The Chaos of A Change of Plans

Yesterday was a crazy day in the Heinisch home.  We found out Tuesday night that Cameron’s friend, Richard, would not be able to travel to Ocala for spring break with us.  Cameron was disappointed to hear that, but happy to find out that his family would be in Orlando during their break.  Thus, Cameron would still be able to get together with him in Florida.  Once we knew that Richard could not travel with us, Cameron and I decided to ask my parents if they would like to go to Florida for spring break with us.  I talked with them this morning and they were definitely interested.  I then had to wait until lunch when Doug was free to make sure that it worked with his schedule.  He was on board with the change, so I started making plans for the new trip.  

Shortly after I got off the phone with my parents, Doug’s dad called.  They had decided that they wanted to purchase a home in On Top of the World and needed to get ahold of a realtor ASAP.  I was a little taken off guard by the phone call as they had texted us yesterday to let us know that they were think of moving to the retirement community, but wanted to wait until the fall to look at homes.  I was busy with Brett at the time, but thankfully, we knew a realtor through Doug’s work that was able to drop what she had scheduled for today to help them out.  

Because Carl and Marina were going to be in Ocala on Saturday, Doug decided that he would like to change our plans and leave a day early.  That way he could be there when they walked through the houses and get a feel for that area of Ocala.  I was ok with that, but it did change my immediate plans.  I had to check with my parents and Cameron to make sure that they were ok with leaving early.  Once they were on board, I starting making plans to leave Friday morning at 6 a.m.  It cut short some of my time with Brett, but we had had a great day yesterday and the extra time gave him an opportunity to finish a video game that he had been working on and make some campaign calls.  We did get time in to take a walk before his dentist appointment which I really appreciated.

This morning when Cameron left for school I realized that there was a good possibility that he would not have practice today.  It was freezing cold with only a high of 41 degrees today plus a chance of snow showers.  I called Doug immediately and he decided that we should be prepared to leave tonight if Cameron was home early.  I then let my mom know and then started to get everything ready for us to leave.  I didn't have a lot of packing to do, but I did need to clean, stop our mail, buy snacks and do laundry.  Doug helped me finish up when he got home at 5 p.m. 

Cameron did still have practice, but got out early.  We were all on the road by 6:30 and due to light traffic, we were in Bloomington by 9:45.  We were glad that Meg and Brett were able to host us for the night on such short notice.  We had fun visiting with them and enjoyed a dinner of Pizza X breadsticks and pizza before calling it a night.  It was definitely an exhausting day.  I got 10,000 steps just getting ready to leave.  With the snow today and the prediction for more tomorrow, I was thankful that we were able to pull it all together and get out of Indiana a day early.  

Golf Practice

Bethany started high school golf practice on Monday March 14th.  The timing was perfect as they would have fifteen days of practice before spring break.  That would prepare them for their first match on the Monday after break.  It seemed to be a fantastic plan, but the weather decided not to cooperate with multiple days in the forties.

In looking back over the past three weeks ago, there have actually only been two nice days to practice. The first was a week ago Monday when the temperatures stayed in the upper sixties.  The second was today when it was finally warm enough to play a few holes. The team has made the best of the lack of opportunities to play, but it has been frustrating.  Cameron felt that he just wasn't playing as well as he had in Ocala.  He was happy today that he finally got a chance to work on his driver.  He also said that he putted well - one putting multiple holes at Black Squirrel.  This all left him hopeful that he would get some time to practice his irons tomorrow.  Unfortunately, the weather forecast was calling for a high of 40 degrees with rain/snow - not too nice for the last day of March or for playing golf.  

Trading Places

Cal came home Sunday afternoon and stayed with us until Monday night.  He left after work for Bloomington as he had a few commitments there.  He planned to use Brett's apartment to work virtually for the next few days.  When Cal asked Brett about it, he didn't realize that Brett would actually be home those couple of days.  Brett didn't mind him staying there and for us it was nice to have another visitor.  

Brett arrived late last night once again getting stuck by a train in Sidney.  Thankfully, it only delayed his trip by six minutes.  He spent the morning playing a video game, making a few campaign calls, getting a haircut and waiting for his laundry to get done.  Once he did get dressed, we walked down to Grandma and Grandpa's.  They had invited us to lunch and Brett picked the Frog.  I hadn't been there since the lockdown began in March of 2020.  The taco salad was good and I was able to take home a half price pizza for Cameron.  Beyond just the food, we all enjoyed the conversation.  Brett filled us in on several of the key political races in the state of Indiana.  After lunch we hung out at our house for a little while.  Brett gave Grandma his birthday card and Dilly Bars for dessert.  

Tonight Brett requested chicken and curry cauliflower for dinner.  Thus, Cameron was very happy to have pizza available as well.  Once we cleared the table, Brett picked Ticket to Ride Italy for the four of us to play.  He won easily, but Cameron took the top prize in India.  We spent the rest of the night relaxing and watching television.  Cameron found a Law & Order that he had never seen and we ended the evening finding out that Lenny Brisco was telling the truth when he said that an extremely unpleasant criminal confessed to him.  

"He Got in One Little Fight . . ."

Last night I was just getting ready to go to bed when Cal came running upstairs.  He was really excited when he said, "Did you see what just happened at the Oscars?"  We had been watching them earlier, but turned them off to start the movie "Fight Club."  Once everyone went to bed, I decided to read instead of watching the last hour of the Oscars.  After what he told me, I wondered if I had made the wrong decision.  

When Cal first asked about the Oscars, I really thought from looking at his face that maybe a bomb exploded or that there was a shooting.  It wasn't as big as that, but the news was pretty exciting.  During the awards ceremony, Chris Rock came out to present the award to the best documentary.  Before he announced the winner, he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair.  It really wasn't very funny especially since she had a medical condition that caused hair loss.  Most of those in attendance only laughed half heartedly.  The remark wasn't the incident that Cal came up to tell me about, however.  It was Will Smith's reaction to it.  As soon as he heard the comment he walked up on stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face.  He then sat back down and yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth."  Everyone was in shock and many thought it was staged.  Either way it was a complete surprise.

Cal and I were up for the next hour watching the highlights of the slap and finishing the Oscars.  No one was surprised that Will Smith eventually won the Oscar for best actor, but after what he did to Chris Rock it all just seemed surreal.  His acceptance speech was long and didn't make a lot of sense, but that was ok with Cal and I.  We used that time to call and text Meg about the slap and to read posts on social media.  There were a lot of funny ones. Cal's favorite was that "Chris Rock should give out another award only this time wearing a neck brace."  

Today there were a lot more memes and gifs.  The news was full of stories of what happened after the slap, what the academy thought of the incident, Will Smith's apology, etc.  It was definitely a big story and Cal, Meg and I followed it all day.  Brett and Cameron weren't quite as interested, but still found it all as funny as their siblings did.  I enjoyed being a part of today's conversation about the Oscars with the Heinisch children, but overall I just felt really bad for Will Smith.  It was his big moment and instead of being remembered for it, he will always be thought of as the actor that overreacted to a bad joke.

Get on the "Muss Bus"

Today we celebrated Grandpa Cutes' 79th birthday.  It was a fun evening filled with the most perfect presents.  Cameron had picked a gift for him several weeks ago finding an "Enjoy Tab" shirt at the Coke store for him highlighting Grandpa's favorite drink in pink.  Included in the gift bag was a large pack of Twizzlers from Cal, made even more special by having him here in person to help celebrate.  Meg added to the party even though she couldn't be here.  Last weekend while she was home, she decided that Grandpa needed a "Muss Bus" sweatshirt like the ones that the fans from Arkansas were wearing behind the bench in support of their coach, Eric Musselman.  Although we couldn't find the exact one that they had on, we found a really nice one that she liked just as well.  Grandpa Cutes was thrilled to see it as he had talked about it non-stop the night that Arkansas beat the number 1 seed, Gonzaga.  Brett wasn't able to join us for the celebration either, but made plans to spend some time with Grandpa on Tuesday when he will be home for the "weekend."  Grandma added a dozen golf balls in the hope that the weather would change soon, so that he could use them.  Their golf pro even wished Grandpa a happy birthday with a Callaway hat to add to the celebration.  It wasn't all about the gifts as Doug made a delicious macaroni and cheese dinner complemented by desserts from Grandma Jane.  There was also times for games of pool while watching March Madness during the evening.  Overall, it was a wonderful way to celebrate Grandpa Cutes' 79th birthday or as Cal pointed out, his eightieth year on this earth.  

A Full Week of High School Activities

Cameron has definitely had a full week of high school activities.  Interterm took up a lot of his time, but he also started selling tickets to the junior fish fry.  It will be a tall order for him as he has to sell 47 to reach his goal.  We're hopeful that a few families that we asked will purchase some from him.  It's always a little daunting, but he'll do his best.  Thankfully we only have to pay half price for any that he is not able to sell.

Today we worked on another high school priority - renting a tuxedo for Prom.  Louie's Tux Shop was packed this morning, but Cameron got in and out fairly quickly.  It helped that he knew exactly what he wanted - a white tux with white vest, tie and shoes.  The only flash of color that he added to the tuxedo was a yellow pocket square.  I think he might have picked yellow shoes too if they had them, but overall he will have the perfect look for prom and will match his group of friends as well.

As soon as we finished with Cameron's tuxedo, we decide to celebrate another high school milestone.  This week, Cameron found out that he scored 1450 on the SAT.  We were extremely impressed when he texted us his score.  It put him in the 99th percentile for all test takers on that day and in the 96th percentile in English and 98th percentile in math individually.  His SAT score and his 4.0 GPA will definitely increase his chances of getting into several top public schools including the University of Florida.  It would also help him with scholarships.  In honor of his achievement we took him to the Goshen Brewing Company for lunch.  It was a fun way to celebrate and delicious food as always.

Interterm

Cameron finished interterm at Bethany today.  He decided this year to take "Things That Fly".  I was very nervous about him participating in the class as they were scheduled to learn how to take off and land in a small plane today.  Even though I knew it was safe, I was extremely afraid of that prospect.  I"m happy to report that I had nothing to fear.  All went well today and every day of the week, and Cameron thoroughly enjoyed his week long class.

On Monday the students in "Things That Fly" built a rocket in the morning from a kit.  In the afternoon they began designing their own rockets.  Tuesday was spent off campus in Kalamazoo at the Waco Classic Aircraft Facility and the Air Zoo.  Cameron really enjoyed both, but his favorite activity of the day may have been the lunch at the Waco Kitchen.  He said the Waco Taco was fantastic.  

Wednesday and Thursday were spent building their rockets and flying drones.  On Friday morning they had their final rocket launch.  Cameron was very pleased with how well his rockets flew.  He was also happy that his parachute deployed both times and that he was able to catch it before it crashed to the ground.  The Goshen Airport was their final destination of the week where they toured the Goshen Air Center and a private jet, practiced flying in the RedBird full-motion flight simulator, had a flying lesson complete with time in the air and flew in a helicopter.  It was the perfect way to end the "Things That Fly" interterm.  I was impressed with all that they did and was glad to hear that Cameron enjoyed it all.

Basketball and Haircuts

When Doug and I started talking about downsizing and moving after Cameron graduates from high school, we focused on everything that we were excited about with a change.  We wanted a bigger town with more restaurants to eat at and events to attend.  We wanted Doug to be closer to his work at least within twenty minutes and we definitely wanted a warmer climate.  

Once we thought about what we wanted, we talked about what we would miss in leaving Northern Indiana.  There wasn't a lot on our list, but one thing that I mentioned almost immediately was getting my haircut.  It sounded silly when I said it, but Amanda has been cutting my hair for at least the past fifteen years and I just love going in for my appointment.  I have known Amanda since high school and we always have a lot to talk about from tennis, to mutual friends, to our families.  She has multiple women that work for her and there's always something entertaining going on while I'm there.  Today's activities revolved around the discussion of the IHSAA's rule change for practice requirements and how to make the perfect shade of teal hair dye.  I know that wherever I move next, I will never find the same relationship that I have with AK Hare and I will really miss that.

Doug feels the exact same way about Friday morning basketball.  He has been playing with the high school teachers since we first moved here over twenty-four years ago.  The participants have changed over the years, but many still play from his early days.  He has not only met a lot of members of the community through basketball, but he's also had a chance to play dozens of games with Cal and his friends.  Doug hasn't played as much lately due to his work schedule, but he did make time to play over Christmas break while Cal was home.  They had just as much fun as they had during Cal's high school days.  I know that Doug will really miss it when we do decide to move.

A Crummy Start to Spring

This week started off wonderful with temperatures in the fifties and sixties on both Sunday and Monday. There was a lot of sunshine and very little wind.  I  took advantage of the beautiful weather by taking long walks for exercise and filling my bird feeders.  As Sunday was the first day of spring, I hoped that the weather would stay.  Maxwelton had opened for the season and it would have been great if Cameron was able to take advantage of his membership.  Unfortunately, that has not been the case.  The past two days have been filled with cold temperatures and a lot of rain.  I was still able to take a couple of short walks in between rain showers, but it wasn't quite as fun.  Cameron had his golf practice cancelled due to poor weather tonight and could only hit a bucket of golf balls yesterday before the temperature got too cold to continue.  Maxwelton was closed today with very little chance of being open tomorrow or Friday.

The forecast doesn't look much better for the next few weeks.  The average temperature will not reach much above fifty degrees and there is a lot more rain expected.  I was really bummed to see that.  Last year we had gorgeous weather for the week of spring break.  I'm hopeful that the predictions will change, but right now I'm planning on a cool, rainy spring vacation.  

She's Legal!

 Meg turned 21 today.  Although we couldn't be there to celebrate with her, we did have a small party for her Saturday night complete with cake and presents.  Meg had a lot of fun both that night and this evening.  On Saturday Doug made Mostaccioli for dinner at Meg's request.   We then played Mario Kart with her and Nick while we waited for Cameron to return from chess club.  Once he got home and Grandma and Grandpa arrived, Meg opened her gifts.  She absolutely loved the purple pillow, the Winnie the Pooh wall organizer, Cinderella spatula and Pet Sounds vinyl.  She was extremely happy that I was able to get her favorite cake from New Market.  I was glad that she enjoyed it all.

Nick and Meg's friends made her actual 21st birthday special for her today in Bloomington.  She received numerous texts and phone calls from her friends.  She and Maddie went to the Social Cantina for lunch and tonight Meg and Nick celebrated at BJ's.  She ordered her first legal drink - Sangria - and loved it.  She opened her presents and was happy with her new purple Converse and red shorts.   Nick stayed in Bloomington tonight so that they could have another drink after she finished her homework.  It was a quiet celebration, but a lot of fun.  I enjoyed the pictures that she sent and was happy to hear that it was a wonderful day for her.  Turning 21 is always memorable - glad her's was a special one.

Happy Birthday Uncle Phil

Today was Uncle Phil's 49th birthday and all of the Heinisch children reached out to wish him a wonderful day.  Some sent texts and others called.  Either way, I was happy to hear that they all contacted him.  I know that he appreciated it as well.  Our children have always had a special relationship with Doug's brother during their younger days.  I was glad that they still thought highly of him as they reached adulthood as well.

Over the past year either Doug or I have talked to Phil weekly.  It's been nice to keep in contact with him, especially with all of the stress that the pandemic placed on everyone.  Some phone calls have been light - encouraging him to buy an Air Fryer.  Others have been more serious - finding out about Molly's tumor.  We learned a lot from Phil selling his house this fall - moving company recommendations, painting tips, plumping repairs, etc.  In turn, he heard a lot about our thoughts on downsizing.  We were happy to hear that he was strongly thinking about moving to Florida in the next couple of years.  That would mirror our plans perfectly.  

My favorite conversations with Phil have been regarding memories from our time in Illinois when Doug and I were first married.  I am sure that Doug enjoys reminiscing with him as well.  In the past year I have heard them talk about everything from trips they took in their youth to their playing days on the soccer field.  Overall, it has been fun keeping up with Phil this past year.  Hoping that year 49 is his best and  looking forward to seeing him in May.

End of Spring Break 2020

In the spring of 2020 Meg and I booked a spring break trip to Florida.  We had reservations at Disney World and tickets to attend the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival.  We planned to spend a day on the beach, go shopping at Disney Springs and visit Granda Heinisch.  Unfortunately, we never got to take our trip.  Disney World closed the day before we were supposed to arrive.  As the whole country was on lockdown, we didn't even try to go anywhere else in 2020.  IU then cancelled spring break 2021, so we didn't get a chance to renew our vacation plans last year either.

Thankfully, all went off without a hitch this year.  The only difference was that we stayed in Ocala as our base.  We got to do everything that we planned in 2020 except the Disney After Hours at Magic Kingdom as they had not reinstated those since our last trip was cancelled.  We used the extra time for shopping in Ocala instead.  All in all it was a great break that went by way too fast.  When Meg left this afternoon she said that she finally felt like she had closure from the disappointment of the  cancelled trip in 2020.  I was so glad to hear that.  I will miss having her at home, but am thankful that we will see her again soon as we have plans to visit Bloomington for Easter.  

Chess Club Revisited

Cameron was extremely busy the last two days.  On Friday, he had an all day field trip with the music department.  He left the house at 6:30 a.m. and didn't return home until close to 11 p.m.  Even though he was exhausted, we could all tell that he had a lot of fun.  The Bethany students first watched the Indianapolis Symphony perform multiple show tunes.  Cameron said that they were excellent.  After the show, the high school band, orchestra and choir hung out at the Circle Center mall where they did some shopping and ate lunch.  The highlight for Cameron was seeing a few of the Michigan basketball players  hanging out at the mall as well.  The second half of the trip was spent at Anderson University where they took a master class in music.  Cameron liked that as well and was very happy with his school trip, especially since it had been cancelled the last two years due to the pandemic.  

Cameron was out the door at 6:30 this morning once again.  This time he had to catch the Bethany bus to the state team chess tournament in Hammond.  Cameron was participating on the U12th grade team along with his friend JJ.  Neither had participated in chess tournaments in the past two years, but they were proud to represent their school.  It was another long day for Cameron, but he enjoyed it.  Bethany finished 13th out of 19 teams and Cameron finished in the top third of individual players.  We thought that was pretty impressive as he played board 1 and hadn't practiced his chess skills in quite some time.  I really did not care how he finished today.  I was just glad that he got a chance to play competitive chess one more time.  I always felt that Covid cut short his chess playing days.  I definitely felt closure after today.  

A Day of Rest

We made it home last night by 11 p.m.  We were all exhausted when we got out of the car, but happy to be home.  Doug and I decided that the next time we drove it that we would pack our own food for lunch and dinner.  That would save us about an hour on the drive as fast food just really isn't that quick anymore.  We were glad this time, however, that we were able to try Buc-ee's as it was important to Meg.

I was the first one up this morning as Cameron had to leave at 6:30 a.m. for Bethany.  He had a band field trip to Indianapolis today and didn't want to be late for the bus.  Doug was up next as he wanted to make it into work by 7:30 this morning.  He had quite a bit to do and wanted to get a start on it.  Once he left I went back to bed.  I was really tired from our week in Florida and wanted to catch up on some sleep.  I woke up a little later when I heard a dog walking through the house.  For a brief moment I thought it was Winston, but then realized that Nick was over with Millie.  He and Meg had walked her down to Grandma Jane's this morning.  I got up to say hello to her before she and Nick headed back to Goshen.            

I spent the afternoon working on Meg's laundry, taking a walk and organizing.  Cameron had lost his graphing calculator and was hoping that I'd be able to track it down.  I was planning on spending quite a bit of time searching for it.  Fortunately, it was in the first place that I looked.  The big red chair had swallowed it while Cameron was studying one night.  It definitely wasn't the first calculator that I had found in that chair.

Meg kept herself busy today.  Besides taking a long walk with Millie, she got a haircut and helped Nick's family move to the farm house.  Nancy took her to Grandma's Pantry and tonight she went with his family to the Essenhaus in Middlebury for dinner.  She had never been there and Kyle insisted that she try it.  She enjoyed the homestyle buffet and sent Grandma Jane a picture of her noodles and mashed potatoes.  

I was afraid that Doug would have to work late tonight, but he was able to make it home by 6 p.m.  Since Cameron and Meg were gone, we decided to have cheese and sausage for dinner.  Doug also made refried bean dip which was very good.  We spent the evening playing Ticket to Ride and watching March Madness.  Illinois won a close game which was exciting to see.  Meg and Cameron both made it home by 11 p.m.  Cameron was really tired from his field trip, but enjoyed it very much.  Meg had had a great day with the Yoder family as well.  I was happy for both of them.

Buc-ee's or Bust

Meg, Doug and I left this morning at 6 a.m. hoping to make it to Syracuse before the end of the night.  Our trip started off foggy, but cleared up by sunrise.  The first portion of our trip was pretty quiet.  Doug and I listened to Keyshawn, Max and JWill while Meg slept.  We didn't hit any traffic until we got to Atlanta.  The city itself wasn't bad, but just north of it we ran into four separate accidents on I-75.  That ended up costing us about a half hour of time.  

Meg had talked all week about stopping at Buc-ee's on our way home.  It was a combination gas station/country store.  The internet had been exploding with news about the store as it had become extremely popular on social media.  There was one close to the Georgia-Tennessee border that we planned to stop at, but I was afraid that we wouldn't make it with all of the traffic in Atlanta.  Thankfully, we had about twenty miles left in the tank when we pulled up to the gas pump.

Buc-ee's was everything that Meg said it would be and more.  It was the size of at least three convenience stores together.  There was everything that we would typically find at the Wawa - snacks, drinks, restrooms, etc.- but there was also Buc-ee's merchandise, pulled pork sandwiches, camping supplies and more.  Our first priority was lunch.  There were so many options that I was completely overwhelmed.  Meg and I finally picked hot dogs for our meal and Doug tried the pulled pork.  We also purchased some Buc-ee's hot sauce for Cameron and a cinnamon roll for Grandma Jane to try.  

The rest of our trip went well.  We had some traffic when we first traveled into Tennessee, but overall it wasn't too bad.  March Madness started today so that kept Doug occupied for the afternoon and evening while Meg watched Hairspray and the new Disney movie, Turning Red.  We were disappointed that IU lost to St. Mary's in a blow out, but quickly changed moods when we watched Kentucky lose in overtime to a small school that no one had ever heard of before.  We stopped one more time in Columbus for gas and dinner and would have been home at 10:45 if the train in Sidney had not caused us a fifteen minute detour.  We were all glad to finally make it home and quickly unloaded the Pilot.  It was a long trip home, but thankfully we made it safely and got to cross the last item off of Meg's Spring Break to-do list, a visit to Buc-ee's, well worth the trip.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

It was a beautiful day for Doug, Meg and I to visit the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival.  We were concerned last night about the weather after the heavy rains and the forecasted storms for today.  Thankfully, besides a few rain drops in the afternoon we didn’t need the umbrellas or raincoats that we packed.

Out of all of the festivals that Epcot hosts throughout the year, the spring one is by far my favorite.  This year’s did not disappoint.  There were beautiful topiaries of the Disney characters and dozens of food booths for us to try.  It was more crowded than last year, but we were still able to get on multiple rides including Remy and Soarin’ twice.  The food and drinks were delicious.  Doug said that the chicken gumbo in the United States was the best he’d ever had.  I really liked the jalapeño bacon cornbread and Meg loved her new orange bird sipper.  Meg and I also spent time shopping enjoying the new merchandise and had a lot of fun one butterfly garden..  After nine hours of walking through the park, we left Epcot exhausted, but extremely happy with our last day in Florida on Meg’s Spring Break trip.

Shopping in Ocala

When Meg and I saw the forecast for the week, we knew that today would be perfect for shopping in Ocala.  Ever since I started exploring the city almost a year ago, I really wanted to Meg to visit so that she could see all of the great stores that they had to offer.  We started at Bealls first.  Both Marina and Grandma Jane had told us that it was the perfect store to shop at to find good deals on clothes.  We both found some shirts that we liked and quite a few other items that we might want to come back for on another day.

Our next stop was Walgreens.  I needed a few items for our trip, but the main reason for going was to look at their Squishmallows.  They had quite a few of them and we had fun checking them out.  We took a break from shopping to pick up Doug for lunch.  We were all glad to see Tijuana Flats was open.  Meg liked it as much as Cameron did last weekend.  

Once Doug returned to work, we went back to shopping.  This time we headed to the Paddock Mall.  Meg was impressed with Belk’s and picked out sweaters for both of us.  She also made stops at American Eagle, Hollister’s, JC Penney, Aeropostale and Francescas.  I, of course, used the time to make a small purchase at Yankee Candle.  

After the mall Meg and I stopped at the Wawa for drinks.  Meg liked the store, but was disappointed to see that they had Freestyle Coke instead of her favorite fountain drinks.  Our last stop of the day was the Florida Citrus Center.  We didn’t buy anything, but had fun looking at all of the over the top souvenirs - gator teeth, sharks in a jar, shell wind chines, Florida t-shirts, just to name a few.  

Tonight, Meg met a friend from IU for dinner.  He had moved to Winter Garden after he graduated last May and was now working in Orlando.  We were glad to hear that they got into Harry’s Seafood.  We had tried several times, but didn’t have any luck.  Since Meg was busy, Doug and I had dinner together at Beef O’Brady’s.  It was good, but while we were there it started to storm.  Thankfully, we missed most of the heavy rain.  All in All, it was a nice day in Ocala.

Beach Day

Meg really wanted to visit a beach while in Florida over Spring Break.  She hadn't been to one in the Sunshine State since we went to Daytona years ago.  We decided that today was the best one to visit the ocean as the weather was supposed to be warm with plenty of sun.  We couldn't decide which beach to visit, but finally picked Clearwater Beach as it was to be the warmest since it was on the gulf.  Daytona was a close second, but the temperatures on the Atlantic side were still a little too chilly for me.

Meg and I left this morning after I dropped Doug off at work.  I was nervous about going as I had never been to the Clearwater area before.  We did pretty well navigating the traffic and finding a place to park once we arrived.  We decided to shop first and found some great beach stores along the main strip.  Meg bought a new cover up and some jewelry while I got two beach mats for us.  We ate lunch at Jimmy Hula's and both enjoyed our tacos.

We spent the early afternoon at the beach.  There were a lot of others enjoying the sand and sun, but overall it wasn't too crowded.  It was nice to soak up the sun and we loved all of the birds flying overhead.  The water was freezing, but we figured that.  We did get our feet wet and were impressed with those who were actually swimming.  It was a nice afternoon and I was really glad that we tried Clearwater.  

Once we had had our fill of Florida sunshine, we headed back to Ocala.  Doug offered to take us to Crazy Cucumber for dinner.  It was in the same outdoor mall as Marshall's.  Meg wanted to stop by there and Barnes & Noble before we ate.  She bought a really cute skirt and we all found a book or two that we'd like to get at another time.  I was thankful for a nice dinner afterward to relax and fill Doug in on our beach experience.