Are We Crazy or What?

I turned to David at dinner on Friday afternoon and asked, "Do you want to go to SeaWorld tomorrow?" Usually this kind of question would be met, at least by me, with an, "Uh, are you serious?" Fortunately, it was met with a, "Maybe." We left it at the table until I brought it up again. At 8:00 at night, we decided we were going to do it. One of David's co-workers had given him some tickets and they were about to expire. We tried to get a rental car, that didn't work. So, the best plan that emerged was driving there in the morning, going to the park, and then driving home. Crazy, yes.

We started to get things underway. We decided we would get up super early and drive because the park opened at 10:00 am. I drove to the store at 9:00 to get some goodies and water. Unfortunately, our plans hit a snag when David and I didn't get to sleep until well after 1:00 am (a few hours before we were leaving). When the alarm went off, both of us decided we were not ready for it, so we went back to sleep. Next thing I know, David is waking me up at 7:15 and asking if I still wanted to go. We got the girls up and dressed and headed out the door on our impromptu adventure.

It was quite a drive. We saw the border of Mexico and the famous fence our government spent millions of dollars on (really? It looked like the fence in my backyard growing up... from the road). We passed through three checkpoints where they waved us through (our tax dollars at work), ate a bunch of junk, never stopped to go to the bathroom or get gas, and arrived in non-sunny San Diego five hours later. It was about hour three into the trip that I realized we were not changing time zones and that we were going to get there with only four hours to spend in the park. Oh well, we were having fun.

We drove around a bay a bit, enjoyed some of the sights, and then headed over to SeaWorld. David went when he was five and I had never been. The girls were excited, but hesitant. I think they thought the animals were going to get them or that they had to go on rides. Once they saw that things were behind glass, they relaxed. We saw polar bears, birds, beluga whales (amazing!), manatees, a walrus, Clydesdales, dogs, and watched the killer whale show (I cried, I am such a weirdo). The only thing we bought in San Diego was a couple of stuffed Shamu toys for the girls. It was semi-cheap (we did have to buy their tickets in), short, but a ton of fun. We finished up the day playing at the little kids park and having a blast. The girls were wonderful and loved the animals. We plan on going back when we have more than four hours of time (there were quite a few things we didn't get to see), but it was a fun way to spend the day.

After they closed we got in the car and started home. We had planned on eating in San Diego, but somehow just kept driving. We didn't eat until late (terrible parents), but there wasn't a whole lot in between. The baby had a bit of a difficult time as she was completely overstimulated, but was finally able to rest. We stopped off for dinner at Texas Roadhouse (so delicious) and iLyn was hilarious! Of course, this ended when she started sticking her hand in ketchup and pulling plates off of the table, but she was still adorable. We were only stopped one more time by the border patrol who just asked us if we were US citizens (still blowing me away). We got home at 1:00 and crashed. David deserves a superhero award for driving the entire time. We had a fabulous day and I am so glad for such a wonderful husband who can be ready at the drop of a hat. So fun!

The fence between the US and Mexico... scary (or not so much).

More fence.

A little island in San Diego.

My cute family. It was actually pretty cool that day.

Hanging with the Clydesdales.

I don't know these people, but I was kind of jealous (even though I could tell they were freezing). That would be a Beluga Whale. They are beautiful.

More of Baby Beluga.

Even though you can't see the fish, I thought this picture was cute. They just hopped right in there between the crowd.

Waiting for Shamu (Little Lady looks a little strange in this picture. I don't know what look she was going for, but it turned out kind of crazy :)

Giving loves to the stuffed whale.

I wanted to do this as a job. Maybe someday they will have a senior citizens SeaWorld and I can work there. The tricks will be much slower and we will need more time in between to rest... Sea-niorWorld!

Waiting in line for a ride they wouldn't let us on because there were too many.

Our little ladies.

Trying to climb up the mountain. She definitely went through a range of emotions with this: happiness, frustration, exhaustion, sadness... it was a tough 20 minutes.

Telling me how it is.

Finally a happy girl!