Anniversary Trip

Yesterday Eric and I celebrated our second anniversary by spending the day at Sea World:

As usual, the first thing we did was buy the "restaurant quality" fish to feed the dolphins.

Then it was time for the surprise that Eric had planned for me a month ago--the Sea Lion Interaction Program! Before we began the sea lion encounter, our guide took us backstage of the Viva show. We had the opportunity to see the playful belugas up close.

After watching a short video about sea lions, it was time to put on our wetsuits. I had never worn a wetsuit before and didn't have a clue how difficult it would be to put on. Aren't they flattering? For some reason I was the only one in our group who ended up with a wetsuit that had a shiny middle section. Lovely. . . .

Finally it was time to get in the water with the sea lion, Elrod! We each had multiple opportunities to interact with Elrod both in the water and on land.

The best part of the interaction was when Elrod gave each of us a ride around the 12 foot deep tank.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Elrod and head back across the park to get out of our wetsuits.

We didn't take many pictures for the remainder of the day. We made it to a few shows and spent the afternoon cooling off at the water park.

I'll leave you with a little video clip of one of the spotlight techs at the Shamu show. Most of his co-workers were standing around looking pretty bored, but this guy sure knew how to keep himself (and me) entertained. Sorry it's pixely; he was up pretty high.

Couch to 5K

Eric and I just finished week one of the Couch to 5K Running Plan. It sure gets my heart pumping! I guess that tells you how out of shape I am. I don't know that summer is the best time to start this since it is so stinkin' hot, but I don't think I'd be disciplined enough during the school year. My end goals are to be in better shape, run 3.11 miles without stopping, and ultimately to sign up for a 5K race! We'll see how that goes. :)

I know several of you started the Couch to 5K program, did anyone finish it?

A Good Read

Eric's having to do a LOT of reading for his grad school classes, which means I have to find some way to enertain myself. I can only watch TV and blog stalk for so long. :) Reading would take up time and I LOVE to read, but I need some book recommendations. What have you read recently (or not so recently) that you really enjoyed?

Lucy the Guard Dog

My story of the day:

I was sitting at our dining room table working on the laptop when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like someone yelling angrily as they ran by our house. It startled me, so I peeked out the blinds, but didn't see anyone. As soon as she heard the commotion, Lucy started barking and ran to the front door. I tried unsuccessfully to calm her down before she ran into the backyard and started barking again.

Lucy has a tendency to bark in the backyard because both of our neighbors have dogs, so we didn't think too much of it. Eric was calling her back inside, but she refused to come. He went outside to see what she might be barking at and noticed that on one side of the fence two slats had been knocked out. Eric got a hammer and went back out to fix the fence since not only is Lucy a guard dog, but also an escape artist.

When Eric got back outside he heard a voice from behind the adjacent fence. It was a cop! He asked if we had seen anyone run through our backyard. "Uhh...no." Apparently the cop had been chasing a man, hence the yelling. The man ran into one of our neighbor's backyards, jumped the fence, and ended up in our backyard. The cop heard Lucy barking at the guy, which apparently deterred the man from staying in our yard too long. The guy knocked out the slats on the fence that we share with our next door neighbor and climbed into his yard. Escaping into our neighbor's yard was probably even more scary for the guy because they have a couple of large pit bulls. Haha! I would have loved to have seen his face when he met them!

I don't know why the cop was chasing the man and I don't know if he was ever caught, but I sure am proud of my little guard dog. :)

Snake farm – It just sounds nasty!

Have you heard the song "Snake Farm?"

Today our AP brought his son's snake to school. He had promised the students that if they got so many AR points he would give it a kiss. I am not a fan of snakes. It's not that I have a phobia; I just don't like them too much. In fact, when our AP pulled the snake out of the box I moved to the back of the room.

After he kissed the snake, much to their pleasure, he allowed the students to "pet" it. When almost all of the kids had had their chance to touch the snake, I decided I'd put on my brave face and touch its scaly skin. Then out of nowhere I hear myself asking, "Can I hold the snake?" I didn't have time to regret the question. Suddenly I found myself standing there holding a boa constrictor (if I remember correctly). Once our AP passed the snake over to me, it really wasn't too bad! Take a look; I don't think I look nervous at all!

Our New Home--BEFORE

Eric and I closed on our house this past Thursday. We signed a bunch of papers and then left the title company with two pens and a set of house keys. The previous owners were still occupying the house with plans to officially be out on Sunday. So sadly, we couldn't go over and take a look at our new house.

Early yesterday afteroon Eric got a call from the previous owners who they said they were heading out. Instead of having to wait until Sunday, we actually got to go over there yesterday! :)

We plan on doing some renovations, so while we were over there yesterday I took plenty of BEFORE pictures. Click on the picture below to see more!

My 8's

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. The upcoming three day weekend
2. Closing on the house
3. The school year being over
4. Rachel's graduation
5. Wicked
6. Renovating the house
7. Skydiving
8. An old friend moving into town

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Forgot whether or not I closed the garage door
2. Taught about red dwarfs, yellow stars, and blue giants
3. Entered grades
4. Read updated blogs
5. Ate a greasy cheese pizza from Schlotzsky's
6. Hooked up my aunt's computer
7. Backed my car into a trashcan
8. Fell asleep at the computer

8 things I wish I could do:
1. Stop procrastinating
2. Be more decisive
3. Be less of an introvert
4. Run a 5K
5. Do volunteer work
6. Be a domestic diva
7. Travel--for FREE
8. Think of an 8th thing to add to this list

8 shows I watch:
1. Monk
2. The Biggest Loser
3. Moving Up
4. Property Ladder
5. The Real Housewives of Orange County
6. America's Next Top Model
7. Food Network Challenge (Cake Challenges)
8. Golden Girls

8 people I tag:
1. Sarah
2. The other Sarah
3. Stacey
4. Emily
5. The other Emily
6. Erin
7. The random person who just stumbled upon my blog
8. YOU!

TWO NEW POSTS BELOW! TAKE A LOOK! :)