Valentine's Day at Sea World

Jared and I spent a very SWEET:) afternoon of Valentine's Day going around to all of the things we haven't gotten to see with the kids. It really is an easy place to take kids, but it was fun to just be "us"...to look at the map and scope out places and wait in lines with no "inconvenience" or keeping kids entertained, just the joy of more "connect time" and conversations amongst adults. And not only adults--husband and wife:) And as I reflected later that night, I thought how dear, sweet and true it is that I am married to my best friend. That's not easy for a "twin" to say as we are so close, but she and I both know and embrace how our husbands truly ARE and ARE SUPPOSED TO BE our best friends.
(Jared...the following is a special message for you:)
Jared, there is truly no one else that I could picture journeying this life with--no better father or husband for me and to me. I love continuing to learn about you and have become more and more humbled at the great privilege of being chosen to walk alongside, support and encourage YOU. You know I have many moments of doubting myself and feeling like I "give so little and receive so much"...I will probably always feel that way because you are just that special...but I do promise to be open to the Lord to grow me more and more as your wife and the mother of our children and because of WHO HE IS am confident that "He will finish the good work He has begun in us", our marriage, our family...and because of that I look forward to all that the future holds:) I LOVE YOU!!!

This was a beautiful little garden on the way to the "shark encounter".

These were all taken from the Sky Tower which goes 300 ft. up and we can and will take the kids next time...it was a little bit of a wait, but not bad.
Come visit us and go to Sea World...you can ride "Kracken" see Shamu, ride "Manta" and so much more!

This was in "Wild Artic" and the top 2 pictures are of the Polar Bear who was sleeping. Jared read that they can get up to 9 and 1/2 feet when "standing" on their hind legs! Yikes! And they prey on seals:( (that shattered my fluffy white huggable image of them).
The bottom row are of the walrus...oh my! AMAZING! He was HUGE! and you can't really see too much, but in the bottom picture on the left was after he had just turned and shown us his face...it was magnificent...I really was amazed that such a beast is real and so BIG and, if he could speak, I'm sure he'd be funny and wise:)

These pictures are all from various points along the "Shark Encounter". There were some really neat tanks of quite exotic fish...certainly ones I hadn't seen. Then in the "shark tunnel" where you walk under and they are swimming all around (there's 50 kinds of sharks! but not huge like JAWS which I was scared to death would be) and "saw heads"...really amazing!
Listed outside was how this Sea World has the largest collection of "predator fish" (something like this) IN THE WORLD! I didn't know if I should be AMAZED or TERRIFIED!

The dolphins...these animals are the closest things to "talking Narnians" (from C.S. Lewis' chronicles) that we have, in my opinion. They are so friendly and beautiful and special. This area is amazing because you can go and put your hand on the water and they come right up (often)...

...in the one picture it looks like I am touching one of the dolphins...I didn't get to touch it, but oh so close...that's ok I WILL because we'll be back!