Soaring Like a Manta Ray...

While you might not think of manta rays as flying animals, if you’ve ever been on Sea World’s new flying roller coaster called the Manta, you’d change your mind. We got to the park early so we could beat the crowds to this ride that opened in May. I knew that we’d be in a prone position, but was still calm when the bars closed around my legs and my neck. I did, however, freak out when my feet were lifted up behind me as we were still parked in the station. I started screaming (with some minor swear words thrown in) at that moment and continued until we pulled back in 2 1/2 minutes later. Despite being terrified, I thought it was awesome! We soared above the park with nothing below us, which was even more amazing to see when we went on again at night (this time I just screamed without swearing).

Enjoying Sea World...

While I had been to Sea World many times while I lived in San Diego, the girls had never been. They had seen dolphin, seal and walrus shows before, but this was their first time to experience a killer whale show. They even dared to sit in the splash zone (Sharon and I preferred to stay dry despite the heat), but were disappointingly dry at the end. After experiencing how strong bottlenose dolphins are yesterday, we had an even greater appreciation of just how powerful this largest member of the dolphin family must be. Ashlynn is now more convinced than ever that she’d like to be a dolphin trainer when she grows up.

More Time with Old Friends...

I was thrilled that Sharon and Brett, Jr. were able to drive up and meet us at the hotel when we returned from Discovery Cove. We were happy that Big Brett had just started a new job, but were bummed that he wasn’t able to sneak away. We went out that night to a nice Chinese restaurant that had an awesome koi pond out front. It was early to bed that night as we had another big day ahead of us the next day.

We Love Dolphins!

The final encounter with the dolphins was completely amazing. This time we swam out into the deep water and laid down. The two dolphins then put their noses in the curve of our feet and pushed us back to shore. Just like in dolphin shows, we naturally rose out of the water. This ride probably didn’t last more than 15 seconds, but it was incredibly exciting and we all agreed that it was the best part of the day. Jimmy actually got to do it twice because one of the dolphins decided not to participate the first time and had to try again. Afterwards, we had about two hours to enjoy the lazy river, the aviary and the coral reef. What an unforgettable experience!

More Time with the Dolphins...

Our second time in the dolphin lagoon was very special as this encounter was just for the Trainers for the Day. There was only our group of six plus the trainers with two dolphins, Diego and Rascal. This time both dolphins pulled us back from the deep water to the shore. This was a much faster and exhilarating ride with an incredible amount of water thrown into our faces.

Beyond Dolphins...

After lunch, Eddie took us into the Ray Lagoon to feed the stingrays (with the stingers removed for obvious reasons). It felt very strange to stand in the water and feed these very slippery creatures while they were surrounding us. Then we got to pet a nurse shark that is being trained to take food from a trainer using a tube. Afterwards, we had some free time to go snorkeling in the coral reef. It was very exciting for the girls to put their snorkeling lessons to good use for the first time to swim with fish. Veronica tried having a giant stingray pull her, but the lifeguard wasn’t amused.

Our First Deep Water Interaction...

We were all smiles during our first deep water interaction with Capricorn, which consisted of us swimming into the deep water, holding onto two of his fins and having him pull us back to shore. It was a very gentle ride and we all thought it was great fun.

One Major Surprise!

As much as I don’t like to lie, when we arrived in Orlando, I told the girls we’d be flying out to California the next morning. When we woke up, I said that the airline had called and said our flight was delayed so we’d be going somewhere to swim. Even as we arrived at Discovery Cove, the girls had no idea that we’d be swimming with dolphins. We’d booked the premium Trainer for the Day package and were pulled out of line to meet Eddie, our trainer, at breakfast. He asked if anyone had any questions before we got started and Veronica said “What are we doing here?” They sure were excited when they found out that we’d be doing a behind the scenes tour, then going into the lagoon to meet a dolphin. We met Capricorn, the largest dolphin in the park at 650 pounds and over 40-years-old. We were thrilled to get to pet, hug, kiss and feed him before our first deep water interaction.

Tubing the Ichetucknee...

After 3 days at the beach, we drove to Gainesville for 2 days with Vivynne and clan. Our first day was relaxed with some time at the pool, a gourmet dinner and a movie in their new home theater room, which was previously their game room. Unfortunately, Tony had to work, so he wasn’t able to join us for our tubing adventure down the Ichetucknee. This river is fed by a natural spring, so the water’s 73° year round. We did a 1.5 hour float through the crystalline water; the girls and Jimmy swam a lot, but I preferred to just float in my tube. We saw a lot of turtles along the water’s edge, but didn’t see any alligators, which was actually a relief considering all those dangling legs in the water.

Visiting Margaritaville...

The story of our time in Jax Beach wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Margaritaville, not the song, but the frozen concoction maker. Debbie’s husband wasn’t able to join us as he’s working in Connecticut, but his brother and family were there with his new fancy frozen drink maker. Sixteen-year-old Sarah had just returned from a month in Belgium, where she was legally introduced to fine Belgian beers. While she could no longer imbibe, she was happy to make us margaritas and pina coladas.

Jimmy’s Family Reunion...

It was great of Jimmy’s sister to plan this family reunion around our visit. We really enjoyed getting to spend time with her, his two step-brothers, his parents and all the cousins. We have a new appreciation for professional portrait photographers after trying to get all those little midgets to smile or at least stand still.

Quality Time with Family...

Jimmy was thrilled that his dad and Susan were able to make it to the Seahorse for two of the nights we were in Jacksonville.
We also spent time time with Jimmy’s grandmother, who turned 90 a few weeks earlier. Her short-term memory might be gone (she seems to think we live in Germany), but she’s sweet as ever.

Fun in the Sand and Water...

Each morning, Jimmy and the girls went swimming or boogie boarding in the Atlantic, while I searched the beach for shark teeth (which was a futile effort compared to previous years). Afterwards, we hit the pool, which was the perfect temperature. We were lucky this summer wasn’t brutally hot, but we still had to spend the middle of the day inside to escape the dangerous UV rays. We were fortunate to have a lot of restaurants within walking distance for lunch and dinner. We’d go in the pool again later in the afternoon and sometimes in the evening as well. Jimmy and I enjoyed being able to take long walks on the beach in the moonlight.

Next Stop - Jacksonville, Florida...

After 5 nights in North Carolina, it was time to catch a flight to Jacksonville to visit with Jimmy’s family. As we were heading out to the 1950’s motor lodge at the beach, we saw a wall of menacing clouds coming straight at us. Luckily we managed to make it to the motel just in time to unload the car before the storm let loose. Silly Ashlynn thought it was fun to sing and run in the deluge.

Long Distance Friends...

We’re so thrilled that distance hasn’t gotten in the way of the closeness that we feel with Erika, Michael, Rachel and Ben. While we only got to have one of Michael’s amazing meals, we still had plenty of time to spend together over the 5 days. Erika took a day off of work and took us to the North Carolina Art Museum, and also arranged for the girls to have lunch with Rachel at the middle school. I still marvel that Veronica had such good taste in friends when she was in kindergarten!

Real or Photoshopped?

I must admit that I failed to take good photos of the time spent with friends this summer. There’s some nice group shots, but few candids of just hanging out. Luckily, Erika has really embraced her new hobby of photography and got a few great shots of the kids. I still prefer our real children over the Photoshopped ones, but thought it worth sharing.

Partying It Up in North Carolina...

We had a great time spending 5 nights hanging with old friends in Raleigh. We didn’t manage to hash, but Anna threw a summer party where we got to see many of our hash buddies. Erika and Michael threw a Sunday brunch; Ashlynn was especially thrilled that Holly joined us. Carolyn and Steve made us a delicious gourmet dinner. Lisa and Randy hosted a small pizza party; we loved seeing how their house renovation turned out and meeting their son. And the Harriettes went out for sushi, which was a great ending to a fun visit.