Happy Groundhog Day. And other stuff.

So I heard that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning.

Six more weeks of winter.

Bummer.

Although it has been kinda fun to have some snow around here for a change.

Six more weeks. Six more weeks until spring. And....six more weeks until Spring Break!

And we finally have some exciting plans for Spring Break! We are soooo excited (ok, I'm soooo excited) and can't wait! I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas. We aren't telling the kids yet. The Mister thinks 6 weeks is too long for them to have to wait. Awwwww, come on. They wait a whole year for Christmas!

Are you ready for this? Yeah, you're not going to think this is nearly as exciting as I do. We're not going anywhere grand like Disney World or Paris or anything.

BUT, considering the fact that we have NEVER gone on a "real" vacation with our kids....nothing longer than just a regular weekend trip where we drive all day Friday, do stuff Saturday, then drive home Sunday.....except when we go to my brother's every year for the 4th of July. But that doesn't really count.

Ok, back to the trip. We're going to (drum roll please)....

Sea World in San Antonio!

I know, I know. "Seriously?" you're thinking. "That's it?" you're thinking.

Well, remember, we've never taken our kids on a real vacation. We're going for 4 days and..... I LOVE SAN ANTONIO!

Love it, love it, LOVE it.

Ahhhh, the River Walk, the Alamo, the river tours, Brackenridge Park, the Wildlife Ranch, the awesome zoo....I can't wait! And not to mention Sea World.

Did I ever tell you that since I was 10 years old I've wanted to be a whale trainer? Yep. When I was 10 my family moved to Orlando, Florida, for a short time and I had my first real-life encounter with Shamu. It was love at first splash. I got to meet his trainer and ask him (the trainer, not Shamu) all sorts of questions about how one goes about becoming a whale trainer.

I planned on getting a college degree in marine biology....until I found out the only program in the state of Texas at that time was at Texas A&M, and I just couldn't bring myself to become an Aggie (deepest apologies to any of you who are Aggies...my aversion has subsided since then. somewhat.) So, long story short, you will notice that I am now a CPA who lives very far from the ocean.

sigh.

When the Mister and I had been married about 3 years we took a trip to San Antonio one summer. Sea World actually has programs now where you can sign up (and pay an arm and a leg) to go to the park before it opens and interact with certain animals. There is a Dolphin Encounter, a Sea Lion Encounter, and a Beluga Whale Encounter. Wanna guess which one I did? :) It was AWESOME, fabulous, a dream come true. I love, love, loved it! I'll have to see if I can dig up some pictures to show you.

And so...blah blah blah. Sorry about that gigantic rabbit trail. No wonder my friend Tammi won't read my blog.

I'm so excited! I'll be counting down the remaining 6 weeks of winter with an extra dose of anticipation this year. I really want to make one of those paper chains to hang on the fireplace mantle and cut off one link every day.

But guess I probably should wait until we tell the kids.