Tennessee Thanksgiving, Day 1

Back in January, we made plans with the Wills to spend Thanksgiving week together. We found an amazing cabin located near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and booked it. The countdown began! On Saturday, the vacation finally started. We left our house at 5am and arrived at the cabin around 420pm. The drive was not bad, we hit a lot of traffic around Atlanta, but overall, it was a good drive. We brought food, so we avoided making any long stops. The best thing on the drive took place in Florida around Gainesville. We saw the most amazing rainbow. It was a full rainbow that went over the highway. Oddly, there was no rain. Eventually, we did drive through a few sprinkles, but the rainbow was unexpected and lovely.

I couldn't capture the whole thing, but it was a full rainbow. At one point, it looked like we would drive right under it. And, you can see a fainter double rainbow.

Kayce had arrived before us and did some grocery shopping. We had tacos for dinner, the same as when we visited North Carolina together last year. A new tradition begins! The cabin is nice. It is has three levels and enough beds for everyone. There is an amazing mountain view and a great hottub. Kayce and I went in the hot tub (it was around 20 degrees out, but the hot tub was a toasty 102) and caught up on all of each others news. It was nice to hear the updates on my old neighborhood. I still miss it!

Sunday, we went to Dollywood. It was crowded. Really crowded. And, it was also cold. Really cold. Nothing like our experience in May. One funny thing was a candle shop that had a sign saying, "come in, it's hot inside". When we visited in May, we went in the shop because of the sign saying, "come in, it's cold inside." Many of the bigger rides couldn't operate because of the temperatures. But, when the sun went down, the lights were amazing. Really amazing. We have been to Christmas events at many parks (Six Flags, Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Busch Gardens Tampa, Sea World, Disney and Universal) and these were the best. They were everywhere and so well done. I think we even forgot about being cold. 

Same spot where we posed under the Spring umbrellas

Halloween and Early November

On Halloween (a Monday this year), both the high school and elementary school kids were allowed to wear costumes to school. I thought it was nice that the big kids could have a little fun. Jack dressed as Spiderman. A lot of kids tell him he looks like Andrew Garfield, so he thought it would be funny.  Anna dressed as a flapper, but didn't wear it to school (a decision she later regretted). Luke was a general leading a dinosaur army. However, he did not go to school. He was feeling sick the day before and had thrown up on Sunday morning. We kept him home just to be safe, but he was fine. Kara was not allowed to wear a costume to school, poor middle-schoolers.

Jack had basketball tryouts from 5-6:30. That added an extra challenge into the day with having to make the drive to drop off and pick up. But, of course, we made it all work. Kara was not interested in trick-or-treating, but she put on her old cow costume and passed out candy. I walked around with Anna and Luke and enjoyed seeing all the kids in the neighborhood while Thomas picked up Jack. When Jack got home, he quickly put on his costume and joined us. However, Luke was a little slow in his costume, so Jack and Anna abandoned us to cover more ground. Which was fine, because Luke was done anyway. So, we headed home and met up with Thomas who walked the last stretch with us.

I am sad that I did not take more pictures, but here is the annual photo of the kids with Mr. Pumpkin Man, sans Jack:

Jack was already gone. I was disappointed to not get a picture with the 4 of them, but he told me he had taken a good one at school that he would send me.

Here's the only picture he had. You can almost see him (no idea who the other kid is, but he is dressed as Sid from Toy Story). Jack's definition of "good" is not the same as mine.

Luke had the best 24 hours ever during the following week. They had awards at school and he got a certificate for straight As. He also got a class award (only 2 for each class were given). His was for being "responsible" (the school tenets are "ready, responsible, and respectful," they gave out awards for responsible and respectful). Then, he was named student of the month. And, he had an amazing baseball game. He had a huge hit that and he pitched really well and got the game ball. 

Kara also got some amazing news. She was selected to be student director for the school play! It is the biggest "technical" job and she is very excited for the challenge. In bad news, Jack did not make the basketball team. He was disappointed, but vowed to keep working.

Saturday we had a busy day. I had to write out our schedule because there was so much going on. Jack had a marching competition and a YMCA basketball game and Luke had a baseball game and a birthday party. I took Anna driving in the morning, then I dropped off Jack while Thomas took Luke to baseball. Then, the girls and I went to the game, which Marta, Elizabeth and Travis came up for. We watched the game (they won) and then went straight to the band competition. We saw a few bands and then Jack's band performed. They took the field and it started to pour. It was crazy! Just one rain cloud for about 10 minutes. We were all soaked. But, the band was so good. It was their best performance by far (they got straight superiors).  

After the band performed, we went out for ice cream with Marta, Elizabeth and Travis (not Jack, he had to ride the bus with the band). After that, everyone headed home. I pulled into our driveway as Thomas pulled out. Thomas got Jack and drove him straight to Winter Park for his basketball game. Meanwhile, I took Luke to the birthday party. We all got home after dinner. It was a non-stop, but really fun day. I was glad that Marta, Travis and Elizabeth came up to support the kids in their activities. It is really nice to be near family and I truly appreciate that they want to do things with us.

When we renewed our Universal passes, we added Volcano Bay. We planned to go on October 30th, but as mentioned, Luke was sick. Thomas and I were off on Friday, November 4th so we went and checked it out. It was really empty and we walked on everything for the first few hours. We left after lunch to be home when the kids got home from school. Then, on Sunday, Thomas, Luke, Kara and I all went. Anna was upset that Thomas and I had gone without them on Friday and was convinced it would be too crowded so she decided to stay home and Jack wanted to play basketball. We missed them, but had a lot of fun, and while it was more crowded than it had been on Friday, it was not bad. I think I may like Aquatica better, but they are both amazing. And, the theming at Volcano Bay is super cool.

The following week we had Hurricane Nicole. The kids got two days off from school. It was windier than Ian, but we did not have the flooding. Unfortunately, we lost some of our pool screening. But, everyone enjoyed the long weekend. Although they all said they would have rather been in school because they already have to make up time for Ian and now have two more to add in. 

That weekend, Luke had a baseball tournament. It did not go well. Luke played fine, but his team lost all 4 games. And, the games were spread apart and about an hour from our house. So, Thomas and Luke spent a lot of time just hanging around. Anna sprained her ankle on Friday night. It was still super swollen and sore on Sunday, so I took her to an urgent care. We were fairly confident it was not broken, but decided to just make sure everything was okay, since it was still extremely swollen even 48 hours after the injury. They gave her a brace, which she hates. Today (Tuesday) the swelling has finally gone done. So, hopefully she is now on the mend. Oh and Anna dyed her hair red :)

And now, I think we are all caught up!

Reading and Band Flashbacks

After Luke started 3rd grade he decided he wanted to read all the Sunshine State Books. Every year, the state selects 15 books (one set for grades k-2, 3-5, 6-8). They are chosen for "their wide appeal, literary value, varied genres, curriculum connections, and/or multicultural representation." Luke was moderately interested and making progress and then he heard about "Battle of the Books". Apparently, if a student has read all the books, they may get selected to represent their school in the Battle. I don't know how many kids are selected from each school, but I told Luke that my guess was that 5th graders would have priority. However, he was motivated to try and we certainly appreciated that! To have a chance, he had to read them all by Christmas break. He did them one better and read them all the first quarter. Some of the books are short, some are long. It was a lot of reading. He spent hours, almost daily, with a book in his hand. To prove you have read the book, you have to take a test each time you finish one. He successfully passed each test. He was the second kid in the school to finish all 15 books; he was justifiably very proud of himself. The librarian gave him a necklace and he got a dog tag type plastic charm to represent each book and a final star to indicate he read them all. He wore it to baseball practice (his teammates were unimpressed) and school. At school, he did receive some awesome positive feedback, with several kids and teachers congratulating him. It was a big deal and we are very proud of him.

Proudly wearing his necklace.

Marching Band season is finally coming to an end. I volunteered to work concessions for another home game. It was actually the same week as the suicide. It was sad. Every time I walked by the band, kids were crying. 

The band participated in a showcase that we all went to. There were only 5 bands playing, but it was a beautiful night and we enjoyed going. They have a bigger competition in a few weeks that I am looking forward to. I love watching marching bands! 

On Friday, his school played an away game at Winter Haven High School, my alma mater! It was strange to see on the schedule. Winter Haven is over an hour away and not in the same district. I am not sure why they were on the schedule, but I was excited for the match-up. Originally, the kids were off from school and we were all going to go early and see family. Then, it turned into a hurricane make-up day, so Jack took the bus with the band and the rest of us drove down after school (well, we picked up Luke and Kara a little early). Because of traffic, it took us about an hour and forty minutes to get there. We went straight to Marta's house and she had pizza waiting. Then, we all went to the game. It was WHHS's homecoming, so the bands played pre-game.

It was really fun, and a bit surreal, to be at the stadium where I spent so much time playing with the band watching my son do the same thing. Band was a huge part of my high school life and the source of many happy memories. I couldn't help but think of high-school Kori and how she would feel about being there 27 years later with her own family. I believe she would be absolutely thrilled with how life turned out! It made me feel grateful for Thomas and the life we have created. 

Jack's band where my band once stood.

After the show, we moved to the away stands.

We were happy that Marta, Elizabeth and Travis came to the game too.

The next day was Lake Nona's homecoming parade. Originally, Luke had a baseball game at the same time. But, while we were in Winter Haven enjoying beautiful weather, there was a massive storm in Orlando that flooded the fields, so the game was canceled and we all went to the parade. It was very short, but we enjoyed it. Well, except for Jack. He said it was not fun. He isn't really enjoying band. It is super time-consuming and he doesn't like the commitment. He is on the fence as to whether he will do it again next year. He will see how the rest of the year goes.

The parade ended at Boxi Park, which was decorated for Halloween.

They were playing Sweet Caroline.

In other news, Luke, Anna, and Kara all had straight A's the first quarter. Jack had one B, which caught him by surprise. Oh, and on Wednesday, I had to go to Mayport for work. I could have spent the night, but decided to just drive up for the day. It was about 2.5 hours each way, but I listened to a book and the drive was not bad. On the way home, I decided to drive by our first house. The neighborhood looks about the same, but the area around it was unrecognizable. So much growth!

We  owned this house from 2005-2007.

Sad News

Today we learned that a student at the high school committed suicide. We got a phone call that a student had passed away and grief counselors would be available. Then, we learned that it was a band student and practice was canceled. Then, we found out it was someone Jack knew. Jack was sad and confused. He said the boy was really nice and funny and seemed happy. He didn't understand why something like that would happen. To be honest, neither do we. According to the Go Fund Me, he was a straight A student who planned on becoming an engineer. We talked with our kids and hopefully imparted the message that no problem is insurmountable and that life has so much promise and to never give up. We asked them to talk to us or each other or anyone if they ever feel hopeless, or really about anything at anytime. I hope they know we are here and all we want is to help them live happy lives. Anna and I went for a walk and she started crying and told me about something disturbing she witnessed at school. Teenagers can be awful. But, she felt better after talking and I was glad she told me.

That is all for today. We are sad, our kids are sad; I can't imagine how the family of the poor boy feels. I will pray for peace and comfort for them and all those who loved him.

Cruise Finale, Back to Routine & Howl-O-Scream

We had a really fun day on Sunday. Originally, we planned to get off the ship and see a couple of things in Nassau. But, people were tired and wanted to have a more relaxing day. Everyone was still up early; Thomas and Jack went to the gym and then we all had breakfast in the Windjammer. Luke did the flow rider after breakfast. 

He did great, especially for his first time.

Our next activity was laser tag. We were second in line and made it in the first group to play. I’ve never played laser tag on a team, which made it super fun! It was aliens against robots and we were split up on the two different teams, so half of us won and half of us lost. After laser tag we had lunch and then we decided to go and do another round of laser tag. It was just that much fun! That time, we did have to wait in line for a bit, but it wasn't too bad. From there I took Luke to the kid's club so that the rest of us could see Grease. It was good and everyone enjoyed it. Then we had dinner followed by ice-skating. 

We ended the night with some late-night pizza, then went back to the room and packed. We were among the first off the ship the next day (we got lucky and used the front staircase which funneled us to a different exit then everyone else on the ship. It actually created a bit of problem, because Kara took an elevator and we had to get them to open a huge door to get her to us). But, we figured it out and were in the car by 715.  All the kids went to school, where they were very tired.

Kara outside the laser tag/ice skating venue.

Our week back to normal life was busy! Jack stayed after school on Monday for basketball "open gym". Anna went to a teen leader's club meeting at the YMCA. They are going to do volunteer activities, activities to strengthen leadership potential, and an end of the school year retreat to North Carolina. She is obviously very excited about the last part. 

On Tuesday, Jack had band practice, Luke has baseball and Kara had theater. Theater was really important because Kara had to practice her monologue, which she performed as part of the arts exhibition on Wednesday night. She was one of two theater acts chosen to perform (out of over 30) and she did a great job! Luke went with me, but Thomas had to take Anna to ice skating. 

We picked up some cupcakes to give Kara after her performance, Luke tried one too.

Performing her monologue. Closing her eyes while she waits for some thief to return her purse.

Thursday, was more baseball and band. Friday night was middle school night at the high school football game. That meant Kara got to go and sit with the band through half-time. Anna and I dropped her off, then grabbed a quick dinner at Chick-Fil-A before going to the game. We left after half-time, but had a good time. I went back and picked up Jack after the game ended.

Saturday, I took Anna driving for about an hour. Thomas took Luke to a baseball tournament. I took Anna skating and that night Jack had a basketball game. Sunday, I took Jack driving. Luke's tournament continued. Kara babysat and we did a little shopping. 

Sunday night, I took Kara to Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld. I got a free ticket for donating blood and bought a second ticket from another donor who didn't want it. We had a really fun time. It was way more relaxed than HHN. It was also smaller and a completely different atmosphere. We went through all of the houses (some of them twice), saw two shows, and had a snack. There were no long lines or huge crowds. In fact, we went through 3 of the haunted houses by ourselves! I probably like HHN better, just because the houses there have such amazing designs, but I would definitely got back to Howl-O-Scream. 

First scare of the night, we had just walked in and were looking at the map, when a door opened (totally obvious now that there is a hole in the map, but we didn't see it at first) and some guy popped his head out and yelled at us to ask if we needed help!

First house of the night.

Any surprise that our favorite house was cruise themed?

Cruise Day 2

Saturday was everybody’s favorite stop, CocoCay! We had breakfast in the main dining room, and we got to sit with everyone! The adults enjoyed not having to fight the buffet crowd, although I think the kids were disappointed. From there we went right to the beach. Luke wanted to try out the sports area before it got crowded, so we did that first. We played ping-pong and basketball and volleyball. Then most of us decided to head to Chill Island,  Jack decided to stay behind and play a little bit more basketball. On the way to Chill Island, we saw Marta and Frank at the Oasis Lagoon Pool and Luke decided to stay with them. 

At the beach, Thomas, Anna and I snorkeled, Kara relaxed on a beachside lounger. We snorkeled for about 30 minutes and saw lots of cool fish, but no stingrays, which is what I was hoping for.  After we snorkeled I went in search of Jack, which led to me looping the island without finding him. It turned into about an hour of all of us looking for each other without success. Jack did find Elizabeth and Travis, so that was good. While I was trying to reunite the family, Thomas was staying with all our stuff on the beach. And, the craziest thing happened. Some guy tried to steal one of our snorkel sets. The snorkels were on a chair behind him and Thomas saw the guy walk by and pause and turn around, then the thief walked by with one of our sets. It took Thomas a minute to realize what was happening and then he tracked the guy down, who said he was just borrowing it. Thomas told him no and got our stuff back. Who would steal someone’s snorkeling stuff? Who would want to put their mouth on a snorkel that belong to a stranger?!?!  Gross!

We finally met up with everyone for lunch, which was delicious. I love the make your own taco option. In fact, I love it so much that apparently, it was my only CocoCay picture. After lunch we hung out in the massive pool for a little bit and were back on the ship around 130. 

Everybody showered and the boys did the rock climbing wall, they all made it to the top and rang the bell. Luke also did the sky pad again. Elizabeth and I played some ping-pong and we all watched the ship pull away from the pier. Thomas took the kids to the arcade for a bit. He said it was mostly a rip-off, with several games taking their money with no game play. But, Anna did hit it big and won 1000 tickets on one machine.

All three on the wall. From left: Jack, Thomas, Luke.

Big winner!

I love how the island looks in the background on this one, like Kara is standing in front of a prop.

We dressed for dinner, which was formal night. Anna wore her tiara, which must be a common birthday occurrence, because the waiter asked if it was her birthday (while calling her queen). She said it was and after dinner, he brought her a piece of cake and our whole area of the dining room sang to her. It was a very nice moment. After, I asked Jack if he felt left out, he said no, I wouldn't eat the cake anyway. It didn't occur to him to feel left out of being the center of attention. Such different personalities these twins have!  After dinner we played miniature golf and then went to the evening show, which was a comedian juggler. Everybody enjoyed it, Luke said it was his favorite show ever. After dinner Luke and Jack went back to the room and the rest of us got some nachos at playmakers and then we called it a night. It was a full fun day!

Birthday girl!

Birthday Cruise, Day 1

The kids were off of school on Friday, so we used the opportunity to schedule their second-annual-birthday-weekend-cruise! Before departing on Friday morning, I took Anna driving for about 30 minutes. She made some good improvements and I even let her drive the mile home from the park where we had been making circles around the parking lot. 

Our check in time for our Independence of the Seas cruise (first time on this ship) was 10:30 and we left our house around 9:30. It only took about 45 minutes to get to the port and check-in was a breeze. We had to wait around for the ship to officially open for boarding, which happened shortly after 11. We went straight to the Windjammer, but it didn’t open until 11:30. We were among the first in line for lunch, which was good because it was super crowded by the time we left. After lunch we walked around the ship and then Luke, Thomas and I changed into our bathing suits and tried out the waterslides and pool. The waterslides were okay, but very slow. Luke also later did the sky pad and rock climbing wall. 

The VR wasn't working on this trip, so it was just jumping.

We relaxed in our room until dinner, which was in the main dining room. There was a snafu and our table was not with the Tilleys/Farnhams. That was a little annoying, but it was my own fault for making assumptions about our reservations being linked. After dinner, we walked around the ship. We played shuffleboard and enjoyed the night sky, including a really great view of Jupiter and a beautiful pink sunset. We saw the 9:15 ice-skating show which I thought was good, Thomas did not like it, and the kids were somewhere in the middle. Oddly enough, every male skater who had a solo performance fell (either 3 or 4). After the ice skating show, we called it a night and went to bed.

Jack went to the gym. The rest of us enjoyed the views. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the pink sunset was beautiful!