Newest addition to our family

Our Sea World family is growing like crazy.  We have had three baby sea lions born in June and a baby Beluga Whale.  Isn't she cute?

She was born on Wednesday.  I have a picture of the sea lions somewhere, I will have to post that one later.
We also have a bunch that are just turning a year old.  This is bud.....

He was born in one of our pools last summer.  He started soliciting attention from animal care this year so they decided he would be a good candidate for training.  He is doing a great job so far. 

These are our Philippine Sailfin Water Dragons.  They are about 6 months old. The male is on the left and the female is on the right.  You can tell the male because he has a bump on his nose and his sailfin on his tail is bigger.  Eventually his fin will get about 2-3 inches tall and he will turn completely blue.  They are called water dragons because they can run on water and go under water for up to an hour.  They have a small white dot on the back of their heads that is like a third eye.  It can detect changes in temperature and light, so they can tell if something is sneaking up on them.

All our babies are so amazing to me!

The Conservation Center

One of our goals at Sea World is to help people make special animal connections so that they will feel more compelled to help the animals around us.  One way that we do this is in our Conservation Center.  In there we have dozens of animals that we bring out to talk about and let people hold.  These animals are called ambassadors.  We take them to schools and children's hospitals and some of them have even been on Jay Leno.
I have had so many amazing experiences and learned so much about these animals.  Last week I was able to help my children hold one of our American Alligators, Katrina.

This is Genobli.  He is a Black and White Tegu from South America.  He is 3 1/2 feet long and weighs 17 pounds.  A couple weeks ago I got to take a walk with him through the Conservation Center and I get to teach people about him every day.  Something very interesting about Tegus is that the boys have these big cheeks (Jowls) and the females don't.  They are used to attract a mate and also to intimidate the other males.

A couple cool things I have learned about reptiles is that they really can't hear much and they smell with their tongues.  They also have wonderful sensory organs that can detect vibrations and chemicals emitted by their prey.

What a handsome boy!

This next one is Bud.  He is one of my favorite snakes, although all of our snakes are amazing.  He is a Red Tailed Boa Constrictor.  They can be found in North and South America and potentially reach 15 feet long.  What I love about snakes is that each one has its own personalized pattern, no two are alike, just like a fingerprint.  In this snake his pattern goes right up into his eye.  Snakes have no eyelids, so in order to protect their eyes they have a thin, clear protective covering called an eye cap.  When they get ready to shed, the eye cap sheds too so it makes their eyes look white.  Something very special about this type of snake is that unlike most reptiles that lay eggs, these snakes have live birth.  They can actually have around 30-60 babies at a time.

This next animal has something in common with me.  We both come from Australia.  This is an Inland Bearded Dragon.  They live in really hot places and because their feet get hot running on the sand they are able to run on two feet.  But they don't run on their back feet, they run on their front feet and do a wheelie, holding their back legs up in the air.  Talented little dragon!

I'm sure there will be more to come!

The best job in the world!

I will not even pretend to know what the future holds for my family.  We have had the craziest roller coaster of a life for the last two months.  I have been so busy I have not had time to update any of it and to tell you the truth I don't even know where to begin.  I have been in Texas for almost two months and much like everywhere else there are good things and bad things.

#1 bad thing is that Don is not here.  He brought the kids out at the end of May, but had to go back to California for work last week.  I miss him so much.  If there is one thing I have learned from this experience it is that I totally adore my family and don't want to be anywhere that they aren't.

#2 bad thing is that Don has not gotten any closer to getting a job out here.  That really defeats the purpose of moving to somewhere you can give your kids a better life, if you can not even provide any life.  Because we don't know if he will have a job I am too scared to sign a lease anywhere, so we have been staying in an extended stay hotel. Boo! (That's all I have to say about that!)

#3 bad thing is the bugs are eating me alive! Over 20 mosquito bites on my legs, I look like I have leapercy!

#1 Good thing is Sea World!  I have loved every day.  Today I gave a sting ray tour and then got to spend 30 minutes playing with the older rays in the back pool.  The older rays are target trained and I got to practice with a Spotted Eagle Ray.  Over and over she returned to my hand target and I got to feel her soft nose snuggle my hand.  I am in love.  So many people ask me what my favorite animal at the park is and I think I have finally found her. 

Although there is a dolphin named Kai whose birthday is one day after mine and he plays peek-a-boo with me and follows me around dolphin cove, so he certainly holds a special place in my heart.

And there is also a brand new baby sea lion that is super cute.  Maybe I can have several favorites!  I have learned so much and met so many great people.  I feel like I do what I was meant to do my whole life, or at least getting closer to it.  Education is so amazing when you get to teach people who want to learn and when you know you are making a positive impact on everything around you.  My bosses rock!  Within the first week I was working at dolphin cove my supervisor told me I was ready to test up to the next level.  Now I am giving tours and animal presentations and still learning so much.

Sadly though, without Don having a job here, this dream will have to come to an end and we will most likely go back to California.  No regrets though, it has been a great adventure full of lessons and experiences.  We will never wonder what if because we have given it our best shot.  Sea World has mesmorized me and inspired me and I am grateful for each day I have been able to be a part of the education and conservation team.  I have a new outlook on just how much I don't know and am eager to learn as much of it as I can.  There is nothing better than someone telling you that they learned more from me in one day than they did all during high school.  Even though I know it isn't true, it still makes me feel good.

So here is to the best job in the world and how I wish it paid as much in money as it does in experiences... but I guess you can't have everything.