Sea World Passes

At a family meeting a few months back we decided upon an incentive program for family chores. The goal chosen was Sea World Passes so we outlined the weekly chores that needed to be done along with the point system. You've all done it- you know the drill. Well, the good news is we made our family goal and no one was hurt in the process!

It never ceases to amaze me how many amazing animals, plants, and creatures populate the earth. I don't tire of staring at the massive polar bear or watching graceful dolphins swim or entering through the depths of the scary shark encounter or the slippery slimy feeling of bat rays. They amaze and captivate me. Maybe the Sea World passes are really for my benefit? Anyhow, we enjoyed a pleasant day at Sea World which was made even more pleasant by the lack of people. The park was empty which made Trent on-the-go far more pleasant and less stressful- a definite bonus!

Petting the slippery, slimy bat rays.

Watching the frightfully freaky moray eels!

Sopping wet on Atlantis ride!

SHAMU!

Shamu and one of the babies were swimming in the viewing tank when we stopped by. They are breathtaking to watch swim. The exhibit was completely empty so we had the entire space to ourselves. We learned all sorts of killer whale facts from the employee and questioned her endlessly (poor gal!). The most entertaining part was watching the whales, which are really dolphins, scratch a really bad itch, just in that spot past where her fin could reach. She wriggled and squirmed against the rocks on the bottom trying to scratch the proverbial out-of-reach itch!

Lizard Wizard

One of the things I cherish most about being a mother is enjoying the creative process of a child's mind. Their imagination is pure, unfiltered, and clever- unaffected by outside expecations and norms. I love that at any given moment, a new world can be constructed out of a little construction paper and tape or an ordinary bobby pin becomes reformed into a performer's head mic and chopsticks become magical wizard wands. My children are often engrossed in creative play and I enjoy their imaginary process. This particular creation made me laugh purely because it brought back the silliest adolescent memory.

Growing up my older brother helped install pools during the summer. For a joke, he stuck one of the "DO NOT DIVE" stickers (with the picture of the generic person hitting their head on the bottom of the pool) on the tank of our home toilet and there it stayed. I would completely forget about it until one of my friends would make a funny comment or remark about it after using our bathroom.

Recently, Tyler took over the kids bathroom and it became the habitat for the "Lizard Wizard". To warn others he posted a "DO NOT SWIM" sign on the back of the toilet with a picture of the Lizard Wizard swimming in the sacred animal habitat. The similiarities brought back funny memories and I laughed and snapped a picture.

The bathtub was filled was all sorts of reptiles, lizards, crocodiles and plant life. Thankfully, there was nothing that I no of swimming in the toilet.

First Triathalon

Along with his Scout troup, Greg participated in the yearly Scout Triatholon at Mission Bay. To prepare he visited the gym several times a week learning new swimming strokes as well as riding hills on his road bike. I didn't realize just how worried he was that he might drown until afterwards when I learned that these worries spurred butterflies and anxiety preventing much-needed sleep the night before (along with some noisy boys in the next camp over).

Despite the lack of sleep, he was charged and ready to go morning of the race. When the race started, he took one look at the crazy mass of swimmers swarming on top of each other to cross the bay and decided to wait one minute before starting so as not to drown in melee.

Triumphant and proud he finished the swimming and did not drown in the bay! Here he is transitioning to where his bike is waiting.

The bike riding was the easy part for him where he passed many other cyclists. Then came the running . . . He was warned that the transition from biking to running would cause leg pain and he was given strict counsel to keep running despite any pain. The first mile was fine and he thought he was past the threat. Then his calves seized up with intense pain. Runners all around him, stopped and tried to stretch, but he remembered the advice and kept going. Again, the pain tightened and burned in his calves and he was tempted to stop and relieve it, but he kept on running.

He finished, not with a medal, but with pride.