Cal and Maggie Arrive

After we got back from Key West, Cal called to tell me that he and Maggie wanted to come down for Labor Day weekend. I was super excited to hear that and started talking to him about what we could do when they were here. Gainesville and Swamphead were definitely on the list as were pickleball and miniature golf. Cal ahd one suggestion that I wasn’t quite sure we could pull off. He and Maggie really wanted to go to the Food and Wine festival in Epcot as it opened that weekend. Since our annual passes were blacked out for those dates and it was a holiday weekend, I wasn’t sure if we would be able to add it to the list but told him that I will look into it right away.

Thankfully, I was able to resolve the issue easily. Because our Disney annual passes were up for renewal in July, I could upgrade them to the Sorcerer’s pass. That would allow us to go on all holidays except for Christmas and Thanksgiving. The cost difference would only be the price of one ticket to Epcot, so it was an easy decision. Next, I had to figure out where we were going to stay in Orlando. Meg offered to have us there, which I greatly appreciated, but I thought it would be better to stay closer to the park so we could get to Animal Kingdom first thing in the morning on Saturday. I looked around and found an Embassy Suites within 15 minutes of the park and as an added bonus, we had enough points to stay there for free.

I was happy that Doug was able to take today off.  He and I had a relaxing morning at home and then headed to Hollywood Studios for the afternoon. We not only got our favorite pretzel for lunch, but we were also able to ride Toy story mania.  Afterward, we headed back to the hotel for their happy hour. It was kind of lame, but the best part was that Meg joined us while we were there and we were able to avoid a huge thunderstorm that came through.

Tonight, the three of us went to Epcot to check out the Food and Wine festival. We wanted to get some inside tips for our trip tomorrow with Cal and Maggie. They had some awesome food and for the first time ever I was able to find a dessert that I liked even better than the chocolate cake from Ireland from years ago. Of course it was another chocolate cake, but still very delicious.

We picked up Cal and Maggie at the airport at 10:30 happy that their flight had arrived on time and everybody was doing well. Maggie had been up since 4:30 in the morning, so none of us stayed up late. That was OK with me as we had plans to be at Animal Kingdom before the park opened at 8 AM tomorrow. Overall, it was a great day, and I look forward to a fantastic Labor Day weekend.

Time to Resign

 After going out with the women of CCW for a girls' night, I felt completely rejuvenated and ready for another year of being the treasurer of the group.  The two-and-a-half-hour board meeting that I went to shortly after that changed my mind.  During that entire meeting, I only spoke for five minutes making it an extremely long evening.  While I was there, I also realized that there were changes that had to be made to my position that were going to take a lot of time and energy. I walked out of the meeting feeling completely depleted. 

Those two facts weighed heavily on my mind when I got home that night and made it hard to sleep.  When I woke up the next day, I gave it a lot of thought and decided that it was time for me to resign from the position.  Although last night's meeting contributed to that decision, it wasn't the long board meetings or the changes in the duties for the treasurer that pushed me to resign.  It was the traveling to Indiana and the nights in Orlando with Doug that ultimately made me come to the conclusion.  I couldn't help my family and take on another year of outside projects.  I emailed the board, the church and the treasurers for the Norther Deanery and Diocese that morning and let them know that I would have to step down. 

 As soon as I sent the email, I was immediately relieved.  It was a lot to take on last year, and I was glad that I would not have to do so this year.  I was also thankful for the positive comments that I got back from everyone.  Maybe, I will get more involved at another time, but for now going to CCW, working in the gift shop and attending Bible study will be enough for me.  

New Countertops

Once the plumbing project was complete in the garage, I decided that I had to do something with the countertops.  When we first moved in, the cabinet area in the garage was an eyesore.  It was not only dated but had water damage as well.  I had seriously thought about replacing the whole unit until I realized that it would cost thousands of dollars.  I couldn't justify that for a garage.  Plus, the cabinets, countertop and sink were extremely functional.  

With replacement out of the question, I decided to work on making the area more cosmetically pleasing instead.  First, I painted the cabinets white. Then, I fixed one of the cabinet doors that would not hang correctly.  Next, I decorated the front of each cabinet doors to represent our four children.  Finally, I painted the dated yellow sink white and covered the water damage on the end cabinet with white adhesive wallpaper.  With the sink now having a new faucet, there was only one item left to update, the countertop.

Replacing the countertop was never an option because of the cost.  Instead, I decided that I would try and cover it with an adhesive wallpaper like the one that I had used on the cabinet.  I was a little bit skeptical that it would work and look nice, but after reading multiple reviews on Amazon, I decided to try it.  It took me several hours, but in the end, it was totally worth it.  It did not look like granite as the reviews stated, but it definitely looked a lot better. Doug wasn't sure about the project when I started, but he was impressed in the difference.  I would never use this project in the house as it could not compare with a real countertop remodel, but for the garage, it was perfect.  

One Last Thing to Do

Before Doug and I bought our home in Ocala, we had it checked out by a home inspector.  Overall, the house passed without any issues, but there were a few items that the inspector said needed to be addressed within a few years of purchase.  Doug and I accepted the home with those conditions and after we bought it, we came up with a list of items that we would like to do in order of importance.  

Since that time period, Doug and I checked off painting the outside of the house, purchasing a new roof, replacing the air conditioner and several more home projects from our list.  This summer I realized that there was only item left - replacing the turn off valves under the sink that had corroded.  It wasn't a big project, but an important one to avoid future broken pipes or leaks.  Finding a plumber was easy as I planned to use the same one that installed our sink and garbage disposal last spring when we replaced the kitchen counters. He came out last week to give me a quote.  During the inspection, he also noted that three of the faucets leaked and recommended replacing those as well.  I had no problem with that as I had noticed the small leaks earlier this year.  

The plumber planned to bring the piping and the turn off valves but recommended that I buy the faucets myself to save money.  It took multiple trips to Lowe's to find the ones that worked best with our sinks.  It also took the plumber two trips to our home to complete the work.  Today, the project was finally complete, and it looked better than I thought it would.  Although it was a relief to not have to worry about the plumbing anymore, the best part was crossing that last item off of our to-do list.  

Girls' Night Out

Several weeks ago, I was invited to go out to dinner and to a musical with several of the women in CCW.  It was on a Saturday night, so I almost said no as I hated leaving Doug home alone on a weekend.  Once Phil said that he was interested in coming over, making beer and watching 1990s football games, I decided that a girl's night out was just what I needed.  

In the end, I was so glad that I decided to go.  The musical wasn't quite my style, but I did have great time with the group.  Dinner was at an Italian place that I had never tried before just a few blocks away from our church.  The food was delicious, and the conversations were so much fun.  Hanging out with them reminded me that I have friends here and that it is ok to take a break some time and do something for myself.  

What a Difference A Few Months

Aunt Jan sent a picture of my mom to her siblings and I sitting up on the couch looking very well.  She was skinnier than she was a year ago but overall looked very much improved since I saw her almost a month.  I knew from talking to my mom that she was doing better but seeing it in a picture made it a lot more real.  

I found out later that Aunt Jan had taken my mom to Dollar General to do some shopping.  They had to use my mom's car as she couldn't get into Aunt Jan's truck because the seats were too high.  My mom used her walker in the store, but Aunt Jan wouldn't let her put anything in the basket reaching for whatever she needed on the shelf.  My mom told her that she was being too nice to her, but Aunt Jan said that she was paying her back for all of the baked good she had made for her over the years.  No matter who was nicer or what they did today, I was incredibly glad to see and hear how well my mom was doing.  

Two Years and Counting

Doug and I officially moved to Florida two years ago.  When I think about it, it is such a short period of time, but then I realize that a lot has happened in those two years.  Meg and Brett both got married and moved.  Cal moved in with Maggie and got a promotion at work.  Cameron was already in his junior year of college and had found success at IU with the athletic department.  Doug had switched jobs, and I had become an active member in our new church with many new friends.  

Thinking about it like that, I couldn't believe how quickly we had carved out a life in Ocala.  I loved Syracuse while we were raising our children there, but it was time to move on, and I was incredibly thankful that we found a place that fit the two of us perfectly. It wasn't just the house, but the community as well.  Tonight, we celebrated our two-year anniversary with Marco's Pizza and beer for Doug and an acai bowl for me with Aerosmith's Pump playing on the record player.  It was the perfect night, and I looked forward to many more celebrations to come.