I Love a Rainy Night . . .

Tonight, I looked up into the sky and got really excited. For the first time in a long time, I actually saw rain clouds. They were thick and black and headed towards our home. I sent a picture of them to my mom with my fingers crossed that soon our drought ridden yard and thirsty plants would soon be soaked in rain drops.

Unfortunately, my hopes were quickly dashed as the rain clouds just kept floating by our home. I looked online later and saw that some parts of Ocala got rain and that there were storms south of us, but we still had empty rain gauges on our side of town by the time we went to bed. It has been so hot and so dry that we have had to water our plants almost every day. Even so, the tomato plant is wilted, and the hibiscus is looking sad. My sun patients have not fared very well this spring either.  I can’t believe I am saying this, but I am actually looking forward to the rainy season this summer. At least then I won’t worry about the yard accidentally catching on fire when we blow out our Tikis for the night. I guess, soon enough we will have rain and then I’ll be tired of it, but right now it sounds like a welcome relief.

Baldwin Park

Since Nick hadn’t returned from training yet, Meg asked Doug if he wanted to stay at her apartment tonight. It would really cut down on the drive for him and give her some company as well. Our dryer vent was getting cleaned out at our house today, so I wasn’t sure that I can join them, but thankfully they finished in plenty of time, and I was able to arrive around the same time as Doug.

Both of Doug and I were very impressed with how much Meg had gotten done this weekend. She rearranged the furniture and unpacked several more boxes as well. She would still need some help from Nick, especially when some of the new furniture arrived, but she felt really good about it all. She had also enjoyed exploring the area in the last few days as well.

Since there wasn't a lot for us to help Meg with, the three of us decided that we wanted to go to Baldwin Park tonight. We love how quaint it is and how close it is to Meg's apartment.  We also appreciate that there are a lot of different restaurants to choose from in the downtown area.  We stopped at several while we were out walking and finally chose a Mexican themed one on the lake. They even had seating outside so that we could enjoy the beautiful weather. We had a fun meal together and enjoyed listening to Meg talk about Nick coming home tomorrow. I couldn't wait to hear what he thought of Baldwin Park and his new home.  I don’t think that it has really dawned on any of us that Meg is a permanent resident of Florida now and not on vacation, but either way it sure is nice having her close by.

Nurses on Board

When we first found out that Maggie was a nurse, we asked her lots of questions about her job.  At the time she worked in a hospital on the obstetrics floor helping to deliver babies. It seemed like a lot of fun, although I know that there had to be times that it was very challenging, especially when the outcome was tragic.  Maggie has since found another nursing position that may not sound quite as exciting since it is on a surgical ward and doesn't involve babies, but we still like talking to her about it. Plus, the hours are a lot better, and she doesn’t have to work nights anymore which she and Cal really appreciate.  

Out of all the things that Maggie has told us about being a nurse, my favorite story is the one that she tells about her mother. Several times when there have been emergency situations near them, Maggie’s mom has yelled out, “It’s OK, my daughter’s nurse.” That isn’t quite what Maggie wanted said in those situations, and she explained to us that she was OK if we never yelled that out. Thus, when I saw this sticker on a car, I couldn’t help but take a quick picture. I thought it would make a great gift for Maggie as then everyone in the world would know that she was a nurse. Thankfully, she knew I was joking when I sent it to her and Cal this afternoon.

A Day of Rest

After traveling to the Midwest two out of the last three weeks, I was definitely glad for a day of rest. Of course, because it’s Doug and I, it wasn’t completely a day of rest.  After going to church and working the gift shop, he and I started rearranging the Piano room. We had brought back a rocking chair and a stackable bookcase from my mom's that we had had in our home and Syracuse. We wanted to make a place for it in Florida as I liked both pieces and they had been in Doug’s family for well over 100 years.

As soon as we started moving furniture around, we realize that the only way to make room for these two pieces was to get rid of the futon. Meg had slept on it when she moved down here last week and said that it was uncomfortable even with the mattress padding I bought to cover it. I checked with Cameron, and he said he would take it but he couldn’t fit it in his room so if we wanted to donate it, it was OK with him. I suggested that maybe Phil would like it as he did not have a couch and was surprised to hear that he actually did. Doug moved it into the garage to give to him later in the week, and we got said to rearranging the piano room. The focus became our record player, the piano, my sewing table, and the bookcase that I filled with craft supplies. I loved the outcome.

Next on our to do list was to sort through the boxes of Nigerian artwork that we brought back from Illinois. I had condensed the four boxes into two and Doug looked through those to see what would fit on the bookcase in his bedroom. We prioritized the pieces that he really liked from his childhood and put aside any that had nudity or references to slavery.  After sorting through everything and placing some of the items on the bookcase shelves, we realized that we would need to hang up some more shelves to fit it all. We finished up by storing the rest in a tub with Jeannette’s memorabilia along with the slides that Carl took from his time in the Peace Core and any information that he had with it. Eventually, we plan to contact someone from the local art museum to see if they can give us an estimate of value or explain any of the pieces to us. Overall, it looked a lot better than I thought it would, and I was glad that Doug finally had the Nigerian artwork to showcase.

 

Bonus Trip

While we were all busy in Orlando yesterday, Meg's dresser was delivered to our home.  Since she was just going to be hanging out at her apartment today, we offered to take it to her new home.  Our thought was that we would go to Epcot afterward for dinner as we didn't want to intrude on Meg's time.  Once we arrived, however, Meg asked us to stay and help for a little bit.  Doug started building a bookcase for her bedroom and I rode with her to Target to buy a few items that she still needed for her apartment.  It was nice to help out and to see all of the progress that she had made this week.  With Kyle's help, they had really gotten a lot done.

Since Doug and I were at Meg's longer than expected, we decided to forgo our trip to Disney World today.  Instead, we headed to one of our favorite places in Orlando to eat, Rock N Brews.  It was a lot closer to Meg's apartment complex and the food was delicious as always.  While we were there, we were also able to watch the Kentucky Derby.  Doug's always enjoyed the race, and it was very interesting this year as it had been raining all day long, so the track was very much, and there was a horse from Ocala entered.  Although that horse finished surprisingly well behind the winner, we still had fun watching just the same.  It was a great way to end our day in Orlando.

Moving In

Meg, Kyle and I left for Orlando just after breakfast today.  They arrived first to pick up the keys and were already parking the truck by the outside stairs leading up to her second-floor apartment when I arrived.  The next few hours were spent unloading the truck and unpacking some of the key items.  I wasn't great going up and down the stairs, so I offered to pick up the lunch that Meg ordered from Potbelly.  It also gave me some time to check out the area close to her new home.  There was a Target within a mile of their apartment and a shopping plaza with restaurants and several of her favorite stores. 

The afternoon went by quickly and soon Doug arrived after work.  He helped unload the last few pieces of the truck so that they could move the dining room chairs and tables from the Pilot into the apartment.  After working for a few more hours, we decided to check out downtown Baldwin Park and find a place for dinner.  We were extremely impressed with the area.  There was a CVS and a Publix plus a lot of other small shops all situated around a lake with a lot of activity.  There were multiple restaurants to choose from, and we found one that had a menu that everyone could enjoy.  We even got a table outside.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate Meg's first day in Orlando.

Road Trip

I was really worried that it would be hard to fall asleep last night with the excitement of Brett's blown tire, the loud fire alarm and sleeping on an air mattress.  Fortunately, I went right out and slept through the evening until 5:30 this morning when Kyle headed out the door.  Meg said that I could wake her up if I was ready earlier than our planned 6 a.m. wake up time.  She woke up easily, ordered her Starbucks and was on the road by 6:30 a.m.  I was very glad as I knew that if all went well, we would be in Atlanta before 4 p.m. which meant that we would miss rush hour.

I drove for the first three hours taking us through the easiest part of the trip - Southern Indiana, Kentucky and an hour of Tennessee.  Meg and I stopped in Nashville for a snack and a bathroom break.  It wasn't in the greatest area, but we had no issues and were thankful for the break.  Meg drove the rest of the way through Tennessee including Chattanooga.  I was thrilled that there wasn't any traffic, and Meg was glad that we finally caught up with Kyle.  

Georgia was long as usual, but we did have fun stopping at Buc-ee's for lunch.  Meg gave me a hard time about my road trip snack, but the pineapple was really good.  Once we cleared Atlanta, Meg switched to the Penske truck with Kyle.  He was ready for some company, and I was ok having some time on my own to listen to last night's Survivor and Amazing Race episodes and to check in with Doug.  The last five hours were long, and I was more than ready to get out of the car. Needless to say, I was very happy to make it home without any issues.  Doug and I had just enough time to unpack the CR-V before the truck pulled into the driveway.  We all then unpacked a few items from the truck that were going to stay at our home before eating Doug's delicious dinner.  The rest of the night was spent relaxing, thankful that for a safe road trip.