More of Sea World, the Sequel
**300th blog post! Wow!
There are so many pictures and videos that I would love to share but won't be able to. On day two at Sea World we had a total breakdown of all electronics. My camera battery died as well as the battery for the Flip camera. Once we got home I realized my laptop died as well, but that's another story. We went to the Shamu show and came prepared...in swim suits! The kids were determined to sit near the glass which meant a complete soaking during the finale. The whales go to the corners of the stadium tank (in front of the glass), turn upside down and whip their tail throwing nothing short of the water content of a small lake into the crowd. I love that the warning sign displayed on the big screen says "If you sit in the splash zone, you will get wet" and then goes on to say "Not Wet...Not Damp...Not Moist...SOAKED! And they did! All three shot up from their seats as if they'd been electrocuted after the first "wave" but still weren't fast enough to clear wrath! They ran up the stairs to where Jason and I were safely sitting, dry, and all three were indeed soaked! I'm guessing the water was a little cold not to mention I don't think a lifetime of mental preparation could really prepare you for level of soakage! The only other way to get that soaked that fast would be to just jump into a body of water but for this they had to wait in anticipation, knowing, but not knowing the time was coming! This is but a fraction of the fun that can only be replayed in our heads since the cameras didn't work. :(
However, there are still plenty of pictures from the time before the camera meltdown...
This was a tough shot to get! The dolphins would occasionally do jumps and I was never fast enough to catch them on camera...even with my camera on and ready! Then I noticed that they would increase their speed when swimming around the pool right before a jump so I figured I would keep a look out for the increased speed and get prepared. Finally I saw a dolphin round the corner and take off at full speed. I pointed the camera towards the opposite end of the pool and snapped a picture! I knew if I took the time to aim and focus it would be too late! I caught this guy in mid air! Yippee!
This is one of the last pictures my camera took before the battery died. Joshua is partially wet due to another ride on Atlantis. This was right outside Shamu Stadium and so Josh got to even out the dry vs wet. He came out soaked!
We tried to bribe Daniella to ride Atlantis and that didn't work, but she did agree to the log ride Texas Splashdown. Riley could have ridden it with me, but I think she is still a little small so we waited while Jason, Joshua, and Daniella went to ride. Riley was a little fussy about having to wait, but my secret stash of M&M's saved the day!
That drop is definitely faster than it looks! Not surprisingly, the biggest struggle is not holding on, but holding on to Joshua to keep him from standing through it all. Yes he is that insane! Daniella is in the log believe it or not! She sat behind Jason and clung on to him so tightly that I didn't see her until after they passed me! She said she had fun but refused to ride anything the rest of the day!
Look at that face!
The kids got feed the sea lions too! Of course they loved it!
One of our favorite shows was the Sea Lion show. It was funny and the sea lions are absolutely adorable! The best part were the bloopers where a sea lion would take off or "forget his lines" and the trainers/actors had to do improv! Priceless!
This was another "splash zone" that we were well aware to stay away from! It was even better knowing that there was always someone in the crowd that had no idea this was coming! It was great to watch...except the first day where one of the unsuspecting spectators was a family with a newborn. Yikes!
This is the Steel Eel! Jason and I both rode it, but of course had to go one at a time. I can't be completely sure, but I think this is Jason's ride. I timed the picture to where I thought he would be if the line was short...which it was...as in no line! This is a HUGE roller coaster! The first drop is 150 ft straight down! It had been years for both Jason and I since our last roller coaster ride and I can say from experience with all honesty that I was less nervous jumping out of a plane than getting on board this thing! Whew! I have butterflies in my stomach right now just writing about it! The g-force was strong enough during the ride to literally lift me out of my seat for the entire ride! I had to brace my feet against the sides and quite literally hold on for dear life! The lap bar did a lousy job keeping me in place! I told Jason all of this and he said it lifted him out of his seat to! That's saying a lot!
One last picture...
Joshua has happily taken his place with Jason as family baggage handler! That suitcase probably weighed more than he did, but he was happy to help! I'm savoring this now while I can. I don't know for sure he will hate all chores when he gets older, but I'm not dumb enough to know for sure he won't!
There are so many pictures and videos that I would love to share but won't be able to. On day two at Sea World we had a total breakdown of all electronics. My camera battery died as well as the battery for the Flip camera. Once we got home I realized my laptop died as well, but that's another story. We went to the Shamu show and came prepared...in swim suits! The kids were determined to sit near the glass which meant a complete soaking during the finale. The whales go to the corners of the stadium tank (in front of the glass), turn upside down and whip their tail throwing nothing short of the water content of a small lake into the crowd. I love that the warning sign displayed on the big screen says "If you sit in the splash zone, you will get wet" and then goes on to say "Not Wet...Not Damp...Not Moist...SOAKED! And they did! All three shot up from their seats as if they'd been electrocuted after the first "wave" but still weren't fast enough to clear wrath! They ran up the stairs to where Jason and I were safely sitting, dry, and all three were indeed soaked! I'm guessing the water was a little cold not to mention I don't think a lifetime of mental preparation could really prepare you for level of soakage! The only other way to get that soaked that fast would be to just jump into a body of water but for this they had to wait in anticipation, knowing, but not knowing the time was coming! This is but a fraction of the fun that can only be replayed in our heads since the cameras didn't work. :(
However, there are still plenty of pictures from the time before the camera meltdown...
This was a tough shot to get! The dolphins would occasionally do jumps and I was never fast enough to catch them on camera...even with my camera on and ready! Then I noticed that they would increase their speed when swimming around the pool right before a jump so I figured I would keep a look out for the increased speed and get prepared. Finally I saw a dolphin round the corner and take off at full speed. I pointed the camera towards the opposite end of the pool and snapped a picture! I knew if I took the time to aim and focus it would be too late! I caught this guy in mid air! Yippee!
This is one of the last pictures my camera took before the battery died. Joshua is partially wet due to another ride on Atlantis. This was right outside Shamu Stadium and so Josh got to even out the dry vs wet. He came out soaked!
We tried to bribe Daniella to ride Atlantis and that didn't work, but she did agree to the log ride Texas Splashdown. Riley could have ridden it with me, but I think she is still a little small so we waited while Jason, Joshua, and Daniella went to ride. Riley was a little fussy about having to wait, but my secret stash of M&M's saved the day!
That drop is definitely faster than it looks! Not surprisingly, the biggest struggle is not holding on, but holding on to Joshua to keep him from standing through it all. Yes he is that insane! Daniella is in the log believe it or not! She sat behind Jason and clung on to him so tightly that I didn't see her until after they passed me! She said she had fun but refused to ride anything the rest of the day!
Look at that face!
The kids got feed the sea lions too! Of course they loved it!
One of our favorite shows was the Sea Lion show. It was funny and the sea lions are absolutely adorable! The best part were the bloopers where a sea lion would take off or "forget his lines" and the trainers/actors had to do improv! Priceless!
This was another "splash zone" that we were well aware to stay away from! It was even better knowing that there was always someone in the crowd that had no idea this was coming! It was great to watch...except the first day where one of the unsuspecting spectators was a family with a newborn. Yikes!
This is the Steel Eel! Jason and I both rode it, but of course had to go one at a time. I can't be completely sure, but I think this is Jason's ride. I timed the picture to where I thought he would be if the line was short...which it was...as in no line! This is a HUGE roller coaster! The first drop is 150 ft straight down! It had been years for both Jason and I since our last roller coaster ride and I can say from experience with all honesty that I was less nervous jumping out of a plane than getting on board this thing! Whew! I have butterflies in my stomach right now just writing about it! The g-force was strong enough during the ride to literally lift me out of my seat for the entire ride! I had to brace my feet against the sides and quite literally hold on for dear life! The lap bar did a lousy job keeping me in place! I told Jason all of this and he said it lifted him out of his seat to! That's saying a lot!One last picture...
Joshua has happily taken his place with Jason as family baggage handler! That suitcase probably weighed more than he did, but he was happy to help! I'm savoring this now while I can. I don't know for sure he will hate all chores when he gets older, but I'm not dumb enough to know for sure he won't!We all had a great time and enjoyed other things not "featured" such as the lagoon, penguins, etc. I'll be amazed if you're still reading!
Thanks to everyone who sent Daniella birthday wishes!
Thanks to everyone who sent Daniella birthday wishes!
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