Living Planet Aquarium

When I was young, I wanted to be a marine biologist.  Dolphins and whales were my favorites, and I couldn't think of a better job than getting to spend my days "playing" amongst them.  

Then when I was 7 years old, my love for marine life grew immensely when, during a visit to Sea World, I got to feed Shamu.  I remember the amazement and awe that I felt being so close to such a majestic animal.  I was hooked!

Since then, I have unfortunately discovered a huge fear that I have - in fact, it might just be the only fear I have that is strong enough to possibly be considered a phobia.  It is the fear of deep, open water.  I remember feeling anxiety when swimming in Lake Powell as a child, but my first inkling that this might be more serious was during a snorkeling trip in Hawaii.  I had a full blown panic attack and had to get out of the water.  Since then, it has been hard for me to swim in any body of water, other than a swimming pool, where I cannot touch the bottom.

So much for marine biology=)

I still love marine animals though, and I have always loved going to aquariums. It is an ideal way for me to view the animals that captivate me, but still get to keep my feet on solid ground!  In fact, whenever I go on vacation to a new city, the aquariums are one of the first places I like to check out, and I have been to many great ones.  Some of my favorites have been the ones in Hawaii, Seattle, and Baltimore.

So when I heard that we were getting an aquarium of our own here in Utah, imagine my excitement!  However, as others visited and I heard less than stellar reviews, I was very hesitant to go myself.  I didn't want to be disappointed, so I just never got around to going.

Not until recently, that is.  I was feeling bad for my son because he had an unpleasant day coming up, so the day before, I decided it was time to spoil him a little and we went to the aquarium.

We really had a good time. It certainly wasn't the greatest aquarium I have ever been to, but it was still a fun morning.   

See for yourselves...here is a photo journey of our fun, summer adventure at the...

This is the green sea turtle that the aquarium recently adopted from The Turtle Hospital in Florida.  This turtle had been bitten by a shark, and hit by a boat's motor.  It's injuries have made it hard for the turtle to fully submerge so it can no longer live in the wild.  It was really beautiful!  (The aquarium's adoption of this turtle opened up much needed space in Florida for The Turtle Hospital there to help with the many turtles affected by the BP oil spill).

And this is my brave boy petting the manta ray's...

He loves all animals and isn't afraid to get right up close and touch them.  

This last picture is my favorite - a beautiful memento of a wonderful day at the aquarium with my favorite little man.