The traffic wasn’t too bad so we made it to Sea World in about an hour. We found parking that was relatively close and found our first line to stand in at the entrance. We started with a few rides before attending our first show of the day with the dolphins.
Chris and Kristen opted to sit in the "Splash Zone" for the dolphin show. Good thing they brought their rain jackets!
The weather was perfect. I can imagine it gets pretty hot in the summer time. And crowded. Our wait at most of the rides wasn’t terribly long. Now lunch, that was crazy. $110. It wasn’t even that good. I would recommend you pack a lunch and return to you car at lunch time to eat it.
Chris, Amy, and Kristen went on a water ride and got totally soaked.
Misha and I opted not to join them for that bit of wetness. Our final show of the day was the killer whales. So amazing how they can be trained. But wait, here's Amy pretending to be a...turtle?
Misha and Amy missed the helicopter simulator, but it was short and sweet and really geared for the under ten crowd. Besides, Amy wanted to get some pics in her new Utah State shirt. Yay, she is going to be an Aggie. Already there is a contest between her and Misha as to which school is better—BYU or USU. Should be interesting during football season.
We left the park around 5:40 to join one of Chris’ dear family friends for dinner. Chris has known Joanie McKenna since he was two and she and her family were such a support to Linda and Chris and Kevin as Linda began life as a single mom with a new baby.
Joanie is one of the most gracious, kind people you could ever meet. I had a chance to talk with Joanie while Chris and Misha took Amy to the airport to drop her off for her flight. I was talking with Joanie about the book I am writing about feeling as though our hidden talents and gifts make us more than enough. She said that she, at 90, doesn’t feel as though she has made much of a contribution or difference in people’s life. She wondered what she had really accomplished. I may have only had the opportunity to be with Joanie only a couple of times, but I know from all that Chris has talked of her that this dear lady has made a difference in Chris’ life and in his family’s life. I told her that my girls, after only meeting Joanie once, mentioned what a neat lady she was and wanted to adopt her as another grandmother. She has made a difference in so many ways and so many lives.
Chris and Misha returned from the airport. We took Joanie back to her assisted living apartment and hugged her goodbye.
The drive back to Oceanside was much quicker tonight. We had no traffic delays to slow us down. It had been a long day and we were all happy to call it a day.