Early Morning Wake Up Call

Yesterday was Alina's last day in Florida.  The tow of them spent it in Ocala participating in one of Cameron's favorite activities, shopping.  They went to Bealls, Paddock Mall and Vinyl Oasis.  Cameron got some great deals on shirts at Belks and a few new albums for his collection.  On their shopping trip, I joined them at a new place for lunch,  PDQ.  I thought it was only going to have chicken tenders on the menu, but they had a lot of grilled chicken options that were very good.

Last night, we took Alina to Crazy Cucumber for dinner.  We all liked it very much.  The rest of the evening was spent playing games, eating our Gideon's cookies and watching videos of Cameron's preschool days before everyone headed to bed early for our 5:30 a.m. wake up call this morning.  Traffic was light and we got to the airport in plenty of time for Cameron to walk with her to TSA.  Her flight had taken off by the time that we returned home.  Cameron and I both decided to take a nap before lunch and were glad that she arrived safely in Indianapolis just after we got up.

The rest of our day was spent relaxing at home.  Doug made brats, we played Catan with Phil, tried the new beers that they made while I was in Indiana and sat outside by the fire pit.  It was an awesome way to spend the evening after such a busy week.  

Trying Something Else

The past three years have been a struggle with doctors.  I haven't really felt listened to when we have visited them, especially in regards to Doug's health.  One doctor even said in her report that I was completely incorrect in my observations and ignorant in my knowledge of Doug's tremor.  Needless to say, I have lost faith in getting any type of help for him.  

Our new doctor, however, has given me a little bit of hope.  Recently she ordered a more thorough blood work up on him and found out that Doug has a vitamin B12 deficiency.  By chance, my cousin Jackie has the same medical issue.  Last week, I was able to ask her a lot of questions.  That was really helpful as we prepared to met with our new family doctor today.  Thankfully, this doctor listened more than any other doctor had in the past three years.  She agreed that low vitamin B12 could be a cause of some of Doug's health issues.  She acknowledged that it could lead to neurological issues and some of the other health problems that Doug had encountered.  On her recommendations, he began Vitamin B12 shots this afternoon and planned on continuing them every two weeks for the next two months.  She also gave Doug something to try for his tremor when it is at its worst.  She was also able to diagnosis his cough as a symptom of acid reflux and started him on a prescription right away.  

Doug and I both felt really good walking out of the doctor's office today.  We don't know for sure that his health issues will completely resolve, but at least we felt like we had been heard.  That was all that we were asking for several years ago when Doug first starting going to the doctor with his health concerns.

Disney Springs

Cameron, Alina and I were all exhausted from our day at the beach, so last night we hung out at home, ordered chicken for dinner and played games once Doug got back from work.  It was nice to relax as we had been on the go non-stop.  We did more of the same this afternoon, except that we left the house to go to McAlister's for lunch and Sholom Park for a walk.  Alina enjoyed both very much.

Tonight was a little more tiring, but still a lot of fun.  We left at 4 for Orlando.  Traffic was hectic and it took a little longer, but no one minded as we were able to walk right on Fantasia mini golf.  We had a lot of fun competing against each other.  Cameron was mad that he fell apart on the back nine, but got over it pretty quickly.  I was happy as it gave me a one point victory.

The rest of our evening was spent at Disney Springs.  It was a lot more crowded than the golf course, but we were still able to do everything that we wanted.  We had dinner at Splitsville, got cookies from Gideon's and did some shopping.  Cameron bought a Coke hat and Alina find a cute shirt before we left.  On our drive out we watched Disney's new drone show, which attributed to the crowds.  It was cute and a nice way to end our evening in Orlando.

Daytona Beach

One of the things that Alina was most looking forward to while she was here was going to the beach.  Cameron had originally planned on taking her to Clearwater, but the forecast called for rain today on the Gulf Coast.  I suggested Daytona instead and was really glad that they agreed.  Our family hadn't been then in over a decade.  I was excited to see how the beach compared to Clearwater and the two of them were thrilled to spend the day in the ocean.

I was a little nervous about where we would park and what we would find to do in Daytona, but thankfully all went well.  We easily found a parking spot near the Silver Beach entrance and quickly picked out a place for them to swim near the lifeguard station.  There was an orange flag out today, so I wanted to be near help if needed.  Cameron and Alina never ventured far enough for the waves to be a serious problem, but did wade out deep enough to enjoy them.  They spent two hours jumping in and out of the waves, enjoying their time in the water.  I didn't spend much time in the ocean, but was in long enough to get my feet wet.  I was impressed by how warm the water was for early summer.  

After two hours on the beach, Cameron and Alina decided to walk to the Daytona Pier.  I knew that it was a little bit too far for me, so I loaded up the Pilot and met them there.  I was impressed that I was able to find another parking spot close to the water.  It was definitely more crowded by the pier than it was a mile down the beach.  Cameron chose Joe's Crab Shack for lunch.  It was a fun place to eat and we loved the views overlooking the water.  Afterward, Cameron and Alina went shopping and enjoyed looking at everything even though neither one purchased anything.  Daytona was different than Clearwater, but that didn't change how much we enjoyed today.  Overall, it was wonderful and I was glad to have spent it with the two of them.  

Back Home Again in Florida

After spending three weeks in Indiana without Doug, I was more than ready to go home yesterday. I was really glad that we could start our trip a little bit early and leave Sunday night for Bloomington. We got to see Brett, order breadsticks and unpack a van full of items that Cameron will need for his apartment in August.  Today, we took Brett to Buffalolouies for lunch and walked around campus.  We really appreciated him dropping us off at the airport.  Our flight was an easy one and we actually arrived early. Doug, Meg and Gabrielle were waiting for us at the airport and soon we were on our way to Rock 'N Brews for dinner.  

Today was a lot of fun for Cameron and Alina. He got to show her everything that he loved about Ocala, including his room, the Pickleball court in our driveway and several of his favorite restaurants. The three of us went to lunch at Tijuana Flats and then to Silver Spring so that they could kayak.  Alina couldn't believe how clear the  water was and said that she had a lot more fun than she ever dreamed she would. They didn't love the three alligators that they saw, but did really like the turtles and the manatee mom and baby, however. After walking through the state park, we had enough time to stop at the Peacock Cottage so that I could buy a plant and the record store where Cameron picked out a few new vinyls before meeting Doug for dinner.

Cameron was thrilled to take Alina to Mellow Mushroom tonight. He had been talking about it nonstop since we sent him a shirt for Easter. Alina was just as excited to try it and loved it as much as he did.  Afterward, we walked to Grandpa Joe’s and picked out some treats for later. Our next stop was perfect for our  Father’s Day celebration with Doug.  He finally got to try the new Crumbl Cookie in Ocala. It had opened on May 24th, but he waited for us to go with him.  He absolutely loved the cookies and his gifts.  He was completely surprised by the Oh Hell game from my parents and enjoyed the Guns N Roses book from me and the craft beer puzzle that Cameron gave him as well.  After the gifts, we played Fun Facts.  It was an entertaining game that Alina's family gave us for hosting her this week.  They didn't have to give us something and we really appreciated it.  We ended the evening with a few rounds of Donner Party with Cameron complaining loudly during each turn.  It was definitely a wonderful first day back in Ocala.  

Meg's Bachelorette Party

When Meg started talking about a bachelorette party, it became apparent that she really didn’t want anything elaborate.  She had heard about other women having destination bachelorette parties, but Meg thought that would be hard with a large group.  Once she and Gabrielle started talking about it, Meg realized that what she really wanted to do was go on a weekend girls trip with just Gabrielle to Walt Disney World.  They had been talking about doing that since their days at Camp Crosley and it would be the perfect way to celebrate Meg's upcoming wedding.  After the get together with their large group of friends at the Fiscus's during Memorial Day weekend, Meg and Gabrielle started planning her Disney bachelorette trip.

The girls left this past Friday night after work and flew to Orlando.  They had chosen Portland Riverside for their getaway and were super excited about the next three days.  I really appreciate that they started a group chat with Paula and I.  They sent so many fun pictures for us to look at that it almost felt like we were with them.  We saw their coordinating outfits, the fun Mickey Mouse ears, awesome ride pictures and even some of their special drinks.  

Saturday, the girls spent the day at Hollywood Studios and really enjoyed it, especially Star Wars land.  Sunday turned out differently than they had planned as their ticket would not let them in to Magic Kingdom.  It might have been disappointing at first, but in the end they both had so much fun at Epcot drinking around the world and shopping that they didn’t mind at all. Gabrielle even got to try the new roller coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy.  She said it was the best one she had ever ridden.  

Today was spent at Animal Kingdom and they really enjoyed it even with the heat and the storm it produced.  They were absolutely exhausted when we caught up with them at the Orlando airport, but both were extremely happy. I was so glad to see them and share a little bit of their adventure. As we drove home, I thought how hard it was to believe the two little girls that started going to camp so many years ago just had one of the best weekends of their lives together on a bachelorette trip.  How awesome it was to see life come full circle.  I did decided, however, that Paula and I needed to be included on the next girls trip.