Orlando 2014

Every now and then it is nice to get away for a short trip.  Trust me when I say that vacationing for 8 days in Orlando was desperately needed!  Work has been absolutely insane (more on that in the future) and I have missed spending time with my wonderful husband.

We had absolutely marvelous weather... until about 6:00 PM our very last day there.  Instead of hitting up Disney like the good majority of people that go to Orlando, we chose to go to Universal again.

Woody Woodpecker @ Universal

Harry Potter World @ Universal

Something that my folks did during their last visit to Orlando was an air-boat tour.  Derek had done one in high school but didn't remember it much so we thought it would be a good time.  We ended up checking out Wild Florida Airboats and had a great time with our guide Dennis.  They were located about an hour outside of Orlando but well worth the drive!  While they are still developing their facilities and adding animals it was nice that there were animals to check out before the tour.

I'm a sucker for trees

I love him and our poor sunglasses reflections

I love all the texture and contrast of light and dark in this photo

These little guys were too funny, butting heads for close to ten minutes

This beast is called a Watusi, he looks tiny here but in person was enormous

Cow crossing on the air-boat tour

Spectacular views from the tour

 Finally, our last thing we did was Sea World.  I was probably the most excited about this because the last time I went was probably three years old.  There is a lot of controversy about Sea World but I absolutely loved it.  We ended up taking a behind-the-scenes tour to see what all goes on where guests don't normally get to visit.

The tour was great!  It ended up being a lot about their conservatory work, helping injured or stranded animals, and what they do to get the animals back into their natural habitats.  We loved getting to see manatees, dolphins, and some penguins that regular guests would not get to see.  Next time, probably the arctic tour to high five a walrus! 

SEA WORLD!!!!

I never knew that dolphins were so BIG

Petting a shark

We didn't get to see the Antarctica penguins (mostly because we didn't want to stand in line) but we did get to see these Magellan penguins that are separated because of the habitat temperature they are accustomed to living in.  Much to my surprise they felt like rubber even though 70-80 of their feathers are within the size of a quarter.

Petting a Magellan Penguin

For years I have adored sea turtles.  Of the large ones Sea World had, they were all rescues.  There was one that had been attacked by a shark.  Another that had gotten a disease in their shell and become paralyzed in its hind flippers.  We missed what happened to the third but they were all so adorable and active.

TURTLE!!!!!

 They had four pilot whales that were abandoned by their pod of 25.  The government has determined they would not survive without Sea World which means they have a new home.

Pilot Whale rescue

Amazing jumpers

 We unfortunately did not get to see the Shamu show as it began to downpour with thunder and lightening.  Sitting in the soak zone and close enough to see where the whales were playing around before the show was supposed to start we did get to enjoy seeing them.  They were so funny and were doing jumps and flips acting as though they wanted to perform.  When the weather really turned sour we had all of the sudden seen 8-10 trainers running out to get the whales attention to feed them and try to get them back into their bigger pool.  It was sad we didn't get to see the show but great to see how attentive and caring the employees were to the whales.  Until next time Sea World!  Next time we know to buy more than a one day pass!

The only view of the Orcas we got to see :(