Another Florida post (beware... it's LONG!)

I know, I know... there are a ton of photos... sorry.

Here it goes...

~Sea World~

Ryan and I really had a lot of fun the day we visited!  The weather was warm, but just slightly overcast.

Perfect in my opinion for walking around a theme park all day!  It sprinkled lightly while we ate our lunch

on a covered deck, and during one of the shows we saw (also covered).  It really was nice!

We got to the park right at opening, and I was so happy to discover that they play the National Anthem
prior to letting people into the park!  What a way to start the day!  To follow that up, we decided to
jump on the new roller coaster they have since there was no wait.  It has been a long time since either Ry or I have been on one, but what the heck, right?
OMG!  Hahaha!  It was SO FUN!  Both of us said that it was the best ride we've ever been on! 
If you ever visit Sea World in Orlando... this is a MUST!

The Manta:  Ride It!

We saw two of their shows, and both were fun.  I liked the "One Ocean" show best and felt like a little

kid as I sat there and watched those huge animals perform!  Again, I was very happy at the fact that they

recognized all the service men and women in the audience!  It was so great to see attention being paid to our

country and those that serve it!

It was a full day, and I had sore legs by the time we were done, but it was great!

~Discovery Cove~

This was one of the parts of the trip I was most looking forward to!

It was different than I expected, not quite as "exclusive" as they make it sound,

and it was difficult for me to figure out where the heck I was all the time.

(note: I'm a bit directionally challenged.)

(ok, honestly, I could get lost in my own backyard, but I digress)

It was however, lush, and sunny, and fun!

And I got to kiss and hug a dolphin, so really... it was pretty awesome!

They had a large freshwater pool with a lazy river that Ryan and I took about 4 trips down!

The stingray lagoon, snorkle reef, and dolphin pools were saltwater 

(man, saltwater tastes bad)

and a tad cooler than the pool.  

Is 72 degree water cool?  No, it's FREEZING! Yikes!

They also have an aviary with lots of pretty birds!

For those of you that know me, I'm really not fond of anything that flies at me

or has the potential of getting stuck in my hair, but I really enjoyed this!

The birds come right up and eat out of your hand!

They are just lucky none of them landed on my head!

(Ryan got that lucky ticket!)

I did have an underwater disposable camera, but don't have the photos back yet.

If anything turns up worthwhile, I'll share later.

Discovery Cove...  Lovely Day!

~Time to Relax~

After two days of being "busy" and out an about, we packed up and left Orlando

for St. Pete's Beach!  The drive wasn't too bad and we got to check into our room early

after they sent us just down the road for some lunch while they got our room finished up.

PJ's Oyster Bar was a fun little place and I had a great lunch consisting of Mahi-Mahi wrap, 

sweet potato fries, and $2 draft beer!  Awesome!

Mother's Day

We spent the next 2.5 days relaxing on the beach, taking in the view, eating, 

drinking, and playing Angry Birds!  The beach was nice and not too crowded,

the sunsets were fantastic and we even took in a beach wedding!

Ryan somehow forgot to put sunscreen on his chest the first day on the beach, and

got a little crispy... so he spent the next day under our cabana, but otherwise all was delightful!  

~The Sunsets~

The view from our balcony!

What a wonderful trip!

Thank you so much to our parents who took care of our girls and pups

while we were away!

Thank you Ryan, I love you so much!