Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 6

Today we visited Sea World.  Not much really to say about it!  We saw a penguin exhibit that was not nearly as cool as the hour of waiting claimed, but still... They were penguins. ;)

(That's right. We're cool)

Anyhoo, all we did afterwards was see an awesome dolphin show, then an orca show after sharing some amazing food at a restaurant where we had a giant shark tank next to us while we were eating.  Okay, so maybe it was a little more cool than I first let on.  But today most of us kids were really tired.  I suppose it has a lot to do with constant fun without any days devoid of anything planned.  This is the reason I'm ready for tomorrow morning, where hopefully we'll get a little more time to relax. *sigh*

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 5

*lyrics hummed to "Hakuna Matata"*
"Discovery cove... What a wonderful phrase.
Discovery cove... ain't no passing place.
    It means no worries, for the rest of your day.
    It's the problem free, philosophy!
    Discovery cove!"

And no joke!  This place was like a paradise on Earth.  It's the place I think heaven is going to be a lot like.  It's the place where after you've paid to get it; everything else is free.  This includes all the food.... :D I don't think I've ever had that many ice-cream sandwiches in my life!  Speaking of eating, during breakfast we saw a few cannibalistic birds snacking on someone's leftovers. ;) (yes, that is a bird with eggs in its beak)
But back to paradise, here is the place where humans and animals alike could frolic with each other.  The three main places to go were the aviary, the dolphin swim, and the reef.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the reef.  That's primarily because it was all underwater and we were able to go snorkeling with all the fish and stingrays.  Don't worry!  I wasn't in any danger, as they had removed the stingers from the stingrays.  You can breathe easy now. ;)  However, some of those stingrays got HUGE!  And they would brush right next to you!  Pretty darn cool. :D  But also cool was when I saw a big group of silver fish that moved in perfect coordination.  Such as the fish in Finding Nemo that point out the way. ;)

The Aviary was way cool.  The moment you stepped inside, you were surrounded by all sorts of different birds, eagerly awaiting the bird food you were freely given.  The first bought of contact was when I was feeding a snipe looking creature and I suddenly felt something crash into me and talons dig into my shoulder.  Next thing I knew, this little guy was right next to my head begging for food!  Small and brightly colored, I was sure this species of bird was the friendliest there, until I walked into the adjacent aviary and found a bird called Captain Jack.  This old 10 year old grandma of a bird spends her days sleeping in people's hands.  There's a reason this lazy bird is fifteen grams heavier than any other bird of her species there. ;)  She was adorable though.  Easily the most precious bird there, we could have stayed for an indefinite amount of time holding her.  But the dolphins were waiting. :D

(adorable, no?)





The dolphins were cool.  Underwater intelligent marine mammals; how else could I describe them?  We were able to stand next to, pet, kiss, hug, and shortly ride the dolphin we were being introduced to.  Yes, we got to know that dolphin quite well. ;)









All in all?  A very fun, relaxing day. :D And a perfect break from all of those theme parks! ;)

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 4

 

Well today was Roller Coaster Day.  We drove on over to Bush Garden's park where, much to Daphne, Tait, and my surprise, we were allowed to go off on our own and enjoy the park!  Probably just because it was smaller than out previous parks and not a lot of people were there (in comparison), but it was still pretty awesome. :)
First of all we went to the Wallaby and Kangaroo areas.  There I saw these strange creatures for the first time in my life!  They were so incredibly calm and well behaved, you could go right up to the fence and pet them on the head, back, neck, and snout.  Actually, during our visit, a wallaby squeezed through the gaps in the fence to go out and explore!  I tagged along and basically treated it like our family dog. ;)

Then was the death defying stunts.  First we went on a roller coaster called Sheikra.  Here's a few pictures of what it looks like.

Sheikra

Yes.  That is a sheer drop.  A SHEER DROP.  And that last picture?  The second guy from the left on the second row in the turquoise shorts?  Yep.  That's me.  Screaming for my life.  Screaming actually really does help during roller coasters.  When you're bellowing like a wounded boar, it really does bring out the man in you. ;)
And to leave this post off, all we did for the rest of the day was ride on all the roller coasters we found in the park.  Here most of them are!

Cheetah Hunt

(This one actually went on for about 3/4ths of a mile)

 

Kumba

(A ton of loop-de-loops)

 

Gwazi

(THIS one was terrifying.  I was SURE it was going to fall to pieces as we rode it.  I mean it was made out of wood.  WOOD PEOPLE!)

 

Scorpion

(Okay, so this one was pretty basic as roller coasters go.  You climb up, you drop, you do a loop, then a lot of G-force to impress you)

 

Montu

(This is probably the winner.  Here you go on the loops upside down with feet dangling in the air.  SO. MUCH. FUN.)

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 3

 

WOO!!!  You know what ROCKS?!  ROLLER COASTERS!!!  One by one I am vanquishing this fear of heights I have.  I found out today that roller coasters LOOK a lot scarier than they actually FEEL.  So this time we all went to the Island of Adventure theme park which included places like Marvel Town, Jurassic Park, and Harry Potter Ville.  I don't think my body can take much more awesomeness.
In the Harry Potter place I finally got my first taste of butter-beer.  It's incredibly sweet. O.o  Tait got an orange and red Griffendor scarf that totally fits his fashion sense. XD  There were a few rides to go on; most memorably being the first roller coaster I've ever been on that flips upside down.
Me before the ride: "Taitwhy'dyoumakemedothisIhateyouIcan'tbelieveI'mactuallyonherewhyamIon her...AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" *insert terrified facial expressions*
Me after the ride: *total swagger walk* "That's right.  I braved the roller coaster and SURVIVED.  Be jealous." *puts on sunglasses*
Needless to say, when we walked over to the Marvel area and I saw the Hulk coaster, I stared at it with mixed feelings of growing apprehension and shaky self-confidence.

After riding it, I couldn't stop. ;)  I can't wait to see what other roller coasters I've been missing out on. :D

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 2

Whew!  This day was hectic! *throws self on bed in disarray*  Nearly all of today was the Gator Park.  Here's a summary!
- Decided that giant turtles would be super cool pets
- Conquered my fear of heights by racing 40 ft. over man eating crocs on a zip-line.  (I think I'm addicted now)
- Sat on an alligator and pretended I had bested it
- Ended up beet red instead of a Greek godly tan I was hoping for. >.>

Something I learned today: When there is no schoolwork, no peer pressure, and no one else I know but my family; I can get to be pretty darn immature. O.o  I'm serious!  Take a five year old boy and put him in a seventeen year olds body.  Yeah.  Scary.

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Day 1

Aaaannnnndddd we're back folks!
Well Florida has definitely proven itself as tan worthy. ;)  Today was my first full day under the Florida sun!  Really all we did today was go to church and the pool not seven steps from our front door, but that in and of itself was heavenly. *contented sigh*  Our resort is GORGEOUS.  It has multiple pools, a lake, green grass, trees, birds, squirrels, and best of all...no mosquitoes. *fistpump*  Tomorrow we're off to Gator Land!  Maybe I'll get some picts of me wrestling a crocodile. ;)

Super Amazing Vacation of Awesomeness: Prelude

*whew!*  School's over, homework's finished, Winter's done, and SUMMER'S HERE! :D  And 'I' in particular have a lot to look forward to this summer...

1. Florida
When I first won that free trip and condo to Orlando from Nickelodeon, I was pretty psyched.  Then Landon's duck was drawn in the I-Did-A-Duck (it's an Alaskan thing; don't try to understand) for a free resort in the same place, our family knew that this wasn't going to be a trip easily forgotten.  "What is there to do in a humid scorchingly hot place like that?" you may ask.  Well nothing other than Disney World, Sea World, Harry Potter Land, Gator Land, and a beach whose temperature doesn't max out at 60 degrees!  I am SO ready for a tan. ;D

2. Colorado
Cousins, here I come!  I always love heading over to my cousins though unfortunately it's not as often as I'd like. :/  However, when I do visit, I can't help but have fun. :D  They just know me so well!  They have so many of my interests!  They're hilarious!  It's no wonder we're related!  And I really can't wait to see what Cameron has done with his newfound freedom around girls at age 16. ;)

3. Utah
*waltzing around*  Here I hopefully have the chance to take some new ballroom dance classes with BYU.  Hopefully they'll still accept my applications! *crosses fingers*  But even if they don't, it's fine.  Because there are where a ton of my friends reside!  From old Utah buddies I haven't seen in years to buddies from Alaska (Sabrina and Thomas) this will be the hangout state of my 17 years of living. ;)  I might even get a job at the most delicious fry making shop I have ever been to...the Creamery on 9th. :D (yeah, that's it's actually name! pretty spiffy right?)

And there we go!  With the beginning of Summer already underway, I am TOTALLY ready for this to begin!