Super SeaWorld Sarah on a Sunday

Last Sunday was girls' day out. With Sarah in town and Mom wanting to do something fun (since she was gonna be driving me to and from Sarah's anyway), the three of us went to Sea World! It feels like ages since I last went and even longer since Mom went. This was an all around treat, as I didn't get to see Sarah her last trip out. All in all, the whole day was a blast... And for some odd reason, I feel the need to share ALL the pictures Sarah and I took (good or bad ).

So let's begin... We got the 2006 Fun Cards, five bucks more than the ticket price and we get the rest of the year free! Mom and I nominated Sarah as the navigator, as Mom didn't care where we went and I can't read maps that well. Heading to their new ride, dude, I don't even remember what it was called. Some Atlantis roller coaster/water ride. Great decor and AWESOME ride.

But before we even made it there, we bought swords. Yeah, I know... Geeky. What do ya want from geeks. So of course we had to have some sword fighting moments.

Yes... We're both dorks and we are fully aware of it!

Sarah and Mom were looking at this cool bird... Mom said something like, hey, there's actually a bird in there.

I believe next was the Dolphin show... And gasp! We actually had to sit in the soak zone! Okay, okay... It was the 11th or 12th row up (the furthest soak zone seats up). And I don't think we even got wet. Sorry no pictures.. I was too busy watching the dolphins through the monocular to try and work the camera too. The show seemed much shorter than any of us remembered, meh... It was still fun to watch. I'd watch them purdy animals any chance I can get.

We went on the Haunted Lighthouse 4D. I think we must have been the first group in there cuz the seats were ALL wet. So I'm thinking maybe there was some testing going on before... But while we waited outside with the HUGE line (we and another group were it)... Sarah and I posed:

 

I think we hit the Clyde and Seamore's Risky Rescue (show) next. No pics again... Can't laugh at the sea lions and manage a camera... :P I've seen that show (okay in various skits) sooo many times. Same tricks, still funny.

Lunch was yummy.... Sarah done good choosing where to eat. I waited outside to find seats cuz the place was packed... They got the food and called me to where there were LOTS of seats, so I waited outsisde for nothing. :P Chicken salad was followed with chocolate cake. Then Sarah threw the cherry at me!!! Can you believe it?? Then I of course didn't want it cuz it was on the table, so she gave it to the birds who didn't want it either. :P

So my chronology is now fuzzier than it was when I started this blog... But I believe Cirque del la Mer was next. There Mom got ALOT of pictures which I feel compelled to share. :P

I love how these guys perform sooo close to the audience.. And it's cool how they climb up like nothing and hold on as if they were flying.

 

These girls are my favorie... Dunno why...

 

On to the biggest fish show of all! Okay the Shamu show... They called it Believe.. But really they could give it a name like Doodleberry and the audience would still watch. Same tricks, same splashes... All a blast to watch! This time I managed to watch with the monocular and work the camera... So let me know if the pics came out okay. :P Oh, we weren't as close as I woulda liked, but we were close enough to see it. :) I'm a lil bummed I couldn't catch any mid air shots, but he's big and fast!

We headed for Wild Arctic next. :) The ride's like a Star Tours... But I like it mainly for the walk through after. Where we can watch the Baluga Whales... They are soo pretty and have these cute faces that look like they're always smiling. I thought I got a great shot, but when I uploaded it, it looks all blurry. :(

Next up, Sea Lions Tonite... Yeah, same show tricks... But they're mocking all the other shows! How can ya not like comedic sea lions? And hey, there was a funny girl sitting next to me the whole time too!

Aw... an angel... With a sword! amd a funny halo! (yeah we couldn't resist the glowy thingies... It's tradition!) So yeah, the show (all blurry/blurryish, sorry): Cirque de LaMer

 Dancing with the "whales"

On the way to the Shark Encounter, we spotted flamingos... Pink blobs in the night is what we got on film. :P

None of the really cool shark shots came out. :(

(Don't ask me why I put up all three)

We each had a Paikea moment with the Manatees.

 (BTW, that's from Whale Rider... And we had to be real quick like cuz staff people were walking around!)  Manatees! 

Almost time for the fireworks, so Sarah and I headed for the kids play zone to find a cool spot on the nets to watch the wirks... But before that, that girl had me climbing ALL over the place. :P It was fun.. Big kids we were.

 (Isn't she soo goofy? :D ) 

We watched the fireworks, which we all missed for the fourth of July so we really missed 'em. Great show, but too short... Then we were heading out when we stumbled upon Riptide, a hip hop gymnastic dance show. I miss what was it? World of Dance or something, but this was cool. Not cool to have us on our feet at the end of a long day though. :P Tsk, tsk, Sea World. Guess it keeps people awake. Anywho.. That was the day.

Stopped for food, got a little lost, found ourselves, headed home, and that's the end! I stayed awake on the trip to and from, btw! The whole way! We dropped Sarah about what, 1am/1:30? Got home soon after. Mom didn't go to sleep til 2:30 and got up 2ish hours later... LOOOONG day but oh so fun. :) So do ya all feel like ya were there with me? :P

((I'm still sunburnt from that day... Well at least my face isn't as red anymore...))

So far this month....

Okay... So like the last few blogs of mine have had more fluff than stuff... Nothing about me.. Well not ALOT about me and my life.. So here goes... July so far (cuz like July's not over yet and I already know other stuff is planned):

First weekend, we all went out to the movies. Dad and Josh met Mom and I at the theatres to watch Superman and Click, both very enjoyable movies. Not sure Mom enjoyed Superman as much as I did, but I almost always love superhere or comic hero movies.

I can't help it. I've loved superheros since I was a kid. I mean, Josh and I even created our own superheros for the childhood games we played (which btw, Josh, I've been thinking about ALOT lately). In fact, I've been thinking about actually writing a story based on those characters we created.

Click, althogh I did really want to see it, was even better than I thought it would be. Kinda opened my eyes on time we waste/spend... Not that I've taken itto heart yet... Key word, yet, cuz I really do want to fix my priorities. I've gotten them all upside down... I'd say it happened when I moved here, but I think it had started even before then. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had my priorities completely straight... I had them in my heart and in my mind... but not in my actions.

On the eighth, I watched Patty's son, Joey, get married. For those of you who don't know.. Patty has been my Mom's friend for ages. Her kids and us grew up together. Lotsa babysitting together for a few years there. They became the cousins we never really had (we had cousins, just none we hung out with).

In my head, Joey is still that little eight year old Josh whacked in the head with metal scissors (good job, bro, really ) when fighting over pencils of all things. NOT the 23 year old getting married, moving into his own apartment, expecting his first kid in a matter of months, and looking to graduate college in a year or so. OJ is still the three year old walking around giving you "the finger" with his index finger saying "butt you" cuz that's what he thought his big sisters were saying. NOT the 16 year old who can now drive!!!! Veronica is still freaking out over Josh's open eyes staring at her, even though he'd fallen asleep. And the eldest of them, Valerie who almost always was "in charge" even though I was only a year younger and Roni and Josh were only two years younger. Val NOW has a child of her own and Roni is a lovely young woman out there working (in I have no clue what field).

Anywho... The wedding was long as customary for all Catholic weddings... Any Catholic readers out there, forgive me... IF I get married, it'll be a nice a SHORT ceremony. All that up and down sctuff was I believe the only reason I was awake during the entire thing. I tried taking pictures with mah new camera phone (Would you believe I forgot my digital camera!!!!!! ), but that darn priest kept standing right in front of the couple! I mean get a clue dude, photographers are expensive and NO ONE wants to see your backside blocking the view of the couple.

I picked up the camera before the reception, but then I spent most of that time IMing Amy cuz I was bored out of my mind... Excluding the lap dances that the bachelors gave the bride and the shameful dance Joey did... My image of him as an eight year old couldn't truly compute his nasty dancing.... ~shudders~ All the boredom led me to actually going to the bar.... to buy a TINY $2 Diet Coke.

Guess Dad's not a Pirates fan, cuz Josh actually came to us to ask us to take him to the new Pirates movie that sunday. Bravo Josh on being on time... Well if Mom hadn't shown up early ya woulda been ready on time. Anyway.. Just the three of us, it was fun.. Like old times. Okay, I confess.. I LOVE hanging out with my family in any combination of Mom, Dad, and Josh.

Last weekend, Mom and I went and saw the Devil Wears Prada and the Lake House. All I gotta say is, I loved 'em both. We also spent much of the weekend watching Firefly (TV series). We actually got through 2 DVDs out of 4... That's as far as we've managed to get ever! After we finish the series, we're gonna watch Serenity for the umpteen millionth time. What can I say, we LOVE that movie.

Monday, Dad came to get me (yes I was late!! I confess) so we could join my aunts Irene and Emily and my cousin(?) Lisi and her two kids. It was fun to see them. I so rarely get to see that side of the family. Heck, I'm not sure I even KNOW all of that side of the family. The rest of the day was spent running errands with Dad.. Can I just say I really love Dad and me days? Aside from a key punching a hole in Dad's tire, the day woulda been nothing but awesome.

And now we're at the most exciting part of the month (okay not really)... The landlord FINALLY got something she promised done. We now have a gate in front of the grassy patch outside our window. The gate's not as high, and they removed the higher gate that made it unclimbable. It should still prevent the neighborhood dumbshit squad (what I call the teenagers who like to loiter and smoke pot in our yards) from hanging outside our windows on MOST occassions. Cuz ya see, when they installed one gate, they removed the other higher one. Not just the door, but the fence that had been added on the side as well. So now, where once it was easy to climb over the simple chain-link fence either neighboring properties use, now there's an equally easy stone fence to climb over. One step forward... Two steps back...

We're all supposed to get AC units now... But as with the fence/gate issues, I'll try not to hold my breath. We're still promised reinforced/added fencing that'll be unclimbable on the both sides of the property. Maybe by the time the new tenant moves in, we'll get at least the AC units (which according to the landlord will be two weeks). The third apartment tenants and ourselves are still trying to get out though. After two years here, we are SO done with this place... And the third apt. tenants have been here way longer.

So there ya go. July so far... Wow, I didn't really expect it to be a novel... Basically, ya got two mini blogs, that would have been expanded, that I meant to write weeks ago PLUS whatever else I woulda blogged this week... Hope I didn't bore you TOO much. I'll try to keep this more up to date with more stuff than fluff in the future.... But ya know me.

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Comment(s):

wow, you've been in that aparment for two years...it doesn't seem that long, but looking back, a lot has happened.

Posted by sarah on 23 Jul 06 Sunday - 5:49 PM

I Chose . 2

Yeah, this is the same one you'll see on my bulletin.. But I'm posting thies so EVERYONE can see if they so choose.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This one should keep us all thinking.

I chose #2, now you pick one.


This is a true story of something that happened just a few years ago at USC.

There was a professor of philosophy there who was a deeply committed atheist.

His primary goal for one required class was to spend the entire semester to prove that God couldn't exist.

His students were always afraid to argue with him because of his impeccable logic.

Sure, some had argued in class at times, but no one had ever really gone against him because of his reputation.

At the end of every semester on the last day, he would say to his class of 300 students, "If there is anyone here who still believes in Jesus, stand up!"

In twenty years, no one had ever stood up. They knew what he was going to do next. He would say, "Because anyone who believes in God is a fool".

If God existed, he could stop this piece of chalk from hitting the ground and breaking. Such a simple task to prove that He is God, and yet He can't do it."

And every year, he would drop the chalk onto the tile floor of the classroom and it would shatter into a hundred pieces.

All of the students would do nothing but stop and stare.

Most of the students thought that God couldn't exist. Certainly, a number of Christians had slipped through, but! for 20 years, they had been too afraid to stand up.

Well, a few years ago there was a freshman who happened to enroll.

He was a Christian, and had heard the stories about his professor.

He was required to take the class for his major, and he was afraid. But for three months that semester, he prayed every morning that he would have the courage to stand up no matter what the professor said, or what the class thought.

Nothing they said could ever shatter his faith...he hoped.

Finally, the day came. ! The professor said, "If there is anyone here who still believes in God, stand up!" The professor and the class of 300 people looked at him, shocked, as he stood up at the back of the classroom.

The professor shouted, "You FOOL!!!

If God existed, he would keep this piece of chalk from breaking when it hit the ground!"

He proceeded to drop the chalk, but as he did, it slipped out of his fingers, off his shirt cuff, onto the pleat of his pants, down his leg, and off his shoe. As it hit the ground, it simply rolled away unbroken. The professor's jaw dropped as he stared at the chalk. He looked up at the young man, and then ran out of the lecture hall.

The young man who had stood, proceeded to walk to the front of the room and shared his faith in Jesus for the next half hour. 300 students stayed and listened as he told of God's love for them and of His power through Jesus.


You have 2 choices:

1. Delete this and never look at it again.

2. Pass this along to your Christian and non-Christian friends, giving them encouragement we all need every day.

When you choose option 2, you have chosen to STAND UP.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different:

This is not intended to be a joke, it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking..............

Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.

Isn't it funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Isn't it funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says. Or is it scary?

Isn't it funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also "believes" in God ).

Isn't it funny how you can send a thousand! jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Isn't it funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of Jesus is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Isn't it funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.

Are you laughing?!

Isn't it funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.

Isn't it funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me.

Will YOU pass this on?

I did.


For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -- John 3:16


I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. -- Philippians 4:13

JESUS LOVES YOU!

Love Thy Neighbor

These are just a few passages I found. I'm not sure why I'm posting them. More for me than anything else. (Copied from an online concordance tools. [Link] )

Zechariah 8:17 (New King James Version)

17 Let none of you think evil in your heart against your neighbor;
And do not love a false oath.
For all these are things that I hate,
Says the LORD.

Matthew 22:36-40 (New King James Version)

36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

Romans 13:8-10 (New King James Version)

Love Your Neighbor

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law

And after my little search on the subject, all I keep thinking is: "I'm trying, God, I'm trying." The boys and now girls in the neighborhood are making it exceedingly difficult to love them. It's approaching summer again, and with summer comes LOTS of free time. Free time to do nothing but smoke pot it seems.

I'm not a fan of smoking, drinking, or dugs. But if you want to do any of them, that is your decision. Your body is a temple, how you choose to keep it is your free will. So long as you are not inflicting your decisions on others. (Smoking in public, forcing others to inhale your garbage. Getting irresponsibly drunk, acting lewdly towards people outside of your group and reckless driving. Getting stoned on someone else's property!)

I live in a four unit apartment building. There's a yard in back and a bit of a yard in front. Nice areas if they weren't infested with ants and or fleas. But for the local kids who want nothing more than a place to hang out, it doesn't matter what bugs may get on them. In groups of four or more, they are constantly hanging around our property.

This didn't bother me AS much before, when there sole problem was there LOUDness and usually in smaller groups. But now they've taken to smoking their pot almost daily. I have to walk back there to throw out the trash or do laundry. I don't want to have to see them. It's getting to the point were it's safer to do this crap when it's dark, by then these fools are home or elsewhere.

I try very hard not to hate anyone. I may get angry or annoyed, but those are passing emotions. But the longer I stay here, the more my hatred grows for them. I want to cry or scream, I hate them so much. Scream cuz they are trying what little patience I have. Cry cuz I don't want to hate anyone.

I feel as useless as when I was in school, with the idiots who felt the need to tease. Becaues, though they're not saying anything to me (all the time anyway), I feel as bad as if they had. Though reputation of my bullying ability goes before me, I know there is little I can do to make them go away. What could I say? Mom tells me to say nothing out of fear of retaliation to us or her car.

"Lord, help me love these people like You love these people." I've long since forgotten where I got that from. Probably a church service. I used to repeat it daily when I worked at the bookstore. Well not daily, but on days where we seemed to be swamped with idiots and lazy students who wanted us to do their shopping. Y'know, people who try your patience even at the best of jobs. I think I may have to say it again, hourly, everytime I see or think of them. Or maybe repeat it like standards.

Lord, help me love these people like You love these people. Lord, help me love these people like You love these people. Lord, help me love these people like You love these people. Lord, help me love these people like You love these people. Lord, help me love these people like You love these people...

God, musta seen my anger level was growing too high. He had Chrissi email me a funny about neighbors. Lord, I wish my worst problem with neighbors was inappropriate garden displays.

Well, I feel a little better.. But I'm still stalling til the kids leave before moving laundry... I think my next door neighbor is "watering" the grass now (to scatter the kids of course). I'll take ants retreating to inside our apartment over them pot heads. Ta ta for now... Hopefully I'll be in better spirits next blog.