Hey Hey Hey, We're on Vacation!

We are currently on our biggest trip yet. Biggest as in furthest distance and most nights away. On Monday at 545AM, we left our house and headed to the Orlando airport. We had a slightly frustrating experience at security. I had done an MCO Reserve time, which ended up taking longer than the regular line. But, we had allotted plenty of time, so while it was annoying, it wasn't stressful. It was Luke's first flight and he was a little nervous. It was actually my, Jack, and Anna's first flight in about 5 years and for Kara it had been 10 years. So, it felt pretty new for most of us. I used to have to fly a lot more often for work, but fortunately, travel is not a part of my job anymore. 

The flight to Seattle felt long (it was 6 hours), but it was smooth. The only sad part is I unknowingly booked us seats right over the wing, so the views weren't great. Unfortunately, we have the same seats on our return flight, but it is what is. When we fly again in another 5 years, I'll remember to check. 

We did two rows of three, Luke sat with Anna so they could play Roblox.

When we got to Seattle, we took the light rail to our AirBnB. And, we messed up our tickets. We bought tickets, but we didn't scan in. We wrongly thought buying the card had activated them and then we would scan out when we got to our destination. They had enforcement people on the train and they gave Thomas and I tickets. Well, since it was our first offense, it was a printed warning. But, it felt mean. I also thought instead of having enforcement on the train, they should have had them at the station directing people to check in. But, now we know and we will make sure to scan both in and out at each station. The scanners aren't in obvious places like other metros we've done (DC and NYC) and we were only two of many who received tickets. 

We dropped our bags off and then immediately headed to the Seattle aquarium. We were super hungry and thought maybe we would see something along the way. We didn't, so we ate at the aquarium. It was amazing to sit outside with the view of the water and the mountains. And, we saw a seagull eat a starfish! Unfortunately, no pictures of that, but it was pretty crazy.

After lunch we looked around. It was really fun. For me, the highlights were the octopus and a huge touch pool with sea anemones, starfish, and sea urchins. We had a lot of fun touching all the sea life. And, the octopus was amazing! They had an employee standing nearby and she told us that the octopus was caught in Puget Sound and they would keep her until she showed signs of being bored. On average, the octopuses stay about 6 months to a year before that happens. And, they can tell they are bored when they start looking for ways to escape. Last year, I read a book called Remarkably Bright Creatures, which features an octopus at the Seattle Aquarium. I had forgotten about it until the aquarium, but it brought back the memory. Octopuses are fascinating creatures!

After the aquarium, we walked through part of Pike's Market and saw the infamous gum wall. Luke was impressed, the rest of us were mostly disgusted :) We took the metro back to the rental house, stopping at a little grocery for some dinner. Originally, we had reserved a Hyatt House that overlooked the Space Needle. But, we decided to sacrifice some convenience for additional space. I am not sure whether or not that was the right call. But, the apartment has 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms, so definitely more room to spread out. After our day of traveling, we were all very tired. We played Uno Flips, had our dinner and were all in bed around 8pm local time (11pm Orlando time). It was a good first day.

Rental, we are on the bottom.

End of Another School Year!

The kids had their last day of school on Friday. It was pretty anticlimactic for the older kids. They don't really do much the last week or two. Once testing is over, it doesn't seem to matter much if they go. The school actively encouraged the kids to miss the last Wednesday, as it was graduation day and with so many teachers attending that, they knew they would not have enough subs. Kara spent the day at Universal with one of her friends and had a great time. Jack stayed home and Anna went to school because her best friend had to go and asked Anna not to leave her alone. They all finished the year strong. Jack and Kara had straight As for the whole year. Anna also did well and finished the year with an unweighted 3.6 GPA. 

Luke had a good year in 4th grade. They finished the year by reading a book, Hoot, and doing an associated project. They had a list to choose from and he and Beya chose the skit options. They had to write a short skit, make owl puppets and perform for the class. They also had a pancake party and other fun activities for the last week. And, according to Luke, he sang a song in the lunchroom for everyone on the last day.  The Principal was in the lunchroom playing songs on her phone and Luke asked if he could sing something. She agreed and Luke sang a silly song (All Star with alternate lyrics he and Kara made up). He said everyone thought it was funny.

On Thursday, Anna had an orthodontist appointment. They did x-rays and made a ton of adjustments. They said if all goes well, she will be done in a couple more appointments. Fingers crossed, as she is more than ready to be done. And, Luke had an appointment on Wednesday. He has a palate expander now. He, Anna and Jack all have small mouths. Kara's teeth were visually the worst before starting braces, but her problems were the easiest (and quickest) to fix. Weird. 

Everyone went to school for the last day. That night, Luke, Anna, Thomas and I went to Universal for a few hours. Kara went to a friend's pool party. Jack went to dinner with a friend and then back to his house to play video games with some other kids.

Saturday, everyone but Kara went to Luke's baseball tournament (Kara had plans with friends). Luke played well, but his team had a tough draw and lost both games. Sunday, just Thomas went. They won one game and then lost the next. It was the end of their season and Luke got the MVP award for defensive player of the year. I was sorry to miss it, but it is hard for me to be away an entire weekend when the other kids also have things they want to do and need rides (or just someone around for).

Everyone is happy the school year is over and looking forward to summer. Luke has a few weeks of camp, including an overnight one in late July. Jack signed up for a couple of virtual classes. The girls both have "summer bucket lists". Hopefully it is a good summer.

Five Years in Florida!

Five years ago today we spent our last night in Maryland. Time for some reflection!

When we were debating whether or not to move to Florida, Thomas and I made a pro/con list. My recollection was that Maryland won, but that I felt really sad about not moving to Florida and so we put in for the transfer. If I recall, it took our boss a while to make a decision and we were about a day away from withdrawing our names from consideration when they notified us that the transfer was approved. Do I regret the decision? No. Do I wish we had stayed in Maryland? Yes. Don't those two responses conflict? Maybe. In an ideal world, it would have never even been an option, then I would not have felt like I was missing out on anything. In fact, several years before we moved, when I was still a stay-at-home-mom there was an opening in Florida that Thomas, at my request, put in for. I remember feeling a big sense of relief when they hired someone else and the decision was out of our hands. I really enjoyed our life in Maryland and moving was not an easy decision. So, if there had never been two openings, then I would have never felt deprived and would have continued living happily in Maryland. I also wonder sometimes if what I miss most is what life was like pre-covid and pre-all the extreme division in our country. 2019 was definitely a kinder, gentler time. 

At the end of the day, the kids have thrived here. We left behind some drama in Maryland with the girls and their 'friends' and that never resurfaced. They have all done well in school, they all have friends, and I don't think any of them regret the move. I am asking them to write for the blog, so although I don't know what they will say as I write this, you, my dear readers, will only have to keep scrolling to find out.

So, what do I like about Florida? What do I dislike? What do I miss most? 

What I like: I like being near everything we need. Our town in Southern Maryland had everything we needed to live happily on a daily basis, but we were far from some things, which made extended living less ideal. Some kind of silly, like a mall, some more important, like a children's hospital. I hated that when Kara had her appendix out we were hours away (with traffic) from a hospital that would help her. It made me nervous. We also had to go to Baltimore or DC for specialty visits. Here, all the hospitals, including the Children's are 15 minutes away. 

Another big "like" is the college options for the kids. In fact, that is probably the biggest "pro" on the list right now. Our kids can live at home and go to UCF, which is ranked 64th in the country for public universities. UF is ranked 6th, FSU is 23rd, USF is 45th, etc. Maryland doesn't have that level of variety. It does have the University of Maryland College Park, ranked 19th, which is amazing, but you wouldn't have the option of living at home and getting your degrees. Florida also has the Bright Futures Scholarship, which will make college really affordable. Hopefully, our kids all attend Florida universities and we receive this benefit. Otherwise, this "pro" disappears, and we aren't left with nearly as much to fill the list. Although, we would have had more money to afford college if we'd stayed in Maryland. My job there had higher income earning potential, our house payment and our cost of living was significantly less, so financially, moving was not a wise choice.

So, what else makes the "like" list? Being near family, although not in the way I thought. We don't spend nearly as much time together as I expected. But, I am very glad I am here to help with my dad. If not, that would have all fallen on my sister, which would have been terribly unfair to her, and I would have felt horribly guilty. So, for that reason alone, I am glad we are here. 

Another pro is the theme parks. It is so fun to be passholders at Disney and Universal. We are about 30 minutes from all the major parks (some a little more, some a little less) and the novelty of going to Disney on a Wednesday night is not lost on us. It is fun and we enjoy it.

What do I dislike? The weather. There are a few amazing months, a few tolerable months and many excruciatingly hot and humid months. In my dream world, we would be snowbirds and never experience the extreme cold or heat. Maryland's weather was actually pretty perfect, and I miss it. 

The drivers here are also the worst I have ever encountered. The less said on that, the better. Similarly, the traffic where we live is awful. I am not exaggerating when I say that probably 10 giant apartment complexes have been built in our area since we moved here, along with multiple single-family homes. There is one main road and it can be miserable to traverse. The drive to the middle and high schools is absolutely horrible with stop and go traffic. We knew they were still building, but we wrongly thought our specific area was a little more finished. After all, our house was built in 2003, it had been here for 16 years before we moved in and construction ramped up.

Other things I don't like include how expensive it is here. Florida has a reputation for being cheap. It isn't. Our car insurance is more than double what it was in Maryland, our homeowner's is at least 3x more as are our property taxes (those are the comparison numbers from when we moved, now it is much more than that, but I am assuming that Maryland has also increased). So, while there is no state income tax, they definitely get their money. There are also toll roads everywhere. 

I also dislike our house. It is too small and has been a money pit. At one point, I said I liked the layout better than our house in Maryland. I have definitely changed my mind! I miss our basement on a daily basis and our backyard almost as often. Although I do like our Florida neighborhood. It is pretty and shady and I love that the elementary school is within walking distance. There are lots of green spaces and it is very idyllic.

Some additional Maryland specific comparisons: I miss my friends. I miss the relationships I had with the people in our old neighborhood; we all moved in at the same time and our kids grew together. I miss the Wills across the street and the kids going in and out of each other's houses. I miss the bookclubs and the ladies nights and neighborhood group chats. I miss our monthly dinners with the Darrows. I miss having friends at work. I miss having a reliable friend/nanny (Summer!) that would watch the kids and let Thomas and I have a weekend away.

I also miss our weekend trips. I miss that within 3 hours we could be in Williamsburg or Philadelphia, both of which we frequently visited on a long weekend. I miss that New York was just a few more hours away. I miss all our trips to different battlefields and historical sites. I miss the topography. I miss Mount Vernon and the Smithsonian. I would trade the theme parks for the history.

Florida has been good and bad. Overall, I think it is good that we are here. However, I do hope that this is not my permanent home. 

Now, for everyone else's thoughts. I would not let them read when anyone else wrote before providing me their input:

Thomas:  I never wanted to move.  I really loved my life in Maryland. During our time there, Kori would periodically ask some form of the question "if you could live anywhere, where would it be?"  And my answer was always that I couldn't think of anywhere being better than what we have in Maryland. So not only did I love Maryland, I didn't like Florida.  While there are some good things about Florida (Kori's family, Spring Training) I hated the weather and various other things about the state.  And I'm sad to say that after living here for five years, it's not any better. I still hate it here.  A lot.  But that said, I understand this is our home.  I think everyone else in the family is happy here and I don't want to be a Debbie Downer.  In fact, my resolution for 2024 was to write something I liked about living in Florida every day. And I'm happy to report that I've managed to keep that resolution so far.  I try to keep a positive attitude and am truly happy that everyone else enjoys it here. That is, without a doubt, the most important thing to me. 

Anna: I’m glad we moved to Florida because I got to try a lot of new things like basketball, ice skating and lacrosse. I like going to the theme parks and going on cruises. I also think that people here are nicer and the schools are good. I miss the weather in Maryland. I also miss going to places like Mount Vernon, Williamsburg and especially DC. Overall, I am happy that we moved to Florida but I don’t want to stay here after I graduate college.

Jack: I’m really glad about all the opportunities here that weren’t there in Maryland- the tennis center or the YMCA for example. I’m glad that I live in our neighborhood, which is by far the nicest I’ve ever lived in. I’m glad, of course, for my friends. I miss the weather in Maryland. As well as how things weren’t as developed there- though maybe by now that’s changed. I miss how close we were to old historical sites compared to here (Mount Vernon, Yorktown, and such) as well as the cities- DC, Philadelphia, and maybe New York.

Kara: I am very thankful for the opportunities that I’ve had since moving to Florida. Since being here, I have gotten to meet so many wonderful people and create the best memories with them. I know the majority of my family complains and dislikes it here but I like to focus on the more positive side. I’m here and there is so much to be grateful for. Most of family dislikes the weather here, and while yes it can get hot, I like the feeling of the sunshine on my skin. And getting to swim and eat ice cream almost year-round. I also love palm trees. Just getting to see them every day makes me happy. And the sunsets here are gorgeous.  I also love Halloween Horror Nights at Universal. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else and not being to go. It really makes my year to have the privilege to get to experience that. I also enjoy the opportunities that school has given me. I like to play lacrosse and the theatre program at my school is wonderful. But, the best thing of all is the people. All of my friends I’ve come to know are amazing and I love them all so much. Overall I am so glad we moved to Florida and I will cherish these moments in my life forever.

Luke: I wish we didn't move, but it is nice that I can play baseball year round. I also like my friends here. I miss our house, the backyard, our playset, the weather, my Maryland friends and everything else!

This and That

Working in reverse order:

Today is Saturday, May 18th. It was a typical, busy Saturday. The older kids volunteered at a Special Olympics tennis event. They all said it was really fun. Jack was a ball boy and Anna and Kara did awards. They are now inspired to learn to play tennis. 

Now, Jack is at the band banquet. He was asked to give a speech for one of the seniors. Every senior gets to choose an underclassman to say some kind words. Jack was on the fence about going, but that sealed the deal and off he went.

While the kids were volunteering, I went to Lakeland to visit with my dad. Then, I picked up Luke who had spent the night in Winter Haven with Marta. He had a nice night. Coming home, traffic was typically terrible. I hate Central Florida traffic. They just keep building and building without the infrastructure to support all the people.

Friday, the teens skipped school and we went to Universal. It rained, but we still had a nice time. We rode a few rides and had lunch at Circus McGurkus. We were hoping to ride Hagrid's, but it was shut down due to weather. Meanwhile, Luke had a special event at school--he got to walk to Menchi's with the 10 other kids who read all the Sunshine State books (and, two adults). He got a big yogurt with lots of candy toppings. Then, after school Marta picked him up. They went back to her house, had pizza and swam. 

The kids all had testing over the course of the week. They did well on the ones that have been graded. Kara also had her first week of summer lacrosse. She found a ride with a friend who drives. It is hard to believe our kids are at an age where they have friends who drive. Of course, Jack and Anna have been 16 for months now, so it makes sense. Jack will get his license when we get back from our trip. Then, we will worry about Anna and Kara.

Thursday, Luke's team played a baseball scrimmage against an 11U team (his team is 10U) and won. It was at the park near our house, which was so nice. Anna and I actually walked up, we have been doing nightly walks, so it fit in well with our routine. I miss him playing there! There were a couple of uncomfortable moments. One of the parents on our team got yelled at by the other coach for correcting him in his balls and strikes count. In her defense, she was right. In his defense, it was a scrimmage and not worth getting upset about. And, there was a parent on the other team who kept yelling at his kid ("do that again and see what happens" "you're going to be walking home," etc). I felt really bad for that kid. It did make me feel slightly better about my parenting skills, at least I'm not publicly shaming/embarrassing them (I hope!).

I had to go into the office more often than usual recently. I don't mind going in when there is a reason, so it is not a big deal. But, I miss the quiet of my home office and my window. 

Oh! Last weekend was Mother's Day. Saturday, we went to Target and played Ticket to Ride. Sunday, we went to Fun Spot. It was empty, and we had a good time. We came home after lunch and played a couple more games. The older kids all wrote me nice, thoughtful letters. I think it sometimes frustrates them that I don't like stuff and ask them not to buy anything, particularly for Mother's Day.

Rest of April & Kayce's Visit

Another busy month in the books! Jack finished track. At his last meet, he ran the 4x800 and the two mile. He was hoping to get under 12 for the two-mile, but got 12:03. The first time he ran, he was around 12:50, so he made a lot of progress over the season. He plans to run all summer and do cross-country in the fall.

Luke had his Battle of the Books competition. We do not know how his team placed, just that they were not in first, second or third. Luke was disappointed, but, to make it to the second round was a huge accomplishment, so we were still very proud. 

Now that high school sports have ended, we were able to do a Wednesday visit to Disney. The girls, Thomas, and I went to Animal Kingdom. We rode a few rides (Safari, Dinosaur, FOP, and Everest) and had dinner. It is a fun perk of living in Orlando. We planned to go the next Wednesday, but it was a long Wednesday at school for testing. Speaking of which, the year is winding to a close. Only three weeks remain in the school year! It went by fast.

My good friend and former neighbor, Kayce, came to visit for a long weekend. She arrived on Friday morning and we went to Disney Springs. We walked around and had lunch and decided to return for Cirque du Soleil that night. Jack had a band concert, but he said he had no interest in going (we also could have gone on Saturday). So, Thomas went to the concert, the rest of us went to Cirque. It was a good show, it reminded me a little of the diving shows on the cruises. I have wanted to see a Cirque show, so I was glad for the excuse. The girls and Luke also enjoyed it.

Saturday, we went to the Orlando Wetlands. It is right near Fort Christmas, and I was shocked that until researching a new place to "hike", I had never heard of it. It is a huge (1600+ acre) man-made wetland that provides natural water treatment to the city of Orlando. We were there for four hours and didn't see it all. We did see 38 alligators, a pygmy rattlesnake (which I almost stepped on) and tons of cool birds. There was very little shade, so we were lucky it was a beautiful day. My family will definitely go back. Another hidden gem! We also went to Culver's and for a walk that night. Kayce is a walking machine! We were hoping to see an armadillo, of which there are many in our neighborhood, but we did not spot any during her stay.

Luke had baseball and Anna was the only kid up for the long hike. She was glad she went!

This pink spoonbill was my favorite bird of the day. Also, the boardwalk was super long and so pretty.

Sunday was our Universal day. We got there at opening and stayed until closing. We usually go in the evenings, so again, it was fun to play tourist and do it all. We rode a lot of rides, browsed the shops, and saw four shows (Beedle the Bard, Horror Make-up, Animal Actors, and the Bourne Stuntacular). We drank frozen butterbeer, which sadly Kayce did not like, and ate in the Three Broomsticks for dinner. We timed everything perfectly and managed to avoid long lines, mainly by seeing the shows in the peak riding time. The only thing we didn't get to do was ride Hagrid's. Our plan was to ride after dinner, but it shut down and never reopened. Next time! 

Monday, we went to "free Disney". We rode a parking tram, the Skyliner, and a boat. We enjoyed walking around the Boardwalk and Yacht and Beach Club resorts (where I would want to stay if money was no object). Then, we went to lunch before I dropped Kayce off at the airport. It was sad to see her go, but I was thankful for a good visit with nice weather. I miss having her live across the street! 

The week passed uneventfully. Jack's track meet, discussed above, was on Wednesday. Thomas had to go into the office multiple times because he is acting counsel while our boss is out of town. Friday, we were off from work and let the girls skip school. We went to Epcot in the morning and Magic Kingdom at night. It was a fun day.

Today is Saturday. Luke had a baseball tournament. I took the older kids to Ross (Kara's request), then the library (Jack's request), then we went to one of Luke's games (my request), then went to lunch at PDQ (Luke's request). We dropped Luke and Thomas back at the fields for game number 2. Then, we went to Marshall's (Anna's request). Finally, we came home and the girls got ready for the lacrosse banquet. I dropped them off at 5 and picked them up at 7. Kara got a trophy for most improved. They also gave out superlatives to each girl. Anna was "sweet as candy" and Kara was "best hair".  Just another Saturday in the life!

They bought matching dresses at Marshalls :)

Bonus picture, our backyard deer had babies!