Day 29 - Sunshine! Glorious Sunshine!

Another great day!  I almost don't know what to write about because I'm afraid I'm going to bore you but I assure you these "normal" non-significant days are becoming my favorite!

The kids and I did school early again.  Then Scott made breakfast while I jumped in the shower.

In the early afternoon the kids convinced us to head down to the pool.  Its in the low 60s but the sun is out and its honestly very comfortable.  Scott and I didn't get in the water but enjoyed lounging in the sun before heading to the hot tub.

After showers, we decided to head over to the theater and catch the premier of Ralph Breaks the Internet.  We didn't leave the theater until 7:30 pm.  We stopped at WalMart for a quick item on the way home.   Its the day before Thanksgiving and lots of folks have arrived for the holiday weekend... so the store was CRAZY.  But I was quick in and out and got back to the condo in no time.

Literally as we walked in the door, Sammy told me we were out of a grocery item that she uses every day.  Ugh.  I decided to go through all my Thanksgiving recipes again to verify we had everything before heading back to the store.

Again, it was NUTS but everyone seemed in a good mood so I made it out relatively easy.  Driving through the parking lot, I realized that I didn't have enough baking pans / casserole dishes for all the recipes I had planned... so I turned back around and went back inside.  Shopping at WalMart the night before Thanksgiving for the third time in 2 hours.

When I got home, I was feeling pretty tired so although I had 3 recipes to prep tonight, I decided instead to make myself some supper (everyone else ate at the theater) and then just hung out with Tyler.  By 10:00 pm I had a headache so I tucked the kids in and went to bed myself.

Sammy has still been dealing with her cold.  She is hoarse and coughs often so I think she sounds worse than it is.  She also gets tired pretty easily so we try to give plenty of rest times.

Day 28 - Alligators

The kids and I were determined to finish our school work early today so we’d have more free time during the afternoon.  So we were up at 7:00 am and doing our studies in our PJs.  We stopped for breakfast and then decided to enjoy an outing this morning and finish our school work in the afternoon.

We visited the Alligator Adventure today.  Its a small zoo-like park close to the condo that features alligators and other reptiles.  It is totally up Tyler’s alley.  The kids and I had visited once before when they were quite young but this was Scott’s first time.

It was a bit drizzly when we pulled in so I was relieved to know that a show was beginning soon in the covered education area.  We found our seats and really enjoyed all they had to teach us about alligators.

 

  

Its a fairly small park so we checked out the snakes and the giant tortoises.  Sammy even played chase with a couple of hyenas (literally, they would run back and forth with her).  Then we hammed it up for some fun pictures.

 

 We got back to the condo in time for lunch and then some more school work and projects.  Supper was a delicious chicken recipe that we all love so that went quickly too! 

Scott and I ran to WalMart to get a few things and then both kids opted to do some reading in order to earn a later bedtime.  Tyler and I caught an episode of one of our shows and then it was off to bed.

Day 27 - Mini-Golf Champions

It was another great day!  After breakfast we got started on our schoolwork.  Because it was a beautiful and sunny day, we decided to do our work on the patio.

After lunch it was back to work!  We decided to take a break from school work and head out to play mini-golf.  We had a great game!  Everyone ended within a few putts of one another... and if I might add, I finished with three holes-in-one!!

The game wrapped up just as the sun was going down so we decided to do something different for dinner and headed to Broadway on the Beach.  We went to a restaurant that the kids and I visited two years ago called Rooster.  We were the ONLY patrons there.

Once we got home we had just a little more school work to complete so we wrapped that up and then gave the kids free time while Scott and I took Coco on a walk.  After we got home, we all headed to bed and watched TV in our respective rooms.  Good Night!

Day 26 - Family Fun

Sammy woke up and said she was feeling better so we decided to give church a try.  As we ate breakfast, she kept laying her head down to rest so I wasn’t completely sure, but she was eager to go so off we went.

It was Scott’s first time visiting Beach Church.  It was another good service although this week had a guest speaker from one of their mission organizations.  It was a great service and was fun to hear about another cool ministry.

After church we swung in for a Starbucks and then headed home for lunch and our our typical “rest time”.  Sammy was back in her bed and the rest of us agreed to pop in and spend time with her throughout the day to keep her from getting so lonely.

There was time watching TV, time on the balcony, ipad games, etc.  Then mid-afternoon we all decided to play cards so it was Dos, Uno, Dirty Uno and LCR.  I love that the kids are old enough to play games with us!  We have so much fun together.

After games, it was back to “resting”. We had supper and then Sammy and I made a cake.  It was a new recipe with a chocolate poke cake drizzled with a peanut butter syrup.  It needed to cool so we decided to make a trip to the hot tub.  

Someone had hit the emergency stop switch so the water wasn’t heating... the water was a little cool but not uncomfortable.  About the time it started warming up, it started to sprinkle so we all headed back upstairs.  

I finished the cake while everyone took showers.  Then Scott organized his to do list and I did some Christmas shopping on line while the kids watched Paddington.

Then it was time for cake!  Yum!  This recipe is a keeper!

After the movie finished, we all headed to bed.  It was a great day for sure.  So thankful that Sammy seems to be feeling better and that we have this beautiful space to call our own.

Day 25 - Settled

Something just feels right... I mean really.  We have settled in to this space and have made it our own and now with Scott back with us, it just feels like home.  Even the dog seemed to appreciate Scott’s return!

The kids slept in a while today which gave me a chance to get my devotions done early.  And as soon as everyone had gotten up, it was FINALLY time to watch the fail videos that we had missed since Dad left.  (The kids and he agreed not to watch them until they were together again)

Sammy mentioned having a sore throat and asked if she could snuggle in bed for a little while.  So Tyler caught up on some TV shows, while Scott and I headed downstairs to unload that crate.

We got the glass pane safely brought up to our room and the mess cleaned up and then decided to go out for lunch.  Outback offered a yummy and healthy option.  Sammy brought games for us to play while we waited for our food.

After our meal, we planned to stop at a mini-golf course but Sammy again mentioned having a sore throat and overall just seemed under the weather so instead we decided to head back to the condo.

While I prepped supper, Scott took the kids for a walk on the beach...

Sammy stayed in her room, tucked in bed most of the day and evening.  I tried to pop in and snuggle from time to time to help her pass the time.  By bedtime, she was feeling pretty frustrated and lonely so we prayed and asked God to heal her.  She was concerned about missing church in the morning so we specifically prayed for that.  Hopefully she feels better in the morning.

The boys had a pretty relaxing day enjoyed watching Mythbusters and a few other documentaries while I worked on meals and clean up.

It doesn’t sound like much of a day on paper... but it felt really good!

Day 24 - Dad is Back!

Its here!  Its here!  Its finally here!  Today's the day Scott comes back down to join us.

We woke up a little later today but got right to work on dusting, vacuuming, and changing linens.    After we got everything cleaned up it was almost lunch time so the kids helped me in the kitchen.

We took a walk on the beach because the sun was out and gorgeous today!

We still had a list of errands to run.  Scott had 5 larger boxes that needed to be returned via UPS, so we wrangled them downstairs and brought them to the UPS store.  Check!  A few returns at Target and then Old Navy.  Check, Check!  And then a few items I needed to pick up from Office Max and PetCo.  Phew.  We filled up the gas tank and washed the car and headed back home for supper and school.

Sammy helped me in the kitchen and luckily we made it out on the balcony in time to see the gorgeous sky as the sun was setting.

We finished our school work just a few minutes before 10:00 pm which was exactly when we needed to leave for the airport, so off we went in comfy clothes and slippers.

By the time we got home, it was pushing 11:30 pm so it was bedtime for everyone.

So glad he's home!

Day 23 - A Crate and A Turtle

Today was a CRAZY windy day.  There was a literal hum from the wind whipping past the windows. We found out today that the glass that will be installed in the master bathroom will be delivered today in a crate on a pallet.  It wasn't scheduled to arrive until next week when Scott would be here to uncrate and move it.  Because I wasn't able to do it alone, we didn't have many options... so I went downstairs to ask the building manager for an exception.  They are willing to store the crate in the fire pump room until Scott arrives.  Phew!

But this means, we have to stay close to home until the shipment arrives.  So we worked on school work and took a walk on the beach.  I asked the kids where they saw God as we walked the beach.  It was a great activity and we really enjoyed hearing each others answers.

We decided to eat lunch at the hotel and brought some card games to help pass the time.  The walk over was pretty cold... and really windy!

The shipment arrived just before 3:00 pm, just like the kids and I prayed it would.  See, the maintenance man was leaving at 3:00 pm and although he was willing to store the item, we wouldn't have anyone there to help us.  As soon as I got the call, we ran downstairs and both Dave and Keith agreed to help me get it in storage.  So we went down to the loading dock and chatted while we waited for the semi to arrive.  Thirty minutes later, the crate was tucked away, I had offered MANY thank yous and was heading back up to the condo.

We had a few errands to run so we loaded up the truck and headed south into town.  Eventually we ended up at the Aquarium and enjoyed a quick but really good visit.

We even saw the sea turtle who doesn't always make an appearance!

Then we ran to get Tyler a hair cut, take out from Jimmyz and headed back home.  When we arrived, Kay mentioned some packages and I only then realized one of them was a 10' rug... Hehe.  

So we ran upstairs, ate our dinner and then worked to lift furniture, pull carpet, and rearrange the room to get the rug in place.  Looks great!

We spent some time FaceTiming with Scott and then headed to bed.  Luckily I remembered just in time that it was Sammy's turn to have a sleepover in my room, so she climbed in and snuggled close.  Good night!