Good Friday

Cam, Meg and I were thankful for a day off from school today.  It had been a long week coming back from vacation and we were glad to sleep in.  I have noticed that sleeping in for Cam and I means getting up around 8 or so and today was no different.  He was showered and ready to play golf by 8:45.   Dad was willing to take him out as the weather had been crummy this week and today was the first nice one in awhile.  I used the time before Meg got up to pack for the weekend.

We had planned on piano at 11 a.m., but once Cam left Mrs. Meek agreed to move it to 1 so he could finish nine holes and eat lunch before we left for Goshen.  Cam was happy with his round and piano went well.  Doug had a doctor's appointment at 3 p.m. and was home by 3:35.  Hannah-Marie was joining us for the weekend and she arrived just as we got the van loaded.  The trip was an easy one.  Cam picked Happy Gilmore to watch and that kept everyone entertained for the majority of the ride.  

We met Cal at Wright and went straight to Mother Bears for dinner.  The wait was a short one and the pizza was delicious.  Cal and HM decided to talk a walk after we ate.  We unpacked at Parce's and then took a walk ourselves.  He had to work late tonight and it was ten before he got to his apartment.  We walked to the Union and back before Cal and HM arrived.  They too were on Kirkwood.  We had just enough time to catch up with Parce before he went to bed.  No one stayed up late, which was ok with me.  It's hard for me to make it up past 11 anymore.  

First NLC Win at #1 Singles

Tonight was Meg's second match of the week and her first in conference.  The girls played at Goshen and it was a chilly one.  Doug, Mom and Dad all made it by the first serve.  Cam and I arrived after his practice ended.  Meg started off on fire and was up 4-1 early.  Goshen's player hung in there and started to make a rally closing the gap to 4-3.  Meg's coach talked to her at the change over and gave her some strategy tips that worked well for her.  Meg finished the set at 6-3 and although she lost her serve in the first game of the second set, she was able to cruise to a 6-1 win.

We were all really proud of Meg.  She has worked hard on tennis this winter and it has paid off.  This season will be a challenge for her.  Playing #1 as a sophomore will be tough.  Glad that she could start the conference matches with a win.

Finally, All Unpacked

I spent a lot of time these past three days unpacking from our trip.  It has been a long time since we have been gone as long as we were this Spring Break.  It was a lot of work, but well worth it.  Mom helped me fold several of the our loads of laundry and tonight I was able to get the rest of it done and in laundry baskets.  I was also able to mail Easter gifts, put away the suitcases, hang up the new wind chime and place our Figment stone in back yard.  Doug swept the porch off for me and vacuumed out the car.

Meg and Cam had practice tonight.  Cam was pleased with how his went.  Mom and Dad took him out to find the Geo Easter Eggs, but the coordinates for the first one were off and they gave up early and went home to play games.  Meg's practice ran late, so she went to Mom's for noodles afterward.  Doug and I had time to go out for dinner.  It was nice to do so.  I haven't been feeling the best since we got back.  Tomorrow will be the last day of the work week.  It's been very busy at school, so it will be nice to have a day off.

Weather Change

I know that we were spoiled last week with 90 degree weather, but today was really cold for April.  I am not sure if it even reached 50.  Cam, Doug and I even wore our winter coats at Meg's tennis match.  From what Mom and Dad said, this is nothing compared to the weather over Spring break.  It snowed one of the days.  It is supposed to warm up this weekend, however, which should make our trip to Bloomington wonderful.  It has definitely been a strange Spring with record highs in February and cold and rain in late March and April.  Hoping this makes for a hot, dry summer.

Back to Reality

It was hard for everyone to get up this morning.  We had a wonderful vacation in D.C. and at Disney World and weren't ready to give that up.  We survived, however, and Meg and Cam even made it to tennis practice.  We spent tonight unpacking, reading the mail, grocery shopping and sorting laundry.  There was a lot to do, but we accomplished more than I thought we would be able to.  As far as days after a vacation go, it was alright.   The best part was sleeping in our own beds.

Home

We packed almost everything last night, so we only had a few items to get in the suitcase this morning.  Our plan was for me to take everything to the airline drop off, but there was no line so everyone was able to help.  With everyone helping we had time for all of us to get to EPCOT before it opened.  Doug had not ridden Test Track yet, so we started there.  The line was already long before the park even opened, but we had time to ride before heading to Soarin'.  It was by far my favorite ride of the week. Meg and Cam have enjoyed that we have been on the top row the past two times we have ridden it.  We finished EPCOT by taking a ride on the Gran Fiesta one last time and getting German pretzels.  No one was excited to go home, but our Magical Express was to arrive in a half hours, so we knew we had better head out.

The ride to the airport was a sad one, but a quick one.  We arrived about two hours before our flight and were glad that we did as it took awhile to get through security.  We ate lunch at the airport and by the time we got to the terminal our flight was almost ready to board.  The takeoff and landing were a lot bumpier than usual and Doug struggled to make it without being sick.  He felt better once we got to Midway and we appreciated him getting the car while we waited for the luggage.

We were able to watch the end of the Masters on the way home.  All of us had put a $1 in the pot and picked a player to win.  Meg had the favorite, Dustin Johnson, but he hurt his back and had to withdraw.  My Dad chose, Henrik Stenson, but he didn't even made the cut.  The rest of us were in it until the last day.  At that point only Cal and Brett had a chance.  Brett's player, Sergio Garcia, pulled ahead and ended tied for the lead after 18 holes.  The playoff was intense, but in the end Sergio won his first major and Brett earned $7.  By the time the Masters ended we were close to Milford.  We were able to get everything inside before we were ready for bed.  Unpacking will wait until tomorrow.

It Only Took Five Times

Today was one that Cam probably won't forget for quite awhile.  He had been struggling this week with his allergies, but I thought he had finally turned a corner.  After today I guess I must have been wrong.  The day started off great as the Animal Kingdom bus was at the bus stop right when we arrived. Unfortunately, we weren't two minutes into the trip when Cam got sick.  Luckily, there were only two other passengers on the bus and they were very helpful.  Doug cleaned Cam up the best he could, but he was a mess.  I asked Cam if he wanted to go back, but he really wanted to go to Animal Kingdom.  So we got off the bus and headed straight to a clothing shop.  They didn't have what Cam wanted so Meg and I went to the shop at the Dinosaur ride while Doug helped Cam clean up.  We hoped they would have a shirt that he wanted and we found the perfect one.  He changed right away.  He still needed shorts, but they didn't have any.  Cam decided he'd go ahead and ride Dinosaur, even though he didn't quite smell his best.

After Dinosaur we usually ride Primeval Whirl.  The wait was 60 minutes, however, so we decided to just feel thankful that we had ridden it on Tuesday.  We walked to Expedition Everest as that was our next Fast Pass.  The roller coaster was not working, so we did some shopping instead.  Luckily, Asia had exactly what we were looking for - a pair of shorts for Cam.  They were even appropriately named - Yak & Yeti.  We checked in with the Yeti ride once again, but the workers said it was going to be out for awhile, so we instead went to our favorite show in Animal Kingdom - It's Tough to Be a Bug.  Our next Fast Pass was for Kilimanjaro Safari.  The animals were out and feeding while we were on the ride.  One even walked right up to our jeep.  There were more baby animals than I had ever seen before.   After the ride I talked everyone into walking on the Gorilla Falls trail.  I had gone in November when I was there on my own and loved it.  Doug, Meg and Cam liked it this trip as well.  The animals were easy to spot and the birds flew right above our heads.

We took a bus from Animal Kingdom to Blizzard Beach.  We wanted to play the round of mini golf that was rained out on Tuesday.  We had to wait a little while, but no one seemed to mind.  The course was a lot of fun.  Cam was still feeling queasy and was sick two more times while we were there.  Meg started to feel the same, but hers seemed to be from the DayQuil she took.  We did make it through the round and everyone had a great time.

The bus trip back to The Boardwalk was a lot less painful than we thought it would be.  Doug once again wanted to tour the countries at EPCOT and Meg and Cam wanted to rest.  Once we made sure they were set in the room, Doug and I left for an hour or so.  It was hotter today than yesterday, but very nice.  We tried foods that we hadn't yet and did a little bit of shopping.

Cam was feeling a little better when we got back, at least enough to try Magic Kingdom.  The bus ride there was rough, but he made it.  The park was even more crowded than last night.  We did have a Fast Pass for Buzz Lightyear which was one that we missed last night because of the wait times.  As it wasn't time yet we started at Mickey's Philharmagic.  The show was great, but once again Cam got sick.  Unfortunately, this time he didn't make it to the bushes and Meg had a foot to "disinfect."  We did still have fun at Magic Kingdom riding Buzz and shopping at the Emporium.

We headed back early as we needed to pack.  I was so glad that we did.  The Boardwalk was full of life and we thoroughly enjoyed the street performers and the fireworks from EPCOT.  Meg even found some nachos and I finally got a funnel cake.  As we walked back to the room, Cam said to me, "Well, after five times (throwing up) I finally feel better!"