opportunity to spend our last free weekend together having fun before school and the busy schedules start. We have never been to this aquarium and I really didn't know what to expect. The first clue that it was going to be an exciting place was the line wrapped around the building as we drove up. I would say that the 45 minute wait in line was well worth it (we could have done without the crowd though). The name is a bit deceiving because there was much more than aquatic life. What made this aquarium stand out above other places we've visited with animals is how close up and open the animals and their habitats were. It seemed like the animals were just beyond our reach and actually many could have been touched if a person chose to have total disregard for his safety or the animal's.
could swallow me down in one big gulp and they had the facial expression to match. The picture here does not illustrate well what I am describing because it was take from the second floor looking down to the crocodile on the first floor. I really enjoyed watching the blubbery manatees also. Their cute, scrunchy faces and fat, rolly-polly bodies were so amusing as they lazily float in the water. Ashlyn had a face to face experience with a jaguar; there was a glass wall between them, of course, but it seemed like they even locked eyes for a moment. Chris and Ashlyn's favorite part was the shark tunnel. We walked through a long glass tunnel where we were surrounded on both sides and over head by many types of sharks. It was quite a strange feeling to be standing amidst so many sharks and to feel like they were swimming right toward you at times. I think Avery had mixed emotions about the whole experience. She clung to either Chris or me for a majority of the time. I'm not sure if it was the crowd, the humidity or the impressive animals that made her seem a bit timid. 
This is my third attempt at finishing this post. I have been glued to my T.V. each evening since the Olympics started on Friday in Beijing, China. I am in awe at the level of talent, ambition and dedication each of these athletes have. I can feel a tiny bit of the nervousness and anxiety they must be feeling just before they compete and the excitement and pride they experience as they realize they have won the gold, silver or bronze medal. What an accomplishment! I love seeing our athletes draped in red, white and blue and I love seeing our beautiful flag being raised at the medal ceremonies. I've tried to explain the significance and excitement of the Olympics to Ashlyn but I think she is still a bit too young to really grasp it. She was excited to watch the gymnastics initially but that faded rather quickly and she was soon asking when she could watching something she wanted to watch. Even when I told her she would be 8 years old when the summer Olympics will happen again she still didn't seem phased. If she continues to enjoy participating in gymnastics as much as she does now, I bet she will have a different opinion and level of interest in the 2012 Olympics.
