grace & goodwill: Sea World

How do I love thee, San Diego? Let me count the ways. I love thy ocean breeze and thy clean air. I love your impecable weather and friendly villagers. I love that thou so tenderly holdest (yes... "holdest") the sweet memories of my upbringing. While Tony Bennett croons beautifully of leaving his heart in San Francisco...I screech un-melodically of losing mine in an avocado grove. Wherever I am in this world, San Diego...thou will-est alway be-ist home-eth to me-ith. :)

So, in case you haven't already guessed, I like San Diego. It is where I grew up and where my family still lives. It is where I was while John and I were dating. It will always be one of my favorite places on earth. So this weekend, I was extremely excited to share one of San Diego's hottest attractions with Lulu for the first time. That's right, folks. We went to Sea World!

Anyone who knows me, knows I had my heart dead-set on becoming a marine biologist when I was a child. My entire room was be-decked with miniature Orca figurines. For each holiday and birthday, I requested a new Orca book (like textbook-style marine-biology books about Orcas...). I had an Orca-themed bedspread all throughout junior high and high school (that, in a bleeding-heart moment of weakness, I sold at a garage sale for $5 in college...remember that, Tina?? It still keeps me up at night...). When my parents were gone one day, I painted my entire room an "under the sea" theme. Closet doors and all. What can I say? Some kids liked Star Wars. Some kids liked Strawberry Shortcake. Me? I preferred to memorize the scientific names of whales and dolphins in my spare time (did you know that Orcas are more closely related to the dolphin family than other whales?). My husband took me to Vancouver in 2010 to see Orcas in their natural habitat. I was the only one on the whale watching tour who cried when we finally caught up with a pod.

Why I didn't end up following this dream is a topic for another blog post that - let's just be honest - I'll probably never get around to writing. But don't worry...I plan on being a neurotic mother who lives out her dreams through her child. Lulu begins training in the scientific names of marine mammals tomorrow. Just kidding...maybe...

Also, a topic for another blog post is how I actually have an ethical issue with Orcas in captivity. So, I won't go see the Shamu show. I know you're also thinking right now that going to Sea World when I have an ethical issue with it, is actually unethical...but all I can say is...no comment for now. And...don't be like me. And, Orcas were meant to swim thousands of miles each year in the ocean. And, that's all.

So, now that you have a lot of extra background information that you didn't need, the next unflattering photo should be self-explanatory.

Shamu mugs, frames, figurines, shot glasses, paperweights, etc. John put his foot down when I demanded a sparkly Shamu snowglobe...

Twinsies.

SO excited!

She was generally entertained by the animals (though still a little young to understand why they were so interesting). But, her favorite part of the entire day was the splash pad (which I suppose could have been replicated with a hose in the backyard...ha!)!

Ok so Sea World is also in cahoots with Sesame Street in some way. Lucie LOVES watching Elmo on TV so we thought it'd be a great idea to introduce her to the monster-sized Elmo and Telly characters. Though she didn't cry (like some kids in line), she definitely wasn't amused. She seemed almost angry...ticked off that Elmo wouldn't talk to her the way he does on TV and that he had been super-sized without her permission. But seriously...even I was intimidated. Elmo is supposed to be small. He was huge and his silence...unsettling.