Mötley Crew

While living in San Diego for 12 years I spent the first 6 working at Sea World. My original goal was to go back to school for marine biology/oceanography and ultametly become a marine mammal trainer. Step one:  get hired at Sea World (anywhere) because once I had my foot in the door that's all I would need. Step one done and I was hired to work in the Hospitality Center.

Now for those who are unfamiliar, every Sea World and Busch Gardens theme parks are (or were) owned by Anheuser-Busch (as in Budweiser beer).  The Hospitality Center is the designated area in each of these parks that represents A-B and the beer side.  We had a beautiful bar where we gave away free samples of product.  We had a small micro brewery where we would brew our own batches of beer (for employees only... something's to do with our liquor lisence). There was Budweiser Beer School where guests could relax for a half hour, learn about the history of the company and the brewing process, sample even more product, and walk away with a personalized Beermaster Certificate. And lastly, located right next door, were the Budweiser Clydesdales. A most impressive group of horses. The hospitality crew would help the Clydesdale handlers parade the horses around the park and assist in photo ops.

The majority of our staff were hired as temps to help out during the busy summer months. They were either exchange students from other countries, or older, retired folks that were looking for something fun to do on the side.  And although the turnover rate was high, there was a core group of us that were employed full time.  We spent year after year, growing together, supporting each other and made the most mundane tasks bearable.

The other night this motley crew reunited for the fist time in years.  And although some weren't able to make it, it was a great turnout. It was good to catch up and see everyone together again.  A giant thanks to Carol Clough for graciously hosting the event, and to BettyBoo for helping round up the troops. It was a blast! (FYI Betty featured above in red walking w/the Clydesdales... Found it online!)

Clearly step 2, or 3, of becoming a dolphin trainer was never meant to be. But regardless, those were some of the most memorable times my life.  The experiences that were had and the friendships that were created are life lasting. Each of you holds a special place in my heart and I can't wait to see you all again :))