I wish to be a fish talker...

"I want to be a fish talker," Austin told his Wish Granters when they visited him one day late last summer. Not quite sure what a "fish talker" was or did, they asked what that meant. "A fish talker goes to the seashore and sits on a dock or a surfboard and talks to different kinds of fish," Austin patiently explained. He also told them that he wanted to be a scientist when he grew up-a scientist who works with sea life. In adult vocabulary, a marine biologist!

As Austin marked off the days on the fish calendar they had given him, his Wish Granters contacted the Orlando and Tampa Bay chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and found many people who fell in love with his story. Together the two chapters put together a wonderful "fish wish"!

After a "first class" flight with American Airways, the first person Austin met in Florida was six-feet tall Sammy Starfish! Sammy, wearing a costume custom-designed by relatives of an employee in the Orlando chapter, proceeded to delight Austin and his family as he accompanied them to the rental car office! And that was just the beginning of the fun and surprises!

Austin spent his first day in Florida at Sea World, where staff took him behind the scenes, reveling in his enthusiasm as he touched five starfish, a baby bamboo shark, and even saw the egg pouches the sharks lay. He also got to feed the stingrays, pet the penguins, touch a porcupine urchin, and talk to a dolphin. And of course, no visit to Sea World would be complete without making friends with Shamu!

The next day they went to Bush Gardens (where they were drenched after three rides on Rattlesnake Rapids) and then traveled to Saint Pete's. They stayed at the Don Cesar, a luxury resort Austin described as a "huge pink castle in the sand" where Austin was given royal treatment. As well as buckets for beachcombing, he received gifts of balloons, food, Florida oranges, mugs, toys, and a sweatshirt.

Enticed away from their spacious suite (which had a TV in the bathroom-super cool!) with beachfront balcony, the family spent lots of time hunting for shells and crabs. Austin had never been to the beach and loved every second. But still more fun lay in store as he was treated to a chartered boat trip (during which they saw lots of dolphins and a pelican) to an island where he and his family collected bigger shells, sand dollars, and horseshoe crab skeletons.

To wrap up the trip, Austin was guest of honor at the Florida Aquarium where went behind the scenes once again, even helping the staff feed the sea creatures in the vast tank. And he got to touch a python, a giant bullfrog, and a two-year-old alligator.

Tired, but brimming with happiness, Austin and his family returned to Utah with lots of souvenirs and t-shirts, and enough fishy memories to last a lifetime!