First Day of School & Summer Blahs

This is the time of year that I hate Florida. I debated "hate" because it is a strong word, but by mid-August, I think it is accurately describes my feelings. This is my 5th August here and I can now see the cyclical pattern. I love Florida in February. I like Florida from about November-May. I tolerate June and July and then I hate it beginning in August. The heat becomes unbearable and the holiday season is too far away. The kids are back in school and the work/school/activities are tiring. It is my least-favorite time of year.

This year has been especially depressing. Thomas and I had an anniversary cruise planned and we also had a family Thanksgiving cruise on our agenda. Both cruises had fun itineraries and we were excited. However, when final payment was due, I just couldn't bring myself to pay for the Thanksgiving cruise. It felt like too much money and I didn't feel like we should go. Thomas agreed. The kids were very disappointed, but they understood and we sold them on a Thanksgiving at home. And, after canceling the family cruise, Thomas and I didn't feel great about going on the anniversary cruise. Child care was problematic and it felt mean to cancel the family vacation but keep the adult only one. So, we canceled that too. The kids told us we should still go, but again, it just didn't feel right. Maybe the next time we hit 20 years we can do something fun <sigh>. I know that canceling was the right decision, but it definitely didn't help my mid-year-crappy-mood-slump. 

The kids are back to school. It is hard to believe that 3 of them are now in high school! We had some issues with Kara's schedule, they took her out of an academically advanced class and put her in child development. They said they had to "balance" the electives. Fortunately, we were able to get it fixed. The high school has 4600 hundred students this year and it is a mess. They have 60+ portables and the kids said at times it is difficult to even walk to their classes. And, they still only have two lunches, leaving kids to sit on the ground. The new relief school opens next year, so they just have to make it through this year. We did have a small victory with the buses. They were scheduled for the first run in the morning and the second run in the afternoon again. I engaged in another e-mail writing campaign (getting people on the phone was impossible) and they ended up reevaluating the bus routes and changing many so that the same kids aren't arriving early and staying late. I like to think that my efforts had something to do with the change, but who knows? I could definitely write an entire blog devoted to that topic, but I will leave it there and post first day pictures:

Still dark out. The plan was to do more photos after school with all 4 kids, but Jack had band practice and Luke had baseball and we never got it done.

Meanwhile, Luke is in 4th grade. He really likes his teacher and I think his year is off to a good start.

In other news, remember how we got Anna a new figure skating coach? Well, the ice rink fired her. They didn't tell her why, just that they were terminating the contractual relationship. Her coaching privileges were immediately suspended. She had only been Anna's coach for about a month, so I didn't feel a tremendous loyalty, but we did really like her. So, we said we would try and follow wherever she landed. I assumed it would be the other Orlando-area ice rink. But, nope. Somehow, we are making a trek to the Lakeland Ice Arena now. I used to complain about the 30ish minutes to the Kissimmee rink. Ha! Those were the days! We may have not followed, except Anna had signed up for a competition literally the day before the coach was fired. We told Anna we would make the Lakeland drive until after the competition (in October) and then reevaluate. 

Saturday was our first trip down. We had to be there at 6am which meant leaving at 445. In positive news, the drive down was super easy. The rink had an issue with the ice, so the schedule got messed up and they ended up doing a lot of off-ice training. While we waited for the ice to open, I met Marta for breakfast. It had been a while since we had caught up with just the two of us, so that was nice. Then, she came back to the rink and watched Anna skate. I would have seen my dad too, but he is having some health issues, so he asked me to give it another week. And, my sister was moving Amanda into college. I am hoping to work in lots of visits during my Saturday mornings in Polk County. Thomas is ready to trade-off the driving with me, but since I want to see my family, and with baseball tournaments starting soon, it makes sense for me to take care of the skating duties.

Screenshot showing off her new spinner from the jumps and spins off-ice class.

The drive home took about 90 minutes. Marta and Frank had planned on coming for dinner, but Jack wasn't feeling well that morning, so we postponed. I had bought a ham, so we had that. Jack was feeling better and wanted us to dress up and eat in the dining room. So, we did. It was pretty fun. We had a leisurely dinner and good conversation.

Being silly :)

Sunday morning, Thomas, Luke and I went to Volcano Bay while the teens slept in. We had a great time. 

That concludes the first full week back to school. Both of Luke's baseball practices were canceled due to the weather. Luke didn't mind, his interest seems to be waning. Band practices are back in full swing. And, to finish, two more random pictures:

Luke had to make a hat for a mad-hatter tea party. He added some mardi gras beads and called it good.

Jack's current "for fun" book. He is on page 929.

Summer Winding Down

Sunday, July 23 was Thomas' birthday. We went to the outlets and Thomas got a Purple pillow. Jack and Luke got sneakers and everyone got some clothes at Old Navy (we had an expiring coupon). Then, we went to Taco Bell for lunch (Thomas' choice). I can't recall what we did the rest of the day, it was whatever Thomas wanted. I do recall that we had homemade tacos for dinner. A double-taco day! And, while we are talking about Thomas, I think I mentioned that he set a goal to run 500 miles this year? Well, for July, he set a goal for 100 miles. And, he finished on July 30th. He was around 430 for the year at the end of the month. We are very proud of him :)

Birthday Boy!

On our Friday off, Thomas and I took Luke and Anna to Volcano Bay. We got there for early park admission and got so much done in the first few hours. Then it started to get crowded, so we left at lunch. It was super fun. I wasn't planning on renewing for Volcano Bay, but maybe I will, at least for those of us that like it.

Saturday,  I took Luke to baseball practice for his new team--The Vipers. It is largely made up of the Leones. Two of the three coaches banded together to form the new team and most of the same players joined. While at practice Luke got bit by something that caused big welts on his hand and arm. I thought it was just a bad reaction to a mosquito bite, and maybe it was, but his hand stayed swollen for several days. (After about 36 hours, we did a telehealth appointment to make sure it wasn't anything we needed to be concerned about and they said it was just a localized reaction.) Meanwhile, Thomas took Kara to Return of the Pride for the high school. She got her schedule and then got out of there.

That night, Thomas and I went to my final birthday request--dinner at the Titanic Museum. The Tilleys joined us, but we didn't prearrange to be at the same table and they couldn't (wouldn't) accommodate the request. Thomas and I arrived early and went through the museum. They had more actual artifacts but it wasn't as big as the one in Pigeon Forge. Dinner was fun. They did a good job of paying homage to the Titanic while still being entertaining. They had 5 characters representing people on the Titanic, including Molly Brown, Ms. Gibson (a famous silent film star who survived the sinking), the ship's designer, the captain and a maid who straddled both time zones (the others only "lived" in 1912). The food was just okay, but we enjoyed the evening. At the end of the experience, they had the passengers separate into gender and moved us to the "deck of the Titanic". It was solemn and sad. I can only imagine the confusion and terror those people felt that night.

Selfie in front of the recreation of a fancy suite.

Touching an actual piece of the Titanic

On Sunday, we went to a Tigers game and did the 34-Club. We had a really good time. It was a fun weekend!

Jack had band camp on Monday and Tuesday. He liked it much better this year. The show is Lord of the Rings themed. He and Anna got their schedules. Neither has as many classes with friends as they would like (according to Anna, she doesn't have any!). They do have AP World History together. The last class they had together was also history in 8th grade. The school is about 40% over capacity. They have 60 portables and I don't know how they are going to get everyone through lunch. I am also mad about the bus situation. They are doing two runs again. And, my kids are still on the first run in the morning and the second run in the afternoon. At the start of the summer, I contacted the transportation office and asked them to please not penalize the same kids twice again. They said they had more data to make better routes and would take parent feedback into consideration. So, I had hoped for a change. Nope! There is a bus in the gated part of our neighborhood who is on the second run in the morning and first run in the afternoon, so I know it isn't solely based on location. I am seriously very frustrated. The bus will pick them up  at 6:13, so they can sit around at school for an hour in the mornings. Then, they will sit around after school for 45 minutes. I wish we could drive them, but a) traffic (remember, 4600+ students) and b) I have a job. 

I think that is all the news for now. One final picture. Anna found a recipe for copycat Chick-Fil-A nuggets. It came out pretty good.