An Early Birthday Adventure to Disneyland and SeaWorld

At Sea World the VERY first place we went was the Anheiser Busch pasture, store and restaurant. Aside from the fact that we were hungry and they give away free beer (yay!) we really wanted to see the horses. They had a little demonstration where they showed how they braided the mane and tail for shows and parades. Then they gave us a photo op with the decorated horse.

One of our favorite sites was the arctic exhibit. They had polar bears and this wonderful creature, a beluga whale. We couldn't snap enough pictures of him. In this one it seems he even posed for us!
		Having been born in Florida, Ana felt a certain kinship for the Manatees. They had some in the tank who had obviously had boating mishaps, as their tails showed signs of propeller abuse. This guy was snacking on cabbage or lettuce as he swam by us.

Everywhere we went we seemed to find flamingos. They had a whole island full of them! Behind the trees on the left were about a hundred nests - giant anthill-like structures, each with a huge egg on top. Most of them had a flamingo perched on top, but there were some that were left unattended so we could see what they looked like. Some of the renegade flamingos who don't quite fit in had left the island completely and were hanging out on the 'wrong side of the park'. They posed for these photos with Ana and Joyce!
	Even Shamu swam up to have his picture taken with Joyce. On the way home, as we were nearing the exit that would take us there, Nana suggested we stop at the Crystal Cathedral. First, it was time for a driving break, and second, she'd always wanted to go there. She took quite a few pictures, as did Ana. Here is the picture of the magnificent altar, made out of donated marble that, once split in half to make it twice as plentiful, was found to have angel wings in the designs of its veins. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways!
Even though it was a whirlwind trip, dashing here and there, all around, it was a wonderful celebration of some momentous birthdays. The birthday girls will no doubt remember it the rest of their lives.