A Day at Sea World

I have a dream. That dream is to train/swim with dolphins; The dolphins and I will have lots of fun  together as we practice them doing tricks and they push me through the water with their nose on my foot like a human torpedo. I remember when I discovered this dream. We went to the Madrid Zoo for Charlene's birthday celebration, and at this zoo, there was a dolphin show. It was awe and love at first sight. I have since decided that this is probably not a realistic dream, and should not count on it happening. However, I love seeing dolphin shows. 

Now, I have never been to any Sea World in the world, and I really didn't know what to expect. But imagine my surprise and excitement as there was a giant pool of dolphins hanging out and showing off for us. After years of wanting to go to Sea World and a couple of attempts at making actual plans to go but the plans going awry, this trip was magical. We stayed by the dolphin pool for a while trying to get the dolphins to swim to us so we could pet them. Eventually, it happens. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but a kind of rubbery feel was not it....but it was cool nonetheless. 

Now let's backtrack a little. I have been planning this day for over a month, because I wanted to go with my Uncle John, so I had to wait for him to have a free Saturday. I also wanted my lil sis to come, and that was the plan. My mom found out we were going and wanted to come too. Okay. Then this week happened, and it started getting pretty chilly for us Texans. Saryah called to tell me that her and mom thought it would be too cold to go, so they decided not to come. I said okay and informed them that I was still going.  Nbd, right? (I had also checked the weather and knew it would be warm for Saturday) About an hour later, they felt bad that I was still going without them and decided to come along. I'm not a fan of pity-company, but whatever makes them feel better. The day after, Saryah tells me her car needs to get worked on before our road-trip  so she has to cancel because she needs to get her car fix;. That's fine. Come Friday, I drive home to pick up my mom and start the drive to San Antonio, but she has to clean her room first. What do I do? I fell asleep in dad's new sleeping bag that he's in love with. Allegedly, there were multiple attempts to wake me up, and I even responded, but I don't remember anything until I wake up and realize it's 8pm and we still have a 3 hour drive to make. Oops. On the drive, my mom falls asleep and Elo & Stacia call to put me on speakerphone as I listen in to the mission reunion talks, because they are good friends and I couldn't make it. I understood about 50% of what was said because the volume at which I was hearing it at was too low and I couldn't make it louder. My Mazda does not have bluetooth. Boo. However, the parts I did hear were great & priceless.

Before we went off to Sea World on Saturday, we all went for brunch. My grandpa didn't want to come to Sea World because he said it would be too much like work having to walk around all day. lol. okay grandpa. When we ordered at the restaurant....the waitress address my grandpa and uncle in Spanish, but spoke to me in English. Really??? Seriously. The irony comes from me speaking more Spanish than my uncle. ;) We dropped grandpa off and then headed to Sea World.

The day was great! We saw seals and sea lions. We saw the penguins and took pictures because my grandma loves penguins. Then we went on a roller-coaster. The Steel Eel. Uncle John hadn't been on a roller coaster in decades and wasn't sure if he would enjoy it. He was a little scared, but I assured him that unless you have a the things that lock your whole body into place, it can't be that scary. We just had a bar across our laps. Easy peasy. Needless to say, mom and Uncle John were not fans of the ride. Blast.

After this, we went to a nice show. It had beluga whales, dolphins and birds! Mix that with synchronized swimming, acrobatics, and high dives with intense flips and twists, the show had me entranced with its awesomeness. Mom even decided to get souvenir cups with Shamu on them. ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was about to explode from joy. After this show we went to what I've been waiting for all my life. This is on my bucket list: See Shamu. Let me tell you. It was AWESOME! It makes me want to watch Free Willy. Luckily, Uncle John warned us about the Spash Zone, so we avoided it. Sadly, other people did not seem to comprehend what the giant "Splash Zone" warning in front of their seat meant, because when the whales started splashing the audience, already drenched people leaped to their feet and started fleeing to higher ground like it was a tsunami.

It was everything I hoped for and more. A dream come true. A true moment of joy in life to look back at forever. Then it was time for another roller-coaster. The Great White. Uncle John and mom stayed at the entrance to wait. Since I was a party of one, I sat with group of three, and I'm pretty sure I got a strange look from the dad I was sitting next too. Yeah. That's okay because the line was super short, and just added to my happy day. The ride was great. Loved it. Had the twists, loops, and speed necessary to make a good ride. We then went and saw some reptiles. I even saw the Harry Potter boa constrictor, and was trying to make the glass vanish....my powers are a little unreliable at the moment. But I did send out a Snapchat with a "Thankssss amigo" out to some appreciative hp friends.

We saw the alligators, and thought it was pretty fascinating how they did absolutely nothing. Seriously. They didn't move. #boring. We then decided to go out to dinner, as we were tired, and had enjoyed the better part of the day at the park. It was great. An A+ adventure. We had some dinner, then went to visit grandma. When we got there, we told us that our cousin Jackie was coming over too. We were pretty excited. After about an hour of waiting, I called Jackie to see where she was....She was at home....which is not in San Antonio. lol. We later realized that when I called earlier, I didn't identify myself, and Grandma thought I was Jackie. Oops. We then went back to Uncle John's to check in with gpa, and show Uncle John some funny videos on the internet. lol. After some quality time together, we hit the road with only a little stop at Buc-ee's. We arrived safe and sound.

Sunday morning I woke up frazzled and upset. Why? Because it was General Conference day, and General Conference starts at 10:00am (MDT). I had woken up at 9:30 CST and couldn't believe that my parents didn't wake me up for the beginning of conference, which is at 9am CST! I ran downstairs only to see  my dad a the table and I say very accusingly "Dad! I cannot believe you didn't wait your own daughter up in time to hear the words of the prophet and his apostles!" He responded calmly, "It doesn't start till 11". I said "Ummm. It starts at 10 am Mountain Standard Time. That's 9am here!" He casually tells me to turn on the computer and check the website. I did....only to discover that 10am MDT *is* 11am CST. Oops. Been living in California and Arizona time zones too long.

Mom woke up shortly later and made migas for breakfast. Yum yum. I started reading Born to Run #goodbook, and we waited for conference to start. Conference was great. I think my favourites were Elder Perry and Elder Holland's talk. Inspired and wonderful. I love listening to apostles of God. Yay. It was a day of diving revelation from our Heavenly Father. I am forever grateful that God speaks to His chosen servants on the earth in this day. I am grateful that Christ lives and the peace that brings me in such a time of uncertainty and conflict on the earth. I am grateful that I know the true nature of God and His son, Jesus Christ, that they are two separate beings, Father and Son, united in purpose. I am grateful in the knowledge that Christ leads His church today through His prophet, as he has done since the beginning of time, as documented in the Bible and The Book of Mormon. I am forever grateful, and although I am nowhere close to perfect, I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and is willing to forgive my shortcomings as I come unto Him and try again everyday.