Two Year Florida Anniversary!

We have officially been in Florida for two years. It doesn't feel that long, I would say it feels like one year. Maybe that is because time basically stopped with COVID? There were two big things that I wanted when I moved to Florida: 1) to be close to family; and 2) to be closer to resources (hospitals, shopping, etc.). There were also lots of little things that appealed to me, for example, the theme parks, more opportunities for the kids, and good state colleges. But, for all the positives, there were also things that worried me or things I knew I wouldn't like, such as the weather and not being near all the history we enjoyed. 

Basically, I was right. Everything I thought I would like--I do. Everything that worried me, I still miss or don't like. I also really miss our neighborhood. The neighborhood we live in now is absolutely beautiful, in fact, it is the prettiest neighborhood I've ever seen. Oak trees line the streets, there are lots of green spaces. We can ride our bikes to some amenities. The elementary school is within walking distance, it is convenient and scenic. However, it is not like the neighborhood in Maryland, which only had 60 houses. We knew most of our neighbors, we all moved in around the same time (as the houses were built) and watched our kids go from pre-school through elementary. Here, the houses were built around 2003. There are plenty of people who have been here since the beginning, and they all know each other, but we don't share any history. We didn't watch their kids grow and they didn't watch ours. I miss knowing everyone. That would be very difficult here anyway, since the neighborhood is more than 10x the size of EJC, but it is still a loss I didn't think about. I knew I would miss people: neighbors, friends, coworkers, but I didn't think I would miss the feeling of having established roots. It wasn't even a feeling I realized I had until I didn't have it any longer. And, of course, I miss our big, beautiful house. The house here cost us a lot more, but is much smaller and not nearly as nice.

Thankfully, the transition was easy for the kids. They have friends and activities and have done well in school. Unfortunately, Thomas still hates it here. He hates his job, he hates the weather, he misses the battlefields and museums. The theme parks have grown on him, at least a little. And, of course, he does like baseball. Because of COVID, I think he has only been to one Spring training game. We had tickets to another, but baseball shut down a day before that game. Then, there was none this Spring, well at least not for in-person attendance. But, it is back on now, so he has gone to some Flying Tigers games (the Tigers' low A team) and we just went to a Rays game (blog to follow). Of course, in Maryland, he could see the Nationals. So for him, there just isn't any benefit. Well, other than wanting me to be happy. I think we could return in a year, but I am not sure we would uproot the kids right as they begin high school. Maybe? But, I also know you can't go home again. We couldn't pick up where we left off. 

I think I could be happy in either place. I try not to romanticize Maryland. When I find myself missing something, it is easy to remind myself of the reasons I wanted to leave. Oh! I think I've mentioned this, but one thing I really hate in Florida is driving. Not the heavy traffic, which I expected, but the lack of right turn lanes and the weird timing on lights and the terrible, awful drivers.

So, what do the kids think? I asked them for their overarching perspective:

Jack didn't want to move. He doesn't hate it here, but says it is hard for him to really know what he thinks since he hasn't experienced a "real" year here (we moved at the end of May and COVID shutdowns occurred 9.5 months later).

Anna wanted to move. Florida is what she thought it would be, but she misses Maryland more than she expected. But, she says she is happy here.

Kara says it's fine here. It is what she expected. She doesn't like the weather at all, but she does like all the places we visit.

Luke likes it here. He thinks it is "fine and not that bad, it's been a lot of fun." He especially likes the water parks (we just visited one, so it is fresh on his mind).

If I remember, I will do another blog for our three year anniversary. Hopefully, we'll have had a "normal" year at that point. And, just for fun, here are our current annual passes: Universal Studios; Legoland; SeaWorld/Aquatica/Busch Gardens/Adventure Island; Leu Gardens; the Orlando Science Center; and the Brevard Zoo. Our expired passes are: Disney World; Kennedy Space Center; and the Central Florida History Center. It is crazy how many places we've visited in our two years! But, Thomas would trade it all for a trip to Yorktown :)

WonderWorks and More

Luke and Anna went to ice-skating on Wednesday and I finally remembered to get a picture! 

Friday, we pulled the kids out of school early and went to WonderWorks. I bought tickets last year during a $10 COVID special (for our family of six, that saved us $130 versus if we bought them at the counter). Then, I got a text that they were having 50% off their "Comedy Magic Dinner Show" in the month of May, so we decided to do that as well.

We got there around 1:30 and there was a line. It looks like they get a lot of business from people just walking in; I was glad we weren't paying full price! They had lots of fun attractions. We did laser tag and managed to get the whole area to ourselves. It was good timing, because every time we looked back, there was a line. I thought I was doing a really good job and finished 4/6. Thomas won. We also did their ropes course. It made Anna and I nervous, even thought it was fairly mild (at least compared to the one we did in Georgia). So, we didn't last long, but everyone else stayed up until they called our group down. There was a fun bubble room, some sports activities, and the girls did a roller coaster simulator and astronaut training experience. I felt sick just watching! But, they both liked it. We were done around 4:30, but still had an hour until the dinner show, so we went back to our favorites.

This one didn't work very well, Luke kept trying, but it just wasn't happening.

It was hard to get a good picture, but Anna and Kara are in there just spinning around in every direction.

The dinner show was okay. We were the third family in line, but got sat at a table on the far right. Because of the angle, I could see how he did some of the tricks. And, the food was terrible, it was iceburg lettuce salads, with 2 cherry tomatoes for the 6 of us and pizza. The worst pizza we have ever had, and it's not like we have overly discerning taste! But, it was edible, the servers were nice and the kids really liked the show. Overall, I would call it a positive experience, although I don't have any desire to go again. I am not sure how I would feel if we had paid full-price. Oh! And, it was freezing! Like, colder than the ice rink freezing. I am not sure what the deal was, but I was still having trouble feeling warm even after we got home. 

Kara's constant sweatshirt wearing finally paid off!

Saturday, we had a good day. We went back to Swirl World. Thomas and I put up an outdoor fan. Well, Thomas put it up, but I like to think I was a good assistant. Anna and Kara went to Universal with Sophia. We had actually thought of going, but Luke and Jack were not interested. They are such homebodies. Sometimes, it just drives me crazy! They do get excited about new things (like Wonderworks), but they don't love the theme parks, even though they really wanted to be passholders. Luke especially hates mundane tasks. He was annoyed after Swirl World when we decided to do a quick Sam's Club run, as it was not what he agreed to when he left the house.

One fun thing for Luke is we got a small soccer goal for the backyard. He absolutely loves it! He has gone out everyday and kicked the ball around. Sometimes Anna or Jack go out with him, but he will also go independently; it is nice for us, because unlike the pocket park, we don't feel like we have to be out with him, so he can do it whenever he wants. It's a win/win! For indoor fun, he and Jack built a pretty fun fort, using his bunk bed, dresser and lots of blankets.

This is a panoramic photo, to try and show the whole thing. It is substantial!

In final news, we still can't find anyone to install a new front door for us. Supposedly, we have someone to do the small bathrooms. He is going to start late this month or early June. But, no one wants to do the door. 

A Good Week

Saturday (the 8th) we had an incredibly busy day. It was like the days of pre-covid. We started with a trip to Leu Gardens. They had an alphabet scavenger hunt, each letter was on a plant that started with that letter. We got a map and found all 26. Luke especially loved the hunt, but everyone had a good time. It was a beautiful morning to be outside. 

After that, we went to the library for our first visit in over a year. Only the first floor was open, but it was still so nice to go in and pick out books. From there, we made a quick trip to Target and then headed home. We had lunch, hung out for a couple of hours and then went to Universal Studios. It was the least-crowded its been in a while, which was nice for a Saturday evening. We rode lots of rides, had dinner and stayed until they closed. It was a super busy, really fun day.

We got some butterbeer right at closing. The perfect way to end a great day!

Sunday was a day at home, we needed a break after our busy Saturday! It was Mother's Day. Luke made me toast and gave me gifts he made at school. He also gave me his toothfairy money and toothfairy candy. Jack made me a card. The girls didn't do anything. I don't care much about Mother's Day, but I was disappointed that the girls didn't do something.

Such a sweetheart.

Luke and I had an adventure on Thursday. He is great friends with a girl who lives a few houses down. She is in his class and they get along really well. They play together frequently and he really enjoys her company. And, she is a super nice kid. Her birthday is this month and her mother (Kaitlin) and I wanted to take them out of school and do something fun to celebrate. We picked Thursday and decided to go to Legoland. Kaitlin bought Luke a fun Lego shirt and he was so excited! He woke up at 6am on Thursday morning, and couldn't wait to leave.

We got there just before they opened at 10. And, it was the best day! The crowds were light and we got to do everything. They rode all the rides, saw some of the ski show and even walked a bit in the garden. They got along perfectly and enjoyed being out of school and doing something just for them. I can't think of another time where I did something big one-on-one with Luke, so it was really nice for both of us. And, he and Ella were so sweet together. I ordered him the wrong food at lunch. He asked for chicken tenders and I ordered him a cheeseburger, he was really disappointed, but I told him if he ate the cheeseburger and was still hungry, I would get him chicken tenders. The meal only came with two, but Ella gave him one of hers. It was very kind and appreciated. Then, during the drive home, Ella's computer (not sure what to call it, but the in-seat entertainment) wasn't working. So, Luke switched seats with her when we stopped. 

We stopped at Manny's Chophouse for dinner. I had only been there a couple of times, but I've been wanting to go back. and it was just as good as I remembered!

Friday night, Marta was in Orlando and stopped by to see us. Thomas took Kara and Jack to a Flying Tigers game and Marta and I went with Luke and Anna to dinner. Two nights in a row at restaurants felt so strange! After dinner, Marta and I went for a walk. It was a nice evening. Saturday morning, I took Luke and Anna to their first ice skating lesson. Anna checked the blocks and gets to move up a level. Luke is funny to watch. He fell ALOT, but got right back up and right at it. He could slow himself down and not fall, but he is anxious to progress and is pushing himself. He has no fear and skates fast and furious.

Saturday night, we all went to the Flying Tigers game. The weather has been so beautiful this week. I was actually the tiniest bit chilly once the sun went down! We stayed and watched the whole game. Unfortunately, they lost, but we had a good time.

It was impossible to get a good photo of all 5, this was the best one I could do.

Today, Jack, Anna and Kara got their first COVID vaccine. It was a really hard decision, but we decided it was the best choice. They have sleep away camp this summer and with the complete relaxing of restrictions, it seemed like the way to go. I would be lying if I said I was 100% comfortable with the decision, but we are hopeful it was right. None of them have had any side effects yet. 

Anna didn't want to be in the picture, but she was there!

After the shots, we celebrated with some Dairy Queen. Everyone liked that part!

Another Busy Week

We still had some samples left on our Sea World food lanyard, so we went back on Friday night. We got some of the things we had tried the previous week and tried a few different items. This time, Anna stayed home, but everyone else went. It was busy, but not as crowded as the previous week. It was also quite a bit hotter, but we knew where to find the shade, so it was still pleasant. We like almost everything we tried. The only ones we would not get again are the pesto scallop and chocolate dipped pretzel. Both were fine, just not as good as the others. We loved the brisket tots (can't remember the real, fancy name), cheddar hushpuppies, caramel ice cream, meatball, cheesecake cone, and a few others.

We stopped by the dolphin nursery.

Saturday was Luke's championship game. Unfortunately, they lost. It was a good, close game. His team jumped out to an early lead, but had some defensive errors that cost them the game. It was 10-9 (although, the other team didn't bat the last inning). Luke was pretty sullen. He let a ball get by him in the outfield and felt personally responsible for the loss. He has a lot of amazing qualities--good sportsmanship is not one of them! Two of his friends came to watch and he wouldn't even talk to them after the game. I was pretty frustrated. Then, they had a great party (no shame in runners-up!) with water balloons and lots of food. He ran around and had a great time. Then, when we got in the car he was sullen again. It was annoying! He did have a really good hit and scored a run, so it wasn't all bad. And, his team came in 2nd out of 9 teams.

It was super sweet of Beya and Mike to come and cheer on grumpy Luke.

Team photo! 

Sunday, we had preview tickets for Florida's newest roller coaster--the Velocicoaster at Islands of Adventure (Universal). Jack and Luke didn't want to go, so we took the girls. It was super crowded and hot, but we were on a mission. The coaster officially opens on June 10th, but they gave out some early spots to passholders. We got lucky and logged in at the right time. Our slot was 3:30-4, the line, which was well-themed, only took about 20 minutes. It was an intense ride! As I get older, I like roller coasters less and less. I like Hagrid's (which is much slower), but Slinky Dog is more my speed. In other words, it was too fast for me. I did enjoy some of the elements, and I may try it again, but I am also okay if I never again ride. Thomas was worried about losing his hat, so he feels like he didn't get to enjoy it. He would agree that it was fast and exciting. The girls both loved it. After our ride, we had a very early dinner (to beat the massive crowds), rode Forbidden Journey, let the girls ride Hulk and then headed home. It was a good adventure.

Waiting, with some of the track behind us. Most of the line was indoors. 

This week, the older kids are testing at school again. They have to go in every day except Wednesday. Kara isn't as grumpy about it now that she knows the routine a bit better. Jack seemed to enjoy it. I am sure it will be a relief when things return to normal. 

Today (Wednesday) Anna and Luke had their first ice skating lesson. It was a trial class and they both loved it, so we signed up for 8 sessions. They get 8 lessons and 8 open skates. For Luke, it has been one thing after another in recent months: soccer, football, baseball, now ice skating. Anna did basketball, which she really liked and now ice skating. Kara has remained steady in ballet/acro. And, Jack has remained steady in refusing to try anything new.

Blurry, because I had to take it through glass. The trial class only had 3 kids (including Anna and Luke), but the real classes had several students.

And, in random photos from the week:

Thomas attended a class on Monday and Tuesday. It was virtual, but he was on camera. So, button-down shirt on top, athletic shorts on bottom. 

And, some more random Florida wildlife. These 2 wild pigs like to hang out on the main road close to our house.