We started back where they care for the rescued sea turtles, manatees and dolphins.  SeaWorld parks have helped animals in need — ill, injured, orphaned and abandoned — for more than four decades.  Nearly 20,000 animals have been rescued by the park’s animal experts including whales, dolphins, seals, sea lions, manatees, sea turtles and birds. This is the equivalent of helping one animal a day — every day — for 45 years. The majority of these animals are successfully treated by SeaWorld veterinarians, rehabilitated and returned to the wild. In a normal year SeaWorld will care for 13-30 rescued SeaTurtles. In 2010 they have already rescued 368 sea turtles and they have released 256! That is about 25 times more work and they have added no staff! The huge increase is due to both the January cold snap and the oil spill. We even got to see the orphaned manatee but we weren’t allowed to take pictures.

Our next stop was Pacific Point Preserve where park guests can feed the seals and sea lions. Then we headed to the much anticipated stop at an educational building that houses Magellanic Penguins! These penguins are used as ambassadors for SeaWorld because they can withstand temperatures in the 60’s, unlike most other penguin species. Aaron and I even got to pet Miss Mario the penguin!!

Next stop was dinner at the Sharks Underwater Grill. It was very cool eating dinner right next to the shark tank! We were served a Ceasar Salad, an appetizer platter with stuffed mushrooms, shrimp cocktail and bruschetta and this was followed by a dessert platter with chocolate cake filled with chocolate cake and covered in chocolate ganache, white chocolate mousse in a dark chocolate cage and fried tortillas dipped in chocolate and covered in coconut whipped cream. Needless to say the meal was yummy.

After eating all that food we were free to explore the park on our own, and encouraged to see the special summer nighttime shows. Our first stop was Manta! I rode this coaster last October and I couldn’t wait to introduce Aaron to it. Well Aaron’s tummy was bothering him so I got really brave and rode it alone! I still love this coaster but it wasn’t nearly as fun as it was riding it with Corrin, Toni, Dave and Laurie last fall. Next we walked around and checked out some of the animal exhibits before heading to Wild Arctic. After that we got in line for Shamu Rocks. This show was the whole reason Aaron wanted to go to SeaWorld and after waiting an hour in line to say it…we were both disappointed. The music is great but we both agree that the show was boring and didn’t live up to our expectations. I’m sure some of that has to do with the fact that the trainers no longer go in the water with the orcas thus leaving the show with just some dancers, an electric guitar player and some killer whales that wave at the crowd a lot.

After the show we decided to head back to our car. We had hoped to see the fireworks but we would have had to wait around  over a half hour for them to begin and we had an almost 2 hour drive ahead of us. All-in-all we had a great day at SeaWorld and I still can’t wait to take my entire family on Manta!

Disclosure: We were guests of SeaWorld Orlando for the day. No cash was exchanged for this post all opinions are 100% mine.

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At Busch Gardens, fireworks light up the sky over the Tampa theme park on July 3 and 4. That’s in addition to the nightly rock spectacular, Kinetix, each night at 9 p.m. in Busch Gardens’ Gwazi Park. Kinetix brings together live musicians, singers, dancers and artists from around the world for an original, non-stop 30-minute contemporary rock experience that delivers awesome lighting effects, modern music and high-energy performances.

Park hours are extended until 10 p.m. July 3 and until 9 p.m. July 4. Stay to ride coasters in the dark and enjoy spectacular shows, including Jeff Civillico, with his masterful juggling performances.

Fireworks are part of the finale every night during SeaWorld AfterDark, the summer nighttime event that showcases the park in a whole new light. On Independence Day, guests can also enjoy the 13th Army Band, Florida National Guard when it performs at Bayside Stadium prior to the fireworks finale. This 40-piece band, known as the Governor’s Own Band, will entertain the audience with classic and current tunes, gearing them up for the special Fourth of July Reflections show featuring additional fireworks timed to patriotic music.

AfterDark is a nighttime rock n’ roll extravaganza with live DJs, special evening shows – including a high-energy “Shamu Rocks” and a hilarious “Sea Lions Tonite” – plus the fabulous fireworks finale. Experience all that’s awesome day and night at SeaWorld this summer, including Manta, up-close animal encounters and spectacular shows.

Busch Gardens Summer Nights and SeaWorld AfterDark are included with a day’s paid admission or any annual pass. For more information, visit BuschGardens.com, SeaWorldOrlando.com or call 1-888-800-5447.

I have been to Busch Gardens Summer Nights and I really enjoyed it! I hope to be able to take my family to experience SeaWorld AfterDark sometime this summer. Have you been to either Busch Gardens Summer Nights or SeaWorld AfterDark? Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought about the event.

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My family has been visiting the Kissimmee, FL since 1972, when we took our first of hundreds of trips to Walt Disney World. My most recent stay in Kissimmee was in December when we were in town for the taping of the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. Yes, I am a Disneyphile but today I want to share with you some of the other great stuff you can do in and around Kissimmee.

If you are looking for affordable accommodations near all of Central Florida’s theme parks and attractions Kissimmee is the place to stay. In December we stayed in a decent budget hotel for $29.99 a night!! It even has FREE Internet! There are hotels, resorts, rental homes and time shares in the area to meet every budget.

I can’t wait to visit SeaWorld Orlando and take another ride on Manta! (I’m the one one the right). My favorite show at SeaWorld is Blue Horizons-make sure you catch this beautifully artistic dolphin show.

My family includes me and 3 car guys-my hubby and 2 teenage sons so when in the area on a Saturday we have to go to Old Town for the Saturday Night Cruise, the largest weekly car cruise in the United States, with over 300 classic cars, hot rods, street rods and antiques from 1974 and before! It’s FREE too! Why not check out the UK’s longest running antiques website here if you’re an antique collector?

Table and glasses made of ice!

Do you want some night life while in Central Florida? Check out ICEBAR Orlando. I was there as part of IZEAFest ’09 and we had a great time.

Another favorite thing to do in the Kissimmee area is SHOP! There are tons of outlet malls and flea markets as well as traditional malls. In December we visited Festival Bay Mall where my 3 guys were in heaven shopping at Bass Pro Shops and watching the skateboarders at the in mall Vann’s skatepark!

There are things I still have never tried in Kissimmee. I want to get to Arabian Nights which happens to be the most honored dinner show in the world! I have lived in Florida for 30 years and I still haven’t ridden in an airboat-it would be cool to do that right at the headwaters of the Everglades.

I know you are already thinking about what fun you could have on a Kissimmee vacation so click on the link and get started! Have you visited Kissimmee? What are your favorite things to do while you are here? Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t tried…yet? Let me know that too. I love reading and responding to your comments!

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That is Toni, Corrin and myself on the ride.

We enjoyed the Believe show with Shamu.

The Clyde & Seymour show was hysterical due to several cast mistakes and uncooperative animals!

Corrin, Dave and Laurie had a lot of fun feeding the animals through out the park.

We all had a great time enjoying all of the attractions at SeaWorld Florida.

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I thought I’d give you a few hints into how you will be able to recognize me.

I have 4 of these shirts so I'll be wearing them each day.

I won this when @shamu was @realshamu on Twitter.

This goes with my dress for Friday night's party at Ice Bar Orlando.

I’m just about packed and I’ll be hitting the road around lunch time. This is my first blogging conference and I can’t wait to get started. I’m not going to the kick off at Howl-O-Scream so if you are hanging out at the Renaissance Hotel and want to network, tweet me @MomMaven. I will be tweeting, blogging, whrrling and Facebooking the event so stay tuned and make sure you check out hashtag #izeafest on Twitter.

Friday and Saturday are the conference days and there are tons of the top bloggers who will be speaking. I know I have so much to learn so that I can take this blog to the next level. Sunday is Bloggers Invade SeaWorld Day. I will be riding Manta at some point in the day, yikes! I am not a roller coaster lover but, I promised I would ride it so I will.

I hope you have a great weekend! I’m sure I will.

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Last month SeaWorld Orlando unveiled the only flying coaster in Florida, Manta. I will be riding Manta on October 4th and I’m excited and nervous at the same time. If you ride it before me please let me know how it was! Coaster fans will also enjoy Kraken on their visit to SeaWorld.

If you aren’t a coaster fan there is still tons for you to do at SeaWorld. You can see Shamu in 2 shows; Believe and Shamu Rocks. You can also see Blue Horizons which, in my opinion, is the most beautiful show in the Orlando area. Of course you also have all of the great animal attractions at Sea World like Wild Arctic, Shark Encounter and Pacific Point Preserve.

Add to all of that at day at Aquatica Water Park or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and this offer is the deal of the summer! If you are a Florida or Georgia resident I’d recommend you get your tickts now because I do not know how long this offer will last.

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I have been a fan of IZEA for a while now, I believe in what they do to promote sponsored conversations on blogs and other social media forums. I feel that with the FTC looking at regulating bloggers and the compensation they receive for blogging about products, sponsored conversations are going to become the norm and IZEA is the cutting edge.

Izeafest will take place October 1-4 at SeaWorld Orlando. The list of speakers at this event is a who’s who of blogging and social media:

• Ted Murphy CEO of IZEA
• Aaron Braazell of technosailor.com
• Chris Brogan of ChrisBrogan.com
• Darren Rowse of Problogger.com
• George Smith of Crocs.com
• Sarah Evans of PRSarahEvans.com
• Wendy Piersall of Sparkplugging.com…….and many more

The IZEAFest website describes the event as,

“An interactive event designed to educate, inform and connect social media enthusiasts. Meet the world’s foremost social media experts in a collaborative, fun and open setting. Learn how to grow your traffic, build your brand and make more money online.”

The only thing that has me concerned is…on Sunday 10/4/09 the IZEAFest bloggers are invading SeaWorld Orlando. Ok, I love SeaWorld-Shamu, Clyde, Seymore and all of their friends. What has me concerened is…to enter the contest I had to agree to ride Manta, SeaWorld Florida‘s newest roller coaster and the only flying coaster in Florida! I am not a roller coaster lover but I will ride Manta. (Yikes!)

I have 16 weeks until IZEAFest and I need to reach a few personal and business goals before then. I need you, my loyal readers to hold me accountable and help me towards these goals.

1. I would like to lose at least 20 lbs before I go.
2. I need to earn enough additional money monthly so that I can upgrade to a smartphone & pay for the plan- so I can blog and tweet from the event. (It just isn’t practical to lug my laptop through SeaWorld-and my battery only lasts 15 minutes anyway.)
3. I need to find a sponsor to cover the cost of my lodging and dinners during the conference. If you know of a business, company or benefactor who may want to sponsor me, please share this link with them http://themommaven.com/sponsorship-opp/

If you would like to come to IZEAFest there are still tickets available, just click the IZEAFest link. October is a beautiful time to visit central Florida and I’d love to get to meet you.

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