Two More Days!

Callie will be here in two days! I can't wait! This weekend, we did some sprucing up of the pool area, and I made the guest bedrooms all nice and cozy and clean. I steamed the wood floors so they shine.

We bought some cool solar lighted decorations for the pool area, and they should be here today. Our new couch for the movie room should arrive any day, too.

I told Callie she could invite a few friends to stay here for a few days so she won't be spending much time in New Smyrna Beach. How could her friends not want to stay in this beautiful place, with a pool, pool table, ping pong, darts, axe throwing (lol), and laser tag? :)

I'm making a SB of photos for each of the kids. As I was making Callie's this weekend, I found this picture of me and did a double take. Callie looks a lot like I did around her age! I texted it to James and his first thought was, "I thought Callie was 18?"

We also went swimming this weekend before the afternoon storms. I love the pool...it's very relaxing to go outside, turn on the music, and just glide through and under the water. James bought this cool two person raft and we tried it out, too. It has a cooler, cup holders, and a center console for chips or cell phones. Lol.

We also kept tabs on the story of the boy's soccer team stuck in the cave in Thailand. I just can't imagine what those parents must be going through. It would be very hard for me to sit on the sidelines and just wait. It would be hard for me not to go in there myself, but of course, I realize how foolish that would be. If a former Navy Seal died in there with scuba equipment, I wouldn't stand a chance. I hope they can use Elon Musk's pod so that the boys won't have to worry about becoming expert divers and swimmers overnight. I pray that they all make it out safe.

Anyway, time to get ready for a long day at work. Busy is good! Happy Monday!

No Wifi Zone

UPDATE:

Here are a couple pics I found--one of our old boats, and a pic my mom had taken in Captiva. I know there are more pics somewhere...

I got a text last night from Joe saying he was entering a "no wifi zone," and wouldn't be able to text or call for about a week. I can't wait to hear of the upcoming week's experiences!

I had a very cool dream last night. Maybe I'll make it into a book.

Other than that, not much is going on. I have an easy half day today, and the day off for the holiday tomorrow.

I have a good topic for an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned for that. Actually, I have a few good topics--I just have to write them...but the days are about to get busy once Callie arrives and we start doing summer outside-type things. I think we'll do a lot of boat-renting, kayaking, and hiking. Probably some metal-detecting on the beach, and we want to take Callie indoor skydiving if she's up for it, and do a few other things, too.

We're thinking about taking trips closer to home, since I took time off to go to CA and don't want to stress my co-workers in my first year. I have every other Friday off, so I can take long weekends to go to Sanibel and Captiva (the seashell capital of the world), and Key West.

When I was young, my parents would sometimes take us to Sanibel and Captiva for summer vacation. We'd haul the boat (with the trailer inevitably popping a tire or two along the bumpy route my dad chose to take), and stay in a cottage at the Tween Waters Inn for a couple weeks.

I loved walking along the beach picking up seashells and learning about each one with the seashell identification guide my dad bought me.

I remember one time when we were in the boat, and my dad decided to not heed the warning from one of the local fisherman to not attempt to navigate through a certain channel at a certain time of day, when the currents were very strong and could tip a small boat.

We'd had a good day fishing with the highlight of my older brother, John, catching a baby hammerhead. I have a pic of that somewhere, or maybe he does. I'll have to ask him for a scan.

Anyway, once my dad took the shark off the hook and released it back into the turquoise water. he decided to navigate the dangerous channel since we were very close to it, and it wasn't quite the time of day the fisherman had warned us about.

My mom was nervous (of course), but my dad was stubborn and if he thought he could do something, he would charge full steam ahead. Sorta like me. Lol.

As we entered the channel, the current wasn't too bad. A little rocky, but that was about it. I'm trying to remember exactly what happened, but I think my dad thought it wouldn't hurt to anchor for a little while and throw out a fishing line. That was a huge mistake, because the current soon pulled the boat against the anchor or something that made the boat start to tip or pull under water. My mom was running around franticly trying to get life vests on all us kids while simultaneously shrieking at my dad that it was his fault if we all drowned, and my dad was trying to pull up the anchor while simultaneously yelling at my mom to be quiet.

I vaguely remember squirming away from my frantic mom, telling her that I could easily swim to shore, which wasn't too far away, maybe 100 yards.

And then my dad had the anchor up and the boat righted itself and my dad booked it through the channel, having learned his lesson, I think, because he never attempted that again.

Oops, my trip down memory lane is making me run a little late. I'll try to update later with some family pics from our Sanibel vacations!

He Arrived!

We received the word Saturday that Joe arrived in New Zealand safe and sound, but tired. The director of the program sent the parents this encouraging pic of the kids having ice cream and looking generally happy:

I'd talked to Joe the night before because his debit card was declined at McDonalds, despite the travel notice we put in with the bank. So, I made a call to the bank, who said everything looked okay and said some vendors over there wouldn't have compatible chip technology, and those vendors would have to manually input the number. So, problem solved and Joe relaxed.

I got texts and pics yesterday from him, and I'm envious and vicariously enjoying his trip through him. His birthday was July 1st, and yesterday was July 2nd in New Zealand. His group bought a cake and ice cream to celebrate his birthday. Pretty cool! He said he was doing good, and that they went to One Tree Hill and a black beach yesterday. He said it was SO beautiful.

Here are the pics he sent:

I think I see a cave in this one:

So, it sounds like his trip so far is already amazing. I'm so glad he gets to experience the magic and wonder of a foreign country as beautiful as New Zealand!

This weekend, back at home, James and I worked on cleaning up the house and finishing some organizing in preparation for Callie's arrival on the 11th. We're also trying to plan a short trip somewhere, but haven't decided where yet, and I have to make sure I can get the time off work. 

As I was going through a small box, I discovered something that had been my dad's. My brothers had taken most of my dad's things when he died, and I didn't think I really had anything. But I found these two lures. Out of all the lures my dad had, these two somehow ended up in a box of mine. So, I'm going to treasure them.

We also made some time to throw some axes, swim, garden, and buy a new comfy sectional for the movie room. Here's the landscaping James is working on. He's almost finished. He put in the stone border, weed barrier and new mulch. Just a few little tweaks and it'll be done. It looks great!

Today I have a busy, full day at work. Tomorrow, I just have a half day, then the day off for the fourth. Thursday will be a full, busy day, and Friday, just a half day. So, a pretty light week ahead. That's okay with me, cause there's some stuff to be done around the house to make it more cozy and comfy for Callie. I can't wait til she gets here!

Happy Monday!

He's off to the Land of the Long White Cloud!

My boy leaves for an amazing summer in New Zealand tonight! Well, actually it's winter there, and will be a little on the chilly side compared to the "feels like" 100 degrees here in Florida.

I'm so excited for him, and so proud of him for his hard work that earned him this scholarship. He's excited, too, and a little nervous. I told him to try and relax and just soak in the whole magical experience.

He's going to be doing so many awesome things...I know I mentioned the glow worm caves before, but they will also be hiking up and surfing down the Te Paki Sand Dunes.

He will also hike One Tree Hill and take in the views of meadows of meandering sheep and the blue waters of the sea.

And he will hike with the other kids in his group (ten kids selected nationwide for the New Zealand trip) to soak in a natural hot spring surrounded by pristine forest.

He will also learn about the Maori culture, including spending time with a Maori artisan learning about the symbolism of their tattoos.

He will also participate in an ancient whakawhanaungatanga ceremony. 

They will also attend a Maori hangi workshop and learn how to cook food underground. Doesn't look especially appetizing to me, but I'm picky. I'm sure Joe will love it. 

And he will visit some beautiful, remote black sand beaches like this one:

He will experience all this and more, and I couldn't be more excited and happy for Joe as he undertakes this epic journey. Bon Voyage, Joe! Take a million pics! I love you!

Warrior Pic for Wednesday

LOL

Whoop whoop! Friday!

This week has been pretty easy, with doctors on vacation all over the place. Days have been light, and it has been a struggle to stay busy. Today I'm going to help the marketing lady with the website(s).

Last night, the documentary James was in, Fenn's Searchers, (by Matt Maisano, a talented and really nice guy) had a showing in North Carolina. It had a nice turnout, about 100 people, and James, Sacha, and Dal joined James on the panel via video feed to answer questions afterwards. It went well, and although I couldn't hear what anyone else was asking or saying (because of the headphones James had to wear), I was impressed with James's answers. Matt is also planning to open the documentary to the general public. When he does that, I'll let you know.

Moving on...I forgot to post a few videos from last weekends ax throwing fun. These are slow-mo, which are pretty interesting. One was thrown by James, one was thrown by me. I can't remember who threw the fail, but we both had some pretty hilarious fails, as well as a few impressive strikes. These three clips are very short (a few seconds each), and worth the watch.

Speaking of ax throwing, did you know it's becoming a thing? With some ax throwing ranges opening up? Pretty interesting. I noticed even Jimmy Fallon likes it. Here's a clip with Fallon and Serena Williams having an ax throwing contest:

He's also done ax throwing contests with other celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence. Jimmy Kimmel has also had a few ax throwing segments.

Moving on...

Omaze is a great way to donate to charity. I frequently donate there, because celebrities or other entities offer a chance to win something if you donate. All the proceeds go to charity. Right now they have an amazing opportunity to win a trip to Iceland. That would be amazing. If you're interested, you can visit the Omaze website to see this amazing opportunity to both donate to a worthy cause and win a magical trip. You can click here to go straight to the webpage. 

Moving on...

Latest Fenn SB hints are: 33, 45, XXV, 15, commas only, brands, "Pepper Martin" (Dr. Pepper, "Doc Martin")...and a couple more...

I know I've posted this in the past, but this is the bottle F likely drank his Dr. Pepper from in 1955.

I don't believe he was at the Texas Open that day, unless he was on leave from his assignment at Scott AFB. And if he was, I don't believe he hung out with Dizzy Dean and Sammy Baugh. FF is not Forrest Gump, although fate does seem to have put him in the right place at the right time often enough. But, that's just my opinion. 

Moving on...the picture of the day:

Happy Friday!

Happy Thorsday!

LOL