Faith Cafe

Faith Cafe

My idea of going snowmobiling did not work out.  Part way through the season the snowfall was not great enough and my connections with snowmobiles said it was a bad year.  

Huh - well it was time to replace this experience.   A friend of mine was helping out through her church to feed the homeless.  She has done this quite a few times with her mom.  I really thought it was fantastic to help out others in need.  Especially those who are hungry.  A person can acquire food from a food bank, but do they have the means or facilities to cook or create a meal.  Let alone a hot meal? 

We arrived early, there are multiple churches that rotate in serving at Faith Cafe.  We arrived around 4:30 checked in, they went over the details, held hand then said a prayer and sang a song.  Then the doors opened.  The tables have tablecloth and flowers on them.  There were families, elderly, people in wheelchairs, teenagers and young adults.  Hunger does not see an age, your ethnicity or abilities. 

We stood by the table and as people sat down I offered them a drink (milk, juice, soda, coffee, tea or water) and brought them silverware.  I then lined up in the kitchen for the plated meal which was beef stroganoff over a biscuit, green beans and salad/fruit salad.  There was a dessert table and individuals could have seconds once everyone had been served.  In the back of the church was a table with food items for people to take.  It varied from bread, peanut butter, fresh fruit and chips. There were other items but I didn't get a close look as I was busy.  We cleared plates and cleaned up after everyone left. 

One of the volunteers said to me this is an experience, isn't it?  It is and it was.  

I often ask myself after any experience, would I do this experience again? For the most part I have answered yes - (with one exception).   This officially is my last of my 39 experiences.  My perspective has shifted and I have grown in so many ways.  I appreciate and see things very differently.

What's Next?

I've been asked will I have 40 experiences when I'm 40?  The answer is no.  It takes a lot of planning and time to do so many things in a year.  It also means funding these experiences and as I once said to a former boss "work is getting in the way of my activities, however work is paying for those activities".

I am turning 40 in less than a week and as I reflect back on my best moments it helps shape the direction I would like to go toward in my future.  As I move forward I would like to focus on enhancing my creative side, enjoying the outdoors and making positive impacts.

A Day at the Spa

A Day at the Spa

I have always wanted to treat myself to a full day at the spa.  I have had massages and facials and pedicures but not all at once.  The difference is having it all happen on one day.

Choosing a Spa

I looked around online.  I called a few places.  Some were really expensive and a few recommendations came in to go to Bonneville Hot Springs.  But I really didn't want to stay overnight and after a whole day at the spa I would be mush.  Driving back might be hazardous.  I have had pedicures at Coldwater Creek.  It is probably the best pedicure I have ever had and - bonus - close to my house.  No accidents on the way home.

The Treatments

After filling out the usual paperwork, I went to the changing room to put on a robe and slippers.  I headed into the waiting/relaxation room where I was brought tea, a heated neck wrap and started with a foot soak.  Sherry came out to greet me and took me back for my first set of treatments a back facial.  I have never had one and it wasn't included in the Renewal Spa Day Package, but if you are going to go all out, then why not???  It's like a facial but on your back - they cleanse, do a mask, steam your pores and extract and end with a very light massage.  Next was a sugar scrub and last was my essential facial...again cleansing, mask, steam and extractions with hand/arm massage.  I was lead back to the relaxation room where I was brought lunch.  After lunch I went back with Robin for hot stone massage.  This was my first hot stone massage.  They actually use both hot and some cold stones.  I am used to therapeutic massage so this was really different and what I might call "fluffy". After my massage I went back to the relaxation room and had more water and another heated neck wrap. Then Lindsey took me back to do my manicure and ultimate pedicure.  I'm not sure what happens during the pedicure because they place a heated neck wrap on you,  lay the chair back tuck you in and offer a eye pillow and I essentially end up taking a nap.  They wake you up with some energizing scents and back in the relaxation room with a heated neck wrap and water/tea.  

Final Thoughts

I spent basically a whole day at the spa.  I was very relaxed afterwards and had enjoyed my time.   The staff were fantastic. If I were to do this again, I would swap out the hot stone massage for swedish.

I may even have to set up a day at the spa on my trip to Mexico.

Dressed for Success

Dressed for Success

One of my 39 experiences was to knit a blanket and give it to a shelter.  Little did I know how difficult it is to knit....let alone to have the patience.  I attempted to create a scarf which looks more like a misshapen pot holder.  I think someday I might finish it.  But in this process I decided to still donate a blanket.  I also decided to clean out my closet and donate clothes, shoes, etc. in lieu of the blanket.  Since I have become a runner, my body shape has changed....I'm thinner and my clothes do not hang correctly and because of my running my feet have gone up 1/2 a size.  I had a closet full of clothes/shoes that were not being worn.  It makes sense as I'm cleaning out other areas of my life that I clean out things that are no longer being used.

Prior to bagging everything up

I decided to research different domestic violence or intimate partner violence shelters to donate my unused clothing/blanket/bags and shoes.  Most shelters do not have the space to hold donated items and refer to different thrift stores.  I decided to donate my clothes to Dressed for Success - which is connected to Bradley Angle House http://bradleyangle.org/  Women can go in and find appropriate clothes for work, including suits.  They also take shoes and casual clothes as well.

October is also domestic violence awareness month so I bagged up the items and took them down to  donate.  It felt good to give to other women who are looking to escape an abusive situation.  Many encounter financial hardships in trying to escape their situation.  The clothing that I no longer can wear or fit me can go to these women as they begin a new life.

All the items I donated

I think it is important that in my life that I make a difference where it counts.  This is one of those times.  Honestly do I need "stuff"?  Our society has become such a consumer wasteland...selling the notion that you "need" this.  When many of us are spending outside of our means, going into debt, collecting items in excess and are one step away from becoming a hoarder.

How can you make a difference in someone else's life?  How much stuff do you really need?

Plus 1000 & a Sub 2

Girlfriends Half Marathon

Feeling good & on target

The Girlfriends Half Marathon was my set date for meeting two challenges.  The first to raise $1000 for breast cancer and the second to run a sub 2.

Raising a $1000

I started the fund raising by kicking in $100.  I sent emails to friends, family and people who donated in the past.  I also solicited on facebook.  I suggested skipping one's latte/mocha and donating the $4 or $5 one spend on the coffee.  One response I received was I'm taking lunch all week next week and donating $50.  I was overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of support and officially raised $1, 050. 

Breast cancer kills 11 women a week in Oregon and SW Washington.  If you think about you may know someone who has breast cancer or has passed away.  I was so overwhelmed and grateful for the response from everyone.   This was not possible without the following supporters:

• Aunt Barbara 
• Karen F
• Helen Y
• Carole W
• Jennifer L
• The Andres Family
• Dorothy H
• Andrea O
• Joseph B
• Melinda W
• Karen C
• Sharon O
• Kari M
• Fritzi F
• Marie R
• Laura F
• Kelli C
• Emily W
• Sean S
• Nani T
• Erin S
• Mary H
• Kathryn W
• Jenny G
• Jennifer B

Sub 2 Training

I have come in several races at 2:05:xx. I knew I needed some structure to meet my goal.  After running the Ragnar Relay, I took 2 weeks off and then signed up with the Runner Chick Training Club.  http://www.runnerchicktrainingclub.com/index.html  I have met many of my goals and made life long friendships with runner friends because of Kelly who started the group.  If you are looking to get connected with other women who want to run, get on a training plan to meet your goal I suggest you join. I also highly recommend doing one of her run adventures.

Kelly had me set up on a 12 week plan to break 2 hours.  She hooked me up with some other runners who were planning to do the same.  My consistent run buddy over the 12 weeks was Christina.  First of Christina had already run Hippie Chick at 1:55.  Our first speed workout was mile repeats at 8:54 pace. I was dying.  My legs felt fine but my lungs were screaming.  The other thing is that Christina can talk during the tempo runs.  Lucky for me Jamie could talk with her and I basically told the girls I could talk to them on the warm up and cool down.  Every week I was able to run the required mileage (and then some) but was struggling to keep up on the tempo runs and mile repeats.  I was so anxious about making the "time" we would end up running about 5 - 10 seconds faster.  I even went home one night and had a melt down, questioning whether I could run a sub 2.  Kelly kept saying it will all come together.  

I was running a tempo run and feeling completely stressed about having 2 more miles to go and Jamie exhaled.  Then it clicked for me.  I wasn't breathing.  I was so focused on my time I was creating my own world of anxiety.  That was the turning point for me.  I relaxed and let myself breathe.  On the cool down mile, I told Jamie what I noticed about her breathing and how I found it helpful.  After that, things became easier.  I knew I could run a sub 2. Christina gave me feedback each week that she noticed my breathing was getting better.  

On our last tempo run the week of the race, Christina and I running 8:54 (subtract 5 seconds off we were really doing 8:50) and half way through our run realized we were talking to each other!  

My Fund Raising Efforts 

With the Pink Brigade Guys

Because I raised over $500 I was supposed to get a 10 minute start and I was waffling on starting early or running with Christina for part of the race.  Then I found out there were only 2 of us (really only 2 of us that raised over $500???) so the organizer asked if we could be recognized with the Pink Brigade Guys and have our entrance fees waived for next year.  The Pink Brigade guys raised a $1000 and had to wear pink to run.  22 men participated.  I thought pretty awesome!

Pre-Race Photo with the ladies

Ready to run!

Christina and I ran a little over a mile together.  I stayed just under 9 minutes and she was running faster.  At one point she looked back at me and I said "go".  We all have to meet our goals and she had it in her to run faster.

I felt good until mile 10.  I got a side stitch. So I pushed up the hills and my Garmin click 9:16.  Really?  I think I may have said the f-word out loud.  Then somewhere along Officer's Row, I saw my mom and dad.  Well I can't suck now.  I picked up my pace and waved at them.  It was a good motivator to have them at the end.  After that I came into downtown and knew I had 2 right turns and I would be done.  I pushed and ran as hard and as fast as I could.  

Then we went by the finish line and cheered on the other runners.  It was a great day!  There were 2242 women listed for the run.  Here are my official results:

OVERALL 190 
DIVPL 48/480
TIME 1:55:17
PACE 8:48

Lunch at Beaches

Turning Japanese

Turning Japanese

Do you remember that song...I do.   In case you need a reminder here it is on youtube by The Vapors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEmJ-VWPDM4 Wait a minute I'm not turning Japanese.  I am Japanese.  I'm actually mixed - Japanese and White.  It took me some time to figure out my identity.  I felt for a long time forced to choose one or another and then be told and discredited regarding my ethnicity because I look (please fill in the blank here) and there's no way I could be Japanese.  I know pass for white and possibly Persian and even Latina or so I have been told.  

I feel very connected to my Japanese roots with the one exception, the language piece.  I know words and phrases...but still feel incapable of communicating effectively.  At one point I bought Rosetta Stone and worked on it before and during my trip to Japan in 2010.  After being there almost a month, my skills greatly increased.  But only to a point and then I stopped practicing.

So I signed up for a non-credit Japanese course.  I had some concerns.  For example would the class be academically rigorous and meet my expectations?  Would the other students be focused on learning?  What is the instructor's background in teaching?  Well most of it has been dispelled for me.  The instructor not only teaches the class for the college but also has taught at the Japanese immersion school.  I like her structure of the class.   She really makes an effort to encompass all learning styles and is effective in the way she reviews the material.  She also encourages students to come early to class and she engages in conversation.

So far my advantage is that I know much of the vocabulary and can recognize much of the hiragana.  I also have noticed I'm the only person turning in homework.   I do think there is genuine interest in the students wanting to learn when in class.  The disadvantage is that I can only attempt to greet the dog when I come home.  He knows German and English....this whole new language thing just has him wagging his tail.  I have also spent some time talking with my mom on the phone and when I see her.

The importance of learning Japanese is that I continue to embrace this important piece of my life that makes up who I am.

Bye Bye Bryan

Bye Bye Bryan

I was married.  Not for long.  Getting divorced initially was not what I wanted...I met the person I wanted to spend my life with, have a family and grow old together.  I didn't sign up for the infidelity or the massive amount of debt that he racked up.  When he split I was left with a lot of bills and struggled financially.  I went to therapy (everyone should go to therapy at least once in their life if not more often), moved on and never looked back.

In my having to put the house up for sale, moving, dealing with our debts and adjusting to being single...I utilized a triage approach.  What was necessary was dealt with first...and the rest can wait.  This is what I told myself.

Three things saved me - my parents, my friends and my coaching.  I truly am lucky to have such amazing support and I don't know what I would have done if my parents and friends were not there for me.  I also found that I could escape when I went to the rink.   I would walk into the rink and leave my back pack of shit at the door.   It was the best feeling to watch the smile emerge from a kid or an adult as they learn or master an element.  For a couple of hours I could just let my focus be elsewhere and it was a much needed break for my mind and my heart.

Getting back to my triage approach.  It worked for me at the time and the one thing I could not deal with was paper (including pictures) - filing it, where to put it, what to save and not save.  My office became a wasteland of piles of paper and anything else I thought I should keep but didn't know what to do with.  Ok hold on you don't need to call the reality show for hoarders.   I had confronted my divorce emotionally and was (am) in a good place.  So I decided to tackle the rest and make it a project to get organized and clean out everything.  I was purging my past physically and saying "bye bye Bryan - all of it".

Purging

I started with a box of pictures.  I didn't do this before because I'm sentimental and I would probably have cried longer than I needed to or that time would allow.  I looked at the pictures and then pitched them.  It actually felt pretty good.  Next up was a big rubbermaid container that had items that Kelli helped me throw in so I wouldn't get caught up going through everything.  I opened the box and found a wedding planner, more pictures in frames, wedding gifts/items, a video of our wedding and random items like a bike pump and garden items.  I don't know why those were in there but I emptied the bin - it was like each step I took was closer to being done.  I took my wedding dress to my friend Diana who could sell it on Ebay for me.   I even gave her the professional photos so she could post the pictures to help sell it.

The last thing to take care of was the bike.  He left his bike and it has been collecting dust.  It also needed a part and so I had my dad help me figure out what I needed, purchased the part and took it to a place to put it on consignment.

My Office

My neglected office - a wasteland

My office even though did not have any mementos of my failed marriage but signs of the disruption it caused.  I found two large boxes and marked them recycle and shred.  I started sorting things into the boxes and the garbage.  The first go around my mom helped take the recycling out and shredded items until the shredder died.   This was helpful because I was so overwhelmed...it was helpful to have her there.

My piles of paid bills were not only in my office but on my dining table and I also worked through that. It felt great to get an sense of order and I found a some random cash and an unused gift certificate to Nordstrom.

Clean surfaces

Then I hit a wall - I broke the shredder.   Plus a 3 sheet shredder does not really take 3 sheets and it was taking forever.  So I ordered the behemoth 12 page shredder with options to shred cds and credit cards. It even had a 2 year warranty...which is good for me.

Papers shredded, papers filed and the office is organized.  I'm hoping to get a bookcase and to frame a few more things to add to the walls.

Diplomas, certificates and pictures hung

Done!

I'm stronger than I was, I use my voice and speak up and out (even if it is shaking) and that was a catalyst of change that came out of my divorce.  See some things are just meant to be and I'm happy right where I am.

Extra!

Be an Extra in a TV Show or Movie

Well, being an extra is not that easy for a person who works way too much.  That person would be me. I have information on who to sign up with as an extra and I did put forth my information.  However, a good friend of mine suggested I be an extra in a commercial.

So there it is.  I'm in a commercial.  It's a weather promo for a local news station.  I got there around 7 pm to check in and was told we would get started at 8 pm.  I have to say the people watching was fascinating.  There were people dressed up in UO and OSU attire.  A whole group from a martial arts school came and a woman dressed in her mermaid outfit with her entourage of fishermen and crabs.  Interestingly enough she corrected someone when they said to her that she was dressing up like a mermaid....her response...."I am a mermaid".  We will just leave it at that.

They begin by doing outtakes with the main weather guy and he is soaked.  The premise is that the rain does not stop us here in Oregon.  Which in some ways is true.  9:30 rolls around and they gather us and and pour on the rain.  It was freezing and we are supposed to be smiling.  Part way through I had to grab my fleece.  Anyhow they wanted us to cheer without sound for most outtakes.  I left around 11 soaked and frozen.

I decided for me this was not my thing.  Stand around, wait and freeze.  Who's bad idea was this??? Oh yeah, that was my idea.  Well not everything can be a fabulous experience.

The promo has come out and several people have asked if I was in it....and my answer is YES!  My less than 15 minutes (more like 5 seconds) of fame.

Urban Dare

Urban Dare

What I find so ironic is that my friend Kelli has been wanting for years for us to be on the Amazing Race.  So I watched it, once.  I don't really watch tv.  I have too much going on in the first place.  But what I realized as she gushed about traveling to Kuala Lampur....that we would be running around so much we would not really get to see anything.  So I asked her, "why do you want me to be on the Amazing Race with you"?  And her response was - well if you know Kelli, it is a classic response...her response was "because you can eat shit and drive".  Never mind the fact that I am a great travel partner, have great critical thinking skills and problem solve, amongst other things.  Well let me give Kelli a bit of credit - she says all these things are true but she was looking at my strengths and her weaknesses.  I can drive stick and I have larger palate and tend to be more adventurous when it comes to food.

We didn't get signed up for the Amazing Race but when Urban Dare came up, I thought it was a good opportunity to give it a try.  Our team name was Pick n Rocker - skating reference.

Scavenger Hunt

Pick n Rocker ready to skate this dare!

We met at Kell's to check in.  Teams of two were mostly dressed in the Urban Dare shirts with the 3 teams that dressed up.  We gathered outside and started with the costume contest.  There were 2 girls in a some sort of tutu get up.  Next was a team of Waldo and an inspector.  The last team were the minions from Despicable Me.  They were pretty cute!  Anyhow, the minions won.  Then we were told the rules, which was you can run or take public transport but no pedicabs, taxis or cars.  Pictures must be taken with the clues and they are not in any order. Then they handed out the clue sheets. 

The Strategy

Kel and I started with a game plan:  Solve the clues, locate the places on a map and marking out a course.  I started looking up things on the internet on my phone and Kelli called our friend Guy to ask for help.

12 Clues 

Here are the clues we were given:

1.  Get your picture with Debby Butterfield's dance horse

Horse Portland Art Museum Sculpture Park

2.  Laurence Olivier played Crassus in this 1960 film.  Get your picture in front of the place place that goes by this movie's name.

Spartacus

3.  Camping in downtown Portland?  Get your picture with right 2 dream too.

Right 2 Dream

4.  In baseball it's what you are when you are the next batter.  Get your picture with the bar that goes by this name.

On Deck Sports Bar

5.  Go to the rock that came all the way from Japan's Lake Tai for your scrabble dare.  Just like the scrabble you must find the value of the word on your passport using our scrabble stick letters.

Scrabble Solver  - The word was Snowmobiling and we added up the tiles to 206 - we solved our clue and headed to the art museum

6.  William Bendix played the title role in this 1950's television series.  Get your picture in from to the establishment that goes by this show's name.

Life of Riley

7.  Go to Contact II by Alex Liberman for your 3-legged dare.

3 Legged Race - I wish we would have gotten this on video.  We were told we worked well and moved quickly together.  Although Kelli kept saying right and moving her right leg which was not attached to my right leg.  And I had a few moments where we had to stop and in part because I was laughing so hard.

8.  He was the first mayor of Portland.  Go to his square for your ballon dare.

O'Bryant Square - balloon sword - UGH it took us 3 tries the first 2 balloons we popped and it took the most time which created a bit of delay as the clock ticked away.

9.  He was captain of the Seattle Supersonics when they won the NBA championship in the 1978-79 season. Get your picture in front of the place that goes by his nickname.

Downtown Freddie Browns

10.  Get your picture wit the art installation called Pod.

POD

11.  PHOTO HUNT - Get a picture of one team member kneeling down as if to propse marriage to someone.  Get a picture of 3 people doing see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.  For photo hunt you may not use the same person more than once, nor any race participants.

see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

He was married

12.  The park was dedicated on St. Patrick's Day of 1948 as the only leprechaun colony west of Ireland.  Get your picture at this park. 

Mills End Park

We attempted to check in with an official by the park and she said I'm with another organization.  (Insert record scratch here)....whaaat?  She was with the Amazing Race.

Finish - Go to Kells for he finish. Please have your passport out to get your time stamped.

5:00 Minute Bonus - Since we're in the city of roses, get your picture with some roses in full bloom.

BONUS - Roses at Giffords 

On the way to the museum I remembered we were going to pass by Giffords a floral shop.  Right outside were bouquets of roses - SCORE!!!  5 minutes to deduct off our overall time!

Our official time was 2:21:11 with the 5 minutes deducted we had an overall time of 2:16:11 and placed 33/63 in the standings.

Post Race - Snake Bite Reward at Kells

My last bouquet

My Last Bouquet

For the past 12 months I have bought myself flowers.  It brightened my day, my room and my life.  What I have learned from this experience is it is ok to treat myself.  I was asked recently if I would continue buying myself flowers and the answer is sometimes.  When I do purchase flowers they will definitely will be from the farmers market.  

There are three reasons:  

1. The flowers last longer
2. For the same amount of money or less, the bouquet is bigger, better and more beautiful
3. I'm supporting local farmers

Here is my last bouquet before turning 40.

Flowers from the Beaverton Farmer's Market

I especially love the kale mixed in with the flowers.  You can't get that at Freddy's.  What are ways or things that you do to treat yourself?

Sleep with the Sharks

Sleep with the Sharks

When I called to book my reservation for sleep with the sharks, the woman said to me "Now are you bringing a boy scout troupe"?  We were their first all adult group.  You can have up to a group of 20-60 people stay over night in the aquarium.  You sleep in the passages of the deep in one of the 3 connected tunnels:  open sea, halibut flats or oroford reef.  The cost for this adventure is $55 per person (prices have gone up to $60/pp) which includes a private overnight stay in the aquarium, tour of the aquarium, including behind the scenes with trainers, a scavenger hunt and lab activity.  They provide dinner and a breakfast.  Since we were an adult group and didn't need an earlier bedtime, we watched a living planet movie and had animal crackers, pretzels and lemonade.  In addition, we were able to re-enter the aquarium the next day when it was open too.

Rogue Public Ale House

We began the day by meeting up at the Rogue Public Ale House.  Well we sort of got there.  I decided to locate the address on my map feature of my phone.  We ended up at the distillery.  Once I realized that we were in the wrong spot we searched for the Public House and ended back on track.  Technology is helpful unless you have the correct information plugged in.  We had a late lunch and then walked around with a stop in the candy store for some taffy.

Newport Aquarium

So the adventure began at 6 pm.  We met the two staff who were our hosts for the evening.  They showed us our sleeping area by pulling back a large curtain and there were the sharks swimming, bat rays and assorted fish.  I was in awe of the large shark, named Miss Piggy.  I was informed that the sharks were fed twice a week.  There were two types of sharks, the leopard shark and the broadnose sevengill shark.

The tunnel

We walked through Passages of the deep which has three tunnels the Open Sea (aka the shark tunnel), Halibut Flats and Oroford Reef.  Then we headed over to have dinner which was three different types of pizza, cheese bread, caesar and spring mix salad.  

Scavenger Hunt & Lab Activity

Pollups

Post dinner we participated in a scavenger hunt that took us through 3 exhibits:  Sandy Shores, Rocky Shores and Coastal Waters.  We spent around 20 minutes in each exhibit with the exception of Coastal Waters, where we were able to play in the touch tide pool.  That was one of the most enchanting experiences.  I touched every starfish, sea anemone, sea cucumbers, abalone and a limpet.  Some of the starfish and sea anemone were soft to the touch and some had stiff spines.  The anemones would drape their tentacles as much as possible around my finger(s) feeling their way.  I was surprised at how soft the sea cucumber was, it's prickly exterior is quite deceiving.  Also, the abalone when touched had a reflexive action of moving its shell or shifting the flesh of the abalone that was exposed out of the shell. The limpet was a shell I was familiar with...but it was an entirely new experience for me as a living mollusk.  On the outside of the shell was a black velvet outer layer.  I describe it as velvet because it had this rich feel when I touched it.  I could have spent an hour in the tide pool.

Touch Pool

Strawberry Anemone

Jellyfish

Hard to hide!

Our last exhibit of the evening was the Sea and Me.  A newly opened and interactive exhibit for children.  However, I know a few adults who enjoyed the Sea and Me just as much.  We headed to classroom and began our lab activity.  Our mission:  create plankton.  Plankton floats in the middle....too close to the top and it will be photosynthesized....too far below, there is not enough sunlight. So armed with toothpicks, straws, sponges, beads, pipe cleaners, tacks and wax we created plankton.  Or some of tried to.  We tried different shapes and combinations of light versus heavy materials and groaned when the "plankton" sank to the bottom.  It's amazing how as adults we focus so much on do this, do that and be responsible.  But when it comes down to it - I will say I don't "play" enough.  Actually I think a lot of adults do not "play" enough.

On the boardwalk

Fishing!

Yellow Submarine

As adults there really wasn't much of a curfew so we watched a Blue Planet movie and then went back to Passages of the Deep and set up our sleeping areas.  A few people opted not to sleep with the sharks.

Sleeping with the Sharks

It's the kid in me!

This shark was directly above me

Bat Ray

I was giddy and couldn't sleep.  The lights turned down and you actually can see the sharks better especially as they swam over their white underbelly would provide some illumination.  The bat rays and sharks seemed to be more active at night.  I could watch the sharks on both sides above and below me.  I finally fell asleep.  As we got up the next morning and packed up our sleeping bags.  Someone mentioned they didn't know that they there was a bear at the aquarium.  One of the guys in our group was snoring and the tunnels carried and made the sound echo.  I fortunately didn't notice.  

Olive & the birds of the Sea Aviary

Olive

Post breakfast, we met Olive, a turkey vulture that was rescued with her brother, Ichabod.  The trainer was trying to give Olive more exposure to people and would move slowly towards us and as Olive got nervous, she would retreat.  Olive and her brother were taken from the nest and kept as pets.  However, turkey vultures do not make good pets and were eventually turned over and brought to the aquarium.  The hope is to someday have an interactive opportunity with the turkey vultures. One fact I learned is that turkey vultures latin name means "purifier".  They clean up and prevent diseases from spreading.

The keeper of the Sea Bird Aviary talked with us about the different birds at the aquarium which include puffins, black oystercatchers, common murres and rhinocerous aucklets.

Otter Pops

So cute

Next up were the otters.  They were chomping on ice cubes with treats inside.  Some were even hitting the ice against the plexiglass as they swam by.  The guide informed us that they can be very destructive with their environment so the frozen treats help to occupy their time.  They also said that they spend most of their time grooming themselves.  Which they also were doing.  They were so cute scrubbing their little faces and then it turned x-rated.  When we got home I got a picture of the otter pops popsicles and Ken stating "this has a whole new meaning".  

Lea

We are authorized!

Lea

Kisses

Our last stop was to see Lea a sea lion, who was aiming to please to receive treats of squid and fish.  She clapped, shook her head yes and no and waved at us.  And the show was G rated.  

After meeting Lea we were released.  

On our way home we stopped by Devil's Punchbowl.  We were able to see whales spraying water through their blow holes and the flip of their tails.  

Devil's Punchbowl

Freezing at the coast!