More November

One of the coolest things about living in Florida is occasionally friends from other places visit and we get to hang out with them. Earlier this month we were able to join the Darrows at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. For Epcot, it was me and the girls. Jack had cross-country and Luke had baseball. The next night, me, Thomas, Luke and Anna met them at Hollywood Studios. We had a great time and it was so good spending time with their family. I miss Alecia. I feel like I haven't made many close friends in the 5+ years we have lived in Orlando and it is bittersweet to spend time with the ones from Maryland. I don't know if it is being at a different stage in life or becoming more reclusive since Covid, or some combination, but I feel the loss more keenly when I spend time with the people I was closest to in Maryland. 

I didn't take any pictures, but thankfully Alecia had a few

Speaking of friends, on Tuesday the Wills' cruise ship passed through Port Canaveral and we met up with them at the Orlando Wetlands and Fort Christmas. Anna is still recovering from her wisdom teeth removal, so she had to opt out, but the rest of us had a lot of fun. We saw a ton of alligators and cool birds at the Wetlands. At Fort Christmas, the kids played football while Kayce, Thomas and I looked through the Pioneer Houses. It was so nice to see them. Our kids were constantly running between our two houses in Maryland and it is fun to see them growing up. They will be back in April and I am glad our goodbye was "see you in a few months".

We saw so many gators, including one eating a fish.

It's very picturesque, but not a lot of shade, making it a perfect fall/winter spot.

But, lots of shade at Fort Christmas

Anna had her wisdom teeth out on Friday. During the drive home she was pretty funny, asking repeatedly, "Am I going to remember this" and no matter what I said, she wasn't happy with the response. She also told the nurse she loved her and asked me if I tipped her. Apparently, the nurse very sweetly held her hand before and after the surgery. So, maybe I should have brought an extra $20. Anna was also very chatty, we kept trying to get her to stop talking so she could keep the gauze in place. At one point, she was saying it hurt and I told her that maybe if she stopped talking she would feel better. She stopped talking for about 5 seconds then commented on how not talking didn't work. 

When Luke had his cyst removed, he kept asking if Thomas took the day off from work. When Thomas had his arm surgery he asked repeatedly whether I had his shoes. And, for Anna it was the question about remembering on repeat. She would also say, "I don't understand why I wouldn't remember this because I'm alive right now." Our brains coming out of anesthesia are funny things!

Telling the nurse she loves her, she said it and held up the heart. (screenshot from a video)

Anyway, her recovery has been okay. The day of the surgery, she was very nauseous and dizzy. Fortunately, the bleeding wasn't too bad. We did tea bags, which I think helped. The second day (the day after surgery) she looked pretty good, but could barely open her mouth. The next two days she was extremely swollen, but felt a little better. Tuesday she ate her first solid food--scrambled eggs. Yesterday the swelling was finally better, but her jaw is still very stiff making it hard to eat. Today (Thursday) she is doing a lot better. Our plan is to have Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. We decided that last night and it worked out better than expected because poor Kara is sick today. 

Anna made this on Sunday :)

Other news I have not written about--Jack's cross-country team made it to State's! They didn't place, but Jack enjoyed the experience. And, it had been a long time since his school had qualified for State's, so they had a lot to be proud of. The Regionals were held in Boca Raton and States were in Tallahassee, so Jack got to spend the night with his teammates at both meets. He is ready now for track to start.