Uppercrust

Since we have moved here, one of our favorite places to visit as a family is Gainesville.  There is never a time that anyone stays with us that we don't plan a day there. Any combination of Kanapaha, Relish, the University of Florida or Swamp Head Brewery make for a wonderful afternoon there.  Today's trip took us a new place in Gainesville, Uppercrust Bakery.  We had never heard of it until last summer when Cameron, Doug and I saw it featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  We had all wanted to try it since then and finally had a day to do so.  

The bakery was crowded when we arrived, but not quite the long lines that the morning would have brought.  Each one of us picked a croissant - chocolate raspberry for me, ham and cheese for Cameron and spinach and feta for Doug.  There weren't a lot of tables at Uppercrust, so we decided to take our food to Swamp Head where Cameron could order his first beer there on his own.  It was a beautiful afternoon to sit on their patio, enjoy our meal and watch basketball.  The croissants were just as delicious as Guy Fierro said that they would be and in the end, we were all glad to add another wonderful place to visit on our frequent trips to Gainesville.

Play Ball!

For the first time in a long time, I went to a major league baseball game.  When Cameron decided to spend spring break with us, Doug suggested a spring training game.  I was surprised by how excited all of us were about it.  I hadn't been to a game since Cameron was in preschool.  Even Meg and Nick kept the night open to meet us.

The trip to Joker Marchant Field was a tough one with a missed turn and a lot of traffic, but other than that we all had a great time watching the Pirates vs. the Tigers.  We ate some of the traditional snacks - hot dogs and peanuts.  Several in our group ordered a beer or two while watching and all of us had fun.  The Tiger mascot was a little dated and the Pirates pitcher took a ball to the face, but even those couldn't dampen the mood.  The evening reminded me of how much I used to love following baseball when I was in middle school and of all of the fun that we had taking our own children to major league games. I don't know if we will make it back to another game this spring, but after tonight, I decided that I wouldn't wait another 15+ years to go to another one.  

A Wonderful Lunch

Since I wasn't going to be able to go to this month's Lunch Bunch or even the CCW meeting, Robbi invited me to join her for lunch at Chicken Salad Chick today.  She also asked her friend Robin to go, and I had such a wonderful time with these two ladies.  The weather was rainy, but none of us minded as we spent several hours catching up on our family's lives and several items at CCW.  

When I moved here, I didn't plan on making friends with women from a different generation than mine, but I have absolutely loved hanging out with Robbi and Robin.  Both are grandmothers and retired. They have been able to give me some great life advice and have enhanced my relationship with God.  They challenge me to put myself first while still being an important part of my family.  Today's lunch was exactly what I needed, and I am so glad that I was able to make time to go before Cameron arrived for his spring break vacation.  

Armadillo

Doug was in Orlando last night, so I was a little bit nervous when my Ring doorbell went off alerting me that there was motion out front.  I don't mind staying by myself since I have a security system, but when I am awoken out of a deep sleep it does make me jump.  I picked up my phone right away trying to guess first what it was.  So far, we have had a coyote, several cats and even a lizard set the camera off.  

Instead of any of our previous late-night guests, I actually saw an armadillo walking across the video that the Ring doorbell captured.  My grandparents had had a ton of them outside of their home in Arcadia, but I hadn't seen any in our neighborhood.  Thankfully, I knew that they were harmless.  The video also answered another question that had been bothering me - "What was digging in my front planters?"  I don't know how I am going to solve that problem, but at least I slept soundly the rest of the night knowing that I wouldn't have to worry about lizards sneaking in the house with an armadillo on guard.  

Generosity Eludes Some

Recently, Doug's dad told him that one of the Nigerian statues that he gave him was worth a lot of money because it was from a specific tribe and was made of ebony.  When Doug relayed the story to me, I knew exactly what bust he was referencing.  It was my least favorite as the woman in the statue was naked and I found it extremely inappropriate.  Because of that, I had stored it with several other memory items that Jeanette had given us before she died instead of displaying it in Doug's room.  

I knew from the research that Nick and I had done when we were sorting the African collection that the statue wasn't worth very much.  I showed Doug the research that I found, and he said that he figured that it wasn't valuable.  The memories of the entire collection, however, did mean a lot to Doug.  It was the only memorabilia that Doug had asked his dad for when he moved into Oak Crest.  He didn't want to financially gain from the collection but wanted the pieces because they reminded him of his childhood and life on Rich Road.

Because of this, I was floored when Doug mentioned that his dad said that he wished he hadn't given it to him because of its value.  Doug wasn't offended which said a lot about his character.  I know that I would have been upset if my parents had done the same thing.  I am glad that Doug and I do not revolve our life around money, but instead our family.  God calls all of us in Deuteronomy 15:10 to "Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless your work and in everything you put your hand to."

A Lightening Scare

I got an early morning text from my Aunt Vicky with a photo of a firetruck outside of my parents' home.  Lightening had stuck their house.  I couldn't believe it.  With everything else going on in their lives right now, it didn't even seem real.

After an afternoon of no electricity and a few days without internet, everything was restored at my parents today.  Hoosier Tree had assured me that the tree that it hit was not permanently damaged.  It would only need some soil replaced around the roots.  Nipsco checked the line into the house and all was fine with that.  Mediacom replaced the modem that was taken out from the storm, and the electrician checked the entire house for faulty wiring and thankfully found none.  Even the 75-inch television that was first thought to be blown came back on with the restored internet. 

In the end, my parents were very fortunate that nothing more serious had happened.  I told my mom that I believe that this was a sign from God that they need to move into an assisted living home.  She laughed at first, but I truly believe that as do several of my children.  Life should be easier as you age. Staying in a fifty-year-old home is hard to manage for any of us, but for those with serious health issues it is almost impossible without a lot of help.  I am very glad that the house survived the strike, but hopefully, they will see that now.

Moving Furniture

Last month, I was finally able to talk my parents into moving their bedroom downstairs into the "business room."  My mom cannot go upstairs, and I knew that soon my dad would not be able to either.  Thankfully, Aunt Vicky's family was willing to help and even offered to clean as well.  My parents didn't want to move the dresser down which helped in the process.  They also didn't want to use their king size bed.  They thought that it would be too hard to get down their winding stairs and that it wouldn't fit in the room.  Since we still had a queen size bed stored at their home, my mom offered to buy it off of me and then I could order one for Cameron's room.  I appreciated that as I was going to get the bed this summer on one of my trips to Syracuse.  This solution worked out well for both of us and I was impressed in how great their new bedroom looked when my cousins were done.

One thing that I rarely ask Doug to do is move furniture in our home.  He is great at helping, but he had done that a lot at his parents' home and I knew that it wasn't much fun.  This time I had no choice.  I couldn't get the new queen bed set up in Cameron's room without his help.  The worst part wasn't the bed, however.  I had decided that I would save the two twin beds in Cameron's room for guest use when we had a house full.  At first, I thought we'd store them under the queen bed, but they didn't remotely fit.  Next, I tried them in my walk-in closet, but they took up too much room there as well.

In the end, I was able to use them as a daybed in the music room.  I had always wanted one in there and this worked out perfectly.  It also allowed me to completely clean out my closet downsizing a lot of the tubs that were stored there.  Everything looked wonderful when we finished.  The only new piece of furniture that I had to buy was the nightstand by the daybed.  It was not only a perfect fit, but it held all of Cameron's vinyls as well.  The one downside to all of this was that Doug had to move the piano to make all of it fit.  Thankfully, I don't plan to ask him to move furniture anytime soon.