Emotions Unplugged

So I went to Sea World this weekend with my girls. They had a cheer competition there so I only needed to buy my own ticket. We upgraded their tickets for an extra $10 and now ALL of us can go to Sea World ALL year without having to pay more than parking! It was a great weekend. The girls placed 3rd out of 8 teams! We're REALLY proud of them! There were some AWESOME teams there so placing 3rd was really making a name for themselves. Their team is just getting really close this year, and for a group of 6-8 year old girls, getting close is a big deal. They trust each other and get along and have fun together. Makes a mama proud.

Anyway, I noticed my emotions were way out of check this weekend. Here I am, sitting with my 6 year old in my lap, watching Shamu and I start to tear up like I'm about to cry! Where did that come from? They began the show by asking all veterans & families of soldiers from the US & our allies to stand so they could recognize those who had served the country and usually I don't "feel" anything for that, but suddenly I was struck by the fact that many who stood had relatives who were overseas or who had died and that a lot of families would forever be different because of this experience. Then I got teary-eyed for the families of those who arent' our allies who are also losing family members to war. Then I got teary eyed when they invited a 6 year old to feed Shamu and I began to wonder if the 6 year old was with the Make a Wish Foundation and he may never get to grow up to fulfill his dream of being a police officer and each one of these things made my nose all tickly-prickly and my eyes watery. Meanwhile, my daughter was playing with her new 2 inch stuffed dolphin as if it was the best thing in the world and I was overcome by love for my own children.

All in all it was a fun park -- lots of great shows and wonderful wild animals, a great conservationist approach to everything, lots of educators on hand, and plenty of family time. I definitely recommend January in Florida for visits like this -- NO lines! and cool weather.