We at the Silver Stars love Sea World. When we happen to have a day off, it isn't uncommon for some of us to spend part of the day there. So, when our friend, Tim, called and asked if Shanna and Sophia would like to swim with the sea lions, we were like, "Is that even a question?! Of course, we want to swim with the sea lions."

But as the weeks passed, the weather got a little colder. I started thinking about how freezing the water might be. Sophia started imagining losing a limb to a hungry sea lion (if you've ever seen these cute, sleek mammals with their big brown eyes, you'll realize how absurd that fear is). Shanna didn't seem to have any doubts at all. Nevertheless, the three of us and Shanna's husband, Andrew, all pulled up to Sea World this afternoon and met Catherine, our friendly sea lion trainer. We watched a little video about sea lions, then went through a mini-orientation. After that, it was on to the locker room to don wet suits. Sophia enjoyed posing in hers, as you'll see in the photos.

Catherine drove us to the sea lion area where we met Elrod. Elrod is 21-years-old and he is a ham. He loves to entertain. He smiles on command, honks, swims and splashes. Shanna splashed Elrod and he splashed me back. I don't know how she managed to escape, but every time she splashed him, he splashed me, not her.

Elrod followed our commands and took us each for a little swim. He was amazing! Don't know what else to tell you... other than be on the lookout for the story of our day with Elrod on KSAT TV, check out my pictures of the day's excursion (once Ben helps me figure out how to post more than just one) and if you ever get the opportunity to go to Sea World, swing by the sea lion area and watch our new friend, Elrod, in action.