An Early Start to the Day

Last night, I was in bed by 9 p.m.  After waking up early, making three trips to Goshen and being on my feet a good portion of the day, I was impressed that I made it up that late.  I told my mom before I went to bed that whatever time I woke up, I would get dressed and head straight to Midway.  That way I wouldn't have to worry about traffic and if there was an earlier flight, I could catch it.  No one was up when I left the house at 4:50 a.m. but that was ok as I had said my goodbyes last night.  

The drive was extremely easy as there were very few people on the road to Chicago.  Because of that, I was shocked by all of the semi-trucks at the rest stop when I got gas, but I guess that made sense as many of them were probably not ready to get back on the road again.  I returned the car with no problem and caught the shuttle to the airport right away.  Before I got to the Southwest counter to check my luggage, I was able to switch my 1 p.m. flight to an 8:30 a.m. one.  I was very happy as that got me back to Florida by lunchtime.  I had actually arrived so early that I almost caught the flight at 7:40.  

I had an hour before the plane boarded and spent a good portion of that time looking for a smoothie for breakfast.  I was surprised that there weren't any places that made them and settled for a peanut butter and strawberry jelly Uncrustable.  It wasn't what I expected to find, but it tasted great and had the protein that I was looking for this morning.  I had chosen an upgraded seat for my flight as the only standard one left was in the middle in the back of the plane.  I appreciated being in the seventh row and enjoyed catching up on the Pitt on my way home.  Doug had waited to take his lunch break until I landed.  I was very happy that he did that.  It saved me the hassle of taking an Uber and I was glad to see him.

I spent the afternoon at Meg's catching up on some much-needed sleep.  Once she and Doug arrived at the apartment, the three of us went to Gastro Pub for dinner.  I hadn't been in at least a month and loved sitting outside eating my favorite flatbread talking to Doug and Meg. It was a nice way to celebrate all that I had accomplished this past week. 

Waterford Crossing

On Saturday morning my mom and I visited Green Oaks in Goshen.  It is an independent/assisted living facility that had just opened in the past few years.  It was very nice and had a lot of great amenities, but my mom felt that it was too small for her and my dad.  Today, we went to see Waterford Crossing.  My parents knew people who lived there, and it was on the south side of Goshen which was a lot closer to Syracuse.  My mom liked it right away and I could see why.  The facility was bigger, it had an outdoor area, the rooms were a lot more spacious and the people that lived there were extremely positive about it.  Waterford Crossing felt a lot like Bethany.  I loved that the different areas were named after familiar areas of Goshen - Shanklin Avenue, Linway Plaza, etc.  Another big positive was the amount of nursing staff that they had available as well as the help they could provide when needed.  Overall, it was extremely impressive, and my mom told my dad that she wanted to put a deposit down today since there was a year waiting list.  I ran a check back over this afternoon.  

The rest of the day was a busy one.  I took my dad in to have his bloodwork done at the hospital as his sodium was very low last week.  I also ran to the post office, went shopping for my parents at Walmart, and packed the rest of the items that I wanted to take back to Florida including Cal's beloved Ninja Turtles.  I was exhausted tonight and glad to sit down after dinner to watch Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy and Super Market Sweep with my parents.  

Cal and Maggie in Lincoln Park

Doug and I worked very hard at my parents yesterday to get a lot of things done for them.  Doug was the manual labor, and I was the technical support.  While he was cleaning out the closets in their home, I took my mom to Green Oaks to look at their assisted living facility and finished my dad's taxes afterward.  We were both exhausted when we left for dinner at Goshen Brewing Company and were glad for a restful night of watching basketball with my parents afterward. 

This morning, Doug and I packed a full suitcase for him to take back to Florida of items that our family still wanted to save but had been stored at my parents and then headed to Chicago to visit Cal and Maggie.  They were up and ready for us even though we were early.  Maggie had bought some macaroons for us to try and hot dog flavored chips.  All were delicious.  

After catching up at their apartment for a while, the four of us walked to the Lincoln Park Zoo.  It was a little chilly, but once the sun came out it warmed up quickly.  They had hoped to show us the brown bears that had arrived recently to the zoo.  Unfortunately, they weren't out today, but we did get to see the polar bear and a new section of the zoo that we had never been to that housed pygmy hippos, an aardvark, meerkats and giraffes.  It was really neat.

Cal had made reservations at Mon Ami Gabi, a French restaurant that was absolutely wonderful.  I tried their French toast, Doug ordered salmon and Cal and Maggie split a salad and cheeseburger.  No one went away hungry and everything was delicious.  We spent a few hours afterward watching basketball and hanging out at Cal and Maggie's apartment.  It was so much fun, and I was glad to see them both.  The time went by quickly and soon Doug and I were on our way to Midway to drop him off for his flight.  I was exhausted driving back to Syracuse but was incredibly happy for such a fantastic day.

Karens Choir Debut

I was up and out the door by 9 a.m. yesterday morning for a road trip to Southern Indiana.  My first stop was Bloomington.  I got to Assembly Hall just as Cameron was getting out of his internship.  Before heading to lunch at Mother Bear's, we unloaded everything that I had brought back from Florida into his car.  I also had several items of clothing from Grandma's that he still had in the upstairs bedroom.  He even took the ski helmets that were stored there in case he would need them next winter.

Lunch was very nice.  We both had their 8-inch pizzas which were the perfect size for a mid-day meal. Cameron had had a tough week and was glad to have someone to talk to about it.  The internship, classes, SAB, and work have physically worn him out.  I know that he will be glad when the semester is over.  Thankfully, warmer weather is just around the corner, so he will be able to get outside more which will really help.

I drove to Columbus next.  Brett and Karen had both taken the day off and were waiting for me when I arrived.  I was glad to see Karen before she left for her performance with the choir.  Brett and I had a very nice talk and were able to resolve a few things that he had going on in his life.  I was very happy to hear that work was going well.  He and Karen were really looking forward to nicer weather too.

Brett and I drove separately to Indianapolis for Karen's choir program at Robert Parks United Methodist Church.  Parking was a little challenging, and the neighborhood wasn't my favorite.  Fortunately, there was a spot right in front of the church, and it was still daylight, so Brett and I had no problem walking in safely.  St. Bartholemew's choir was performing with three other churches to sing Gioachino Rossini's Sabat Mater.  It was a beautiful piece that told the story of Mary witnessing the death of Jesus on the cross.  The solos were amazing and I was very glad to have been invited to attend.  Karen did a great job in her first performance and Brett told me afterward that he was joining the choir as well.

While we were at the concert, Doug was landing at the Indianapolis airport.  I headed straight there once we left the church.  Brett and Karen then met us at a nearby Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  The four of us had a wonderful time talking about Karen's concert, their thoughts on moving to Florida in the near future, the current state of politics, church and so much more.  It was an awesome way to end a fantastic day.

Grandpa Cutes Turns 83

Today was my dad's 83rd birthday.  He couldn't believe how old it sounded.  I was more amazed at how much had changed since he turned 82.  My mom had had a stroke.  He had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.  My mom had fallen and broken her hip.  Then my dad spent a month in the hospital and rehab facility with pneumonia.  He had been a very healthy octogenarian last March and now he was using a wheelchair, walker and on oxygen.  

Although life had hit him hard this year, there were some very positive moments as well.  Brett had gotten married over the summer.  Meg and Nick had successfully moved to Florida.  My dad had won the Big Cup this fall with Cal. IU football had been the talk of the sports world this year by winning the National Championship and my parents had gotten to see their youngest grandson on television more than any other grandparent I knew.  It's hard not to get down when life is tough, so I hope those positive memories and many more carry him through year number eighty-three.

  

A Very Busy Day

Today was extremely exhausting.  I was up early this morning to start on cleaning out the closest upstairs in the two extra bedrooms and hallway.  Our family still had a few items stored at my parents and I wanted to see what was there and let everyone decide what to do with it all.  Next on the agenda was a visit to Dr. Freeze's with both of my parents.  It was challenging to get into the office with a wheelchair, oxygen and walker, but we made it. The doctor spent a lot of time talking to my parents and going over their current ailments.  My mom had fallen last night while helping my dad and had a big cut on her leg.  The doctor was very concerned about that and strongly suggested assisted living or home health.  She also said that she would have a care manager call me as she could help with those two areas.  I was not sure that my dad had considered either before today, but after being at their home I thought they were both good ideas.  Home health would give my mom a break and assisted living would provide a safe place for them to live.  With all of the stairs in the house, the risk of falling was definitely something I worried about for both of them.  

We had just enough time to stop at my parents' home and pick up more oxygen before heading to Amanda's for haircuts.  Neither of my parents had had theirs cut since December and were ready for a trim.  Amanda did a great job, and both looked very nice once she was done.  I took my parents back to Syracuse and grabbed lunch before going to North Webster once again for my own haircut.  Mine definitely needed it and I was glad to catch up with my friend while I was there.  The rest of the night was spent at my parents.  We watched basketball after I sorted through a few more things upstairs.  The Purdue game was exciting, and we were all glad to see them win, my mom especially since she had chosen them in our March Madness pool.  She even donned the sweatshirt that Nick had sent up for her to wear.  It was a nice way to end a very busy day.

Back in the Midwest

Doug and I stayed at Meg and Nick's last night so that I could catch my morning flight today.  The four of us tired a new restaurant in downtown Orlando that we all loved.  I had not been in that area before and was impressed with how beautiful it was.  There was a large pond that surrounded the downtown area with dozens of swans swimming up to the feeders placed strategically in the water to attract them.  After dinner we walked along a path circling the lake looking at all of the birds in the park, impressed with the multitude of restaurants that we could try on a later date.

This morning, Doug dropped me off three hours early for my flight.  With the government shutdown the news was full of long lines at the TSA counters, and we wanted to make sure that I got through it in plenty of time to make my 8:30 a.m. flight. Thankfully, it was nothing like the media reports we had seen.  Someone was there to greet me when I got out of the car with my large suitcase and I was the first person in line for security.  The boarding process was so much easier than before Southwest changed to assigned seating and my flight actually arrived early.  I met the best employee ever at National and soon I was in a red Jeep Compass driving out of Midway's parking garage.

The trip to Syracuse was a lot easier than I expected.  Traffic in Chicago was lighter than expected too.  Tolls were more expensive, but thankfully, I brought cash and didn't have to wait too long to pay them.  I listened to the Big Picture podcast on the drive and stopped at McDonald's for lunch.  I arrived at my parents' home well before dark thankful to have made it safely and ready for a break from traveling.  

The Book of Isaiah

Today in Bible study, we concluded a twenty-two week course on the book of Isaiah.  It was the first time that I had ever been involved in a program that thoroughly studied one book of the Bible.  It was interesting, depressing, uplifting and enlightening.  To say that I learned a lot was an understatement.  To say that I enjoyed each lesson would be untruthful.  I was glad to say, however, that I stuck with it and completed each lesson that was given to me. 

Isaiah was a major prophet in the Old Testament.  The first thirty-nine chapters warned of God's judgement for idolatry among other sins.   Our Bible leader said that this section was called "The Book of Woe."  I could definitely understand why.  The rest of Isaiah was devoted to the prophecies that those who believed in God would be protected and the coming of the Messiah.  I preferred this half of the book of Isaiah a lot more.  It related directly to the New Testament and was full of hope and good news.  

Although the twenty-two lessons were time consuming.  I was really happy that I stay with it.  I learned a lot and felt very good about my relationship with God once we finished it today.  

Catching an Earlier Flight

Last night while we were at Crazy Cucumber eating dinner, Cameron and I started talking about changing his flight to an earlier time today.  He had had a great week with us and was glad to have celebrated Meg's birthday with her, but his flight this afternoon didn't land until after 6 and that wouldn't give him time to unpack, go grocery shopping and unwind.  Since Meg and Nick were leaving for Magic Kingdom early tomorrow, it made sense to Doug and I to find an earlier flight for him.  We started searching right away and found there was one in the morning that worked perfectly.  It didn't have any standard seats left, but there was one for a slight upcharge in the third row by the window and we booked that right away.

This morning, Doug, Cameron and I were on the road by 8:15 a.m. anticipating spring break traffic on I-75.  Thankfully, there was none and our drive was a smooth one.  We enjoyed our last few hours with Cameron talking about our spring break fun, his plans for the rest of the semester and his thoughts on his internship this summer.  Cameron arrived in plenty of time to get through TSA, find his gate and relax for a few minutes before boarding.  I was happy to see that his flight was on time during our quiet drive back to Ocala.

Meg and Nick had already left for Orlando when we arrived back home.  It was a quiet afternoon, but after a busy week, it was just what we needed.  We went grocery shopping, picked up the house, did a few things around the yard, and spent quite a bit of time relaxing.  Cameron texted to let us know that he had made it back safely to Indiana.  Meg also called to tell us about her birthday in Magic Kingdom.  They especially loved the new Pirates of the Caribbean themed restaurant "Beak N Barrell."  I was glad that everyone had enjoyed their day and that Meg had had a wonderful birthday celebration.

St. Augustine

In honor of Meg's 25th birthday and Cameron's last weekend of Spring Break, I suggested that the five of us visit St. Augustine for the day.  Nick, Cameron and Meg had never been there before, so everyone was excited about the day trip.  The weather was beautiful today which made for a great time to explore the nation's oldest city.  Finding parking was a challenge as always, but thankfully we were able to get a spot on the top floor of their visitor garage.  

Our first stop of the day was the Pirate Museum.  Doug and I had never been, and it had received very good reviews on Trip Advisor.  Plus, Nick was interested in pirates or at least talking like one, so it seemed like the perfect fit.  The museum was definitely very educational.  There was a rich history of pirating in the St. Augustine area during the 16th to the 19th century.  Blackbeard was a prominent villain in the area as were several other notable pirates.  There were also multiple shipwrecks recovered off the shores of St. Augustine and the museum held several of the key items found during their discoveries.  Overall, the five of us learned a lot about pirates this morning and we were all pleased with the visit.

From the museum we next walked down St. George's street checking out the local shops and looking for a place to eat lunch.  Meg picked a pub that had great sandwiches and a funny waiter which made the meal even more enjoyable.  We walked around The Cathedral Basilica de St. Augustine checking out the gardens.  Everything looked beautiful.  Meg and I then did some shopping while the guys went to a tasting at the distillery.  They loved all of the whiskies that they tried, and Meg and I each found a treasure to take home from our shopping trip making for a wonderful way to end our day in St. Augustine.

"Megaritaville"

Meg had been talking about having "Megaritaville" to celebrate her 25th birthday since she moved down here last May.  I was glad that tonight we were able to make that happen.  Meg did a lot of the prep work to get ready for the night by sending invitations, coming up with a specialty drink mix and picking out decorations for the night.  She also brought her own dessert, my favorite, chocolate cake.  Doug had taken a rare day off and was a lot of help with the food as well.  Nick and Cameron made it home in time from disc golf to change into their Hawaiian shirts for the night matching the one that Nick's dad, Kyle, wore in Indiana this evening in honor of the party.  Even Uncle Phil joined in the festivities by wearing the "Birthday Boy" pin that Meg got for him to honor his 53rd birthday tomorrow.  We all had a great time listening to the new vinyls we gave Meg for her birthday, including "Sunflowers" by the Beach Boys and Marvin Gayes' "What's Going On?", on the back patio while talking about birthday memories and realizing that I should never give suggestions on how much tequila it takes to make a good margarita.

Overall, tonight was a lot of fun, and I was very glad that it went so well.  It has been a joy having Meg live so close to us here in Florida and tonight was a wonderful reminder of that.  Florida has been great for her, and I am happy to see how much she has enjoyed her new life in Orlando. She has a job that she loves, friends to hang out with, a church that she appreciates and all within an hour drive of Disney World.  After such an awesome year for Meg, I can't wait to see what happens in the next one.   

A Relaxing Day in Ocala

I was very thankful for a relaxing day at home.  Cameron had a meeting with Owens Corning and then we went to lunch at Mooyah's on the downtown square.  Their turkey burgers are fantastic.  Afterward, we went to Play It Again Sports so Cameron could pick up a new driver for his disc golf set in Florida.  His other one landed on a roof while he was playing in Orlando on Monday.  Our next stop was Broke N' Records.  Cameron found three new vinyls including a Jimmy Hendrix one.  I was super excited to run across "The Concert for Bangladesh."  It was a live recording of the concert that George Harrison hosted to help the starving children of the impoverished country and was the precursor to later ones such as "Live Aid" in the 1980s.  While Cameron and I were out shopping, we also decided to stop at Peacock Cottage.  I found a beautiful new house plant to replace the succulent that died several weeks ago.  

Tonight, Doug made brats at home, and we enjoyed the start to March Madness.  There were more close games and upsets than I could remember.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon and evening.  

Animal Kingdom

Cameron and I decided to sleep in this morning, enjoy breakfast at Animal Lodge and take a walking tour of the resort.  We found a flamingo pond behind the pool that was filled with the pink birds.  Once we checked that out, we headed straight to the Palm/Magnolia golf course. There was no rain today and very few people on the range, so Cameron was able to hit a large bucket of golf balls. He really enjoyed it. From there we headed to Animal Kingdom.  Since we were getting to the park later in the day, I decided to purchase a Lightening Lane pass for Cameron and I.  In the end, I was very glad that we did as it was packed.

Cameron and I started with cheeseburger pods in Pandora.  While we were there, we also did some shopping.  I hadn't really seen Avatar until the last couple of years, but after watching the first two movies, I had really come to appreciate this area of the park.  After lunch, we walked over to Kilimanjaro Safari.  Between that ride and our walk through Gorilla Trails, I felt that we saw every animal in Africa today.  My favorite was the hippo as he was actually out of the water and eating hay.  I had never seen one do that before today.  

After exploring Africa, Cameron and I walked to Expedition Everest next.  The line was long and we didn't have a lightening lane for this one.  Thankfully, Cameron was able to get a spot in the single rider's line and finished the roller coaster well before our reservation at Zootopia.  The new 3-D movie that replaced "It's Tough to Be a Bug" in the Tree of Life was cute, but we didn't know the characters very well, so it was a little lost on the both of us.  The children in the audience loved it, however.

We ended our day in Animal Kingdom shopping and riding my favorite ride in the park, Na'vi River Ride.  It was gorgeous as always, albeit a little more tense than usual.  The woman beside Cameron had her flash on during the first part of the ride and the adults in front of us were extremely made about it.  Fortunately, she turned it off after a few minutes and everyone calmed down.  Cameron and I stopped at the ice cream cart before leaving for home where he picked up an ice cream sandwich and I, of course, got the best dessert in Disney World - a chocolate covered banana.  It was a great way to end three wonderful days in Orlando.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I don't remember ever spending St. Patrick's Day in Walt Disney World and really didn't know what to expect when Cameron and I arrived at Epcot this morning for rope drop.  There weren't any specific events scheduled for the holiday, but it was a lot of fun seeing everyone dressed in green or wearing beads around their necks.  Rose and Crown was even selling green beer to celebrate the occasion.   

One thing I was certain about was that it was the coldest St. Patrick's Day that I had ever spent in Florida with temperatures in the mid-thirties when we got to the park.  Thankfully, it didn't hinder us from riding Soarin', Ratatouille, and Living with the Land this morning.  It did decrease the number of butterflies in the gardens, but overall, we still had a great time.  Cameron and I completed the Easter Egg hunt - winning a "White Rabbit egg", tried several of the booths at The Spring & Garden Festival, took pictures of the beautiful topiaries and bought some really nice soccer jerseys in England before we headed back to Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The sun came out in the afternoon as did the animals on the savannah.  I loved watching them on the balcony while wrapped up in a blanket.  Once Doug got back to the resort, we all enjoyed dinner in the lounge where there was green food and drink for everyone.  Everything was delicious as usual and none of us went away hungry.  The rest of the night was spent on the balcony watching a giraffe chase away the wildebeest and water bucks.  The three of us went to bed early, exhausted from all of the activity, but very happy with our St. Patrick's Day celebration.