Animal Kingdom Lodge

When Doug and I stayed at the Contemporary during Thanksgiving, they had offered us a bounce back offer which allowed us to book two nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge during Cameron's spring break vacation. The three of us were excited as we had really enjoyed our stay there almost two years ago.  We were also glad to be able to have access to their club level this time which included all food and drinks.

Cameron and I arrived around noon today and were happy to see that our room was ready.  We dropped off our luggage and then spent some time enjoying our view from the balcony of our 4th floor room.  We were staying in zebra trail, but giraffes and wildebeest were the main focus at first.  After enjoying the savannah, Cameron and I headed to the lounge for lunch.  There were so many different appetizers and snacks to try including humus, peanut butter and jelly, cookies, chocolate covered raisins, spicy mixed nuts and so much more.  Although it wasn't officially a meal, it was all very good and definitely filled me up.  

After lunch, we headed to the Magnolia-Palm golf course on Disney property with the hope of Cameron getting to hit golf balls.  Unfortunately, as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, the skies opened up and all activities on the golf course were halted for the foreseeable future.  Cameron suggested Disney Springs, but on our way there he found a disc golf course that he wanted to try at a local park instead. He really enjoyed the afternoon, and I got in a nice walk while watching him play.  

Cameron and I got back to our room just as the animals were being feed.  It was really neat to see all of the animals out and about on the Savannah enjoying their dinner.  The zebras even made an experience and there were two African cranes that we had a lot of fun watching as well.  Meg and Doug both arrived shortly after we did and enjoyed the view as well.  We spent the rest of the night in and out of the lounge for dinner and dessert while taking breaks to check out the rest of the lodge.  The food was absolutely delicious and the resort was beautiful.  Although I was completely wiped out by 10 p.m. from all of the activity, I had an awesome evening with everyone.  

Selection Sunday & The Oscars

There are two events in the spring that Doug and I look forward to every year.  One is the Selection Sunday show that kicks off March Madness and the other is the Oscars.  For the first time ever both of them occurred on the same evening.  Thankfully, the first one was at six with the second starting at seven which meant that we could watch both.

Selection Sunday went pretty much as anticipated with no big surprises.  We were disappointed that IU was once again one of the first four out, but all of us expected that after we lost to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tourney.  The Oscars were a lot more exciting this year.  Conan O'Brien hosted them once again and was just as funny as last year.  Doug's favorite movie of the year, One Battle After Another, took home the most golden statues with Sinners close behind.  The lead actor prediction had changed in the last few weeks.  A month ago, everyone thought it would go to Timothy Chalamet, but he made a remark about how he had decided to become an actor because no one really went to the opera and ballet anymore.  I thought it was funny as his mother and sister were both ballerinas, but the voting community didn't like his comments, and the Oscar went to Michael B. Jordan instead.  In the end, Cal and I thought it was the best pick as he was very good in his roles as Stack and Smoke in Sinners and his humility was well known.  Doug, Cal and I also loved the tribute to Rob Reiner by his friends, Billy Crystal.  Even Barbara Streisand made a cameo honoring Robert Redford.  Overall, this was my favorite Oscars of the past few years and I was very glad that Cameron and Doug had fun watching it with me.

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."