Disney's Grand Adventure

Today we explored Disney’s California Adventure.  We were impressed with how close it was to Disneyland.  It reminded us of Hollywood Studios, only bigger.  We started with the Goofy Sky Coaster and the Little Mermaid Ride.  Both were a lot of fun.  We then spent time in Pixar Land.  I didn’t think I’d be able to ride it, but I made it on their Mickey Mouse Ferris wheel which reminded me of the one on Navy Pier.  It was a little bit frightening, but overall better than I expected.  We opted out of the swinging carts.  I knew I couldn’t handle that.

Doug and I went to a wine seminar after the rides.  It was a lot better than the mixology one that we attended yesterday.  We both enjoyed it.  While we were there Cam and Meg rode several more rides including the Incredicoaster.  Once we met back up we tried a couple of foods at their International Food and Wine Festival including ghost pepper macaroni and cheese and fried artichokes.  We spent the rest of the day in Cars Land and thought it was a lot of fun, especially their Radiator Springs ride which mirrored Test Track at EPCOT.  The funniest ride of the day was at Mater’s Junkyard where we rode spinning tractors while Mater sang along.  We laughed the rest of the day about that one.

After ten hours at California Adventure, we went back to the Paradise Pier to eat in the lounge.  The appetizers were the same as yesterday, but the desserts made the meal.  The rest of the evening was spent at Disneyland where we were able to get on all of the rides that we missed yesterday.  My favorite was Alice in Wonderland.  There was nothing like it at Disney World.  

Disneyland

We started the morning at La Jolla Cove and could not believe how beautiful it was.  There were pelicans, sea birds nesting, sea lions, seals and seagulls all along the cove.  The sea lions and seals were sunning themselves on the rocks and two even found their way to the sand where we could take pictures within five feet of them.  It was almost overwhelming to see these awesome animals in their natural habitat.  As much as we enjoyed the San Diego Zoo yesterday, this stop may have been the highlight of trip to the San Diego area.

We spent about an hour at the cove before leaving for Anaheim.  It took us around an hour and a half to get to our hotel, Paradise Pier.  While we checked in, Doug returned the rental car as there was an Enterprise within a mile of our location.  Our room wasn't ready yet, but they gave us access to the lounge where we enjoyed lunch.  Once Doug got back we all walked over to Disneyland where Cam and Meg took a ride on Space Mountain.  While they were enjoying that, Doug and I did a walking tour of the park.  It was set up very similar to Disney World, so it didn't take long to understand the layout.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying all that Disneyland had to offer.  I was excited to finally ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride as it was one of my earliest memories as a toddler.  Fantasyland was a lot of fun as it still had the original Snow White Ride that Disney World replaced years ago.  Meg and I also really liked Story Book Land, a canal ride through the fairy tales that Walt Disney made movies about.  We did ride on the traditional favorites from Disney World such as Small World, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise.  All were slightly varied from our trips to Florida, but just as fun.  We tried to make it until midnight, but after Fantastic we decided that we were wiped out and headed back at 11 p.m. happy with our first day at Disneyland.

                        

First Stop, San Diego

Our first stop of Meg's senior Spring Break trip was fantastic.  There were a lot of variables that could have made this day a complete failure, but the only hiccup in our schedule was taking an extra fifteen minutes to get through the Enterprise rental car line.  Our flight was on time and arrived early, all of our luggage fit in the car we rented, the San Diego Zoo was only 5 miles from the airport and the Pandas were on full exhibit.  When we entered the zoo at 12:30 California time I finally relaxed.

In our years together, Doug and I had visited over a dozen zoos.  The San Diego Zoo by far was the best and biggest zoo that we had ever walked through.  There were so many animals to see that I lost count.  The zoo was crowded, but the weather was beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed it.  Meg's favorite animal was the Babirusa, an Indonesian pig with a face that only a true swine fan would love.  She also agreed with us that the Pandas and the Koalas were absolutely adorable.  We had read so many reviews for the zoo and it definitely did not disappoint.  It took over four hours, but we made it through all of the exhibits that we wanted to see and even had time for lunch and some shopping.

After the zoo we drove to Coronado Island to check out the beach.  Doug had heard that it was the best beach in the San Diego area and we definitely loved it.  The water was too cold for Cam and Meg to swim, but we all enjoyed getting our feet wet, walking the beach and looking for shells.  The only drawback to the journey to the island was the two mile long bridge that we had to drive over twice.  It was well worth it, however, and I was glad to have finally put my toes in the Pacific Ocean.

 

We thought about eating at the Gaslamp area in downtown San Diego, but felt it was more for the over twenty-one crowd.  After touring the streets of San Diego, we decided instead to drive to LaJolla to look for a restaurant there.  By chance we happened across Karl Strauss Brewery which had delicious food and fast service, a plus after a long day of traveling.  We stayed in the Embassy Suites and by nine p.m. Meg was fast asleep.  Cam and Doug watched the end of the Duke game before calling it a night.  Our first day of Meg's senior Spring Break trip was an absolute success.  Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Let the Tennis Begin

Tonight was Meg's first tennis match of the season.  It was against West Noble and Meg had played their number 1 girl several times during her high school career.  We knew it would be a close match as they had similar games.  Unfortunately, Meg started off slow and had to play catch up from a 0-3 score in the first set.  She did rebound and played very well the rest of the set and well into the second.  It wasn't enough, however, and Meg found herself on the losing end of an 0-2 match.  She was disappointed at first.  She hasn't enjoyed playing this girl and would have liked to have beaten her, but overall she knew that she had improved already from last year and was glad that Doug, Nick, Phillip, Cam and I were there to cheer for her.

As soon as Meg finished and checked in with her coach, we left for home.  Our goal was to get to Chicago tonight in time to eat at Giordano's before heading to our hotel.  I had already packed the Pilot so all we had to do was drop the van off at home and feed the pigs.  We left before 7 p.m.  and since traffic was light we had no issues making it to dinner.  The pizza was as good as we had remembered and check in to the hotel was online making a quick trip to our hotel room.  Cam and Doug had watched the end of the Purdue game at Giordano's and started to watch the Michigan game.  Cam's hope of watching the Wolverines play in Anaheim were quickly dashed as Texas Tech shot out to a large lead early.  Overall, no one was too disappointed as we were ready to call it a night.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Cutes!

Today was Grandpa Cutes' 76th birthday and we celebrated with pizza, cake, pie and a few rounds of Euchre.  Although it wasn't extremely warm this afternoon, he did get a chance to play some golf as well.  Our gift this year wasn't exactly what he asked for, but we liked it a lot.  For several years Grandpa Cutes had wanted a Goofy head cover for his driver.  We had looked everywhere for one, including Disney World, but just wasn't able to find one.  Because of that he said he'd take a Snoopy head cover instead, but the price was outrageous and it didn't fit a driver.  Thus, Meg and I were excited when we found a Yoda driver cover at Dick's last weekend.  The boys thought it was great as well and soon it will be part of his golf set.  At first we told him that it looked like him, but in the end we realized that he was correct - Yoda actually looked identical to Bernie Sanders.  Either way, it will be a fun conversational piece when he plays golf with his friends and he will think of the Heinisch children every time he uses it.  We were happy to celebrate his day with him.

A Rare Night Out

My goal today was to dust the entire house and to get out the Easter.  It took longer than I thought it would, but by the time Doug got home from his meeting at the church I had finished it all.  I was glad to finally put the St. Patrick's away.  The house looked more like Spring with the Easter decorations all around.  With all of the housework that I had been doing these past two days, I not only had a clean house, but had caught up on my Sopranos watching.  I had hoped to finish season two before we left and it looks like I should be able to do that.  I've been texting Cal after each episode to let him know what I thought about the plot and/or characters.  It was one of his favorite shows and I can definitely see why.

Tonight Doug and I went to dinner at The Frog.  We haven't been going out as much because of the expense, but it was half price pizza night and by the time we left our bill was only $25, even including drinks.  I enjoyed talking to Doug and we kept track of the IU game as well.  A win would have put them in the final four of the NIT at Madison Square Gardens.  Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.  Cam was ok with it as he felt that there was potential for next year.  We were all sad when we realized that Juwann Morgan had played his last game for the Hoosiers.  Meg had dinner with Nick tonight and hung out at his house for awhile.  They had a nice evening and she made it home in time to pack some more before she went to bed.  

Cleaning Day

Although it has not been my favorite part of resigning from teaching, I have been able to keep up on the routine cleaning that comes along with having a large family and a big house.  Today was my scheduled day to clean and I got a lot more done than I had originally thought that I would.  I did have one more closet door to put a second coat on, but that was easy to finish first thing this morning.  By the time I left to pick Cam up from tennis the house was back in shape and I even had time to go grocery shopping.

Tennis was inside for Cameron today due to lack of court and gym space.  He was more than ready to get out and play golf when I picked him up to take him to Black Squirrel.  He was happy with how he scored today except for the last hole.  Overall, his new clubs have worked well and he has enjoyed being a junior member of the team.  Meg had tennis practice after school as well.  She will be playing number 1 on Thursday against West Noble which she was happy to hear.  She had played the Chargers number 1 several times and was ready for a rematch.  Tonight she focused on packing for Spring Break.  She cannot wait to get to California.  I won't get ours started until Wednesday, but should have time to finish before we leave Thursday night.  We have a lot planned and it should be a lot of fun.

Les Miserables

Doug and I spent this afternoon at the Morris Civic Theater in South Bend watching Les Miserables.  I had ordered our tickets in September and was incredibly happy to be attending today's performance.    It was absolutely wonderful.  The songs were very well done and we were both impressed with the cast.  I had listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times over the years and loved seeing my favorites sung live, especially One Day More.

I had used my last teacher's bonus to purchase our seats which made it even more special to me.  It was nice knowing that I was able to celebrate my final year of teaching by attending the best Broadway show that I had ever seen.  My favorite part was sharing it with Doug.  It was a fun afternoon and we topped it off with dinner at Bonefish Grill complete with macadamia nut brownies for dessert.  It will be awhile before we will be able to do this again, so I will cherish the memory for quite some time.

Chess Boy

Last night Doug and Cam left for Bloomington.  Cam's chess team was scheduled to play in the team state tournament at Martinsville today.  The location was perfect for our family as Cam and Doug could stay at Brett's and enjoy some time in Bloomington.  They left early enough to make it to dinner at Bucceto's last night without any problem.  Doug was happy with his spinach, anchovy and ricotta calzone.

This morning Doug took Cam to his tournament at Martinsville High School.  The school was located in a fairly sketchy area, but other than that the day went very well for Cameron.  He was 5-0 in his matches helping his team to earn 2.5 points which put them in 14th place for the day.  I talked to Cam as soon as it was over.  He was very happy with his play.  Not only had he won all of his matches, but he had beaten a very good player from Canterbury.  All of his opponents today except for one were rated higher than he was, making his wins even more impressive.  He was also very glad that IU beat Arkansas today in the second round of the NIT.  He didn't get to watch it, but he did listen to it during a match.

While Cam was at chess, Doug spent part of the day in Bloomington with Brett.  They were able to visit Oliver Winery and Nick's before Doug headed back to Martinsville.  I opted not to go with Doug this weekend, so I could spend time with Meg.  First she had tennis practice, so I finished painting the doors while she was gone.  Once she got home, we went to South Bend to do a little shopping and to eat dinner at Portillo's.  It was a lot of fun.  We made it home just before Cam and Doug arrived.

Happy 18th Birthday Meg!!

It's official!  Meg became an adult at 11:07 a.m. today.  It was an 18th birthday that she will not soon forget as she spent it with the senior class on the last day of their week long trip to Chicago.  It started with late night greetings from so many of her friends and early morning greetings as well.  A group of them went to breakfast together and had fun celebrating Meg.  Nick gave her a set of pins that were perfect for the day and besides a long train trip back to Bethany, it was a wonderful day!

Since Meg was hungry when she got back to Goshen, we decided to have dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.  As Doug and Cam had already left for Bloomington we were the only ones home this evening.  It was nice to spend so much quality time with Meg and I was happy to hear about all of her adventures.  It was obvious that she had had a lot of fun on the trip and had made the most of the opportunities given to her.  Although there were a couple of the stops on their agenda that she didn't like as much as others, all went very well and she was very glad for the experience.  It was sad for her at times as she thought about how much she missed having Shawn with them, but that was to be expected.  She did get to spend a lot of time with Nick, Grace and Phillip which made the trip very memorable.  She liked so many of the activities, including Whirly Ball and the Sports Comedy show, but in the end said that "A Bronx Tales" was her favorite.  As she headed to bed tonight I was so happy for her.  She had a wonderful birthday and a fantastic week with her class.  What an awesome way to start her 18th year.

March Madness

Well, March Madness arrived this afternoon and once again IU was not in the tournament.  At first that felt disappointing, especially since they started their season so well, but in the end we were all ok with it.  The Hoosiers did get the number #1 seed in the NIT and won their opening game Tuesday night.  It was also less stressful watching the madness begin knowing that IU wasn't going to be national champions this year.

I watched several of the games this afternoon while I was painting.  Cal texted me to give me his thoughts on today's action.  Unlike me, he wanted Michigan State to win as I had hoped that Bradley would pull off the upset.  When I picked Cameron up from tennis to take him to golf, he talked a lot about the 'Sota game that he had watched on his phone.  We were both happy that the Golden Gophers upset Louisville.

Tonight Cameron went to Mr. Miller's March Madness party at Bethany.  It was meant for his sports poetry interterm class, but he allowed Cam to join in the fun since Mr. Miller knew that he was really into college basketball.  While he was there, Doug and I went to Hacienda for dinner.  We were surprised that none of their televisions were tuned to the basketball games.  Since there weren't any on that we really wanted to watch, it was alright with us.  We did make it home in time for Doug and Cam to catch the Purdue game.  They were both happy at the end of the night as The Big Ten teams went 5 and 0.

Painting

Since Meg was going to be gone this week and Cam would be busy with Interterm, golf and tennis, I decided that I would paint our inside doors.  They definitely were in need of it as I hadn't painted them since Brett graduated.  I started on Monday with the main level and quickly realized that the issues with my joints were going to slow me down quite a bit from the last time I painted them.  In fact I was floored at how difficult the painting really was for me.  I lowered my expectations of how much I could accomplish and stuck with it.  In the end I was pleased with how much I had accomplished through today.  All of the main level inside doors had been repainted except for the one in our closet.  I was scared that I would spill paint on the new carpet.  I also painted half of the basement doors.  Cam said at first he didn't notice as I had kept them white.  On closer inspection, however, it was amazing how much better they all looked.  I did change the color on the front and back door not only cleaning them up, but also making them brighter.  I won't get as much done as I had planned, but I was proud of myself for sticking with it.  When we get back from Florida I will switch to looking through photos to get ready for Meg's open house.  I will still have a little bit of painting to do, but the majority of it will be behind me.  Searching through photo albums should be a lot easier for me to do.

Meat!

Cam was exciting to go back to school toady as they were scheduled to butcher a pig this morning.  It was all he could talk about on our way in and all he could talk about on the way home.  He told me about the parts of the pig and what meat comes from what area.  He filled me in on how to butcher a pig and said that he only gagged once when he had to clean up some blood.  In addition to the pig, he also learned how to butcher a duck and a chicken.  He could describe the different methods used for both as their leg joints were not the same.  He offered to butcher any and all ducks at Grandma's if she needed him too.

Even though I couldn't completely understand his excitement on the topic, it was fun listening to him talk.  Cameron had always been our science enthusiast, so I shouldn't have been surprised by his enjoyment of this class.  My Mom and Aunt Vicky both suggested that instead of becoming a butcher, Cam could use his newfound skills to become a surgeon.  He and I had talked about that several times over the past few years.  He hadn't ruled it out as of yesterday.

Interterm

This was the week that Cam and Meg had been looking forward to all winter - Interterm.  Cam made his class selections several weeks ago and when I heard about his first choice I thought that he was tricking me.  I was wrong, however, and this morning Cam was up bright and early ready for his first day of Meat!  When I picked him up from tennis he was excited to tell me the facts about butchering animals and that they were going to give it a try with a pig tomorrow.  His afternoon was fun as well with his Break Out class.  His group was the only one to solve the puzzle and escape.

As excited as Cam was about Interterm, Meg was even more thrilled as she left this morning for Chicago for their senior trip.  They rode on the bus to South Bend and then took the South Shore to the Windy City.  Their first stop of the day was Dave and Busters - a giant arcade.  They checked into the Fairfield Inn afterward and then made their way to dinner at Machu Picchu, a Peruvian restaurant that Meg really enjoyed.  The evening activity was a scavenger hunt on the CTA.  She had Mr. Bueller in her group and after the first two stops, he decided they should get folded ice cream instead.  She texted me late last night to let me know that she was having a great time.  I never doubted that for a minute.

St. Patrick's Day

We followed our normal routine for celebrating St. Patrick's Day.  First we went to mass where Doug was an usher, Meg was a lector and Cam was an altar server.  Cam and Meg had extra duties today as Cam had to train a younger server and Meg had to read for the Signs of the Cross.  They both did very well.  Joey and Nick joined us for mass and afterward we all went to the Knights of Columbus for their annual corn beef and cabbage lunch.

Meg and Nick went to South Bend later in the day while Joey and Cam hung out here playing basketball and walking through the trails in our neighborhood.  They ran into quite a few deer in the woods.  Doug and I finally got all of the pictures hung back up on the living room walls from when he painted.  We also got the doors ready for me to paint tomorrow.  My parents stopped by to watch the NCAA March Madness selection show with Cameron.  No one was surprised by the seeds this year.  Doug made minestrone for dinner and we then spent the rest of the evening working on The Marauder's Map and watching our favorite Irish movie - The Quiet Man - the perfect way to end our quiet St. Patrick's Day.

End of a Fun Week

Today was the last day at home for Brett and Cal.  They decided early in the week to head back today so they had some time to relax before classes started again.  I spent the morning getting their laundry done, so they could leave at 2:00 p.m.  Meg and Brett had time to go to lunch at Maria's, a favorite of theirs.  Cal, Doug, Cam and I enjoyed brunch together in between Cam's choir and band concerts in Goshen.  My parents stopped by to say goodbye to the boys before they left and by 6:00 they were back in Bloomington, unpacked with Brett at the comic bookstore.

Cam's choir and band concert went very well.   Doug was as impressed with the band as I was and both groups earned gold ratings.  After the choir concert Cam and Joey went over to Sam's for a small gathering.  Doug and I picked them up at 6:00 p.m.  By the time we got back from Goshen, Meg was home from practice.  She stayed with the boys while Doug and I went to Huntington Street for dinner.  It was crowded due to St. Patrick's Day weekend, but we found a table.  When we got home, the boys were outside playing basketball and Meg was packing for her senior trip next week.  The rest of the night was a quiet one.  The boys watched basketball games, played more basketball and ate pizza.  Meg spent most of her time packing or talking on the phone.  Doug and I started the Marauder's Map puzzle.  It will definitely be a lot easier than the others that we have done this winter.  We finished the night watching Oliver Twist.  I had never seen it and really enjoyed it.

Happy Early Birthday

Tonight we celebrated Meg's 18th birthday a little early.  Since everyone was home and Meg would be on her senior trip next Friday we thought that it was the perfect night to honor her eighteen years on this Earth.  She picked Papa Vino's for dinner and with everyone getting out of practice early we were able to make our 7:00 p.m. reservation without any issues.  We had hoped that Hannah-Marie could join us, but she spent her Spring Break in Jackson Hole, Wyoming skiing with the IU Ski Club.  Nick was available, however, which made it even more special for Meg.  Dinner was delicious and the conversation was lively as always.  We listened to some of our favorite songs on the way home including Spongebob's Under My Rock.

Grandma Jane and Grandpa Cutes met us at home to finish the celebration.  Meg opened her gifts which were predominantly clothes, but did include chicken broth and a $50 bill.  She liked everything that she received and was already talking about her shopping trip with me next weekend to buy Chaco's.  I had ordered a cake from Lance's and it not only looked beautiful, it tasted fantastic as well.  Although it was a week early, it was a fun night celebrating Meg's upcoming 18th birthday.

A Busy Day for All

Cam had an orthodontist appointment this morning that coincided perfectly with our stop at the eye doctor to pick up his new frames.  He had broken his glasses before we left for Florida.  Fortunately, they were still under warrantee.  We stopped at home to eat lunch and to pickup Brett before heading back to Bethany.  The best part was that Cam got to watch part of the IU vs. Ohio State game before going back to class.

Brett and I spent our afternoon in Elkhart.  He needed new shoes and there was a Shoe Carnival right next to the AMC which had an afternoon showing of Fighting with My Family.  We were extremely pleased with both of our stops.  Brett found a pair of shoes that he really liked and we both thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  I had never heard of it until Brett recommended it and was surprised at how good it was.  The theater had seen better days, but the fact that it had afternoon movies made it a five star for us.  On our way to pick up Cam at golf practice we stopped at the Concord mall to get in some steps.  It rained off and on all day, so I had to get my steps in inside today.

Cal and Dad were back from Chicago by the time we got home.  They were disappointed with IU's loss, but had enjoyed their outing.  IU tried to come back and win which at least made the end of the game exciting.  Their seats were great and lunch was even better as they had Italian beef and pizza from Giordano's.  Meg and Doug weren't home until after 8 tonight as Meg hung out with Sarah after practice and Doug had county council.  The rest of us enjoyed Chinese and watched more of the Big Ten Tourney until they got home.

Golf and Tennis Practice

Meg started tennis practice this week.  She had been excited for the season to start as she really enjoys her teammates and her coach.  It sounds from listening to her that the lessons really helped her this winter and that she was already hitting the ball a lot harder than last year.  I also ran into her old coach, Drew.  He said he was ready to work on her overheads anytime that she wanted too.

Cam also started golf practice this week.  Since there will not be a middle school team he will be able to practice with the high schoolers and even follow along in some of the matches.  His first priority will be chess and tennis, but he will be on the course as much as possible.  So far he really enjoyed the first two days as they worked on chipping and putting.  My Dad found him a new set of irons and he can't wait to try them out.

Doug was home to make nachos for everyone tonight.  He and Cal enjoyed the fish ones that he made, while Brett, Cam and I stuck with the traditional ones.  Meg went with Nick to Louie's tux shop and then ate dinner at his house this evening.  After dinner the five of us played The Donner Dinner Party Game.  It was a lot of fun and we all learned that Brett would not do well at playing poker as he can't keep a straight face to save his life.

Hit the Ground Running

It was tough getting up and moving this morning, but as we got back so early last night, I had told Cam that he had to go to school at the regular time.  Since Meg had a doctor's appointment it meant that I had to get up and take him.  We made it on time, however.  Once I got back and saw Meg out the door I thought about going back to bed, but all of the unpacking was calling my name and I decided to get working on that.  In the end I was glad that I did as I got the majority of it done before I left to pick Cam up from chess.  Thankfully, Brett was home to switch loads for me so I could fit in grocery shopping this afternoon as well.

Brett also felt the after affects of being gone for five days.  Although he was able to sleep in, he went right to work on homework and job searching as soon as he woke up.  He didn't mind too much as he had Game of Thrones to keep him occupied while he worked.  Cal slept in and then caught up on his Simpsons watching.  He ordered tickets for he and Grandpa Cutes to watch IU play Ohio State in the Big Ten tourney on Thursday at the United Center.  With the fees and ticket prices it only cost them $20 total for two seats.

Tonight I went to Cam's choir and band concert.  It was the preview for their ISMAA contest this Saturday.  I was extremely impressed with the band.  They sounded fantastic.  The choir also performed well.  After the concert Cam wanted to go to Culver's with several of his friends.  I had taken along a few items to work on as I had anticipated that  he might want to do this.  Doug missed the concert as he went with Meg to her basketball awards night.  They beat us home by a few minutes.  No one stayed up late again this evening as it was definitely a busy day for all.  

Homeward Bound

We dropped off our luggage with the bellhop this morning and headed to Universal.  We didn't need to leave the hotel until 12:30 so we hoped to get in a few more rides before then.  We stopped at the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit first.  The boys had ridden it several times and wanted one more turn.  I chose to sit out as it had a 90 degree vertical trip up to the top of the roller coaster.  They enjoyed it very much and from there we stopped at The Mummy.  I hadn't been on an indoor roller coaster in years, but was glad that I tried it.  The turns in the dark definitely made this a thrilling ride.  We stopped in Krustyland one last time to take a turn on The Simpsons ride.  This was our fourth trip on it and we enjoyed it just as much as the first time.  The last ride of the morning was The Hogwarts Express as we took it over to Islands of Adventure.  We had hoped to ride on The Forbidden Journey again, but it was packed and we needed to head out before we would have been done with the ride.  On our way out of the parks we walked through Islands of Adventure talking about all of the fun that we had had these past five days.  It occurred to me as we headed back to the hotel just how lucky I really was as I don't know when I will get to spend so much time with the three boys together in such a fun atmosphere.

Our LYFT arrived almost as soon as we requested it.  The trip back to the airport was a smooth one.  We had time to check our luggage and eat lunch before walking through security.  That was the only negative part of the day.  It was absolutely packed taking almost forty minutes to get through the lines.  Thankfully, we still had plenty of time before our plane started boarding.  The flight was an easy one and we landed twenty minutes before our scheduled arrival time.  I took advantage of the downtime to watch more of The Sopranos.

Our luggage was some of the first on the conveyor belt and before 6:30 we were in the Pilot and on our way back to Syracuse.  I let Cal drive and since traffic was light we were home by 9 p.m.  Doug had just arrived as well.  He had been at Meg's tennis meeting and the Knights monthly gathering.  It was great to see him.  I had missed he and Meg a lot this weekend.  They appreciated the souvenirs that we got for them - a Godfather shirt and Marauder's Map puzzle for Doug and a Minion nightshirt, Ireland bracelet and a Spongebob water bottle.  None of us made it up too late.  We were sad that our vacation had ended, but glad to be home.

Universal Express Pass

Today we all decided to sleep in and it felt very nice.  The boys joked that since Dad wasn't on vacation with us that we didn't need to push ourselves to the limit.  As the time changed last night I was glad that they were alright with heading to the parks a little later in the morning.  This choice was made a lot easier due to the Universal Express Pass that we received as part of our hotel package.  This allowed us to enter the rides from an express queue that was quite a bit shorter than the regular line.  As the park was definitely more crowded today this saved us a lot of time.  It also allowed us to be more relaxed on our trip as we didn't have to be at the parks when the rope dropped in the morning.  Although we were tired from our days in the park, we weren't completely exhausted.

For lunch today Brett chose Hard Rock Cafe.  Everything was delicious.  We had our picture taken and enjoyed buffalo cauliflower wings as an appetizer.  Once we had eaten we stopped at Voodoo Doughnut.  We had really wanted to try it, but there was always a long line.  We were in luck this afternoon and everyone picked out their breakfast for tomorrow - I got a creme filled pastry, Brett ordered a creamsicle on a stick, Cal found a butterfinger donut and Cam settled on a Captain Crunch one.  We then walked back to the hotel for al little while.  The second best perk of staying at the Loews Royal Pacific was the close proximity to the parks.  It was only a ten minute walk.  They did have a water taxi, but we chose to get the extra steps.  While at the hotel Cal and Cam were able to finish watching the IU vs. Rutgers game.  In the end it wasn't even close as the Hoosiers took command on senior day.  This win gave them a chance of making the NCAA tournament.  We'll have to wait and see how they finish in the Big Ten tourney to find out for sure.

 


The rest of the afternoon was spent riding some of our favorites again.  I tried the Mummy for the first time and really liked it.  Cam and Brett rode Ripsaw Falls again, but Cal and I passed on that one.  We ate dinner at the Mardi Gras booths.  Between the four of us we were able to sample jambalaya,  twisted taters, alligator bites, crab étouffée, shrimp po' boys, King cake and beignets.  We ended our evening by shopping at our favorite souvenir stores.  Everyone was pleased with their purchases and we found great gifts for Doug and Meg as well.

The Simpsons

We started at Islands of Adventure today riding some of our favorites from yesterday plus adding in King Kong and Spiderman.  I really liked both of those as the boys had watched quite a few Kong movies growing up and all three were into Spiderman at one time or another.  The rides were simulated roller coasters.  The vehicles did move, but most of the action took place on the screen.  I thought this would make me nauseated, but thankfully, the rides did not bother me at all.

Once we rode on Forbidden Journey again we decided to take the Hogwarts express to Diagon Alley. From there we walked over to Krustyland to hang out with The Simpsons.  This area was by far Cal's favorite in both parks.  It wasn't just the rides, but the atmosphere as well.  We were able to shop at the Kwik-E-Mart where there were some great shirts.   Cal even found a Duff beer sweatshirt that had a can cozy for a pocket while Brett eyed a "Bort" shot glass.  After shopping we checked out the Jedidiah Springfield's stature, Chief Wiggins and his police car, and the seven Duffs.  Cal and Cameron picked out turkey legs for lunch while Brett got a big pretzel and a glass of Duff beer.  Once lunch was finished we all visited the carnival game area.  It was a lot of fun.  Cam beat Cal at Whack-A-Mole to win a Sideshow Bob hat. Cal and Brett combined to win a Sideshow Bob stuffed person.

 


Today was a hot one reaching the mid-80s.  We decided it would be the perfect afternoon for a trip to Volcano Bay.  The lazy river was awesome as was the wave pool.  Cam and Brett really enjoyed the three tube slides and especially the aqua coaster.  We ate dinner at the Universal City Walk.  Cal and Cam chose the BK Whopper Bar and Brett and I picked The Breadbox.  Both were good choices.  We walked to Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure so that I could watch the Hogwarts light show.  It was extremely crowded.  Therefore, I really appreciated the boys going with me.  It was a lot of fun to watch and we even had time to ride The Forbidden Journey before walking back to the hotel.

We ended the evening at the sushi bar at the Loews Royal Pacific.  Cal opted out of the adventure as he wanted to lay down and watch some Impractical Jokers.  Cam tried the spicy salmon roll and Brett and I each had a drink and some edamame.  The boys headed up to bed before I did.  I called Doug and Meg to check in with them.  Meg spent her day in Michigan City with Nick.  They had fun shopping and going to dinner.  Doug worked on painting the living room including the ceiling.  It took a lot of time, but he was pleased with how well it turned out.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We were up at 6:45 a.m. this morning to take advantage of the early morning hours at Universal Studios that were part of our hotel package.  We started at Diagon Alley and enjoyed all that they had to offer including a ride through Gringotts Bank, a stop in Olivander's Wand Shop where a wand found Cameron, shopping in Wheezley's Wizard Wheezes to checkout the Nosebleed Nougats and Fever Fudge, and sipping a Butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks.  As a Harry Potter fan, I absolutely loved it!

Once we had our fill of Dragon Alley, we walked over to Krustyland.  Cal was impressed with all of the Simpson attractions especially The Simpson Ride.  Afterward I talked everyone into trying the ET ride.  Brett, especially, thought it was as lame as Cameron did, but it wasn't too bad.  We also tried the Woody Woodpecker roller coaster which was too busy to ride the last time we were there.  No one really liked that one as it was short and we were cramped in the seats.  At least we could say we rode it.  We also found a Spongebob Storepants to do some shopping in before lunch.

                            

We left the park to walk over to Universal City Walk and have lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp.  We were seated right away and Brett ordered a Lieutenant Dan to start.  We enjoyed the food very much, but the atmosphere and our waitress's trivia questions made the experience even better.  Cal had bought Hannah-Marie a gift and Brett got a glass with his drink.  They both wanted to take their glassware back to the hotel, so we headed to the Loews Royal Pacific to drop off the packages and to rest for a little while.

The afternoon took us to Universal's sister park Islands of Adventure.  It was larger than the one this morning and had more thrill rides.  The boys started on the Hulk roller coaster.  I enjoyed watching it speed by as the Hulk roared.  They also tried the Force.  I sat out of that one as well as it was best describe by Brett as the Scrambler.  We decided that it was warm enough to ride Rip Saw Falls the Dudley Do Right log flume ride.  Cam and I had wanted to take Brett on it since we were drenched riding it a year ago.  Brett definitely loved it and got soaked just as much as we had hoped he would.  Since the boys were already wet, they decided to ride the Jurassic Park water ride.  Last year's experience was a tame one where Meg, Cam and I barely got wet.  That was not the case this time as I laughed out loud when I saw Cal walk around the corner.  He looked as though he had taken a shower in his clothes.

We ended the evening in Hogsmeade.  It was my favorite part of the park.  We walked through the Hogwarts castle to ride the Forbidden Forest.  It was just as fantastic as I remembered it to be.  It truly felt as though we were part of the Harry Potter series.  Cam and Brett rode the Hippogriff when we were done and the boys tried Pumpkin Juice before we walked back to the hotel to eat dinner at Jake's American Bar before calling it a night.  

Fun in the Sun

This morning was hectic, but Cam and I still managed to get out the door at 9 a.m. as planned.  Thankfully, I had 90% of what we needed packed yesterday and only had a few items to add this morning.   Meg had an appointment to get her bottom braces today and I had to drop off a package to the post office before we left as we sold another Sports Illustrated Michael Jordan magazine.  Fortunately, all went as planned and we were able to pick up my parents without any issues.  

The trip to Indianapolis was an easy one and we were on 67 by noon.  Grandpa and Cam decided that they wanted to eat lunch at Wendy's.  Our meal ended with a comedy of errors as Grandma disregarded the men's sign on the bathroom and was walking out as Cameron opened the door to enter.  Cal's presentation went well and his class ended early.  Thus, he and Brett met us about 20 minutes before I thought they would.  My parents drove the Civic back to Syracuse which I really appreciated.  The boys and I made it to the airport and into economy parking without any problems and were able to check into our flight almost two hours early.  Brett and Cal even had time to eat lunch before passing through security.   

Our flight was delayed a few minutes, but overall it went very well.  I had downloaded several episodes of The Sopranos to watch while Cam played games on the iPad as Brett and Cal read.  This was one of the smoothest flights I had been on in awhile and it landed early yet to boot.  The only small  glitch in our trip was the delay in the luggage return which almost made us miss our LYFT ride, but it all worked out in the end and we were at the hotel well before 7 p.m.

Tonight we walked to Universal's City Walk to eat dinner.  It wasn't too crowded but there were several private events going on which closed quite a few restaurants.  We put our name in at Margaritaville and then walked around to do some window shopping.  The food was great and we were glad to have waited.  We made it back to the Loews Royal Pacific in time to watch the second half of the IU game.  Everyone was excited to watch a Hoosier victory.  Before we went to bed I heard from both Doug and Meg.  He spent his evening painting the ceiling in the living room.  Meg had tennis and then had quite a bit of homework to finish as the last day of the quarter is tomorrow.  She was annoyed with a couple of her grades, but planned to meet with those teachers in the morning.    Her mouth was sore and she had a difficult time talking with her bite plate.  I felt bad, but realized that it was part of the process.  We ended the evening here watching Impractical Jokers excited about our day tomorrow.  

 

 

One Day More

Today I was able to get my 10,000 steps in just from doing the laundry and packing for our trip.  We won’t need a lot as we will only be in Orlando for four days, but overpacking has become the norm for me.  I also wanted to make sure that Doug and Meg had enough clean clothes until we get back.  

As we plan to meet Brett and Cal in Indy tomorrow I don't have to pack much for them as they took care of it themselves.  Thankfully, Brett didn’t mind me texting or calling him a dozen times or so today with tips and reminders.  Cal took his clothes for the suitcase over to his apartment tonight, so Brett could pack that.  He has a presentation in his last class tomorrow, so they couldn't leave early.  Brett will pick him up at Kelley as soon as it’s over giving them enough time to stop at Cal’s to pick up his laundry and golf clubs before they leave Bloomington.  

I feel guilty leaving Meg behind, but unfortunately her schedule just wouldn’t allow a trip to Florida at this time.  With the end of the quarter, tennis starting, and her orthodontist appointment it wasn’t meant to be.  She does have plans with Nick and some of her other friends.  That should be fun for her.  Doug will be home with her as well, so she can be at home when she wants to be.  Plus, soon we will be on our way to California for a weeklong trip to celebrate the end of her senior year.  With all of the sties that we plan to visit, it should be an awesome trip.  

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

One of my goals before leaving for Florida this week was to finish reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  Since I also wanted to complete our 2018 photo album before we left, I wasn't sure that I would be able to do both.  Thankfully, I had some time last week to finish the album and was finally able to devote my free time this weekend to reading.

This Harry Potter book was Brett's favorite.  After rereading it I can definitely see why that is true.  It brought so many beloved characters together and it answered many questions from the previous four books.  It also tied the past and present together as Harry got to know his parents better as he heard stories from those who loved them as well as those who loathed them.  Every Harry Potter fan disliked the Dursley's from the first chapter in the series.  The Order of the Phoenix finally let Harry and the reader in on the secret of why he had to spend the summers with his aunt, uncle and cousin.  The book also featured one of the meanest teachers in the history of education which most could relate to having at one time or another.

I was glad that I made time to read this week.  Although this book had a sad ending I was happy to have reread a favorite.  I plan to start The Women in White by Wilkie Collins while on vacation.  It was written in the 1860s and was revered as the one of the first mystery novels filled with twists and turns.  I hope that it is as good as the reviews that I have read about it.  

Life Turns on a Dime

If there was one thing that I learned from my brother's untimely death is that life can turn on a dime.  As Doug has told me over and over, "There are no guarantees."  This week with Meg has reminded me of that life fact.  Life can and does change in a heartbeat.  There are two choices to make when thinking about the future and a quote from one of my favorite movies, Shawshank Redemption, says it best "Get busy living or get busy dying."  With so many uncertainties in life the best approach may be to enjoy life at every possible moment.

I hope I remember this on Thursday day when I take my seat in the airplane on our way to Orlando.  Flying scares me more than anything else in life besides snakes.  There's really no reason for me to be scared.  I have flown dozens of times and have never had a problem.  In fact three millihon people fly everyday and with a few exceptions almost all reach their destination safely.  Thus, there's no reason to believe that I won't be one of those three million.  The reward of spending five days in Florida enjoying the warm weather and Universal Studios will be well worth the minimal risk.  As long as we are not reenacting "Snakes on a Plane" I should be just fine.

A Quiet Sunday

Cam went to bed early last evening.  His late night with Avery left him tired and he had to get up for religion this morning.  The rest of the day was a quiet one for him with his only real commitments being a haircut, vacuuming the vents and cleaning the pigs.  Grandma and Grandpa stopped by after dinner to talk about IU basketball with him.  He was still happy about the Hoosiers win yesterday.

Meg finally had a day to work on homework without too many distractions.  She felt that she was finally caught up.  Meg also had time to go with Nick to his grandpa's birthday party, have a tennis lesson and help with the pigs.  I went with her to tennis and enjoyed watching her play.  The strength of her strokes and especially her serve were impressive.  She hasn't had much time to practice this winter with basketball and her oral surgery, but she looked ready for the tennis season today.

I took a long walk today.  It was cold, but nothing like what was forecasted for tomorrow with windchills below zero degrees and record low highs.  Because of this, I was happy to be outside today even though the temperature remained in the upper twenties while I was walking.  The rest of the day for me was spent reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  It has become one of my favorites in the series and I have enjoyed rereading it.  Doug had some work to do, but was able to finish it early.  We started a movie in the evening, but found it hard to follow.  We might give it a try another time.  It didn't matter how good the movie was anyway, it was just nice to have a quiet day at home after two very long weeks.

A Busy Saturday

Meg and Nick left this morning around 11 a.m. for a special visitation for KeShawn with the senior class and the basketball and soccer teams.  The funeral followed immediately afterward.  Meg said that it was very nice, but extremely sad.  She took a picture of the poster that she had made for Shawn's senior night as it was part of the memory items on display.  In thinking of how bad her mouth hurt that day, I was just so glad that she was able to go to the game last Friday night.

After the funeral they were all invited to Evan Brown's for a gathering.  The last stop of the night for them was the play at Bethany Christian, Junie B. Jones.  Meg absolutely loved it.  That was her favorite book series in first grade.  Meg identified with the main character then and could still remember the story lines now.

Cam had a busy day as well.  Avery spent the night last night and today they finished their science fair project and watched the IU game.  I don't know if Avery was excited, but Cam sure appreciated the Hoosiers win over Michigan State therefore keeping their NCAA tournament hopes alive.  This afternoon Doug and I took him to his first tennis singles match of the season.  We were both so incredibly impressed with how well he played.  Doug hadn't gotten to watch him this Spring, so he didn't realized how much Cam had really improved his skill set this winter.  His opponent was several years older, but Cam controlled the first match winning 6-3 and came from behind in the second to win 6-4.  He was tired afterward, but happy with the result.

While Nick and Meg were busy this evening Doug, Cam and I played Ticket to Ride.  I actually won this evening which was a rarity.  Doug made calzones for dinner and after the board game we started "Wait Until Dark."  It had been years since we watched it and Doug really enjoyed it.  It was a nice way to end a busy day.

A Show of Support

Tonight was the Bethany boys basketball teams first game in the sectional tournament.  Bethany wanted to fill the stands with blue in an effort to honor the memory of KeShawn and the impact he had had on the Bruins team this year.  The seniors ordered matching shirts that said "Play for KeKe". Bethany provided a bus for transportation to and from Fremont.  They bought sectional tickets for each student that wanted to attend the game and even had pizza beforehand for those riding over with the school.

The game was a wonderful tribute to his memory.  The Bethany team had new black warmups with Smith 34 written on the back.  In a classy move Fremont did the same only with white shirts sporting his name and number.  The two teams playing after Bethany and Fremont were asked to arrive early and wear white to show their support as well.  Before the game the teams, coaches, referees, cheerleaders, and Bethany's girls basketball team gathered in a circle to pray together.  The Bruins played tough without their star player and at the half were only down a point.  In the third quarter, however, Fremont pulled ahead and ended the game with a 51-39 victory.

We were at Bethany to pick up Cam and Avery when they got off the bus.  They enjoyed the evening even though it was a sad one.  They relayed stories of the middle school antics on the bus and Cam let us know that it was "cringy" that Meg led the Bruin student sections in cheers, even though I was sure that he was glad that she did.  Nick and Meg also shared stories when they got home.  They both thought it was a wonderful way to celebrate Shawn's life at Bethany.  We watched the highlights of it on WNDU with them as they talked about the night.  At the end Meg said it best, "It was such a great night.  The only thing missing was Shawn.  He would have loved it."