Texas State Aquarium

Relaxing on the weekends is always amazing, am I right? We've all spent an entire Saturday or Sunday in our loungewear, catching up on TV from the past week, and sipping on coffee as our sleepiness wears off. But then there are weekends where you feel like you're a crazy person in an insane asylum and need to break free...

We had been researching places to go and we were sort of disappointed to see that (surprisingly) there isn't much to do. Corpus Christi is kind of similar to Pensacola, in that most of the "attractions" involve the beach...and only the beach. But in March when the weather is still slightly cold, overcast, and not the most habitable weather for sand and sea, you're left with very little to do. So in an attempt to ward off insanity we went to a local attraction that nearly all of our friends have gone to at this point, and figured we'd give it a try too. 

Without getting too political...I tend to avoid aquariums or zoos for the simple fact that they make me sad. I understand the educational aspect of them for children (and even adults), but I always have this deep sense of sadness when I see the larger, more intelligent species in captivity. However, to my pleasant surprise the Texas State Aquarium actually rescues the majority of their animals! On their website they state: 

"The Texas State Aquarium has helped many stranded marine mammals, sea turtles, raptors, and shorebirds after they are injured in the wild. When one of these species is found injured, it is brought to the Aquarium's Second Chances Rehabilitation Program for acute medical care. Once the animal is healthy and deemed releasable, the Aquarium returns the animal to its natural habitat. In the event the animal is not releasable due to a permanent disability, the Aquarium works to find a proper long-term facility for the animal.

Pending the condition of the animal when it is brought in, Aquarium staff stabilizes the animal, evaluates its condition, and provides comprehensive medical treatment. Services range from simply providing a safe, temporary refuge for an exhausted migratory shorebird to acute medical care for an ill dolphin."

Kevin: "I actually wouldn't mind doing that as a job!"

Me: "She's cleaning grime off the floor! All I keep thinking of is how gross her hair must be for the rest of the work day. " *shutter*

I'm pretty confident in saying you literally couldn't pay me to do that. 

Slimy little guys!

 Peek-a-boo! 

Petting the stingrays reminds me of going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a child in California (Which I'm biased to because they have sea otters! My favorite!)