Another Weekend, Another Visitor

Cal finally had a break from work, so he used it to go out and visit and Grandma and Grandpa.  He hadn't been to Syracuse since December and was very thankful to see both of them.  While he was there, he was also able to help get a few things done for Grandma as well.  The biggest item on the list was cleaning out Grandpa's 2006 Dodge Caravan and finding the title to it. Since I was coming out in March to help get ready for a garage sale in May, I was very happy to hear that there would be room to store the items.  I was also glad to know that they had decided to give the car to Jess.  She and Adam only had one vehicle and it wasn't running the last I heard.  Once Jess had her own car, Aunt Vicky wouldn't have to run as many errands for her as well.  It may not look the best, but it should work well for her needs.

While Cal was there, he also took Grandma over to see Grandpa.  Since the hospital is talking about sending him to rehab in Fort Wayne or Muncie, I was very glad that she got to visit with him before then.  Cal said that Grandpa looked a lot better than he thought that he would.  They put him on a steroid which had seemed to help.  Cal was very positive about his visit to the hospital and was glad that Grandpa liked his chocolate shake.  I was very happy to hear about his day.  My mom looked great in the pictures that they took and he was even able to find the tax documents that I had been looking for so that I can help my parents file their taxes this spring.  It has been very overwhelming trying to manage all of this while living a thousand miles away.  Thus, I really appreciate Brett and Cal taking time out of their weekends to help.  It takes a village, no matter the age of your family.

A New Look

This year's cold weather was extremely hard on my outdoor plants.  Thankfully, most of them survived, even though they looked pretty ragged at first.  Unfortunately, the two bromeliads on our front porch did not.  I was actually surprised by that as I had planted them when we first bought the house replacing the ugly ferns that the previous owner had in them, and they had lived through several hard freezes since then.  There must have been something different about this year's weather that ended up taking them out.

Doug and I decided to wait until we were sure that winter was over in Florida before we tried anything else.  The planters were made out of cement, and we knew that we wouldn't be able to move them once we purchased new plants.  We had looked at Lowe's two weeks ago and loved several that we saw but today settled on two Petra Crotons.  It was a colorful tropical plant that loved direct sunlight.  We had plenty of that in our front landscaping and knew that they would be perfect for the planters.  While we were there, we also saw a beautiful daisy and picked that up as well.  Everything looked wonderful when we were done and matched our St. Patrick's Day decorations as well.  I was more than thrilled with it all and in the end was glad that old man winter decided that we needed a new look.

One Heck of a Rain Storm

Normally, I complain loudly when it rains while I am outside, but today, I put on my raincoat and Teva sandals and smiled.  We have been under a severe drought and no burn order for at least the past month. I have never lived in a state that had to worry about wildfires before, but the one a few weeks ago in Ocala National Forest did make me very nervous even if it was twenty miles away from our home. I knew that the rain showers this afternoon would probably not be enough, but I was still very thankful to have them.  I was sure that my plants and yard were appreciating them as well.  In the end, our rain gauge read 6 inches for today's storm.  That was the most that we had ever received in a twelve-hour period.  I am sure that I was only imagining it, but it seemed to me that everything was a lot greener when the rain ended.  

Traitors

Since I was such a big fan of Survivor, Maggie suggested that I watch Traitors.  I was hesitant at first as Survivor and Amazing Race have been the only two reality television shows that I have really liked unless Dancing with the Stars counts.  I tried watching Deal or No Deal Island during its first season as I knew some of the contestants from other shows, but it just wasn't for me.  I actually felt that it was staged and didn't even make it to the finale.  

After Cal told me that he had started season four of Traitors with Maggie and really liked it, I decided to give it a try.  From the moment I turned it on, I was hooked.  There was more drama than I usually enjoyed, but I still had a lot of fun watching it.  There were several contestants that I knew from other avenues.  Lisa Rinna was one of the traitors. I had been watching her on television since I was in middle school and she was on my favorite soap opera, "Days of Our Lives."  There were also a few contestants from Survivor, a pro from Dancing with the Stars, and two figure skaters, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir that I just loved.  I wasn't rooting for the guy who was the ultimate "traitor", but Cal and Maggie had picked him from the beginning, so I was happy with the outcome.  Overall, it was a great show, and I was really glad that Cal and Maggie encouraged me to watch it.  Next week, I plan to binge watch season three where I can once again cheer on my favorite reality television star ever, Boston Rob. 

Survivor 50

Tonight, Survivor 50 began and to prepare I watched all of the highlight episodes that CBS aired to get ready for it.  I also binge watched Heroes vs. Villains which was probably my favorite season of all time even though Boston Rob was voted out early in the show.  Although he wasn't going to be on this anniversary season, I was still excited that some of my new favorites like Charlie and Kamilla were among the contestants as well.

Meg and Doug were looking forward to Survivor 50 as well, so we decided to watch it at Meg's tonight. The show started off with an introduction to all of the players.  Meg claimed that Coach was one of her all-time favorites.  Once the competitions began, however, she soon realized that she remembered incorrectly and found him just as unlikeable as I did.  This episode was three hours long, but it flew by with several challenges, a lot of annoying players and a few long-time fan favorites making it through the first night.  Unfortunately, it ended on a down note as a recent winner had to be medically evacuated due to a torn Achilles in the reward challenge.  Even with that, we all really enjoyed the show and already can't wait for next week's episode.  

The Jokes Never Stop

Although getting up and out the door early in the morning is not one of my favorite things to do, I never use it as an excuse to skip Bible study.  I absolutely love going to the Tuesday morning meeting and enjoy everything that is discussed even if it is not on topic.  There is also always someone with a funny story or a joke to tell that revolve around faith, religion or the church.  

This week's story was not a joke, but instead a true-life story about the Catholic Church that I had never heard.  It involved the castrati and made everyone feel a little uncomfortable. A castrato is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano or contralto.  The practice was started during St. Augustine's time as he had forbidden females from participating in the mass including the choir.  The practice was banned in the late 1700s to 1800s, but secretly still continued until the early 1900s. These men became very famous as opera singers since they could sing the female lead roles in a time when only males were allowed to be on stage.  The person who shared this information at class even had a recording on his phone from the last know castrato who died in 1923.  Even though the singer had a beautiful voice, I was glad that it finally ended in the early 20th century.

Although no one in our group made any jokes about such a serious topic, one of them did send a meme to the group later that I found funny.  I didn't have an answer to it but felt that it was thought provoking.  I decided that I would share it with my family instead of our class discussion.  I think they appreicated that.

The Grand Floridian

Doug and I completed our Disney resort bucket list this weekend by staying at the Grand Floridian.  At first, we weren't sure that it would happen due to a mishap this morning, but we were able to work through that and had a wonderful day.  We checked in at 11 a.m. and then met Meg and Nick at Epcot for lunch at the Festival of the Arts.  It was nice to try the food booths that we missed several weeks ago, and the cold weather kept the crowds lower than normal.

After Epcot, the four of us went back to the Grand Floridian to enjoy the resort's amenities.  Meg and I loved the decor and the Mary Poppins theme in our room.  Doug suggested that we try the bar at the hotel.  The Enchanted Rose at the Grand Floridian was nice, but the theming lacked the Beauty and the Beast feel that it advertised.  The drinks and appetizers were good, but a little pricey for us, so we decided to walk to the Polynesian for dinner.  They had an outside bar on the water that we loved when we tried it in November with the Doyles.  It was once again a hit with the four of us.  We each ordered a small meal and enjoyed the atmosphere very much.  The rest of the night was spent at the Grand Floridian where we could see the fireworks from our balcony.  

Overall, Doug and I really enjoyed our stay at the famed deluxe resort and were very happy to check "Staying at all of the Disney World resorts" off of our bucket list.  In saying that, however, The Boardwalk Inn will always be our favorite.  The proximity to Epcot, the theme, and the activity on the Boardwalk make it a true resort vacation.  Thankfully, today, we got a bounce back offer from Disney that allowed us to book a room there for Mother's Day weekend at the club level.  That will be a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday.