Labor(less) Day

We made good use of our annual passes on Monday and took the kids to Sea World. We've gone several times this year, but only once all together, so it was a treat. The sting ray petting pool is one of my favorite spots. I always head straight for these guys at aquariums and such. I don't know why. I just like 'em a lot and they seem to have more personality than you'd expect. These guys wondered where I'd been. They poked their cow-ish noses out of the water and greeted me, then swam by slowly, just in reach, flicking me with their fins. I guess they're called fins. I don't feel like looking it up.

We enjoyed the aquarium at the end of the Journey to Atlantis ride. Not that we all rode it. I made the grave mistake of taking the kids on it earlier this year and they kinda freaked out. This time, just Chris went on it and then we all enjoyed the fishies.

Mostly. The eels whispered evil hisses at Emma. They know a noble and good princess when they see one and they don't like her.

And the pretty jellyfish...I really love them.

We let the kids pick out an oyster to get their own pearl. They've wanted to do this all year and we finally decided to let them. You know, it's a little pricey for one stinkin' pearl, but sometimes the experience is worth it.



And then the little man in the store, the one who cleans and measures the pearls, offered to have them set in jewelry. I'd done this before, but was really not expecting the hefty price tag he foisted on me for a measley little setting - without even a chain. It was, like, $80 or something. Drew, of course, didn't want his set, but we decided that Emma would have to just keep hers in the little bag they give you.
And do you know what happened? That man in the store was very ugly about us not buying the gold setting. He got all huffy and in the end, he threw the receipt at Chris! We will never, never, never be buying anything in there again.
Ever.
But the whale and dolphin show redeemed it. That one's my favorite show - even more than Shamu. Really. Those dolphins really have fun when they're out there and it's obvious.



And the whales enjoy it too.



DAILY BLISS: cookin' out with the fam and laughing at my brothers