Shamu didn't eat us

Whew! It was close. Because Kathryn was pretty concerned that a killer whale would gobble us up. But we made it out of SeaWorld alive, barely.

We had a great day. Emma was finally tall enough to ride the Steel Eel and did she have fun!! And afterwards she made sure to tell everyone in the park, "Yeah, I rode the Steel Eel!" I guess it is pretty exciting once you finally get to go on your first monster coaster. That and the Journey to Altlantis ride were definitely her favorites.

We saw the shows and loved Viva the best. Emma went down to meet with the dolphin trainer and asked him how she could be one when she grew up. He told her to stay in school, study something animal related, and come back in 14 years and he will hire her. So we're keeping the ticket stub to attach to her application. Because she is all about being a dolphin trainer right now! At least until we hit the circus next month and she sees the trapeze artists...

Kathryn wanted to see Shamu more than anything and was so excited to finally get to the show.



Okay, honestly. I'm all for inspirational messages. You can do whatever you want to do. Just have faith and BELIEVE (the name of the show by the way). BUT we, along with a thousand of our closest friends, did not go there to watch video montages. We went to see some dang whales jump, so get on with it already! And when they finally did start jumping around, Kathryn was in awe!



We ended the day with a stop to feed the dolphins.



And I was treated with a whole bunch of whining how it's not fair you got to swim with dolphins when you went to Mexico. You know, it happened, I had a blast, and it's time to get over it, MOM!

So let me tell you what NOT to do if you ever go to SeaWorld. I would skip the Pirates 4D movie experience altogether. Don't be fooled into thinking it's a cute little film with Leslie Nielsen playing a bumbling pirate trying to find his treasure. Don't be fooled by the first few minutes where the little boy has set up these snazzy booby traps to take these pirate dudes out. Don't get comfortable in the A/C and think this is a nice little reprieve from the heat and hustle and bustle of the theme park. Because when that beehive drops on that pirate's head, it's all over. Especially if you have a child TERRIFIED of bugs!

And I still have the gouge marks in my arms. 3 weeks later.