Day 21 - Hard Work Pays Off

We had nothing planned for the day so I told the kids we would sleep in.  Yet Sammy was up around 8:00 “for snuggles”.  At 8:25 am, Scott sent me a phone message saying that the HVAC guys were hoping to install our new units today and asked me to call them back to coordinate.  I gave them a call and imagine my surprise when they said they were planning to arrive at 9:00... Um OK.  A quick glance in the mirror told me I had a lot of work to do in the next 25 minutes.  I quick woke up Tyler, sent Sammy in to get dressed, jumped in the shower, did my makeup / hair, and literally was pulling the sweater over my head, when the door bell rang.  Ha!  We made it.

There were 3-4 men working in the condo until early afternoon.  We have two HVAC units, one in the back hallway and one in the laundry room so they were back and forth and even on the balcony when they needed to torch cut some items.

Since our morning had been interupted, we still hadn’t had breakfast so we made pancakes and tried to get things back on track.  Tyler worked on his therapy while Sammy did her reading and I did my devotions.  Then the kids had free time while I got some work done.

Since it was closing in on lunchtime, we headed out (with Coco) to grab lunch at Steak & Shake and make a return at WalMart.  I got held up in the car on a phone call so the kids took the dog up just in time to see the HVAC guys head out.

When I got upstairs, we worked on a few things around the condo... putting all that laundry away, folding linens, moving construction supplies to the storage closet, picking up packages, etc. We actually worked up quite a sweat!

As a reward we decided to visit Broadway on the Beach.  Although we planned to see the aquarium, it was closed so we did the upside down building “WonderWorks” instead.  It was lots of fun!  We’ve done it so many times, I never really look forward to going but yet everytime surprisingly seems like more fun than the last.  Maybe its that the kids are getting older... I don’t know!  But this time was especially cool because we were the ONLY ones there.  Literally as we bought tickets, they told us we were the only customers and that they were contemplating closing early.  Luckily, some more folks joined after us so they stayed open at least until we finished up after 6:00 pm.

We enjoyed our walk back to the truck, looking at shops and talking about things in the window displays.  When we got home, I put together some homemade pizzas and we finally sat down for supper around 8:00 pm.  Phew!

I know it seems late, but it actually will work out well because Tyler has earned a reward from his therapy that we all get to stay up tonight until midnight... so we are all having a sleepover in the den.

After supper, we headed down to the hot tub and then back up for PJs and a major match on the Nintendo.  Then it was a quick break for cookies while we watched a movie.  We are all tucked in and settled so its lights out!  Good Night!

Back to the Beach... with Friends - Day 29

The Rynbrandt's had an early flight so we picked them up mid-morning.  We got them back to the condo and settled (kinda) and decided to head out for some lunch.  We visited Joe's Crab Shack at Barefoot Landing for a quick bite.  It was fun to watch the kids interact and catch up.

After lunch we decided to spend the afternoon at the beach.  The kids played in the waves and tide pools and sand.  It was very clear my kids had missed the interaction with their peers.

We decided on pizza for supper so we got cleaned up and headed over to Pizza Chef for a quick meal.  Then we wanted to bring Jamie, Jaxson and Elise to WonderWorks to enjoy the upside building one last time.  When we arrived, they told us that they were closing early.  Ugh.  Then we opted to visit the aquarium.  They were closing early as well.  Ugh.  So instead of all our best made plans, we walked around Broadway at the Beach and got a snack on the way home.

Once we got home, we got the kids settled and Jamie offered to help get the bike rack on the truck.  It was the ONLY piece we were missing from being able to depart early tomorrow morning.

As we came around the corner of the parking garage where the bike rack was stored, I noticed it was missing.  Uh Oh!  We looked everywhere, we asked Kay for help, she looked in storage, she called the staff and maintenance.  The best we can tell it was there as of 5 pm today but now at 9 pm, its gone.

I was so disgusted.  How will I get the bikes home now?  I'm so glad Jamie was there to offer some comedic relief to it all.  We laughed so much!

Luckily Kaye offered us space in the owners' bike room.  So Jamie twisted to get to the back of the room and found a spot for all 4 of our bikes.  (Realistically the kids will outgrow their bikes before we return, so I will plan to sell the bikes when we are back in 2017)

Well, OK then, I guess that takes care of that!  We are ready to head out in the morning!

Sand Dune and Aquarium - Day 17

Today we had an easy morning.  After several hours of shows, PJs and reading,  we decided to try to go back outside and enjoy the sand dune again.  It was still drizzly and cool but it was worth it to spend time outdoors again.

Probably not the beach vacation she was expecting... but there was a breeze, sand and a good book!

We headed back up to the condo to remove the LAYERS of sand and then headed out for lunch.  It was almost 2:00 when we arrived at Red Robin.  We walked in to a half empty restaurant but a 20 minute wait... I must have looked confused so the host explained that only one waitress could make the trip into work today so we would have to wait.  Wow!  I couldn't believe it.

We decided to go across the parking lot to Logans instead.  Apparently we haven't brought the kids here before because they were super surprised that people throw their peanut shells on the floor.  Tyler even told the waitress that he liked it because it kinda felt naughty.  We all agreed and shared a good laugh.  He insisted on shelling my peanuts so I had all-you-can-eat peanuts without any of the work.  Before our food arrived, Tyler said "I wish I had NOT brought my iPad, this is so fun!"  Cracks me up!

 

Since it was raining, we decided our best option was to stay indoors and check out the aquarium again.  It was a great visit.

After we finished at the Aquarium, we decided to do some window shopping at Broadway on the Beach.  If I had to guess, I'd say probably 80% of the stores were closed.  There wasn't a lot to do but it was still a nice walk.

Sammy decided to share some of her fish food with some ducks.  After they realized she had food, they continued to follow her.  Very sweetly she says, "Can you stop now, duckies? I want some alone time!"  To think we used to wonder about this kids ability to share her needs!!  God is good.

 

We got home after 5:00 pm.  I did Bible with the kids and then prepped their supper.  Mary and I decided to wait to eat our food since we had a late lunch.  Again we decided not to try driving after dark so we just stayed in and watched the Little Rascals with the kids.  

It was a great day!

Aquarium and the Beach - Day Three

We were up at 8:00 and ready to start the day.  We had big plans for this morning.

First up was a trip to Krispy Kreme for donuts followed by a stop at Starbucks to wash it down.  Then we hit Crumb Buns (Mmm) for some cupcakes for later.  We were on the way to the grocery store to pick up a few items when Sammy brought up the aquarium.  We decided to head that way and play it by ear.  So shortly after 10:00 am, we pulled into Broadway at the Beach.  Tyler bought some cones from Ride Makerz which they hadn't sent to him in a recent order.  Sammy played on the playground and I bought some card games to play.

We talked through our options and all decided it would be fun to do the Ripley's Aquarium.  They've changed quite a few things since last year.  Starting off we toured an exhibit about animals that use / produce / create SLIME.  It was crazy interesting but pretty gross all at the same time.  Then we made our way through the tunnel with the conveyor belt and surrounding tanks.  Sammy and Katie moved on ahead while Tyler and I took our time.  It was really cool for me to listen as Tyler pointed out the different species of sharks and shared interesting facts about them.

 

 

Next, we caught a feeding in their big tank which was a first for us!  We got the chance to hold a horseshoe crab, touch a shark and even a jelly!  VERY cool.

After we finished, we stopped at Target for those groceries and then got fast food for lunch.  We made it home and changed to our swim suits by 1:30 pm... and back to the beach for us!

The waves were awesome.  The sky sunny and clear.  The ocean was warm.  There were lots of fish swimming nearby and I even spotted a big crab in the surf.  The waves continued to build as the afternoon went on... at one point we were standing in water that was up to Tyler's belly button and the waves were so high even I had to jump to get over them.

Tyler and Sammy practiced boogie-boarding and are really getting good!

Next the kids took a bit to play in the sand.  Tyler dug, Sammy carried buckets of water, I finished reading Ralph S Mouse to them.

Sammy and I headed up to the pool while Katie and Tyler took another round of waves at the beach.  After a bit they joined us to finish out the afternoon.

We got cleaned up and made tacos for supper while the kids watched the Incredibles for the second time this trip.  After the movie, we took a walk on the beach, collecting shells, until Sammy stepped on a sand spur... there was screaming, and running, and crocodile tears.  So we turned back.

We enjoyed the view of the sunset as we walked back to our room and then spent the evening quietly winding down.  I tucked the kids into bed at 9:00 pm so we could be up early for another big day.

Katie and I enjoyed our favorite cupcakes.  Mmm.

Highlights:

• Sammy: Shells
• Tyler: Touching the animals at the aquarium
• Katie: Getting more sun in one afternoon than I did all summer
• Jen: Jumping waves with the kids

Today - Cool morning; clear skies; High of 79*