Asheville Day 3: Pisgah National Forest

Before I forget, an administrative note. Right now, some readers get an e-mail when a new post is published. However, that service is no longer being offered by blogger. So, if you currently get an e-mail notification (or would like to) when a new post is published, please e-mail me at klh1977@yahoo.com and I will let you know each time I write a new blog. 

Day 3 was a trip to the Pisgah National Forest. I read that Sliding Rock is a must when you are in the Asheville area and made the mistake of mentioning it to Luke. It became the thing he most wanted to do on this trip. As I read more, I learned that it has become incredibly popular and very crowded, so you have to get there early. We got there around 10:15 and there was already a substantial line. Thomas couldn't do the slide because of his toe and Trevor didn't want to, so Kayce and I got in line with the interested kids (Jack and Anna thought the water was way too cold).

Based on his sad limp, I think it feels about as good as it looks.

The line took about 20 minutes for the first go around and it was fun. I am happy to say I did it. It is just what it sounds like, you slide down a large, 18 foot rock into a "pool" at the end. It is spring fed and maintains a cool temperature of around 55 degrees. Luke loved it and immediately got in line again, as did the other kids, including Anna. The line was already growing and we timed their wait at 25 minutes. After the second slide, the line was even longer and no one was interested in waiting. The boys, including Jack, played around in the creek for a few minutes and then everyone got changed. 

Waiting patiently

We did videos, so excuse the lousy screen grabs below. I tried a couple of different apps to get pictures from videos, but nothing is working this morning and people are starting to wake up, so I need to get these pictures added. 

Jack and Kolten picked up right where they left off. Good buddies.

Our next destination was the nature center. On the way, we stopped at Looking Glass Falls, which was beautiful.

We got to the Center for Wildlife Education around 1130 and had our picnic lunch before going inside. There was a visitor's center with small exhibits and animals (snakes, spiders, etc) and a nature trail with signs talking about the area. It was a short walk that ended with the fish hatchery. The hatchery was really cool. They grow 600,000 trout/year and distribute them to 85 different area streams. The purpose is two fold, first to aid in the balance of the ecosystem as fishing has become much more popular and second, to keep fisherman happy and coming back (I assume to aid in maintaining their reputation as a tourist destination for good fishing). The fish are unable to breed, as they don't want them to interfere with the natural trout. And, according to one volunteer, they are stupid and easily caught for about 2 weeks. After that, they become smarter and are trickier to catch, like the native trout. They had fish food and we had fun watching them scramble for pellets. It was a really cool stop.

After that, we went to the Ranger Station and Souvenir shop. There were lots of great maps and I grabbed a few to plan a trip back. I would love to go explore more, particularly if we could manage in the off-season. Our final stop was an ice cream place just outside the forest entrance. It was delicious.

Then, it was back to the rental house. The girls decided to have a girls night out. We were looking for a good restaurant and I messaged my friend Kaitlin, who had just visited Asheville. Right after I hit send, Kayce found Tupelo Honey's, as she was saying the name, Kaitlin responded and suggested Tupelo Honey. We took it as a sign and made it our destination. We made a reservation for 6 and left the house around 4:30, with the idea that we would walk around before dinner. There was a cool old Woolworth's (they kept a soda fountain) that was turned into an Art Gallery and Craft Emporium. We had fun walking around and looking at the stuff for sale. Kara found a book she really wanted called the Art of Abandonment. It was a really cool book with pictures of abandoned places. It was $60 and she didn't want to "waste" her money, but would like a copy for Christmas. 

After that, we had a delicious southern meal at Tupelo Honey and then checked out a couple more places. One cool store was Ten Thousand Villages. It is a nonprofit store with a goal to end global hunger. They sell fair trade items made by artisans. There were some really cool items, including jewelry made from bomb casings from Cambodia. Kara collects string dolls and bought an RBG (she has a newfound interest in the Supreme Court) and a Hamilton. She also bought a lucky three legged pig, made from clay from Chile, for her friend Sophia. Anna was the one who discovered the three-legged pig and bought one as well, because it spoke to her.

Pretty girls. Kayce showed Anna how to use a hot brush before we went out. Fancy!

I've missed my friend!

Asheville Day 2: River Float

On Sunday, we started the day with a visit a nearby playground. The plan was to play for an hour and then have a picnic lunch. However, it started raining while were were there. The forecast, radar, and a quick visual of the sky showed that the rain was isolated. So, we opted to drive to our activity and try and have lunch there. It was a good choice, as we were able to avoid the rain. We used Beer City Tubing, which offers "rides" on the French Broad River--the third oldest river in the world. They had a good setup with picnic tables and lawn games. Oh! We have been playing a license plate game in the car for months, maybe even a year. We have checked every state except Wyoming. While we were at the park, Thomas saw a Wyoming plate driving away from the parking lot. He chased after it to verify (possibly confusing the driver, but likely not threatening with the kids running behind him). It was a little outside our rules, since our original rule was you have to be in the van to count it. However, since it was in the same parking lot as our van, we made an exception. Everyone was very excited. As soon as we got back in the van, we checked it off. Then, when we started driving, we saw another Wyoming plate! Our last plate of the old game was Wyoming and the first plate of the new game was Wyoming!

Okay, back to the river. After a 12-minute bus ride, we were dropped off for our 2-3 hour float. At various points, everyone was linked to various people. It was just as amazing and relaxing as I had hoped--a real life lazy river. We played music and occasionally chatted and also just sat back and enjoyed the views. The boys frequently jumped into the water, which was rarely deep. There was one small part where the water sped up a little and was a bit rocky. Unfortunately, at that point one of the kids fell in, lost their tube, and needed to be rescued from the rocks. Thomas was the closest adult and walked to him with a tube. But, with the rocks, the ground was incredibly uneven and he ended up stubbing his big toe really hard. It was starting to bruise pretty badly last night and it is likely either broken or sprained. Hopefully, he will still be able to walk on it today.

The float took almost exactly 3 hours and I loved it. My two goals for the trip were to find a Wyoming license plate and to float down a river. Check and check! The older three kids also loved it. Luke said it was "fine," but a little boring and long. Crazy kid! The other kids all rated it 8 or 9. 

And now, the river float photo dump:

It's a boy party!

Thomas' attempts to avoid the chaos didn't last long.

Poor Kayce stuck in the middle of the boys (and Anna)

The littlest Wills and Wilson with a nice view behind them.

Anna mourning the loss of her sunglasses.

Fun, fun, fun

For the last 45 minutes or so, Kara and Ben linked together. Both were happy with this arrangement.

Living my best life.

Murky, cold water? No problem for Jack.

On the way back to the rental house we stopped at a cute ice cream place that also had little kid-sized zip lines and some other lawn games. The kids loved it. 

After ice cream, we went "home," showered and changed and headed to dinner at the Whistle Hop Brewery. It is a cool venue with tons of lawn games (bocce ball, disc golf, mini bowling, a 6-hold miniature golf course, a large slide, etc). They don't sell food, but had a food truck there called Appalachian Chic. Most of us liked it, but it was pretty expensive for the food we got (mostly sandwiches). Our meal cost $86 and that was with no drinks. But, it was really nice to sit outside with the beautiful views and enjoy the atmosphere and lawn games. And, there was a nice man handing out bags of rocks to the kids. Apparently, he picks up cool rocks during his hikes and then gives them away. 

The kids dinner table

After that, Kayce and Trevor took the boys home and Thomas and I took the girls to Walmart. Kara wanted film for her instant camera and Anna needed to replace the sunglasses she lost in the river. It was nice to shop without Luke. We got back around 8:30. It was another long, but very fun day!

Asheville Drive and Day 1

For our first big vacation since moving to Florida, we opted to spend 6 nights in Asheville. Today, Friday, we made the drive up. It was a long, traffic-laden drive. We didn't expect there to be so many cars on the road and it took us about 45 minutes longer (of driving, not including stops) than the mapping websites projected. The kids were fine, we let them do electronics, and as a first, we brought the Nintendo Switch. They shared it in one-hour increments with little complaining. As always, I am glad that none of the kids inherited my propensity for car-sickness. I am unable to do much in a car; I can read in very short bursts, like plugging in an address, or quickly looking something up. There is no way I could read a book or play a video game. Sometimes, it can get a little lonely. Although, Thomas did all the driving, so he was a captive audience. We had trouble finding good gas stations, which is not usually a problem. At one point, we stopped at a travel center and were going to get food and then decided to get McDonald's, but the line was crazy and we couldn't even get in the parking lot. So, we went across the street to Hardees, but their dining room was closed. Finally, we ended up at the Food Lion deli, which was pretty good. That also added to our drive.

Kids on a road trip!

We made it to our cabin around 5. We are alone the first night, but tomorrow, the Wills arrive! I am a little disappointed with the cabin. It is more expensive than our usual rental houses and I expected it to be a nicer. It is okay, just not as big or nice as I expected. The pictures were honest, they were just well-done. Maybe we were spoiled by that amazing house we rented when we went to Boston. That was my dream house (I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this, but I contacted the owner to see if we could rent it again and she had sold it!). 

We unpacked the van and then went to Walmart for supplies. We got stuff for "picnic" lunches and dinner. After we ate, all of us but Jack went in the hot tub, it was a little tight for 5 but I still found it relaxing. It makes me want to get our hot tub up and running. There is a fooseball table in the garage and we played a few games. Everyone went to bed between 9-10, it was a long day.

Saturday, I woke up around 5:30. Thomas woke up at 7:30 and we decided to sit in the hot tub for a bit. The outside temperature was 54, much cooler than mornings in Florida, and it felt nice. Luke joined us a few minutes later and the other kids slowly got up. Everyone was up by 8:30 and they all said they slept fine. We had breakfast; Thomas taught Kara how to play poker; we played fooseball and darts.

We had sandwiches for lunch and left the house around 12 to go our first activity: horseback riding! I found a place called Smoky Mountain Trail Rides. When we were trying to decide whether to stick to our original plan or come to the rental a night early, we wanted to find an activity to make it worthwhile. I had brought up horseback riding to the Wills, but it wasn't something they were interested in doing. So, we decided if we could get a reservation, that would be the plan for Saturday before they arrived. And, we got a 1 o'clock reservation. Perfect! 

We got there just before 1 and learned that the ride before us was delayed. There was a smallish child who spent the whole ride terrified and she slowed everything down. The kids, especially Kara, were really cranky about the wait. But, we had no other plans and while no one likes to wait, the rest of us were more patient about the delay. The previous ride got back around 2 and then had to feed and water the horses and give them a break. Our ride was supposed to be from 1-3 and ended up being from 3-5.

Pre-ride

Horses on their break

Kara really liked this horse and was happy when it was assigned to her. Here she is getting her instructions.

The ride was amazing! The property has been in the owners family since the 1800s, they have over 800 acres and we rode up and around a mountain. We climbed 2100 feet. At times the drop off the trail was really steep, but obviously the horses knew what they were doing (and, the trail was fairly wide--although, they did seem to prefer to stay on the edge). It felt like we were alone in the world exploring in colonial times, we didn't see houses or any signs of other people for the majority of the ride. Thomas said he could imagine he was George Washington, out doing his surveys as a young man. At one point, early in the ride, we came to a view that everyone exclaimed looked as perfect as a painting. It was stunning!

Started to make the climb. I took this picture from above (obviously, I guess)

The view doesn't convey in the picture, but trust me, it was amazing! This was toward the start of the ride, which ended near the path below. 

Anna and Star

Thomas loved his horse (Spider), the oldest one in the barn.

We rode up and around for about an hour. Then, we took a short break and rode down. 

Luke on Charlie

Same view as earlier, only now from near the bottom.

All six of us in row.

Everyone enjoyed the experience and liked the horse they were assigned. Luke's horse was funny. He stopped to eat frequently and a couple of times, he ran to catch up to the horse in front of him. Fortunately, Luke took it in stride and said he loved it. He gave it 8.5/10. Thomas said 10/10. I said 9/10 (it hurt my hips a little); Kara and Jack both said 8/10, Anna said 7 (because of all the bugs). We set the bar high for the rest of our trip!

Last picture is a random barnyard pig. It's stomach dragged on the ground. Maybe pregnant?

We got back to the rental house at 6 and the Wills were waiting for us! Kayce made some amazing tacos (beef and chicken) and spanish rice. Luke was most impressed by her scoop chips and he told her how amazing it was that she made them and how good they were. She took the compliment gracefully! We caught up on all the news. The kids explored a bit and then settled in with video games. Kayce, Kara and I played Love Letters. Kayce had a narrow victory. Then, Kara called it a night and Kayce and I went in the hot tub and chatted some more. It was an amazing day!

Summer!

It is hard to believe we are already three weeks into our summer vacation. 

I already wrote about week one, which was uneventful. Week two, Jack went to a camp to learn to fly drones. He absolutely loved it! When he turns 14, he wants to get a commercial license. Luke went to a soccer camp, it was very intense. He came home grumpy and exhausted every night, but gave it 9/10. Anna went to a camp at the middle school that she also enjoyed. Kara stayed home.

We just finished week three. It was a good week. We started with a visit to my Dad. We decided to celebrate Father's Day early and took him and Maggie to lunch and gave him his gift. For lunch, we went to Applebees. They had a soccer game on the screens, including two t.v.s right in front of us. It seemed like every time we looked up, a player was injured on the field. Then, a player went down and didn't get back up. They pulled out the defibrillator and started doing CPR. We seriously thought he was dead. It was pretty traumatic and not the kind of thing you want to watch during a lunch out with your father and kids. Fortunately, the player ended up being okay. They are not sure what caused him to collapse, and his heart did stop beating, but thanks to the immediate medical care, he should recover. 

We spent several hours at my dad's house. Rather than give him the usual gift card (he doesn't want stuff) we bought him lottery tickets. Luke was completely fascinated. He "helped" scratch them and asked if he could save his money to buy his own tickets. We had a good talk about how they are for entertainment and only for special occasions and blah blah blah. I am not sure how much of it Luke heard and I kind of wish we had stuck with the gift card (or given him the gift as we were leaving). We also played spoons, which is always fun. After we finished at his house, we went to a Flying Tigers game. 

Whose gift was it?

In other news, Luke and Kara moved into basic level 2 for ice skating. I think it may have been a little premature for Luke, but Kara was definitely ready. They also moved Anna up, she is in a basic level 3. Anna really loves it and wishes we would take her everyday. We go on average twice a week, once for a lesson and once for a practice session. I wish the rink was a little closer, but it isn't terrible (about 30 minutes away). 

Anna and Jack had a STEM camp this week. It was pretty amazing. They only went in person 2 days, but even the virtual part was good. They worked on programming drones and other skills. They also had guest speakers who talked about interesting career paths. It was free and they actually gave the kids a $125 stipend for finishing the week (along with small drones, gift cards, a t-shirt, etc.). They had around 90 applicants and only took 20. Anna and Jack both felt very lucky that they were able to participate. I am not exactly sure what they were looking for when they chose the participants, but we were glad J & A were in the group. The in-person days were at UCF and they also enjoyed seeing some of the campus. We are going to try and go to some events there. With how quickly time is passing, it doesn't seem too early to start getting them excited about college (not specifically UCF, but college in general). Luke did a morning sports camp at the YMCA that he really liked, and Kara helped out by babysitting him in the afternoons.

They were trying to make the drone blow bubbles

On Thursday night, we went to Universal Studios (all but Jack, he stayed home). It felt really crowded. Social distancing is a thing of the past; I miss having personal space. On one ride, they have a little pre-show and people were literally breathing down our necks. I wish we could keep a little of the distancing that was common over the past year. They asked that you wear a mask if you aren't vaccinated, but obviously there is no enforcement. I would say maybe 2% of people were wearing masks. We had Luke wear one, but the rest of us are vaccinated, so we did not. I am not worried about Luke, but he doesn't mind wearing one and we felt like we should comply with the rules. Luke tried two new roller coasters--Rip Ride Rocket and Velocicoaster. They are both huge, intense roller coasters. I was nervous for him, but he loved the rides. All of a sudden, he is really brave when it comes roller coasters. We just need him to grow 2 more inches and he will be able to ride everything!

Ride buddies!

We ended the night with a ride on the Velocicoaster.

And, some random pictures to end. We went to the zoo again recently and got some fun photos:

The aviary makes for great pictures

I love this picture!

We stopped at Fort Christmas on the way home, but got caught in a downpour and had to cut it short.

A Day in the Life: 2021 Edition

I was reading my old blogs yesterday and read a "Day in the Life" I did back in December 2012. It was fun to read and I was sad that I didn't do any other blogs in that style. So, I decided to do our day today. In December 2012, I was a (mostly) stay-at-home mom and Thomas was deployed. Jack and Anna had recently turned 5 and Kara was 3. We are in a vastly different place now!

Thomas and I woke up around 5:40 and were signed into work by 6. I worked for about 1.5 hours and then woke up the kids. Today was their first camp day! Kara and Anna were signed up for All-Stars at the middle school and Luke had soccer camp. However, Kara was tired, had a headache, and her arm hurt. Because she got her 2nd Covid shot yesterday, it all made sense and she decided to stay home. 

Luke often asks for a lot for breakfast. This morning, he wanted a bagel and eggs. But, after he ate the bagel, he no longer wanted the eggs. This is pretty common. Sometimes, he will ask for 3 or 4 things, I always say yes, and ask him what he wants first. Whatever he has first is usually all he ends up wanting. Anna had a breakfast sandwich. Kara had cereal, Jack had pancake on a stick.

We were out the door by 8:15, I dropped Luke and Anna off at their respective camps and was back to work at 9. Meanwhile, Thomas had run Jack to the orthodontist. The orthodontist is maybe a mile from our house, so it is usually pretty quick. Thomas was home by 9:15 and Jack's treatment is progressing nicely.

I worked until 12 and then had lunch with Kara. I made a salad and Kara had pizza rolls, we chatted a bit. Her head still hurt, but she didn't want to take any medicine. I got a notice that our car registration failed because of overdue tolls, so I called the toll people to pay $18 in outstanding tolls of which we were completely unaware. I was back at work at 12:30 and worked for 3 hours and then left to get Anna and Luke. Anna really enjoyed her day at camp. She had "classes" in the morning and played games in the afternoon. She gave a friend her number and he (HE!) was already calling on our drive home (the older kids still share a single cell phone). 

We picked up Luke, who did not love soccer camp. He played goalie and was hit in the head twice and stomach once. He said the 2nd head one really hurt and made him cry a lot and he needed an ice pack. Luke doesn't really cry at sports (at least from injuries), so this concerned us. He also said he had a headache (no surprise) and he was pretty cranky. We were home by 4:15, I gave Luke some medicine and he hung out upstairs while I worked for another hour and then signed out, with my required 8 hours. (Sidenote: I REALLY love the maximum flex hours we are allowed right now!)

While we were working, Jack and Kara spent most of the day reading. I checked on Kara once and she was laying the floor with a book. She also did some Legos. Jack was on the couch reading for a lot of the day (he starts a camp tomorrow to learn to fly a drone).

Thomas and I made dinner together--turkey taco mac, although Thomas did most of the work. We had a good dinner discussion about a crime documentary I watched on police interrogation tactics (is that normal dinner conversation for anyone else?) and then Thomas heard about The Boy and we talked about being careful in friendships with the opposite gender. Anna was not thrilled. After dinner, I did a quick Google search and learned the average age kids start dating is 12.5 for girls and 13.5 for boys. Ummm, not our kids! Not that any of them appear interested in actual dating at the moment, but they are at a tricky age. We don't want to discourage friendships, but we don't want them pairing off either.

The kids did their chores and then it was electronics time. Anna played Minecraft, Jack played computer games, Luke watched Minecraft videos on YouTube and Kara played outside with a friend. Thomas and I watched Flea Market Flip and I wrote the blog.

The kids went upstairs to read/relax at 8. Thomas and I will call it a night around 9:30 and we'll do it all again tomorrow.

End of School Celebration!

The last day of school was Tuesday, May 25th. We like to celebrate the end of year and decided to take our first trip in 22 months (the last being our weekend in Atlanta in August 2019). The original plan was to drive to Tampa on Wednesday morning, go to Adventure Island, see a baseball game that night, go to Busch Gardens on Thursday, the beach on Friday and then home. However, with it being Memorial Day weekend, I was a little nervous about our beach plans. The forecast was really hot and I was afraid it would be hot, crowded and too long of a drive home. So, we cancelled one night and jam packed the remaining two days and one night. 

We left the house around 830 and got to Adventure Island as they opened at 10. It is smaller than Aquatica, but in some ways that was better. It was less crowded, the slides were close together and the lines were short, especially in the morning. We had a fantastic time. They had a new family raft ride that was fun and there were body slides that 5/6 really liked (I don't like slides in the dark and prefer to sit on a tube). We did lots of slides, then had lunch. After lunch, the kids spent a long time jumping off a "rock" into a deep pool. They must have done it 10 times, which was great for Thomas and me--we found a nice seat in the shade and watched. From there, we did a few of our morning favorites and then let Luke and Jack play on the play structure for a couple of hours. We were primarily killing time until our hotel check-in at 4. While the boys were playing, Thomas and Anna went in search of Icees and I think they were gone for at least 45 minutes. Thomas said there was some type of comedy of errors with machines breaking down and someone getting offended and security being called. But, it didn't put a damper on our day, it was relaxing and fun and a great way to celebrate the first day of summer.

Screenshot from a slomo video of Kara jumping from the "rock"

We got to our hotel around 4 (it was just 15 minutes away) and got an awesome room on the top floor. We had windows that faced three different directions (a 2-bedroom suite at Embassy Suites). Everyone was very impressed and I kind of regretted cancelling our second night. We rested for a bit and then headed to dinner and the next item on the agenda--a Rays baseball game.

The Rays are a great team, they regularly make the playoffs and were in the World Series last year. But, they have the worst stadium. It was not designed for baseball and is a pain to get to, it's in St Pete, not Tampa, so you have to cross a long bridge and as a result, attendance is always low. The stadium wasn't as bad as I remembered, but it was still pretty bad. The seats don't face home plate, so you have to strain to see to see the action. It wasn't a great game, the score was 1-0 (Rays) for most of the game and then Kansas City scored a run in the top of the 9th. I was kind of annoyed, because the game was 3 outs away from being over with a Rays victory. It was after 10, so we left after the Rays batted with a score of 1-1. We listened to the game on the radio on the drive back to the hotel and the Rays ended up scoring in the 10th to win 2-1. 

Thursday morning, we got to Busch Gardens at opening. We had bought quick queues as a special treat and therefore didn't have to wait in any long lines. Luke was excited to try a new roller coaster--Cheetah Hunt. It was his biggest yet and he loved it! He ended up riding it 3 times. He is ready to be 54" now and take on everything! We had a good day, we did a trail that brought us by some different animals and did the train ride to see even more. We rode the rides, had lunch, ate ice cream and saw the animals. 

Such a fun ride!

Waffle cone and brownie sundaes, yum!

We left just before 5 and headed to Lakeland for another baseball game! Everyone likes the Flying Tigers games this year and we figured it was a good way to let the I-4 traffic die down. We stayed for about 5 innings and then sailed home with no traffic, arriving around 10. Two very long days!

This was a "selfie spot", I think I was supposed to get the background in the shot?

Luke made it on the scoreboard for his YMCA moves

Our plan Friday was to go to the Brevard Zoo or Orlando Science Center to continue the "vacation", but people were just too tired. Instead, we went to the library and then Krispy Kreme. They were having summer donuts and Key lime glaze. They were good!

Saturday, Anna and Jack weren't feeling great, so we stayed home. They were a bit better on Sunday, but not 100%. I took Luke and Kara to dinner at Marta's and we had a good visit. My family was supposed to come over on Monday for Memorial Day, but with J & A coughing, we decided to postpone. It is crazy--we have gone 15 months without a single kid being sick. No coughs, no strep, no stomach bugs. Nothing! Then, Florida makes masks optional and suddenly people get sick. Back to reality! 

This week has gone pretty well. The kids are feeling better and have been watching Luke while Thomas and I work. They went to an ice skating lesson yesterday, it was much more crowded. I guess people were waiting for school to end?  Today, Kara babysat for a neighbor (well, Mother's helper, since the mom works from home) and was excited to earn some cash. I would say our summer is off to a fabulous start, with lots more to look forward to!

Random photo, Kara and Anna decided to get dressed up one day. They looked very nice (and so grown-up)

And finally, the last day of school photos:

Pajama day for Luke

I'm not sure if Jack is tall, Anna is short, or a little of both?

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 :)