full-dome video experience.  The new theater is equipped with Digistar 5, the latest in digital projection technology...and it was definitely a superior experience.  It blows away every other planetarium I've ever been to.  We saw Journey to Space and learned a lot of cool things about the space program, AND got to hear it from Patrick Stewart HAH!

Little Detour Pic. - Historic Courthouse in Marshall, TX
look up Marshall, TX..it has some pretty cool history

Jeremy from Vexcon

Super Happy Gal at Vexcon!

From Tyler, we headed east to Louisiana and took a little detour to take the lil' gal to see Vexcon, Billy the Exterminator's roost..(well..he roosts a little farther north these days for..well..reasons..but we are told he might be headed back  sometime in the near future.) She was so surprised and got to take pictures with the truck and we got to talk to one of THE coolest pest control folks, Jeremy.  We got some "insider info" and were treated so very nicely, even though we interrupted the extremely hot, super busy work day.



From that little jaunt, we headed to West Monroe to soak up a little Duck Dynasty goodness.  We saw the warehouse where they film, did a little perusing at the gift shop and then headed to Willie's Duck Diner for some grub.  It was some tasty grub too.  I would actually not recommend the place for true cajun goodness because they tend to err on the side of "not spicy" because they get people from all over the country and not everyone has the tongue for cajun

spices, but the food is great, especially Miss Kay's Meatloaf, her mac and cheese, and the mashed potatoes with brown gravy..I'm telling you..that lady knows how to layer her flavors and cook up a mean meal. 





This trip allowed for some much needed bonding with my best friend and goddaughter and recharged my batteries.  Also, no, I'm not being paid for these reviews..lol..I just like to share good experiences for others to take note of if they are ever in these areas...because when you are traveling it is nice to know where the worth while places are..especially hotels..nothing like a perfect hotel when you've been out in the heat of July in Texas!  So, I hope someone, somewhere gets some use from this "review" of our trip.  Leave me a comment if you have anything to add to this, or, if you got any use from it! 

Lots O' Love,
Kari