October!

is so close to December! can't believe it is the season of pumpkin flavored things, and time for christmas music already. we have been really busy!

-we took todd and aaryn out to busch gardens for aaryn's birthday, and went on a safari to feed giraffes. we got to feed flamingoes, and see an elephant get a pedicure! husbandry at its finest. so cool.
-we went to a new (awesome, fancy) dog park a few times. it is bounded by a lake on one side and woods on another and Roscoe has a field day.
-we booked a trip and bought tickets to go see Texas A&M play Auburn in 2 weeks! we are also going to pit stop in Atlanta on our way back home, to go to the Georgia aquarium and the Atlanta Zoo. Did you know they are one of only 4 zoos in the US with panda bears? neither did we!! excited!
-the new college group structure has taken form, and there are a lot of exciting things on the books. We are in the process of making an Alaskan mission trip for spring break!!
-Rhett got to work from home for a whole week while the store was closed, it was so great!
-we have been tutoring one of the high school students in the youth group in algebra and chemistry. woo it is making my brain work!
-I got to surprise mom for her birthday! It was so great, she didn't know I was coming, or that I was the decoy for a surprise party! we got pedicures and makeovers and got to go to the zoo and just hang out. can't wait to see them at thanksgiving! just one month away!
-I have been volunteering for an exotic pet rescue. It is awesome! I work hard, and play hard. I have gotten to muck horse stalls, work a riding lawn mower, go out to pick up rescue animals, feed baby squirrels, clean wallaby houses, its so great.

why I love being married to Rhett:
-after watching captain america, he foams his toothpaste out of his mouth and says Hail hydra like a cyanide pill
-I catch him making shadow puppets on the floor during small group
-I made a new craft (via pinterest) that is a dry erase board on the wall that says "i love you because.." and the responses have been so fantastic
-Roscoe likes to help Rhett work out, and get between his legs during jumping jacks and other inconvenient things
-Rhett sorta doesn't (but says he does) believe me that there is a roach that defends the dog food against me every time I go to fill the bowl. I go out there, and he is sitting on the handle, daring me to try and open it.
-because he comes out of the bathroom saying his chest hurts, and when I ask him why he says its because he was pounding it too hard when he was acting like tarzan


more links for your viewing pleasure:
-oh bless her
-animals are so cute and so smart, 
-LOVE THIS
-about dogs, they are so awesome, and don't you just love those moments when you have stuff to do but the dog wants to cuddle and you can't help but sit still? I like to think that God's personality is more like a dog, and that we aren't so much like Him as a dog is.
-thank you google maps
-love this parody
-various pages about alligators, more alligators, manatees, turtles, penguins, more penguins, pigs

in no particular order.

once again, I'm terrible at blogging. but this time, I actually have a legitimate excuse. For the entire summer, I had a big girl schedule! which means, Rhett and I had the same days and times of day off the whole summer. excellent. sooo I didn't have any time alone at home to blog. not so important when you have that much quality time with the hubby. but anyway, it makes for another catch up post!

life and work events:
-sooo summer camp! pretty much consumed my life. by the weekends we were exhausted, and chilled at home.
-we did attend one very fantastic olympic opening cermonies party. enjoy photos and video on facebook
-4th of july was fun! we went out to a cute downtown place with friends, I even BOUGHT something at a booth! organic and recycled materials jewelry!
-vacation with my family was FANTASTIC. we went to destin for a week. it was soooo fun. we spent time at the beach, ate lots of really really good food, went snorkeling and shelling, went to the air museum and saw the blue angels fly, went to a marine park, and all kinds of shopping and fun stuff!
-killer whale underwater viewing opened over the summer...for the first time since I have worked at seaworld. so. cool.
 -rhett is really busy now with the rush
-I got to go home for a few days, which was really fun. then I got stuck in miami overnight (not so fun, sketch). but I got to fly first class on the new planes.....AMAZINGGGGG
-the turtle trek team got to go to busch gardens on the clock. and feed giraffes. also awesome.

funny rhett quotes (mostly in his sleep):
-"is your owl on the market?"
-"that sucks kiwis"
-after many exacerbated noises in the kitchen I ask "what's the matter?" no response. "what's wrong?" no response. then rhett finally replies "I was pretending to lift weights."
-after getting iphones and spending hours on them the first day, "I don't need food. I don't need anything but an iphone anymore. I bet there's an app for food."
-he explained very in-depth to roscoe how to use the sink so he could fill his own water bowl from now on
-he thinks cinnamon toast is cinnamon on toast. every time. and wonders why it is so gross. every time.
-after explaining to me numerous times about a game he played as a kid (called 24, where you look at 3 or 4 numbers and +,-,x or / to get to 24) he wants to purchase said game. I say, we are not going to buy a game I can make with index cards, or by saying numbers. rhett says: "well we are not going to buy milk because you have boobs."

funny guest and camper quotes:
-me: that turtle is about 290 pounds. mom to child: "that's as big as your aunt dora"
-camper: I went to golden corral for breakfast once and I saw santa in his pajamas. but don't go there for breakfast because their pizza has eggs on it.
-if you were lost would you rather eat a hamburger you found in your pocket, or your own socks?
-after camper completes a craft inside out, I ask: "do you want to take it and color the outside so it will show?" camper: "no it will be invisible art. and decorated on the inside." me: "it will be beautiful on the inside, just like you!" camper: "did you take an xray of me?"
-"seaworld camp tastes like heaven."
-the infamous facebook status one: camper donning poncho: "how do I look?" me: "you look very handsome." camper: "how do I smell?" me: *sniffs* "well you smell like a camper, sunscreen, happiness, outside, and excitement!" camper: "oh well I should smell like a fart, because I just farted."
-after asking for a list of animals that all have big ears, I ask: "so what do all these animals have in common?" camper: "well they all have big ears." touche.
-me: "do you have an pets at home? camper: "I have a pet dead mouse on the front porch."

funny pictures and videos of course:
-about some dolphins we have in the park
-walrus love
-bear love
-dog love
-olympic love
-terrible terribly sad news. but sometimes disaster is necessary for a rude awakening.
-one of my favorite websites in awhile
-God is so creative.
-hilarious
-and more of course, I think maybe this is just a list of things I don't want to forget about.

you know you work at seaworld camp when:
-a kid asks if polar bears can get fleas, and you are impressed.
-you eat shamu bars every friday
-your favorite lunch days are hamburger and hot dog day. *shivers*
-a penguin is in the van that drives you into work.
-you can handle 2 pants peers and a repeat vomiter
-you have a dream that you are jack hanna's personal assistant

losing faith in humanity

surprise, surprise...once again I have failed at blogging. It has now been over 2 months. hopefully I can even recall enough about the last 2 months to make a blog post.

life overview (in no particular order):
*nikki and clay and the boys came to visit last weekend. We went to downtown disney, aquatica, seaworld, a vietnam memorial museum, celebrated the boys birthday, and sent mom and dad on a date to celebrate their anniversary at arabian nights!
*one of my favorite things about roscoe is that because rhett is an awesome husband and takes him on most of his walks, he always acts so excited to walk with me...like "hey mom, look what's been going on since the last time I took you outside!"
*we went airboating with the small group. SO FUN! you can enjoy pictures on my facebook. we saw lots of gators, and I saw my first ever in-the-wild bald eagle (2 actually!) and got to hold a 3 ft gator! I was in heaven.
*Rhett took me to the brevard zoo. also sooo fun. we did a rhino up-close experience where we got to brush them and pet them and give them belly rubs. we also fed giraffes, and took a kayaking tour of their africa section.
*we also went to aggie muster here in central florida. there were about 40 of us there and it was a potluck. really cool to get to meet some more of the other aggies around here.
*funny rhett quotes: while laying on roscoe... "it's a pillow pet!". and "I think we should have bed space divied out by size. I should get 68% of this bed!" and watching a commercial on flea medication after just discussing how it works "oh so that's how it works. a bunch of tiny green ninjas squirt out of the tube and attack the fleas."
*in the same day, "aggies" and "seaworld orlando" were both questions to answers on jeopardy.
*we have a new awesome restaurant called crispers that was introduced to us by the girls in our small group. delicious. we even ran into some of our friends one night when we just ate there. it makes it feel like home here when we can actually run into people that we know when we go places.
*we are officially leading the college group now. we are loving it! the kids are so great.
*I get to see my mommy and daddy and Emily this weekend! yahoo!!! Texas here I come.

work things:
*Rhett's sell for summer and buyback for spring both went really well. and they had a kickball game and ice cream social to celebrate!
*yesterday I celebrated one year working at seaworld. loving it!
*I was selected to be summer camp staff at SeaWorld! I am so psyched. I can't WAIT! training starts next week.
*survived my first sleepover! so awesome.
*I got to meet Julie Scardina. look her up. she's basically my hero.
*turtle trek grand opening has come and gone. turtle trek 1 monthaversary has come and gone. ask me if I like it?
*so excited that SeaWorld eliminated plastic bags from all their parks! I get so excited (and am sure to tell people how cool it is) whenever I see the new paper bags.
*I got to see klondike (polar bear) swim from underwater viewing for the first time!
*I got to see a harbor seal pup! by the time I got here last year, they were already weaned.
*junior (sea turtle) is target trained. which means he comes up to eat when they put his target pole in the water! crazy cool to watch.
*I got to touch an otter named Boris.
*I taught an awesome class of homeschool kids about the polar regions. best group of kids ever. all ages. all smart. man if that's not a reason to homeschool I don't know what is.
*I took a visually impaired girl around the park for about 10 minutes opening up all of our biofact bins so she could touch everything that we have about the animals (bones, teeth, etc.) it makes you appreciate just how much we take seeing for granted.
*I got to touch a skunk on my lunch break. saweet.

reasons why I am losing faith in humanity. ok, not really. but bless the tourists for having a case of "vacation brain." or let's hope that's all it is:
*turtle trek. enough said.
*girl: "we have 5 sea turtles at home." educator: "are you sure they're not river turtles, do they have claws?" girl: "no I'm sure, my daddy got them from the beach last year and now they live at our house." umm. super illegal.
*a 2 year old boy walking around seaworld drinking from a 2 liter bottle of coke.
*a lady pouring out her bottled water into the stingray pup pool.
*a boy walking from planter to planter uprooting a plant and dropping it into the next one.
*after looking at my nametag which says
Krista
Texas
asking me if my last name was Texas.
*anytime that anyone, anywhere says the words "is that it?". what do you mean "is that it?" have you ever seen a manatee this close before? it's only boring to you because your heart is turned off or something.
*kids and parents literally throwing their trash down at my feet while having a conversation with me at the dolphin nursery. repeatedly. eating starburst.
*ahh the plaza. "Well I guess I will just have to ask for a refund if all of your tours are booked up...what else am I supposed to do all day?"
*"I would like a refund because I didn't look at what time the park closed and I have only been here for 3 hours."
*at 9:30 pm: "I came 1000 miles to see a dolphin and you are telling me they are closed?" you came 1000 miles and waited all day long and did it last thing?

lots of links:
*funny animal pictures
*best dog ever. oh this one too. ok I just love dogs.
*once again, proud of this.
*it's cool to live in a new place and learn about new native species. except when they're endangered. *can you spot me? there are lots of me floating around on the internet lately. videos too.
*I don't have links...but recently was introduced to kaitlin videos and target lady videos from snl. enjoy.
*cool story
*cool video

yeah. hopefully one day I will make good on my commitment to get back into this. I expect a lot of good kid quotes coming up on summer camp so I'll have to keep up!

this is becoming a trend.

so it's been over a month. and, once again, I find myself with a daunting list of things to tell you. hopefully the entertainment value of these posts keeps you reading and not totally bored to death by longness. I don't even know where to start! I would also like to preface this post with: yes, there are a lot of links on here. no, I swear I am not on the computer all day.

pet things:
*I swear roscoe can sense when I am blogging. we keeps putting his face on the keyboard and typing. I also promised him a trip to the park today...I think he knows that too.
*we relinquished our kitty to the dermatologist. we know she will have a better life with the vet techs who wanted to keep her. the poor kitty. we had her for 7 months and she was on medication in a cone every day of it. I was upset when I dropped her off, and a man I had never met tried to pay our outstanding bills. I lost it.
*before she left, she made us laugh a few more times. she had a signature pounce move, just like in the lion king, where she would shake her hiney and pounce! she also appeared as if she might attack our dining room chandelier on more than one occasion. luckily, her judgement indicated that she didn't think she could make it.
*roscoe snores. loud.
*when rhett was out of town, I made roscoe dinner. sad. I made him his own scrambled egg with cheese. lonely much?

work things:
*just as a forenote: I have lately been feeling increasingly blessed by my job. I mean, in terms of the world, how many people have the privilege of saying "my name is Krista, this is my first big girl job, and it is my dream job." how many people begin their career in the job they always wanted? I wanted to be a zoo school teacher...and/or work for Seaworld. I am a zoo school teacher at Seaworld. how cool.
*I got a promotion, and got my training. I have done 2 field trips, and can now do sleepovers as well. I also have a REALLY early morning for a special field trip next week (awake at 4:45!!!)
*turtle trek is coming along nicely. due to the structure of the exhibit, we had to audition to be able to staff the exhibit. I found out yesterday that I made the cut! they picked 25 of us (out of about 100) to staff that exhibit. hopefully that doesn't mean that I will be stuck there all the time.
*I took a man and his chidren on a tour...and he does a lot of our taxidermying for us...like our education materials (turtle shells, polar bear pelts, shark jaws). it was cool to get to meet him.
*I get paid to:
-demonstrate how a flamingo walks to a gaggle of cracked-up guests
-watch an otter get an annual checkup
-eat manatee food
-see jack hanna and some amazing animals during my study break
-ride happy harbor rides with my kids
-make dreams come true (a girl cried on my tour when we met a penguin)
-sleep at seaworld (first sleepover in shark tomorrow night!!)
-play peekaboo with a bunch of kids and a beluga whale
*I laugh every day:
-while enjoying my lunch in the quiet of the oyster's secret, a woman asked if "this is shamu stadium." bless her heart. this seats 194 people and holds maybe 30,000 gallons of water. this holds 5,000 people and 7 million gallons of water. oh honey.
-when, bless their hearts, the trainers at dolphin cove hear of sunglasses astray at the bottom of the pool and send a dolphin to go get them. and then the dolphin doesn't. it just guesses what the trainers want. after 10 long minutes the keeper just jumps in and gets them herself. sounds like roscoe.
-when, little boy touches and feeds stingrays then puts his finger in his mouth to taste and mom gives him a digusted look "I am one with nature."
*my drive to work:
-I have discovered the beauty of audiobooks. I am re-"reading" a book on canine assistants because I love it so much. I love the library.
-I always pass a bread factory on my way home at night. it smells torturous.
-these cops on my way to work sometimes have a horribly mean system. 6-7 motorcycle cops sit at a tollboth (where they can hide). one shoots off a radar gun and then sends 4 or 5 out one right after the other to go get people, and then they all come back. don't they have anything better to do?
-before the beauty of audiobooks, I listened to news radio. I think my subconscious was just tired of hearing music all day every day. anyway, I got to hear stories like "a roller coaster in europe is delayed opening, because every cart they send out comes back with test dummies dead or missing limbs. park seeks air force to help resolve the g-force problems" now that you tell me that, I don't think you could pay me to get on that, no matter how many dummies came back alive.
*other reasons why I love my job? see for yourself:
-we care for seaturtle hatchlings.
-we have a penguin cam.
-I got paid to do this. have you ever been paid to get kissed by a walrus?
-we get to see the miracle of altricial marsupial babies.
-we are getting a tv show to show the world what we really do.
*other funny animal clips and videos.
-funny frog.
-animal tracks blog.
-unlikely pairs
-welcome to my life
-I love dogs.

home life:
*rhett went to texas twice for offsites.
*getting ready for easter.
*love this show.
*angie and james came to visit! and on my birthday! best weekend ever. we played tons of games, went to aquatica, downtown disney, ate cuban food, went to a science museum, saw a magic comedy dinner show (AMAZING) went to seaworld, and they stayed an extra day. so glad they came. angie lost her wedding band at seaworld, but was the luckiest girl in the world to find it! and they got me the shamu soundtrack for my birthday. love them very much.
*I love playing with rhett. in the grocery store we pretending like we were harry potter, because now the lights are automatic to come on with motion when you walk past the freezers. yess. then I just ran down the aisle. I also like to pretend that I can close the fridge door with my mind.
*I got a new engagement ring. and a new haircut. both which I love.
*you know you live in orlando when: it is a common occurence to see a clown driving a minivan around town.
*rhett turned to me the other day and said "I wonder where the name underpants came from-oh."
*we went with the thomas family to seaworld...because papa johns bought out the park for the pizza games. we love that family.

ok ok that's enough for now.

blessed.

where to start? once again, I find that I have waited too long to post. 2 weeks have been filled with so much!

and congrats to Em to getting into the grad school at the top of her list!

blessed in life:
*we finally worked out everything with our 2010 taxes (or at least we hope.) they took our money at least. I am also almost finished with 2011. woo.
*I got to see a full rainbow after a rainstorm at work the other day. what a wonderful reminder of God's promise.

blessed by rhett:
*last night, after an incredibly miserable day, rhett had planned a surprise for me after I got home from work. he bought 3 of my favorite foods (spinach artichoke dip, panda express, and cadbury eggs *hooray for easter*) and cleaned the house and set up a fancy dinner. we used real cloth napkins, wine glasses, and he pulled out my chair and served me. my favorite quote: "we have 2 choices for appetizers: spinach artichoke dip or dog's butthole." love him.
*rhett went to and got off work early so we could go to aquatica a few weeks ago. SO fun. we rode 14 rides in an hour and a half. best short date ever.
*blessed to still miss Rhett when he's gone. thank you to my sweet friend Angie for taking such good care of him while he's in Texas this week.
*we celebrated rhett's birthday by going out to eat, and watching Harry Potter (his gift from my parents). love that boy.
*in his sleep the other night, he said "I'm not a storm trooper."
*rhett says: "how do you spell guacamole?" me: "like it sounds." rhett: "so Q-U-A-C" me: "it's guacamole not quacamole."

blessed with pets:
*aggie is still doing well. we are so blessed by her veterinarians, who have poured out love and care to her and to us.
*I think also she is a dog caught in a cat's body. she sits on my lap, chews on my fingers, watches rhett pee, follows us around the house, and plays with everything. her toys include: the collar she can now wear because her cone is no longer a permanent accessory on her body, the bell on her collar, the fluffy collar she sometimes wears, and roscoe.
*roscoe has become so bad about begging that it is almost unbearable, but hilarious. it is, of course, our fault. but still funny. the best thing he has done is bring me a bone and set it on my lap, as if to say, "I'll trade you." and then they smell your breath like it's almost as good as eating it.

blessed by our jobs:
*more cool animal things I have had the opportunity to see in the last few weeks:
-a few months ago I had posted about the octopus shedding her sucker skin. the other day I saw her wipe her arms on the sea urchin to help get the old skin off. so funny. left the urchin kind of skinnish though. kind of like this.
-it was also cool to get to see a second polar bear training session. it was on a behind the scenes tour in the back den, from the ceiling. we saw johnny sit, and stand up against the wall...he is SO huge.
-so proud to be a part of this and this and this and this. all for the love of animals.
-on a penguin tour the other day, we got to see one of the aviculturist's hand-raised chicks chase her around the exhibit. so adorable. for the love of imprinting.
-on a behind the scenes tour the other day, my kids got to see a manatee rehydration procedure. so cool.
*I recently got a promotion! after getting the grades I needed on my tours, I got moved up to an Ed I! So I will continue doing my current duties, and will soon be doing field trips and sleepovers too!
*I came up with a cool idea to get to pick a few families to go get to see the penguins while their habitat is closed. it went over really well! I also got caught in a really great interaction with 2 little boys by my boss's boss's boss. he gave me a ticket for free lunch!
*I have had a lot of tours lately (which is SO awesome), I love getting to know the families and spend the day with them. In 3 weeks of work, I will have 8 VIP tours, 3 small tour shifts, and only 3 regular shifts in the park. I have also been blessed to have the privilege of meeting and "tour guiding" for this gentleman and this gentleman. cool.
*having the privilege to see each show in SW a million times, and it is still different every time. animals are so cool.
*working for a company where extra shifts available include: roller coaster testers post-inspection, and desensitizing stingrays to humans.
*being really excited by things like this. that book would be a great b-day gift idea!

blessed with laughter:
*me to penguin tour group: "so what do you think they use that fire hose for?" kid: "to put out fires?" touche kid, touche.
*seeing poor girl at aquatica wearing her swimsuit top upside down. that sweetheart neckline is for cleavage honeychild, not sag.
*seeing families with an obviously new camcorder, filming everything. including purchasing ice cream.
*why do fish live in salt water? because if it was pepper water they would sneeze all the time.
*why do flamingoes stand on one leg? because if they picked up the other one they would fall over.
*what did the judge say when the skunk entered the courtroom? odor in the court!
*this is funny.
*also, as plaguing as these have been lately, I still find them hilarious. here are a few:



blessed by family:
*we are looking forward to going to Destin with my family this summer!
*willie and carol (our adopted family) are such a blessing to us. they took us out to eat this past week, and we love them so much. prayers for them in this trying time of their lives.
*we are blessed by our small group, whom we had the privilege of sharing valentine's day with playing the newlywed game. we love you. we also got to celebrate the superbowl with some too!!

blessed by the Lord.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." -James 1:17

this might be torture.

sooo....obviously it has been a long time. at first, we were just busy. then, my list of things to blog became just too unbearably long and I kept putting it off. which of course made the list longer. so this might just be torture to read because it has been over a month, but enjoy anyway.

life news:
-we went and saw big miracle. I can't remember the last time we saw a movie on opening night! it was pretty cute! it's no dolphin tale though.
-we bought dolphin tale. and I watched it a million times. so many times, in fact, that when I was at work and saw a dolphin swim, I thought it was weird to see a dolphin swim with its tail up and down.
-rhett's rush went really well! and at the time, I was still working 5 days a week, so I hardly noticed he was working so much! both of our schedules have finally slowed down, and we are enjoying some much-missed down time at home together.
-angie and james called...and are planning to visit us next month! we are so excited!! what a fantastic birthday present.
-rhett's birthday is this thursday! 24!
-gianna and stuart came to orlando for a convention, and we are so glad they called to hang out! we went to seaworld and fed dolphins! what a great day.
-we have invented a new game...whoever solves more wheel of fortune puzzles in an episode gets to choose the pajamas!
-rhett forgets that he is taller than me, and when digging for something in the fridge/pantry will take stuff out and put it on top of the microwave (unreachable for me). when stuff goes missing, that's where I look. including little debbies cakes.
-we saw a rocket launch!! one night, while watching wheel of fortune, the local news split screened to show it...at which point we were able to sprint out the door and see it take off! and a night launch too! I finally did it!
-we saw a builboard for a titanic dinner experience. sooo...while eating they fill the room with freezing water? I mean..who would want the sinking experience?
-this is hilarious.
-more things rhett says in his sleep. "nostrils." & "they should strap a helmet cam to shamu" & "paper or plastic" & "I'm a pilot. I fly a stealth helicopter."
-have you seen this? funny.

pet news:
-the cat has left and come back! she lived at the vet for about 3 weeks where they compassionately slammed lots of medication into her, on our budget request, in a last ditch effort. she has now had 3 full days with no cone. so far so good.
-roscoe has started doing this cute thing where he goes and sits by the garage door when he hears rhett pull into the garage. but somehow we can't get him to do it on command. we are working on it. yesterday was the first time we have been successful.
-both animals very much find it concerning when I have on a band aid. they can't peel that thing off my body fast enough. they both kind of nibble at it, as if to say, let me kiss it!
- I am training roscoe to lick rhett's nipple.
-video soon to follow...when the cat has on her cone, she can't groom herself. so she licks roscoe's leg and then grooms herself with it. awesome. he is such a good brother.
-whenever anyone sits down, it is suddenly a target for both critters to sit on/under/or behind. especially when food is involved. makes it discouraging to sit down.

work news:
-I was informed the other day, that a fish I have never seen and told guests wasn't in the pool (there is a sign for it) is, in fact, in there. apparently it only makes an appearance about every 6 months.
-I am getting excited about this. the other day I heard the music that played in the old manatee exhibit and it made me miss them! from what I've heard, the new one is going to be nothing like the old one!
-I gave a dolphin tour the other day with 1 person on it. weird, but really special for her!
-I had a particularly frustrating evaluation a few weeks ago, which was made up for by an incredibly opposite evaluation experience the following week. consistency is not the name of the game here.
-you know you have an awesome job when, one day, it involves cleaning up penguin poop!
-a coworker and I had a discussion about how we sometimes find trash shoved really far into the bushes, wondering why a human would go to such effort to litter. later that same day, I saw a squirrel carry a food wrapper into a bush.
-one good thing about orlando roadways is the "time alert" signs. luckily, I pay attention to them. I avoided being late one day because I noticed a 20 minute delay on the roadway and could avoid it.
-it sometimes happens that, while narrating, a guest comes and asks me a question. I mean, I invite them to! but coming up to me, while talking, saying "bano, bano, bano" (like repeating it would make me understand if I didn't already know what it meant) and then coming up to me a second time saying "balea balea balea" is not a way to get your questions answered.
- I have been able to see some cool things working at aquatica, as much as we complain. a bald eagle, african fish eagle, roseatte spoonbill, tawny frogmouth, black and white tagu, mali uromastyx, prehensile tailed skink, kookabura, nene goose. the funniest part about it is, when they bring those things out, people don't even see them. there could be a bald eagle 5 ft from their face and they just walk on by. look up people!!
- I can also add a walrus fart and a frisky beluga to the checklist of things seen at seaworld.
-I have found that I also have a "no portugese smile" similar to the no english smile I described in an earlier post.
-I have almost killed 2 young children and their parents for feeding cheetos and sunflower seeds to a hawaiin nene geese. "junk food makes geese obese" is a obviously not even a cute enough sign for the most ignorant guest.
-I am now officially trained so I may handle the reptiles at aquatica! makes the day go by faster.
-I had the incredible privilege of piloting a tour at work one day. I can't tell you what was on it yet, because it hasn't been released yet. but to get paid to take this tour...incredible.
-in case anyone was wondering, the company that makes bathroom stalls is called "hiney hiders." haha.
-I have made friends in other departments, which is really exciting to get to hear about their side of the job, and some insider information that they get to hear that has to do with their jobs! I didn't know we used to have one of these!
-I had the privilege of watching a polar bear training session in the exhibit the other day! so cool! they had him come, sit, and open his mouth for the trainer!

some funny quotes:
-"roll out grandpa."
-me: "let me know if you have any questions."
guest: "ok you too."
?
-"why is the polar bear upset."
me: "he's not. why do you think he's upset?"
"well he looks upset."
me: "well bears just naturally kind of look intimidating. and he just went swimming so you can see through to his dark skin around his eyes."
"well he looks upset."
me (thinking): well how long have you studied polar bear behavior now?
-"you're uniform is so pretty"
me: speechless.

physics: the simple, the improbable, and the impossible

well in honor of emily applying to grad school...here is a post filled with physical improbabilities. or physical laws which tourists sometimes forget. eitherway, they are quite entertaining.

1) I filled up my gas tank for under $40. holy cow. improbable.
2) in reference to the stingrays: "can we touch their tails?". well, even on the correct assumption that we clip the barbs so you are safe, are you still dumb enough to want to touch them there, or are you just testing me?
3) in reference to the stingrays: "what do they eat?" me: "fish, shrimp, worms, clams..." older woman: "so they don't eat any meat?" me: "well, technically all of those things are meat." older woman:: "but no turkey?" me "....." do turkey live in the ocean?
4) midflight, a bird took a dump directly on my forehead and sweatshirt. DISgusting. during a dolphin tour. I only freaked out on the inside.
5) if you hang a heavy backpack on the back of a stroller, and then lift the child out of the stroller, it will fall over backwards. no matter how many times you set it back up, it will still fall over.
6) stoplights are always green when you are early, and red when you are late.
7) toy story physics are becoming ever more real. a music box nutcracker which resides on our top shelf decides to sing to us every once in awhile. luckily we have both been home everytime.
8) "this water smells cold." ?
9) "is this real water?" ?
10) licking a giant ice wall which 10,000+ other people have put their hands on means you just ate all of their finger jam. sick.
11) drinking and/or washing yourself in water where dolphins live also means you just bathed in their excrement. sick.
12) paedomorphism: retention in adults of infantile or juvenile characteristics. example: domestication in dogs (dogs resemble young wolves). example: 8-10 yr. old kids with pacifiers.
13) dolphins can see equally well above and below water. dolphin can clearly see you don't have a fish in your dangling-trying-to-tease them hands.
14) if you stand behind a penguin (known for projectile pooping and lack of bladder) your chances of being pooped on are very high.
15) "do they ever die?" .....no, our animals are immortal.
16) in reference to stingrays: "how do they sleep?" me: "well they don't really sleep like we do. things with little or simple brains don't need to rest them much." kid: "like popcorn, popcorn doesn't need to sleep."
17) in reference to stingrays: "why do you have so many?" me: "ummm...for you to look at?" I mean, if there was only one in that huge tank you would think that was weird too.
18) "who would win, a cat or a stingray?" me: "well, when would you ever see a cat and a stingray together?"
19) rhett in his sleep: "reindeer have vertical takeoff!"
20) 4 yr old boy: "there's this thing on the iPad where this thing turns into a thing and then something happens." the chances of anyone knowing what you are talking about are slim.
21) coming home every night with more and more mosquito bites...mystery solved! everyone had them after staffing dolphin cove and stingray at night!
22) building a fire on christmas eve with no fireplace? impossible. with netflix: possible.
23) getting dressed in the dark at 6am=wearing underwear inside out all day.
24) obtaining whataburger's new spicy ketchup when florida has no whataburgers? impossible. with friends mailing them some? possible?
25) every restaurant ever getting rid of your go-to menu selection? more possible than you would think. thank you to wendy's for creating a chicken club to replace sonic getting rid of theirs.
26) "is he stuck?" no. in all the 30 years we have been here, wouldn't we know if there was a place where the animal could get stuck?
27)"close enough." I wish lightning would get "close enough" to anyone who uses this phrase when teaching their children.
28) kid to dad: "what are the chances we could get a sea lion and train it?" dad to kid: "you need to teach your dog to pee outside first."

In other work news: I gave my first VIP tour! it was so awesome. I had the sweetest family in the whole world and they were so greatful for everything. I could not have had a better day. I also finally took a penguin tour. my first and last of its kind...my favorite animal officially closes tomorrow! :( we also got an annual christmas ornament. it is a seaturtle and it is adorable *excited.*

also you know you've worked a long time when: 1) you notice when aquarium sticks a new tiny fish into one of the pools. I love finding new animals! 2) also, when you give the tour that you took on your first day. what a cool transition to give the tour that I took 6 months ago on my first day! 3) hearing the narration at the (human) pearl diving attraction "and they can hold their breath for...." and instinctually wondering how long do they live and what do they eat? 4) awkward laughter no longer bothers you when you are talking about the plight of the sea turtles, because you know they speak no english. 5) the question "what do you do here?" no longer brings up any "how dare you?" feelings. your loss if you don't want to learn the cool stuff I know. 6) a kid reaching into your pocket looking for trading cards no longer freaks you out. 7) I don't speak much of any other language, but somehow I have learned a lot of the "no english babble" 8) you can tell the heritage of a family or individual by the way the pose in a picture. unfortunately this is america.


we also got to enjoy rhett's parents being here. we went to seaworld to see the christmas stuff, downtown disney, have christmas, and go to cocoa to see the beach and historic village. work is slowing down now, so I can recover from such a busy season!

rhett and I LOVED our anniversary trip. see more pictures on my facebook. we went to the clearwater marine aquarium (featured in dolphin tale), met winter, busch gardens, christmas in the park, and the tampa zoo. it was SO fun. we fed giraffes and kangaroos, got lots of pictures and pennies, stayed in a hotel, ate our cake, and opened some early christmas gifts (so we could watch home alone!) it was so nice to just get to laugh together, not have a to-do list (my favorite) and turn our phones off. we asked so many questions about the animals and it was just awesome. when we got home and went to unload the car, roscoe jumped in it, as if to say "please don't leave again!" and then the next day rhett made dinner and set it up next to the christmas tree. so sweet. best trip ever. 2012= atlanta!!

off the grid

starting tomorrow around noon...rhett and I will be off the grid for like 60 hours. finally. and awesome. it will be nice to have a real vacation. alex is house and critter sitting for us again...so thank you to awesome alex.

in other news....how did christmas sneak up so fast? feels like it was just summer. or maybe that's just because it is still so warm here. I looked down at my advent calendar and had 8 days of pretty yuck chocolate looking up at me. 8 days behind? thank you job.

my late nights have, however, created lots of fun tired-brained conversations with rhett. I recall telling him that chapstick is a conspiracy and our firstborn should be a giraffe. he told me he likes taco leftover nights because after I serve myself, he gets all the extra lettuce and can make "mount lettuce." awesome.

we did get to finally see all the seaworld christmas shows. which were awesome. it was like a minivacation...and we ran from show to show to be able to see them all. good day.

almost all of the rest of the news is just work quotes and such. there haven't been any new recent developments in the last week. just generally playing tag team between our busy work schedules. glad that's over soon.

-I am officially VIP tour trained! hopefully soon, I will get to spend days in the park taking families around to all the major attractions.
-I got to see a 4 day old rockhopper penguin chick. best day of my life.
-sleeping sea lions are funny. nightttime shift at the sealions is miserable because nobody wants to watch them sleep. but when they wipe their noses on each other, I can't help think how much they are like me and rhett.
-you look like a fool when:
1)your tag hangs out of your swim suit directly beneath your bosom.
2) you are on a family vacation and ignore your children for your cellphone.
3)you argue relentlessly with your 5 yr. old child about animal facts...when your kid is right. admit your kid is smarter than you.
4) you take a picture in front of frisky dolphins.
5) you ask me to take your picture in front of frisky dolphins. am I really doing you a favor? please don't put this on your christmas card.
6) you say "they're so cute" when they're being frisky. do you see what's really happening here?
7) you change your way-too-old child's clothing in the middle of a busy pathway. there is an age when naked kids are no longer appropriate in public.
8) you walk at what we like to call "tourist speed." I know I don't walk that slow ever.
9) you can't steer a stroller. unless of course you are aiming for my ankles. in which case you are very good. hopefully the stroller theiving squirrels come for you and eat your teddy grahams.
10) you approach an animal pool/exhibit, watch the animal walk around a corner, gripe, walk away 30 seconds later, and the animal comes back. you complain when they sleep, too, so decide what you want!
11) you try to get the attention of a sleeping animal. as if you didn't already look silly clapping at a sea lion, you now want to wake it up too. I will come to your house and clap at you when you are asleep too.
12) you forget roaches fly and freak out when one does. oh wait, that was me.
13) you ask if you can marry a beluga whale.
-me: "what is your favorite animal you saw all day?"
girl: "a rainbow dolphin."
-girl: "how do stingrays eat?"
me: "well they vacuum up their food"
girl: "and then they break it down with acid?"
me: "yup once it gets to their stomach they do."
girl: "first it goes through their throat."
me: "that's right...but their's isn't as long as ours. their stomach is pretty close to their mouth."
girl: "oh. and then it goes to their butt."
me: "uh...yup."
-girl: "come on mommy it's potty dance time!"
mom: "ok then let's find a bathroom."
girl: "no you have to potty dance...it goes like this!"
I'm with ya girl. time always goes slower when you need to go to the bathroom.

since when?

since when is a small fry so small? I ordered a small fry at wendy's the other day...and it was tiny. which turned out to be a good thing anyway...because after putting a single fry into my stomach I immediately threw it back up. it couldn't have even been scripted that perfectly.

in pet news:
*so we're still not in the clear with the cat. that's not to say it's not an allergy, but that's not to say that it is. she got worse again and then better again. hopefully that's how allergies work.
*either way, it is nice that she has a personality again. she grooms the dog, and pounces on his tail (see facebook video. hilarious). she also chases the carpet fuzz...and everything is a toy. she also responds to any can opening (which made it difficult to make chicken and dumplings as I opened several cans of chicken soup.) she follows you around at your feet and cries until you feed her. I swear we are accidentally starving her. but she already eats more than her weight class should. she also finally sleeps. almost as if she needs to catch up for all the times when she couldn't sleep from itching.
*we also had a particularly scary/funny moment with roscoe. we saw crusty sticky brown stuff on his belly (similar to the consistency of cat face scabs) and freaked out. only to realize that it was peanut butter from the kong I left in his kennel that day. he also got a negative heartworm test! at least we are in the clear with one critter! I also have enjoyed getting to go to the dog park with aaryn and carol and niko and scobee. hopefully that tradition continues.

in home news:
*our christmas cards arrived! as most of you already figured out, it has the picture from my facebook. I couldn't resist the temptation. but the cards are cute too! I got them with a groupon discount $25 for $75 of credit on mixbook.com. I got our christmas cards and our wedding album!
*I also got a promotion! I am now an Educator II! as of now, the only change will be that I give VIP tours with exclusive groups through the park. it will be fun to really get to know the families!
*we are also dealing with the IRS....so pray for us there. we filed a (correct) return in february....they adjusted the "errors" on the return....then billed us and told us to amend the "errors" which they created. so I have to refile...to change it back to the original way it was...and pay them. ugh.
*also my parents got us furniture!! hooray! so we have a rug and two chairs and a sidetable in the living room..like real adults! it also doesn't sound so loud when rhett yells at football anymore. I also have a mosquito stalker. it is worse than a human stalker I promise.
*we also have punk neighbor kids...they broke some of our outside decorations! we found them broken in the street.
*our dollar store advent chocolate calendars are only soso this year.
*my latest craft projects include: beluga whale handwarmers, hemming a pair of pants without an iron or sewing machine, santa locker decorations and clothesline christmas decorations. will post pictures later.
*rhett's store buyback is going REALLY WELL. which is awesome. and kevin is here visting!
*we also officially booked our anniversary trip to tampa. 2 nights and 3 days of vacation fun. yesss. busch gardens, tampa zoo, clearwater aquarium, and probably a nice dinner thrown in there.

and work news...everyone's favorite.
*good parenting skills: 1) baby with "my mom is hot" written on shirt. 2)teaching the kids how to tap on the glass until the fish/animal comes over. 3)saying the f-word around baby. 4) taking baby's blanket to warm yourself up. because you know if you are cold, surely baby isn't.
*cute quotes: 1) kid: "how old is your oldest dolphin?" me: "33." kid "when I was 5 I was 33." 2)kid: "you know what I call it when a baby looks like its mom?" me: "what?" kid: "a midget clone."3) referring to sea lions: "look it's just like if we cut off chaos's legs!" 4) singing old mcdonald: "old mcdonald had a pig, eieio"...pause...... me: "ok what's a pig say?" ...."with a pig, pig here and a pig, pig there."
*other observations: 1) some of the sound effects that play at the slides at aquatica sound like babies crying. that's a way to get a kid on a ride. 2) I watched a baby lizard catch a cricket bigger than it was. awesome. 3)I saw what I thought might be a segway tour puttering across an overpass (maybe from universal studios?) but after doing some research, I was unable to find such a thing. segway posse?

merry christmas!!

turducken no more.

it's about time right? I know. life is busy! I actually write down things when they happen so that I can remember them (to share with you), and it has been long enough that I can't remember some of the things on my list. hopefully my memory jogs as I start blogging.

so, in honor of the title, let's start with the critters. though I have only had turducken once in my life (and I was less than impressed), the title seemed to fit our current lifestyle. we have (FINALLY AFTER MONTHS OF INVESTIGATION) figured out that our cat has a poultry allergy. POULTRY. so when we put her on an allergy diet of DUCK and potato... yeah that didn't help at all. though we are not in the clear yet (aka the cat still wears the cone because she still itches), she actually looks like a cat. and plays. and can do something other than scratch herself. EXCITEMENT. so we are being very careful to keep her out of the dog food, and wash our hands a lot (afterall we had turkey every day this week). also, eating doesn't pain her anymore...so let me tell you, this cat can put away some food. it's like "show me how the piggies eat?" today, rhett called her a black hole. she has eaten 12 oz. of food today (and would eat more if I put it in front of her). too bad her food is like $2-3 per day. yipes. I will be looking into preparing my own cat food. she also likes to sit on my shoulders. weirdo. and play with my bangs. roscoe has a new game too! we chase him, and then hide. then he comes to find us. he loves it. hide and seek, and you never have to be IT. also, all 3 critters participated fairly well in the christmas card picture taking (thank you daddy photographer). roscoe might have eaten moose, which made aggie mad. but all in all, we have a picture with all faces smiling at the camera.

in other news...mommy and daddy came to visit! so fun. we went to seaworld, universal, ucf, downtown disney, and had thanksgiving and christmas. I am so glad we got to see them and celebrate. mom also got me this. can't wait to have an occasion to use it. we did a jigsaw puzzle, shopped, watched movies, and played rhett's new board game. what a good vacation! can't wait to see them again soon. we also had a pretty good seaworld trip. every show had a...ahem...change (mistake). so cool. hadn't seem some of those before. it was also funny to be asked in to work while they were here, to which I responded "if you let me do a tour shift and let my parents on all my tours." they actually considered it for about 90 seconds.

we also received our wedding photos (yippee!!). can't wait to get some prints made and frame it up in here.

I would also like to personally thank emily martin for showing me to pinterest and how to mix ketchup and ranch. omg.

other general grievances...my fantasy football bench this week is going to beat my starting lineup. don'tcha hate that? the good news is, I probably still wouldn't have won the game. also, I paid $6 extra for a gift to arrive on time, and it arrived early. glad, but I wouldn't have paid the extra if I had known.

and more reasons why I am thankful for my rhett. 1) playing basketball in the kitchen with trash while cleaning up. even chores are fun with you. 2) watching you dance to michael buble christmas. classic and epic. 3) when you make yourself some cinnamon toast, eat half of it, then mention it is bland. I take a bite, and say "well you didn't put any sugar on it." ...."oh, you put sugar on cinnamon toast?" 4) making a christmas playlist for our ipod in the middle of november. 5) tired rhett telling me "you better not or I will tie butter to your feet and slide you across the tile floor! 6)moving the mattress into the living room so that we can sleep next to the christmas tree lights. 7) planning an anniversary trip to celebrate ourselves. 8) cleaning up mounds of melted chocolate in the kitchen after I break a big bowl full.

and of course, everyone's favorites. last but not least, work news and quotes.
-SW started christmas music last weekend. AWESOME.
-I saw a family of rattails...including one girl with double rattails. it reminded me of when mom suggested I get a bob. looks like the girl got away with cutting all of her hair except two little braids in the back. it was accentuatingly funny that I saw a penguin with a rattail the same day. the chicks are fledging (molting) and it is difficult for them to reach the back of their neck. HILarious. also: I realized I look like a fool when I imitate sleeping penguins on their heels. you may ask for an impression at a later time.
-DOLPHINS: 1)I have heard many a "how do you call the dolphins over?" with subsequent whistling, clapping, splashing, and generally things that send dolphins the other way. but pulling out an iphone which makes dolphin noises....good effort sir. 2) there was a little girl who loved dolphins so much that she took 2 back-to-back dolphin tours in the same day. classic. 3) if you are going to the dolphin pool where you will be LEANING OVER, please have sufficient coverage of your chestal area (for those who have to stand above you and look down at you) and sufficient hiney coverage (for those who must stand behind you). 4) when kids come up and ask "can we feed the dolphins today?" with mom standing behind the child giving you evil eyes and shaking their head NO with a death sentence. "sorry buddy, the dolphins already had breakfast, lunch and dinner today and they're all full." yikes! 5) very sweet british boy with mental disability "what do the dolphins eat?" me: "lots of fish!" boy: "fish and chips?" 6) when a squirrel falls into the dolphin pool
-something I like to call the "no english smile." we get lots of people from all around the world (which is great) but it's funny to say "do you have any questions" and just get a smile and nod back. or "okay." or to give an entire tour to someone who spoke no english except "touch a penguin?". it's even better when they say "no english" and then go read a sign. yeah.
-seeing santa come to wardrobe from the north pole, hand his jacket to backup santa, and say "you saw nothing."
-"is there glass there?" no. the barracudas are suspended in midair. or are you underwater?
-and of course the classic jokes about how animals taste...which are sometimes more real than jokes. "I ate seaturtle for 9 days straight in the galapagos in the 60's." yikes. please don't tell me when you catch/feed/play with/taste animals. it is the most awkward situation.
-girl: "I have 3 pets at home."
me: "oh yeah? what are their names?"
girl: "burt, rosalina and spikealina. I liked -lina so I added it to spike."
me: hysterically laughing
-5 year old boy, mid stingray conversation. "you know what my favorite movie is?"
me: "what?"
boy: "titanic. you know, when the boat goes down?"
-me: "would you like to see the octopus?"
little girl: "apple juice?"
-in passerby conversation, hearing a dad say "well why don't we just get a real orca?"
-and the grand finale: walking out of the park today to go home, I looked up into the sky to see "PRAISE JESUS" scripted in the sky in a plane's smoke trail.

Happy ThanksChristmas!

well, our adventure is over. for now, at least. we have returned home after a great 'vacation', and settled back into the homelife. so, journey along with us!

last time I wrote, it was the tuesday before we left. Welllll, tuesday night, guess who started feeling crummy? me. I went to work on wednesday, where I took (and passed) my test, and also got evalled on my first penguin tour (convenient, right?). all in all, I made it through the day. but MAN did I want to go home. anyway, we taught Alex and Will how to bathe the cat, and got everything ready to leave. then Willie took us to the airport on thursday and off we went!

First stop: Houston. We went out to eat with Angie and James, got to visit both stores in Houston, and played a game and went to sleep. We love the Schumachers and miss them mucho.

Second stop: College Station. Early friday morning we headed up and left so the boys could get to their meetings (the whole reason we made it to Texas right?). And they dropped me off with bestie Emily! she taught me how to drive a standard, so I could borrow her car all day (love you awesome!) and I proceeded to visit with some UPaint it girls, and have lunch with Casey and chat with Jayne and rest up. Then my parents arrived, and we all went out to eat at Fuddruckers. Em and I went to midnight yell, and then early in the morning Angie, Em and I went to the Aggie game and step off and all the good jazz that comes with being an Aggie (thanks for taking us ang!). oh man it was so good to be home. then I went with the family shopping and to eat...thank you parents for the wardrobe additions and the marvelous pumpkin bread from blue baker. omg I have a newfound love. then I spent one more slumber party night with the girls, we watched maid in manhattan, and then got up to eat fuego for breakfast and go shopping at target. yes. and then, all too quickly it was time for stop #3.

stop 3: mamma's. so then matt drove us to new braunfels...where we met up with rhett's grandparents and his parents and spent the night there. then bright and early we left for stop #4

stop 4: dalhart. we arrived in dalhart, where we had many adventures. we went to the corn maze, played outside, visited the house the cearleys may soon have, made wassail, celebrated thanksgiving, did crafts, went to the library, went shopping, saw snow!, went to the canyon, celebrated christmas, and generally just enjoyed family. nikki was such a good hostess, and we always love when we get to visit them. the boys are getting so big, and are very much brothers already. I saw Lane wipe his snot on colt's arm once. and once again, leaving for the next stop snuck up on us.

stop 5: houston. friday we arrived at brandon and jessica's, where we got to celebrate the twins being 1 year old! their real birthday is today...but we celebrated with their small group and with family. we are so glad we got to see even more family! we saw the griers and aunt cheryl and uncle brad and JB and had such a good time. we ate cake, did crafts, talked, and just enjoyed each other. I miss living across the street from them!

all in all it was a great vacation. I was never homesick until we made this trip...but we are so glad we got to come. in 9 nights, we stayed in 6 different places, rode in 5 cars and who knows how many other blessings we got. alex did a great job with the house...again we appreciate him so much. it is such a blessing to have people who love us enough to make such a big commitment for us after just a few months. thanks to everyone who made it a great vacation.

and since we've been back..we have already had quite a busy few days! SW started decorating for christmas before we even left...so when we got back we knew it was acceptable to follow suit. plus, it's less than 2 weeks before mom and dad get here to celebrate thanksgiving and christmas! that snuck up on me...I still have more shopping to do! we drank hot cocoa and watched the santa clause and elf, and just loved the season. I love my husband. sometimes he gives me this look like 'I can't believe you're my wife.' melt my heart. also, he lets me get on the roof of the house. and finally, you know you have a winner when he headbutts the roof clips for the xmas lights to get them to fit snug.

last but not least: work quotes and stories. first day back, and I have list to end all lists. thank you offseason aquatica.
-I am privileged to announce I saw a commerson's dolphin fart. check. how many animals is that now?
-you know somebody has good parenting skills when a 11-13 year old girl walks up wearing shorts that say "I'm in Miami B****" on the butt.
-you really think you're smooth and sneaky when you go to a corner to pick a wedgie and or change clothes. but you're not. and you make people uncomfortable.
-I love how a tiny commerson's dolphin (5 ft.) is still so huge to a 2 year old.
-I know that swimsuits can be uncomfortable, but please refrain from talking to me with your hands down your trunks.
-when you eat all of the chocolate shell off your icecream popsicle, it will inevitably all come falling off the stick sooner or later.
-armpits are gross. armpit tattoos are grosser. also, what is a gorilla biscuit and why would you tattoo it on you?

-boy: "are they not plastic?"
me: "no they're not plastic."
boy: "are they alive?"
me: "yes they're alive."
-man: "do we get wet on this ride?"
me (thinking): 'well it is a water park.' "yes."
-me (as woman walks the wrong direction towards water slide) "ma'am are you looking for dolphin plunge?"
woman: "yes we are."
me (pointing): "ok it is right over here and to the right."
woman: "no we want to go on the dolphin ride."
me: "yes ma'am it's right this way."
woman: "ok thanks anyway" walks the other way...only to come back and get in line 30 seconds later. duh.
-mom: "how many dolphins are there?"
little girl: "8,9,10!"

T-minus 48 hours

Today marks 2 days until we arrive in Texas. after months of planning and plan changing, we will finally arrive and get to enjoy the fruits of our labor. we get to see our BFFs, play in college station, see my mommy!!!!! eat delicious Texas foods that we have missed out on for 7-9 months (aka Chicken express...florida how do you live without it?), meet our nephew, and celebrate thanksgiving and christmas with the grimes side of the family.

That means that today (aka my day off) is filled with vacation preparation. conjunction junction. and to make my life even more easy, I signed up to take a test to progress at work tomorrow (so I have to study for that as well). But I have found ways to break up the day (thank you new episodes of toddlers and tiaras on netflix). I will defeat you suitcases and cleaning. I also already foresee myself missing Roscoe while we are gone.

last but not least, thank you to Alex Thomas who is the new best person I know. He agreed, without hesitation, to housesit for us....cat medication/baths and all. Alex Thomas: I appreciate you more than I could ever express to you in words. You are a really great young man, and we have loved getting to be a part of your family. Thank you for showing us love!

other news in the grimes household:
-we lowered our energy bill by 50%! how awesome is that! best month ever.
-once upon a time the catroom (guest bathroom) stunk bad. of course, there is a litterbox in a tight space, but it was an unbearable stench. after scrubbing and replacing all the litter, I discovered that the box could not be the source of the stench. low and behold, the toilet of stagnant water was moldy and disgusting and had gone untouched for over a month until it became disgusting. glad I discovered it finally. now it just smells like cat in there. bearable.
-I beat rhett in fantasy football last week.
-I made a strawberry cake on sunday night...and rhett's compliment for how it smelled/looked was "oh man I am going to do nasty things to that cake." A similar comment about my taco dinner last week was "oh man Roscoe I bet you wish you were a human right now so you could eat these tacos." his compliments make me giggle.
-I love it when I catch Rhett rewatching football games online that LITERALLY just ended on real TV.
-There was a particularly gross moment where the dog yawned, then I yawned, and he licked inside my mouth (gross enough, right?). well then Rhett felt compelled to say to me: "oh that's so gross, he was licking the bottom of my feet last night!". gag me.
-We have been taking morning walks together before work. It is easily the best part of my day.
-our friends the Somers finally brought home their 2 boys from ethiopia! What a glorious and celebratory week for them! We can't wait to take them to Aquatica for their first ever waterslides when we get back from Texas!
-a normal discussion in the grimes household: how much would someone have to pay you to lick your own armpit? can you even reach your own armpit?


other news on the pet front:can you spot her?
-we went to the dermatologist. the bill was depressing and the news was less than shocking. we are continuing treating for the things we already treated for. this better work dadgommit. I am so done with treating the same things with no results. fix my dang cat already!
-Roscoe has started quickly emptying and bringing over every toy in his toy bin any time he wants any attention at all. it makes for a very uncomfortable couch.

also in the news:
-what the what? did anybody see the man in Ohio who let 56 exotic animals (grizzlies, lions, cheetahs, bengal tigers, camels) free and then killed himself? good job guy, it's all your fault that 18 out of the 2500 remaining tigers of the world are now dead.
-matt wertz and michael buble both released christmas cd's this week. what to do?

and last but not least, everyone's (I'm sure) favorite: work stories and guest quotes:
NEWS:
-I had the privilege of staffing the sea lion area minutes after a sea lion pup was born. (then of course closing the area for a quick check up.) but still, awesome. seeing a 10 minute old sea lion= check.
-the word "penguin" is not in my phone. how can you be a zoologist's phone and not know the word penguin?
-I officially gave my first dolphin tour, first penguin talk, and second penguin talk all in the same week. a week of firsts, and a week of fun! so exciting!

these are a few of my FAVORITE THINGS:
-spray sunscreen: as much as I love your convenience, I would equally love a disclaimer on your bottle stating "lack of regard for other persons downwind or within a confined space may result in injury" thereby making it acceptable for me to throw punches.
-seeing a grown woman reach her foot over a 4' wall into a dolphin pool. classic.
-when a daddy says "look at all the mantas" to a child. we have not a single manta in SW.
-clearly, squirrels are the most awesome animals on the planet. because guests will turn their back on a manatee feeding to get one step closer to a squirrel.
-earlier in the week I opened up a drawer in our riddle box to discover....a roach. which then proceeded to scamper away. SICK. hopefully the nearest child wasn't traumatized.
-trick or treating at halloween spooktacular. bookoos of free candy.
-settling bets and dividing families: "is it a dolphin or a whale?"
-talking to little kids as they lather themselves in sunscreen, with no social regard for how silly they look lotioning themselves.

QUOTES:
after seeing a woman duck under a rope barrier at an overlook across the sea lion pool, I made my up to the overlook to tell her: "ma'am, I'm really sorry this area is closed off right now." woman says: "oops." like she stumbled across a closed area. it's not like you made a concerted effort to dodge the rules.

woman: "what will I see at dolphin cove?"
me thinking: 'dolphins.'

me holding a polar bear pawprint: "can you guess what animal this is from?
little girl: "a monster."

boy: "how do dolphins sleep?"
me: "they sleep half of their brains at a time, so they are always halfway awake. can you think why that might be important?"
boy: "so they can check for monsters under their bed?"

me: "do you know what polar bears eat?"
boy: "root beer?"

and I overheard this last one from a lifeguard. it's nice to know we are not the only ones who deal with silly questions.
man asked: "why did you breed dolphins and penguins?"