Sad to Leave, But Enjoyed the Drive

Leaving Florida has gotten harder and harder for me.  Being in Ocala feels like the future.  Returning to Indiana feels stagnant.  I hate to think of Meg and Cameron leaving at the end of the summer, but they are ready to start their life anew.  Knowing that Doug and I also have a big change in front of us makes their departure a lot easier.  

We did have a nice drive back today.  It was one of our best times ever.  We listened to the Beach Boys during the last two hours with Meg playing some of her favorite songs and filling us in on the details of their recording history.  I am very glad that she decided to get her certification in Rock History.  The information that she has shared has been extremely interesting.  It hasn't always been about the Beach Boys; we've learned all kinds of history about early Rock n' Roll and the musicians that influenced its start.  Her knowledge definitely came in handy today as we not only learned a lot, but it also helped the drive time pass more quickly. It will be strange when Doug and I start making that trip by ourselves, but at least we will have some fun places to visit in Chicago and Bloomington.  

Some Awesome News for Brett

Brett received some awesome news this week that resolved an issue that had begun in April.  Dealing with it had been very stressful at times as we weren't sure how the situation would end.  It took patience and a lot of perseverance, but the result ended as exactly as he had hoped.  I was proud of Brett for his fortitude.  He had been dealt a bad hand, but he didn't let it kill his spirit.  He worked through the problem with a positive attitude, and never panicked.  Although I wished that he had never had to deal with the issue in the first place, Brett said that he learned that he had a great support system when he needed it most.  I was very glad to hear that. Hopefully, the rest of the summer goes smoothly for him and allows him to focus on what he's most interested in - his friends, politics and writing his newest story.  

Harry's, Hats and Home

Last night, Cameron, Meg and I arrived back to Ocala in time to pick up Doug from work.  We had made plans to go to dinner at Harry's on the downtown square.  The restaurant had been highly recommended to us when we first visited Ocala.  Meg, Doug and I had already tried it, but Cameron had never been.  We all enjoyed our meals very much and made a stop at Grandpa Joe's candy shop afterward before heading home.  Phil met us once we got back so that he could try out Cameron's new chess set and to see him off before he left in the morning.

All of us were all up early today so that we could drop Doug off at work before heading to the airport.  Cameron had a mid-morning flight back to Indiana.  His experience was unlike the one in January when he flew home by himself for the first time.  There was hardly anyone in line at security today and he made it through almost immediately.  His flight was an easy one as well and he was home in time to meet Alina for dinner.

While Cameron was flying home, Meg and I first stopped at Port Orleans French Quarter for Mickey beignets.  They were delicious as always.  We then went to Disney Springs to do a little shopping.  I had had no luck earlier in the week finding a hat that Doug liked and was hoping that I might come across one today.  We tried several stores before Tommy Bahama saved the day.  The hat was exactly what Doug was looking for and at a better price than we thought it would be.  

While we were at Disney Springs, I was finally able to use the Disney gift card that I received from Cal for Mother's Day.  I found the cutest Toy Story pitcher set.  It will be perfect for making lemonade once we move to Florida.  We then enjoyed a late lunch at Splitsville before heading back to Ocala.  Doug was happy with the hat and liked the new pitcher set more than I thought he would.  Meg was happy with a day of shopping and a break from studying for the CPA as well.  Overall, it was great day for everyone.  

Disney Time

A priority for Cameron while we were in Florida was Epcot's Flower and Garden Show.  Doug and I had raved about all of the food booths that were at this year's event when we visited in March and Cameron really wanted to try several of them.  Meg had already been there in May, but was ready for another trip.  None of us were disappointed yesterday when we spent the day enjoying all that Epcot had to offer.  There was so much to eat that we couldn't try it all.  Nick had highly recommended the Moroccan booth from his vacation in May and we all like the three choices from there.  I also had everyone try the chocolate cake from Canada which almost matched the one from Ireland during the Food & Wine Festival.  The drinks including a Grey Goose slushy from France and Welsh Dragon were high on the list as well.  

Eating wasn't our only activity at Epcot yesterday.  We rode Remy, Soarin', Test Track and the Gran Fiesta Tour as well.  We also visited all of the character Topiaries and walked through the butterfly garden.  The four of us picked up our Figment Passholder magnets and did some shopping before we left the park.  June was annual Passholder month, so we got some great deals on a few items.  I especially loved my new hat.

Doug had to work today.  Once I dropped him off at Winco, Meg, Cameron and I headed to Animal Kingdom.  It was more crowded than we expected, but we didn't mind.  We rode the Navi' River ride, tried cheeseburger pods, walked through Gorilla Falls, watched Birds in Flight and saw a performance of It's Tough to Be a Bug.  We took advantage of the Passholder discount again before heading back to Ocala.  Cameron bought a lighted Haunted Mansion chess set for 65% off the original price, and Meg found a shirt that she had been looking at earlier.  Overall, it was a wonderful two days at Disney which sparked some great conversations during dinner about our favorite trips to the parks over the years.

Atlantic City

 While we were enjoying Atlanta this weekend, Cal was having fun in Atlantic City.  He and Jayce flew out for Cameron Adams' bachelor party.  Although the guys weren't impressed with the area around the Philadelphia Airport, everything else went very well.  They hung out at the beach, played indoor golf, ate a lot of great food and gambled.  Cal even won $1000 playing roulette on the first night.  He ended up giving it all back to the casino, but it paid for him to play the rest of the trip.  

Cal and Jayce weren't the only ones from high school that were invited to Cameron's bachelor party.  Nick Clark, Austin Burkholder and Ryder were all there as well.  Cal hadn't seen any of them since the weekend before New Year's Eve in 2020.  Thankfully, no one got Covid during this get together and from what we heard, it sounded like the perfect celebration for Cameron's upcoming wedding.  Doug and I are already looking forward to their ceremony on September 2.  

Made it to Florida

We finished in Atlanta earlier than expected and were able to make it to Ocala last night in time for dinner at Crazy Cucumber.  We were all glad to be out of the Pilot after our two day road trip.  Uncle Phil met us at Meg's favorite restaurant and we filled him in on our trip while we were waiting.  He had lived in Atlanta for eight years and although he had heard of all of the places that we had visited, he had never gone to any of them.  Everyone enjoyed their meals, especially Cameron as he had never eaten there.  Afterward we played multiple games including several rounds of The Donner Party.  It was the perfect way to relax and unwind.

Today we enjoyed more of Ocala by first going to lunch at The Shuckin' Shack.  Doug had wanted to take Cameron there ever since he and I had visited it months ago.  They both enjoyed their oysters while Meg and I stuck to the non-seafood menu.  Meg got a kick out of watching another customer feed beer to his dog right out of his own glass.  Doug and I then went grocery shopping while Cameron and Meg walked through the mall.  It was a nice activity for such a hot day.

Cameron had talked about playing pickle ball with Doug while we were in Florida.  We looked for pickle ball courts near us, but most were a fifteen to twenty minute drive.  I decided instead to research buying a pickle ball net.  Belk's had one that was the right size and price.  I was a little skeptical because of the discount, but it actually worked very well and Meg, Doug and Cameron had a lot of fun playing in the driveway.

Tonight's dinner was at Tijuana Flats followed up by another game night with Uncle Phil.  This time, Molly visited as well.  Overall, it was a wonderful day in Florida and made me ready to move.

The Atlanta Zoo

We were at the Atlanta Zoo this morning before it opened.  Cameron downloaded a map to his phone and we headed straight to the panda encounter as soon as we got through the gates.  It was an awesome exhibit and all three pandas were out walking around.  We even got to watch them being fed their morning breakfast.  The experience was made even better by a little boy and his mom.  I don't know how old he was, but his enthusiasm for the pandas was definitely catchy.  It was an awesome way to celebrate visiting our last group of pandas in the United States.

After we had gotten our fill of the panda encounter, we spent the rest of the morning walking through the rest of the Atlanta Zoo.  We saw giraffes, red pandas, elephants, sloths and so much more.  It wasn't a large zoo, but we definitely liked it a lot.  Had Meg and Cameron been younger, there was even a playground, splash pad and rides that they could have enjoyed it.  We made a stop at the gift shop on our way out of the zoo and found panda clothing for all of us.  Cameron and Meg each bought a giraffe bracelet as well.

Our afternoon was spent at The World of Coca-Cola.  Meg had wanted to visit the attraction since she found out that we were going to go to Atlanta.  It was absolutely packed, but we were still able to see everything.  There was a museum with Coke memorabilia along with the history of the beverage.  We also visited the Vault where the secret formula for Coca-Cola was housed.  There was an area to test our ability to smell different scents with the tour ended in a taste testing room which we all enjoyed very much.  My favorite flavor was cucumber Sprite from Russia.

We ended our trip in Atlanta with lunch at Mellow Mushroom.  It was extremely close to the complex that housed The World of Coca-Cola, College Football Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Aquarium.  Cameron, Doug and I had been to the famed restaurant in Tampa almost two years ago, but Meg hadn't been in almost a decade.  The pizza was just as good as we remembered and we all had fun sitting outside enjoying our lunch and the sites of Atlanta.