Sea World

Elaine, SMS, Fadi and Mia!

This weekend, I met SMS’ friends Fadi, Elaine and their cute daughter Mia.  It was a great weekend.  I missed them on Friday because they came in late and I went to bed early.   I don’t normally do that- I’d rather stay up and wait- but I was SO tired and I was on call.  I felt like I’d be really screwed if I stayed up and then got called in.  So, off to bed I went!

Jumping whale

Oh, splash zone!

The next morning, Linda and Rip made everyone breakfast and then we packed up and went to Sea World.  It was actually more fun than I was expecting.  I was looking forward to hanging out with friends, but even the shows were pretty good!  There was a Pet Spectacular show that was embarrassingly impressive to me.  There were a lot of cats, dogs and pigs that had routines and tricks.  We also saw the Shamu show and stayed well out of the splash zone!  We noticed that the show has changed quite a bit- the trainers don’t get in the water with the animals anymore. There was also a young whale that had just been born on Valentine’s Day!  

I got my ticket for free thanks to SeaWorld's Hero Salute program!  The program gives one free ticket to active duty members and three immediate dependents every year.  I had to fill out the form on the computer, print out the voucher and then turn it into the ticket office to trade it in for a ticket (and show my id).

I think the highlight for me was seeing Mia play in the soft floor play zone.  She’s just so cute!  She’s full of smiles and just a total delight!  Elaine and Fadi are awesome, too. That evening, we had pizza at my house and watched the sunset from the roof.  Then, we walked to Extraordinary Desserts and split two pieces of delicious cake!

This is most definitely not Mia.  But it is
how I felt after dessert!

The next day, we had a delicious brunch with caramel overnight soaked French Toast and bacon.  Yum!  Then we went off to Cabrillo National Monument.  We went up to the lighthouse and appreciated the views.  Then we went down to the Tidepools and scrambled around the sandstone cliffs.  Next, SMS, Elaine and Fadi went to Rip and Linda’s (whose home we took over for the weekend while they were up at Newport) while I had to go into work to repair a mandible.  Boo!  Although it was a good case, I am not as into trauma as I used to be!