Sea World 2006

Back to Sea World with the same goal in mind...lots of aquatic fun.


With all the characters running around the park you would think we were at Disney Land or something. The girls loved all of them.



Molly hasn't ridden on a roller coaster, by choice, for a very long time and so when she first laid eye's on the Shamu Express she wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea. Kristy talked her into it and so they stood in the long line to await their ride.

Molly was obviously a bit scared but she did it, she overcame her long time fear of roller coasters. I guess it's time to go back to Kings Island in Ohio.


While waiting to get into the 3D theater Kristy grabbed a Shamu kids pack for the girls to share. I think they liked the Shamu lunch box more than the food inside it.


The 3D show was different from last time. This time it was about pirates and starred Leslie Nielson. The movie was pretty good but the 3D effects along with vibrating chair and water sprittzers, ensured that we had a real good time.


The highlight of our Sea World adventure was the direct interaction they offer with the dolphins. Kristy loves dolphins and it was here just two years ago that she got to pet and feed one for the first time. This visit was no less exciting for Kristy, she sure loves being near these most majestic aquatic animals.

above photo courtesy of Raymond Tran (thanks for the great photo doc)
Last time Molly was just too shy around the dolphins to actually feed them. This visit however she was just as excited about feeding them as Kristy was. Neleha enjoyed watching from a short distance. This visit I was also able to pet the dolphins for the first time, they feel like wet innertubes.



One cannot come to Sea World without watching the star of the park, Shamu the killer whale.

Like last visit, we decided to sit upclose in what they call the splash zone. There is certainly a reason for the name.

Getting wet in the splash zone is not optional. Shamu makes sure of that.


The show was amazing and so enjoyable, we could probably watch that same show 5 times a day and never get bored. The beauty and magnificence of these animals is heavenly.



The girls were thrilled to be able to meet one of Shamu's trainers.

Sea World has so much to do, animals to see, aquariums to admire, coasters to ride, and a water park. Plenty to do for our entire family.



The water park was very fun, the weather was perfect for it, and the girls had a blast...or splash as it were.


We really enjoyed the wave pool.




Another fun day with Ray at Sea World San Antonio.

On a funny note, during our drive to Sea World Ray decided get in 3 car accidents in consecutive order with the same car. Actually he was sort of not paying attention while stopped at an intersection and rubbed bumpers with the below pictured minivan. It was pretty humorous for the rest of us, nothing came of it, no damage, I think even Ray saw the humor in it. A good laugh indeed.

A Taste of Texas

During our short trip in Texas Ray introduced us to some of the local flavor. The above Ice Cream drive-thru "Shakes" sold some pretty good frozen custard that was almost like Andy's back in Missouri.

Ray also took us to the Asian area of Houston so we could be exposed to some of his cultural foods. "Lee's Sandwiches" was a very awesome place, it reminded me of a Mall Food Court and Ray reminded me that normally, Asian restaurants are not like that. All the same it was still a new experience for us.

They had sandwiches that we had never heard of, pastries that were so good, and drinks that tasted divine. Molly especially liked the little tapioca dots that gave the drink and added texture she wasn't used to. The big straws were a very needed (for the tapioca) and cool feature as well.


Ray then darted us over to a bakery to try some of the best desert ever. He introduced us to Creme Brulee and some very moist white cake. It was sooooo goood.......


Molly could not believe all the choices before her......like a desert heaven.




Of all the food we ate I think this place topped em all. "Boudin Gumbo" served up some of the best cajun I have had in a very long time. I can't remember what it was that we got but Ray knew what we should get and he was right. Good Stuff Man!


While we were in the A&M night club area we stopped in and grabbed a slice at this pretty popular pizza joint. As popular as it might be this was not only our first time but also Ray's, he must not be a pizza fan. The pizza was good, just what you would expect from a night club area.



Ray was astonished when he learned that we had never tried a local culinary tradition called "Kolache". They were very good, so good it was hard not going back for more. These things are like a small sausage completely covered with a bread. It was very similar to pig's-in-a-blanket but so much better. Not only that but they had a wide variety, we only tried the regular and jalepeno but I was sold immediately. Kristy and the girls opted out and went for something more familiar, muffins. That was okay with Ray and I, it left more kolaches for us.

600 Miles for a Free Eye Exam and a Tour of Texas A&M

For Labor Day Weekend our best friend decided that he did not want to spend the holiday working so he requested that we come on down to Texas to give him a reason to take some time off of work. He enticed us with a free eye exam for Kristy and Sea World for the kids. We were simply happy just be able to spend time with him but those added bonuses sure excited my girls.

We arrived a few hours before Ray was done working so we decided to pester him in his optometry office located in his local Sam's Club.


As promised Kristy was given the Royal treatment in Ray's office. He had the "kid" check her in and prep her for her contact lens exam.

Then Ray went into his "better one....better two" routine. It was very fun watching Ray be a "Doctor", professional and all. Molly and Neleha got a real kick out of this other side of Ray.

Kristy was given her prescription and tried out a couple of colored contacts.....at the same time, for comparison purposes.

Aqua and green.......we all decided aqua looked best, her left eye ..... I think.

Then Ray gave us a tour of his other office which was located in a nearby shopping center. This office was very modern and huge and actually had toys for kiddies in the waiting area. I wonder what the lack of toys in his Sam's Club office tells us.....hummmmm?

Back at Ray's place we had fun watching movies, eating some awesome stackers breakfast sandwiches, and playing on the computer.

Ray finally gave us the "walking" tour of the Texas A&M campus. The last time we were down he gave us the driving tour, which was nice, but this time we actually got to fully experience this most awesome university campus.

He showed us this very solemn memorial reminding all concerning the great tragedy when 12 students lost their lives assembling the legendary fire tower for A&M's annual rival game with Texas State. The memorial was done very well and truly evoked the respect of which it was built for.

Our tour continued with a walk through many of the buildings and the football stadium. Ray had always told us about the tradition ladened atmosphere that is very typical of Texas A&M and we saw our first taste of it when we saw a line of students waiting in line for football tickets at least 12 hours before the ticket office was to be opened. Those are some serious fans.


The girls were very fond of the "Twelfth Man" statue which is the heart of all their tradition. The idea is that the spirit of the twelfth man is to be willing to give what the school needs when it needs it. It was a very interesting concept.

Ray showed the girls this very old tree that sort of leans over a particular section of the sidewalk. Ray explained that it is under this tree that many students come to propose marriage, something about good luck.

The above statute is where students place a penny before an exam for good luck on the exam. Tradition ladened indeed.

Ray also took us down the night club area of College Station where all the students come to let loose. One particular area was called Bottle Cap Alley which lived up to it's name. Apparently people throw their bottle caps from their beverages in this alley and this has resulted in a bottle capped lined alley. It was pretty cool to walk on.

Neleha: Forest Institute's Youngest Student

There is a weekly occasion when I must be at school for my work study at the library and Kristy is just getting out of class. This results in a slight gap between when I can watch Neleha and when Kristy can watch her. I was able to come up with a very simple solution, I just bring her to the library. Neleha is usually able find things to occupy her while she waits for Kristy to come and pick her up. She brings her Leapster, coloring books, or simply plays on the internet. She enjoys these occasions so much that she often asks me if her and I can go to "our" school.