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.