Discovery Cove, Orlando

I was able to finally swim with the dolphins yesterday. This has been on my bucket list since high school (along with learn to play the guitar and see Les Miserables which were both completed a long time ago).

I learned about Discovery Cove in Orlando through Mealsandmiles. But didn’t really have any idea of when I was going to be able to actually do it when a month ago, Bruce suggested we use a hotel living social deal for a weekend away in Orlando. The deal was about to expire. With a two night stay in Orlando, we knew we had to do something fun. Since we are doing Disney World in October we crossed that off the list first. Then there was the decision to swim with the dolphins at Discovery Cove, go to Universal Orlando, or spend the time shopping at the great outlets.

My husband knew it was always going to be swim with the dolphins. You see we had tried to swim with dolphins on our one year anniversary in the Keys but the weather (constant rain) made the timing not right. So I quickly booked our reservation to Discovery Cove. Yes you have to have reservations because the park is limited in the number of people allowed in each day and they fill up on the weekends quickly so book early if you want to go.

We ended up arriving at 9 am and the line was long but it did move fast. The park opens at 8 am so next time I am getting there earlier. This is the building where you check in. You are given a badge that identifies you and your time to swim with the dolphins. If you chose to drink, the badge will notate that you are of age and if you chose to connect your credit card to the badge it can be used to buy souvenirs in the park. The swim time is given on a first come first serve basis. Since we were late, we were given a 4:10 pm time.

After checking in, you have the chance to get a complimentary photo taken of your group. Do it as it is free. Sorry for the bad pic of a picture. But the grin shows you how excited I was. After the picture, we got our free locker (so convenient) and found chairs to save for the day. If we would have waited we would have had a hard time finding two chairs together but we lucked out and got chairs in the shade too. Get the shade because you spend a lot of time in the sun while you are swimming.

After relaxing for a bit we decided to stroll around the park and decide what we are doing first. The first stop was the reef and snorkeling with all types of fish and stingrays. There are shallow areas where you don’t need to snorkel and still pet the stingrays or there are deeper areas (12 feet) that allow you to dive too. So you do what you feel comfortable doing. Here is a picture of Bruce in his snorkeling gear ready to explore.

 

And a picture of me because we can’t just embarrass Bruce.

It was cool to snorkel right next to sharks. Bruce was trying to knock on the glass to get their attention.

We saw some pretty coral too.

I should mention the water is cold. It has to be cold for the fish. I was glad the sun was out and if I kept moving I was fine. Check what a pro I was at snorkeling…

This was what I was checking out. These two sting rays looks to be bigger then me. A little scary but maybe they were sleeping because they didn’t move.

There were school of fish too. The reef was so much fun.

After the reef, Bruce and I went back to our chairs with drinks and snacks to warm back up in the sun. We had a nice lunch and went around the lazy river. We didn’t take the camera so no pictures. About 3/4 of the way through the lazy river we were told we were on silver alert because of a storm that was coming so to be a little quicker on the way to the exit. There are only two exits in the river so plan on spending some quality time chilling unless you want to swim a lot to get out faster. By the time we exited we could see the storm clouds so we decided to give up our chairs and chill. We also started to worry about our dolphin swim. We asked an employee and was told that only lightening would delay the swim. Rain = water and would not stop the action so we shouldn’t worry. Although there never was a down pour it did sprinkle on and off during our dolphin swim. They do not allow cameras on the dolphin swim but there are professionals there so we got a nice picture of Bruce and I playing with our new friend.

I loved every second of the time with the dolphin. We got to touch, kiss, hug and play. Getting to grab onto her fins and have her pull was amazing. I could feel the power and strength as she moved her 400 pound body through the water pulling me. It was amazing. And then it was over way too quick. At that point I realized, I was freezing and the sun was not out to warm me. Don’t be fooled by the smile, it was cold.

 

I was so glad we had brought dry clothes to change into. By the time we were done with our swim it was after 5 pm and the park closes at 5:30 pm. With no time for another swim in the reef, Bruce and I had hot showers (with free shampoo, conditioner, shower gel) and got dressed in dry warm clothes. We walked around one last time to get some more pictures and drink one more beer. One of the employees offered to take our picture. (Actually more then one!)

    

 

 

 

 

 

What do I really think about Discovery Cove? The bad – it is EXPENSIVE. But you have to take into account that they limit the number of people in the park and that makes the customer service so much better. The park was kept clean through out the day. Every time I went to the bathroom it was clean which has to be hard with all the sand and water being dragged in. The food and drinks were good and included in the price. We enjoyed not having to worry about how much food cost and considered it to be cruise like for that aspect. Plus they supply sunscreen, towels, bath supplies etc. So you don’t have to pack it all with you. The extras we bought were a underwater camera which was $14 because we didn’t have time to stop and get one before hand. The $14 was worth it as she wrote my name on it with sharpie saying if it gets lost it would be at the lost and found. I would never have thought of that if I had brought one from home. We also spent $20 on the picture of the dolphin. Pricey but how often do you get to swim with one? So it was worth it. We had so much fun and even though it was expensive we will be going back someday. It was too much fun to not go back.

Gasparilla in Pictures

Sorry the pictures are so small. I can’t figure out how to make them larger. You can check out more pictures and click through for bigger pictures at this website.

 

Results



Accomplishment

I did it. After weeks of training, I completed my first half marathon. Yesterday I was nervous. It was going to be hot. I knew that so I actually started drinking more water on Friday to be prepared. Smart move. I also decided that even though my camalbak slows me down in these conditions I would take it. So yesterday my official goal was to finish in under 3 hours. I have had foot issues leading up to this run so I also told myself that if they reoccurred my new goal was to just finish even if I had to walk it. If conditions had been better my really scary goal was 2:30. Next time!
So this morning my nerves had me up at 4 am even before my alarm went off. A cup of coffee, more water, and a banana on sandwich thin with peanut butter and chia seeds was my breakfast choice. By 5:30 am I was dressed and headed to the starting line. One stop at the porta potty later and a short wait then we were off. I was a little nervous, a lot excited and just so happy to be doing this. I didn’t cross the start line until about 5 minutes into the race.
The first miles my legs were heavy. But by mile 2 they were warmed up and mile 3 to 5 flew by. I saw Bruce at mile 5. That made my day. As soon as I saw him, I felt a huge smile cross my face. I was doing great. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon. After a quick high five from Bruce, mile 6 flew by. By mile 7, I felt myself lagging. The sun was up and it was getting hot. The 2:45 pacer went to pass me and I said to myself that if I run with them I would meet my goal. Miles 8 through 10 went by quick. The pacer, Jim, told jokes and we were encouraging other runners. I knew I was going to finish this race for sure by mile 10. So at least one goal was met.
Mile 10 through 11 got tough. I felt like I was overheated and my camelbak mixture of gatorade and water was gone. I had to walk and losing the pacer group made me sad. I did stop and get water at the stations and felt good enough to run and finish the race strong.
I cried at mile 12 because I knew I would finish this race in under 3 hours even if I walked the last mile. I quickly realized crying made it hard to breathe and therefore hard to run. So I focused on the task of one foot in front of the other. I didn’t slam dunk the run but I enjoyed every step. The spectators were so encouraging at this point. It was fun to hear people call my name out.
I crossed the finish line when the clock said 2:51. I don’t know my official time yet but I am so happy with that. I pushed myself hard and I did it.
I also may have signed up to do the Irongirl 1/2 marathon in April. So here is to more training. Just watch out Mr. 9th grade PE teacher I may be an athlete yet.
Now where can I get a burger?

Weight Watchers

I don’t think I have mentioned it on the blog but the first week of December I joined Weight Watchers. After losing 35 pounds on my own I was needing another source of support and motivation. I am so glad I rejoined. Yes this is the 3rd time that I have joined. But before we celebrate let me tell you a story. Last week I had a 1.8 pound gain. I sat in my weight watchers meeting frustrated and angry. I was quitting. Just like I had in the past. But then something else happened. I got some new thought in my mind that I was in this situation because I always gave up. Then I reviewed last weeks food journal and realized I had way too much sodium and wine last week which I knew had a lot to do with the weight gain. Then I read some weight loss stories about consistency. I started thinking that if I was a little more consistent and persevered in my goal I would eventually make it to my finish line. Just like I had with running my 6k. So my thoughts changed my actions and I got back on track. When I weighed in today the scale said 3.8 pounds lost. I reached my 5% goal for weight watchers.
Of course I am happy I worked really hard for that. But I know this is still my journey and I am not giving up on my dream….either should you. Will you be here to celebrate my 10% loss?

Spring 2011 semester

I am already on my third week of classes this senester. I am taking Audit and a Financial Accounting. Pretty easy classes because I already know some of the lessons and there are no research papers due. Most of my MBA classes have had 20 to 30 page research papers. This will be a nice break. They also are prep courses for the CPA exam. So I will be better prepared for studying for the CPA next year.
These classes will finish up my accounting requirements for the MBA program. I still have 2 core business classes, an international class, and 1 CPA required class to take. So I am hoping to take 2 classes in the summer, 1 in the fall, and the last in Spring 2012. The end is in sight and I am already counting down. I can’t wait to not have homework and to have this accomplishment. Till then the chances are high that if you see me my nose will be buried in a book.

3 months

My step father has cancer and through some bad luck and hard decisions he has been given three months to live. This post has been in the making for the past couple of weeks as I processed the news and figured out if I thought it is appropriate. I struggle sometimes about how much of personal life I want to share. It is a fine line for me and I don’t want to hurt peoples feelings. Well this post is being written for me. Maybe a little selfish. But maybe a healing process too. I know if my step dad had a couple of good days as his old self he would be playing racquetball, golfing and heading to Moab. Those are the things that he lived and made him happy. With this news and thoughts of mortality on my minds, I have been thinking of my own bucket list. I made a list when I was younger. But somethings have changed and been crossed off. Some of the things that I have done are fall in love, get married and learn play guitar. But here is a list of things that I still want to do.
1. Swim with dolphins.
2. Have my mom watch me graduate.
3. Travel more any where. Mostly Jamaica, Italy, and Hawaii.
4. Run a half marathon and a marathon.
5. Spend time with those I love.
I have some plans to get these things crossed off my list sooner rather then later. So stay tuned because I promise more entertaining and exciting blogs… Until then remember to appreciate everything and everyone in you life because it is shorter then we know.