The Aloha's Just Keep Coming

Well guys this is it. This will be my last post on the blog, while I'm actually here in Hawaii. Dear roommate and friend Kaycie woke me up this morning (she had my permission to do so) to say our goodbyes. Since she had a full day of work and I need to be at the airport at least two hours early she will not be there to see me off. The hardest goodbyes have and still will definitely be my roommates. They are the people who were there everyday on the good and bad days of work. The ones who would honestly tell you the second you walked in the house how much you smelled like fish and needed to take a shower. The best and longest laughs have always included one or all of them. Yesterday for mine and Courtney's last full day on the island Shelly and Jeremy took us fishing at a botanical gardens in Kailua. It was a catch and release deal but the fish were soo pretty, and the view was one of a kind. After fishing we ate lunch at Ruby Tuesdays, which really reminded me of home. Then it was back to the house for Courtney and I to begin the long daunting task of packing up, what in the past two weeks has become, our very messy room. After a majority of the packing was done we all went out for Acai bowls which are basically acai berry thick smoothies mixed with apple juice and topped with honey, granola and fresh fruit!!! Why Shelly and Jeremy decided to share this delicious secret with us on our last night on the island I do not know ;). It is 9am here, so I officially only have 10 hours left here in Hawaii. I will miss it but as I said yesterday in the car even the "House of Sarcasm" has to have a "Breaking of the Fellowship" (Oh yes I went there my Lord of the Rings People). I know for a fact this will not be the last time I have an adventure with these amazing people. I can't wait to see where this next journey takes me. Mahalo to everyone out there who kept up with the blog. Hope you had as much fun reading it as I did living it, but as Bilbo Baggins said "The Road Goes Ever On and On...." To the mainland of TX and then to Alabama, I'm coming home!!

Of all the fish I've handled this summer, this one is my favorite!!

Last Day at the SLP

Friday was the last day for all of the Summer 2011 Sea Life Park Interns. Courtney and I went into the park just as tourist...well tourists with backstage access. We watched a couple of shows. I said my goodbyes to miss Abby, and we got to do a meet and greet with Willy the penguin from HOT (Hawaiian Ocean Theater). It was a sad but fun day, but I have to remember that this adventure is ending so that another one can begin. Three months on a tiny island in the pacific has changed me in ways I could never have imagined. To celebrate and thank Jeremy and Shelly for all the little and bigger things they'd done for us throughout this summer Courtney and I treated all of us to a dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. One last night out for the "House of Sarcasm". I had Thomas make a framed picture from a picture I made on the 4th of July of the entire house that Abby later dubbed the "House of Sarcasm". It fits us all.

Saying Goodbye to one of my dearest friends, Abby

Me by the Hot tank with one of their dolphins

Ahh Cute Penguin, Willy and I have an encounter!!

You can't really see it but there is an amazing piece of cheesecake in front of us.

The Cheesecake Factory Crew

...aka Some of the coolest people on earth!!

Internship All Pau

Sea Life Park Internship All Pau

Wednesday August 17th was the last day of my internship at Sea Life Park. I got to do so many cool things including a sea lion interaction, a session with our pacific bottle nose dolphin Kamo where I got to send him on behaviors, feed our sea lions Opu Nui and Pohaku, and at the end of the day I got to do a foot push with Kekaimalu our wholphin ( see the video of that in the All Pau video above, by the way "pau" means finished in Hawaiian, its what we say to our sea lions to let them know their feed is over). Dear friend and fellow covey Erin had her last day on Monday. The three musketeers, Erin, Abby, and I decided to celebrate her leaving by jumping off our ship at cove into the show pool (that video is also in the All Pau video above). That night almost everyone from cove went to the Kona Brewing Company restaurant and said our unofficial goodbyes. On Wednesday after I had scrubbed and dunked my last bucket and said all my goodbyes I realized how much I was going to miss Sea Life Park. Don't get me wrong there have certainly been some challenging times for me throughout this summer, but now that its over I wouldn't change one thing. On Thursday roommate and friend Kaycie and I took a trip to Kailua to eat at the famous breakfast place "Boots and Kimos". Then we just hung out and found funny random things to do. Thursday night we had our last house dinner because of people's busy schedules and second jobs. Unofficial house mate Abby joined us. Kaycie cooked the best coconut shrimp ever and Jeremy made a delicious Chicken Alfredo. We ate out in the back yard area on some of the most random seats, including an exercise ball, a popcorn can and a small table. It was one of the best meals I've had on the island! We all talked and laughed and reminisced and ate until we could barely move. Then Abby made her cookie dough and ice cream concoction called "Bazookie" and we all some how made more room in our stomachs for that too. I know my days here on the island with these dear friends of mine are numbered, two to be exact, so I am glad we are making the most of the time we have left. I will miss them all and remember them always!!

The Full Dolphin Cove Internship Crew before everyone started leaving early

We can tag a dolphin better than anyone

Me feeding one of our sea lions named Opu Nui

Sea Lion named Hanai from the Hawaiian Ocean Theater Area

I got kissed by a sea lion and I liked it ;)

Trainer Katie, Abby and I at the official Scrubbing Station!!

Attempt number 1 at jumping off the ship on Erin's last day

Attempt number 2 at jumping off the ship on Erin's last day....you have to learn quick at Cove :)

The Three Musketeers together one last time!!

The session I got to do with Kamo our 46 year old Pacific bottlenose dolphin. He's one of my favorite!!

Kamo doing his dinosaur impression

The 4 Cove interns left at the Cove Goodbye party

 Abby, Michelle, Erin, and Ella

Us with Apprentice Trainers Kristi and Kyleen

Me and Abby with Apprentice Cove Trainers Kyleen and Brigid

Kaycie and I at "Boots and Kimo's" eating our amazing Banana Pancakes with Macadamia Nut Sauce!!

Having fun at Pier 1 in Kailua with Giant Spoons

Pier 1 also had Halloween masks out early!!

Cramped kitchen preparing for the last full roommate meal

All the roommates, plus Abby and dog Tilly at the amazing meal. Notice the seating of an exercise ball, popcorn can, and small table...oh yeah and the community "napkin" is the towel tucked in Shelly's shirt. I'm going to miss this randomness.

Let the meal begin

Why are we so happy? Cause there is a pan of bazookie behind my head! Why does Abby have on a moped helmet in the house.....I still have no idea :)

The Aloha Party

Last night was our Aloha Party. It's hard to believe our summer internship is almost over. One more week at Sea Life Park and then it will be back to the real world aka the mainland. The experiences and friendships I have gained throughout this summer will be with me forever. This adventure has been all I imagined and more. Thanks for the memories guys you will not be forgotten.

Me and our world famous wholphin, Kekaimalu!!

The Dolphin Cove Crew..plus our Honorary member Reef intern Jarred

The 2011 Summer Sea Life Park Interns!!

Coolest Roommates Ever

The House of Sarcasm...plus honorary house member Abby

One of the Coolest people/trainers I know, Shelly

Courtney tries to teach Jeremy how to tag

This is the correct way to tag a dolphin

This sign has confused me the entire summer

The Aloha After Party Crew...we went to the Waikiki night club called.....
ZANZABAR!!!!

 Erin, Abby, Courtney, Ella, Shelly, and Jarred