Festival of the Arts

Doug and I went to the Festival of the Arts today and wow was it crowded.  We still had a lot of fun as we hadn't been to Disney since Thanksgiving.  Meg and Nick were able to meet us there for lunch which made it even better.  I believe that the large crowds were due to the beautiful weather.  It definitely has been a colder than a normal winter in Central Florida, so I believe the nice day was the reason for the holiday size crowds.

Even with the long lines, the four of us were still able to walk through the countries without any issue and look at all of the art booths.  There were a lot of Disney themed paintings, and several done by AI this year.  All were extremely cute, but none of us bought too much.  Meg did find the perfect gift for Maggie's birthday.  

The food at the festival was fantastic.  We tried several unique dishes with Doug really enjoying the mushroom risotto in Canada.  I liked the General Tso's dumplings from China the best.  We headed out after the festival as the ride lines were way too long.  Meg and Nick went to Magic Kingdom next while Doug and I stopped at Port Orleans French Quarter.  We had hoped to try their Valentine beignets.  Everyone else must have had that idea as there was at least one hundred people in line.  After seeing that, we decided that it would make way more sense to skip the Disney treat and stop at Publix for dessert.  I was glad that we did as it gave us time to watch IU's overtime win against Wisconsin making for a wonderful end to the day.  

The Winter Olympics

Doug was very excited that the Winter Olympics were starting tonight and really wanted to watch the opening ceremony.  That lasted about ten minutes as he didn't remember that it had really changed from when we were younger.  Although the Olympians still walked in together waving their country's flag, the majority of the night was filled with dancing and singing.  Doug definitely wasn't interested in that.

While Doug was talking about all of his favorite winter sports, such as bobsledding, curling and skiing, I was focused on finding out when speed skating would take place.  There were two women from Ocala participating in those events. Although it was hard to believe that Floridians would be very good at winter sports, each had won a medal in 2022, and I was hopeful to watch them win again.  Either way it will be fun to follow these next few weeks.  

Starting a Family vs. Joining One

I read a really great article recently about marriage.  It stated that you should always remember that when you get married that you are not joining another family, you are actually starting your own.  I had never thought about it that way, but felt it was great advice for newlyweds.  In-laws and family dynamics are very hard for anyone to navigate, but especially for young couples.  

Even though Doug and I had gotten married over three decades ago, the article really resonated with me especially after watching Brett and Karen and Meg and Nick work their way through the first year or two of married life.  It reminded me of when Doug and I started our lives together almost thirty-five years ago.  The hardest part was figuring out our places in both our families as individuals and as a couple.  It wasn't easy, especially since we came from such different backgrounds.  

I wish that I could tell twenty-five-year-old me to look at life the way the article suggested.  It would have made everything easier.  I hated having family obligations with a group of people that I really did not know very well.  Back then, I felt as though I should understand the family dynamics when I had no idea what they were.  I went to events that weren't important to me and felt extremely out of place.  Instead of making me feel like I belonged, I became bitter and felt extremely unappreciated.  

Thankfully, I have really come to understand this past year that the biggest family obligation I have is to my husband and my children.  I have to put them first, especially Doug. It is he who I have built my life with and supporting him is my number one priority.  Hopefully, we have thirty-five more years together, but even if we don't I want to know that I gave my all because starting a family with him has been the best part of my life.

A Trip to Orlando

Doug stayed at Meg's tonight, so I decided to drive up and meet them both for dinner.  Meg has been very busy with work, crafting and hanging out with her group from church, so I haven't seen her a lot.  It was extremely nice to spend time with her.  The three of us went to one of Meg's favorite restaurants in the area which had a lot of different choices for me to choose from on the menu.  I really appreciated that as that is not only the case.  I also really enjoyed the atmosphere and had fun catching up on the "drama" at Meg's work.  It is so nice to know that she has found a job that she likes and that she is doing very well at already.  

When I left at 8:30, Doug was already hanging out in the papasan chair.  That has been his favorite spot to fall asleep in before he officially goes to bed.  The drive was super easy.  They have opened up part of the Turnpike which has shaved ten minutes off of the trip.  Doug was still awake when I called to tell him that I was home.  He and Meg were listening to music.  It was a great night, and I was glad that I decided to join them even if it was only for a few hours.

A Visit North

While we were having a relaxing weekend at home, Cameron spent his two free days in Syracuse visiting Grandma and Grandpa.  My mom was worried about the snow on the roads, but thankfully all was clear and he made it with no problem.  My parents enjoyed watching the IU basketball game Saturday night and ordering dinner out with him.  Cameron was able to get his laundry done and to help do a few small projects for his grandparents as well. 

I really appreciated him visiting them. The winter can feel very long in the Midwest and having something fun to look forward to makes it go by a lot quicker. Cameron also hadn't been able to visit much last semester, so it was nice for him to get a break from Bloomington as well.  He even had time to go to brunch with Samuel and was happy to report that his friend had no lingering issues after his emergency gallbladder removal in Ecuador.  Overall, it was a great weekend for all, and I am glad that my children prioritize their grandparents as they were such an important part of their childhood years.

We Have a Working Septic

On Saturday morning, I noticed that my shower drained very slowly.  I thought that maybe there was hair clogging the drain, so I cleaned it out right after I was finished.  Yesterday, however, I realized that there was more to it than just a clogged drain.  Not only did my shower drain slowly, but the toilet started making a gurgling noise when the water was running.  After Doug said that his was doing the same thing, I decided to do some research and became instantly worried.  Everything that I read said that it was a problem with our septic.  We had never had this happen when we lived in Syracuse, so I feared the worst.

Thankfully, we were able to get a hold of a septic company relatively quickly even though it was Sunday morning.  They wouldn't be able to send someone out until this afternoon but assured us that this was normal for a full septic tank and as long as we didn't overuse it, we would be fine.  Doug and I spent the afternoon avoiding the drainage system as much as possible even dumping our dish water outside in the rocks like The Wilders did on Little House on the Prairie.

The company arrived promptly at 3 p.m. this afternoon and were able to tell me within fifteen minutes that there was nothing seriously wrong with our tank or drain field.  Their plan was to pump out the tank and change the filter and all would return to normal.  There was one minor hiccup when the water still wouldn't flow correctly after that. Once they unclogged the pipe from the house to the tank, everything began working perfectly.  I appreciated all that they did and even tipped them enough to buy lunch for all of their hard work.  

Oscar Movies

The Oscar nominations were recently announced, and I was surprised by how many of the movies that we had either seen or at least heard of this year.  That hasn't been the case in quite some time.  Since there were also a lot of actors that we knew, Doug and I decided to look at the list and try a few nominated movies that we hadn't seen or that Cal and Cameron had recommended.  

The first one on our list was Sinners.  I knew that it was scary and that there was a twist that involved vampires, but even when it happened, I wasn't ready for it.  Overall, I liked the movie and thought that it was well done, but didn't move it past One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme or F-1 for my top choice for Oscar.  The next movie that we watched was Jay Kelley.  I had never heard of it until we watched the Golden Globes.  It had gotten good reviews and starred George Clooney, so Doug and I decided to give it a try.  It was the story of an actor past his prime who was having a midlife crisis.  Doug really enjoyed it as he could relate to several of the themes in it.  

Our last film choice wasn't nominated for best picture, but it was definitely our favorite of the three.  Cameron had been talking about Weapons since he watched it at the beginning of Christmas break.  Doug's not usually one to choose a horror movie, but since Cal and Jim had also recommended it, he was ready to see what all of the hype was about.  It was extremely scary, had a unique plot and was very entertaining.  Both Doug and I loved it and couldn't stop talking about it the rest of the week.