Finally, Something to Make Us Laugh on Social Media

The news from the 4th of July weekend was very sad this year.  There was a flash flood in Texas that killed over 100 people, a third of which were elementary girls that were at camp for the week.  Although our family knew none of the people affected by the flood, we could totally sympathize as Meg and Cameron had spent a week or two every summer at Camp Crosley from their early elementary days as well.  The reels that showed up on Instagram and Facebook were incredibly sad and I tried to stay away from all of them.

This past week, however, social media was filled with news of another sort.  During a "Kiss Cam" at a Coldplay concert, a light was shone on a couple that obviously did not want to be seen.  The woman hid her face and the man ducked under the seats.  The lead singer even joked, "I hoped that they weren't having an affair or something."  In the end, the whole world found out that he was actually correct.  The man and woman were part of the management time of a media company and were married to other individuals.  Some people tried to say that it was an invasion of privacy, but I was glad that they were "outed" in front of the entire country.  The ones that I actually felt sorry for were their family members and their coworkers who had to deal with the national attention.

The best part about the scandal was all of the memes that came out afterward.  Even the Tampa Bay Airport posted something extremely funny on X about it.  My favorite spoof of the incident happened with the Philadelphia Phillies.  During their "Kiss Cam" a spotlight was shone on the Philly Fanatic and his Fanatic girlfriend.  As soon as they saw the camera, the Fanatic dove on the ground and his "friend" hid her face.  It was funny enough to make me laugh out loud.  That is the kind of news story that I prefer. 

40 Days

Cameron and Cora left this afternoon for Indianapolis.  They were ready to get back to Bloomington.  Cora had to work and then had plans to travel to Washington DC later in the week to visit one of her roommates.  Cameron was going to go to Syracuse while she was gone so that he could visit Grandma and Grandpa for a few days.  

After I dropped them off, I went to Meg's for the afternoon.  While she was working on applications for jobs, I started looking through Instagram.  All of a sudden, this photo popped up on my feed and I instantly started smiling.  I was more than ready for football season to begin.  It would give the football fans in our family something to look forward to every week.  Plus, we would be traveling multiple times to Indiana for games.  Even though Meg and Maggie weren't as excited, it meant that Dancing with the Stars would be back on television in September as well.  Brett was the only one that wouldn't be excited about football or DWTS, but he would be happy to tailgate once again and to have pumpkin spice back on the menu.  It was 100% positive news for all of us.

Enjoying a Laid Back Sunday

 After such a busy week, it was really nice to have a laid-back Sunday.  Meg, Cora and Cameron played more Mario Super Sluggers before she headed back to Ocala.  The four of us then had another round of pickleball before enjoying a driving tour of Ocala.  Cora finally got to see the World Equestrian Center and to eat at Mellow Mushroom, Cameron's favorite restaurant in Ocala.  We tried Mario Kart when we got back to home, but Doug's tremor knocked him out of the game.  The three of us instead switched to Hands Down Yahtzee which has become my go to game every time Cameron visits.  

I was a little sad thinking about Cameron and Cora returning to Indiana tomorrow, but we had had such a wonderful visit that I didn't want to ruin it by crying about them leaving.  Plus, we had plans to go to Bloomington the first weekend of August so it wouldn't be long before we saw them again.  With that in mind, I had a great last night in Florida with everyone.

Gainesville

Today's adventure took us to Gainesville as Cameron really wanted to show Cora all of his favorite places to visit.  We started at Kanapaha for a walk through their botanical garden.  It was very hot, but that didn't matter too much as we stayed mostly in the shade.  They both absolutely loved all of the plants and flowers growing throughout the gardens and had fun on the water path looking at the large lily pads and searching for turtles.  

Next, we drove by Tom Petty's home as Cameron felt it was a rite of passage when visiting Gainesville with our family.  We also took a driving tour of the University of Florida.  It was interesting listening to them compare it to IU.  We stopped for lunch at Relish which never disappoints and ended our time in Gainesville at Swamphead.  It was the first time that I tried sour beers.  I was surprised by how sour they really were.  Everyone enjoyed the beer tasting and looking for the alligator in the "swamp." 

Once we got back to Ocala, the four of us had a great time playing pingo pong and pickleball.  Meg arrived soon after we finished, and we then ordered Piesano's for dinner.  Phil joined us for game night, and we played several rounds of Donner Party and Chameleon.  Later in the evening, the Wii was brought out with Mario Super Slugger dominating the screen.  It was a fantastic throwback to Cameron and Meg's younger days and just like long ago, I loved watching everyone play.  

Ocala

Today, Cameron, Cora, and I spent the entire day exploring Ocala.  We first went to the Ocala Greenway Disc Golf Course.  The two of them had a lot of fun playing even though it was hot. I enjoyed walking along and decided that sometime when it is cooler I need to try it myself as I think I would really enjoy the sport.  Cameron and Cora did decide to quit after 16 holes because of the heat, but both of them had a lot of fun and Cora was impressed with the course.  The only negative of the morning was the squirrels that looked like half monkeys that we saw everywhere.  

After disc golf, Cameron picked the Big Hammock for lunch.  I was glad as it has become one of my favorite places to eat. Our next stop was Silver Springs. I had bought tickets for the 3:00 PM Glass Bottom Boat tour and we wanted to get there a little bit early so that we could walk on the boardwalk. Unfortunately, it was closed today due to downed trees, but we still enjoyed showing Cora the area.  She absolutely loved the boat ride and was impressed with all that we saw.  This was my 4th time riding it and I have learned something new every time that I have gone. This time we found out that the Spanish Moss hanging on the trees is not actually moss. It is a type of air plant that houses chiggers, so it is not a good plant to bring into the home.

The three of us had enough time to stop at the record store before we headed back home.  Cameron found a few that he really liked and bought Doug's birthday gift.  Doug was here when we arrived and loved his new Back in Black vinyl.  We then decided that it was the perfect night to take Cora to Shuck N Shack.  I was really impressed that she tried oysters but wasn't too surprised to learn that she didn't really like them. Cameron and Doug said that the best part was the horseradish, but I think I would rather just try horseradish alone.  On our way home, we picked up Crumbl Cookie.  We then spent the rest of the evening watching the WNBA All-Star Weekend while playing games. Even though Caitlin Clark was out, we all still had a very enjoyable night.

Playing The Fairways

I really appreciated Doug letting us stay at Saratoga Springs last night, as it was incredibly nice to sleep in this morning.  By staying on property, we were also able to take advantage of our extra time in Disney World by stopping at Disney Springs for lunch at Polite Pig.  We were able to do a little bit more shopping as well.  

Meg decided to head home after Disney Springs, while Cameron, Cora and I all went to Fantasia Mini-Golf.  We had rain vouchers from Tuesday night's round that we wanted to use.  The regular course was packed, but we were able to get on The Fairways right away.  I hadn't played that course in years and knew it was a lot tougher than Fantasia Gardens.  I also realized that Cameron and Cora might enjoy the challenge.  I left the decision up to them and was happy to join them on The Fairways.  

The course was just as tough as I remembered, and there were definitely some challenging holes, but overall, we did have a lot of fun.  I was the big winner which at first frustrated Cora, until Cameron pointed out that I did win most family mini golf rounds.  I explained to her that I was happy to have one sport left that I could still competitively compete against our family with since real golf was out of the question.

After miniature golf, we headed to Ocala.  Cameron gave Cora the tour of our home and they enjoyed looking through photo albums and talking about their favorite parts of Disney World.  Once Doug got home, the four of us went to The Great Greek for dinner.  Although it wasn't quite as good as the food that Cameron had in Greece, they still enjoyed it very much.  We finished the evening playing games and relaxing. It was a wonderful way to end our day.  

Magic Kingdom

This morning, Cameron and Cora were up early to catch the bus to Magic Kingdom so that they could rope drop the park.  It was a great idea as they were able to get on several of the major rides before non-resort guests were let in at 9 a.m.  Since they decided to stay until park close, Meg and I thought that it would be best to rest up and meet them later in the morning. 

It ended up being a great day for all of us as the park wasn’t too crowded and the heat was manageable. The four of us were able to ride several of our family favorites together such as Winnie the Pooh, Little Mermaid, Peter Pan and Haunted Mansion.  It was a lot of fun. During the afternoon, Meg and I decided to go back to Saratoga Springs to rest before Doug joined the group for dinner.  We had originally planned on staying one night, but once I realized yesterday afternoon that it was going to be a tough drive back tonight, I asked Doug if we could add a night to our reservation.  He thought it was a great idea and we all appreciated knowing that we would be able to maximize our day at Disney.

We met Doug at the Skipper Cantina this evening after he got off work.  It is Doug’s favorite place to eat in Magic Kingdom as it is based on his favorite ride - The Jungle Cruise.  Dinner was delicious and we enjoyed the atmosphere.  We also missed a pop up shower while we were eating.  After dinner, we headed to the restaurant’s namesake and then on to Pirates of the Caribbean before Doug, Meg and I went back to the hotel.  Cameron and Cora stayed until park close and arrived just before midnight.  They were absolutely exhausted, but very happy with their day.  I couldn’t wait to ask them more about it in the morning.