We stayed with one of my favorite people on this earth, my friend Karina Banda in Miami Florida this March of 2021. One beautiful morning, we visited Dolphins Plus to have the adventure of our lives in Florida’s GORGEOUS Key Largo. To say our lives are forever changed is an understatement.

They say that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. They say that life is worth living when you finally do the things that scare you. Well, maybe I’m just making that up, but for me, so much of my life has been spent in fear and dwelling in anxious thoughts about the worst-case scenario of all situations. If you want some amazing CSI or horror movie ideas just ask my brain, it seems to always gift me with the worst-case scenarios for all things. I have learned through a lot of therapy, prayer, meditation, journaling, and just growing up that my brain will always offer me that chatter and that it’s up to me to “take those thoughts captive into the obedience of Christ”, as the Bible reads in 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Swimming With Dolphins In Florida Key Largo 2021 | Adventure Of A Lifetime

My life has felt like LIVING since I’ve taken fear by the horns and allowed God to show me a different way of staying “safe”. I have learned that my safety dwells in Christ and there is nothing I can go through that God can’t help me with, heal me from, turn it around for my good. So what am I afraid of? Well, it was everything before and still is; I just don’t stay in fear I move into faith and allow myself to try things that before would have frozen me. I was a slave to fear and anxiety.

No more! Now I am free.

I have taken a stance to never pass that down to my children. I know they are human and will inevitably feel feelings of fear and anxiety, however, I know that my kids will see my example of how I live my life, not just the words that come out of my mouth. The more I am honest with them about how I feel anxious and afraid much of the time as well, but that now I choose to do things even when I need a little more courage is a lesson I think is invaluable to them. Faith in Jesus and trust that goes beyond my understanding in God helps me move past feelings of fear and anxiety and somehow miraculously gifts me with his beautiful peace: And if he can do that for me, he can do that for them!

To be quite honest I was afraid of getting in the water at the Dolphins adventure. I was afraid of the unknown. Of not being in control. As the platform sank little by little. I softly prayed for God’s peace to envelop me and my family and asked the Lord to give me courage and joy for the adventure.

The trainers had the dolphins come and say hi to us and swim with our extended hands so we could touch their incredibly smooth exterior. Feels kind of like a wet hotdog! The minute my hands made contact: all of my fear melted away and I was in utter awe of the beautiful creature God created. I began to experience the all-surpassing peace of Christ and my heart rejoiced that I had victory over my fear and moved past it to experience this amazing joy!

Fear of the unknown would have kept me in my house not wanting to travel. It would have kept me from being courageous and getting in the water. I kid you not, social anxiety and PTSD were so severe that sometimes even opening the drapes of my home was a challenge. So for me, to be out and enjoying God’s creation is a miracle that I do not take for granted. I allowed myself to have FUN! Remember that word?

Are you kidding me? Is this not the sweetest photo you’ve ever seen? That’s my adventurous husband smiling from ear to ear to have a dolphin kiss. Hey, I should’ve told that dolphin he is married!

And these three girls make my heart melt!

They let you get acclimated with the dolphins and they get used to you, by giving them a belly rub and they kiss your hand!

The trainers are so amazing as they direct the dolphins and you, the adventurer, to experience the dolphins showing off their amazing skills which include jumping over a pole while you and your team hold on! As you can see we are all in bewilderment of the sight right before our eyes!

Now that we feel comfortable and know our dolphins a little more, it was time to get in the water!

If you have two people like a child and an adult they have you, partner, up and get in the water, belly up, feet up, like soldiers.

As we waiting in anticipation my heart raced with excitement. I couldn’t see the dolphins coming and I just had to trust that at the right time they would come and push us back with their little nose on feet!!! How adorable is that!?

Next, they have you hold your kid up by their armpits and wait till the dolphins come to catch their hands with their fin! I was in awe of how amazing this felt!!! So out of my control, yet in God’s peace.

This guy was just a champ and a pro-dolphin man! He is so athletic he even makes this look easy. Look at his picture, now look below at mine, haha! Oh, how I love my husband for inspiring me so much to be courageous, to be physical, to not let go of my childlike wonder!

Thank you Doug for helping this girl along in her journey to freedom from so much fear. It’s been your constant and gentle love AND at the same time pushing me little by little in my limitations, that has truly made a big impact in my healing and physical courage!

Karina was so brave as well and she got a one-woman ride by both of the dolphins! It was so fun to see her fly through the water! Since I’ve met her she has been a source of amazing inspiration to me. Thank you Karina for your generosity and for letting us stay with you in Miami and experience this beautiful adventure!

At the end of our adventure, the dolphins waved goodbye and my heart just exploded with joy and laughter. Something I was so scared of, became one of the sweetest memories for me and my family and my beloved friend! What a wonderful experience. And the fact that Dolphins Plus has a photographer to also take pictures of your adventure was a BIG bonus as now I get to share it with you! May you know you are worthy of adventure and doing things that make your heart feel alive!

Photography by DolphinsPlus