Luke's First Concert and More Summer

It’s been another fun week. We didn’t pick the girls up, because we had plans to go to Lakeland on Sunday morning. But, I drove up on Saturday and we went to lunch at Chili’s. Then, we went to Target, where we bought cute sort of matching necklaces, they are the same style but have different small pendants: a star for Kara, a ladybug for Anna and an anchor for me. Each had a card with the meaning of the symbol attached and we chose the ones we thought best matched us. We concluded our afternoon with a walk a along a boardwalk in a cute little town.

On Sunday, the boys and I went to Lakeland. We had a nice visit with my dad and then went to the Flying Tigers game. On Sunday home games, they have brunch in the 34 Club. We love going to the 34 Club. The food is set up in an air-conditioned space and has unlimited soft drinks; we love having access to the food, drinks, and air-conditioning. Luke forgot his glove, but still hung out on the berm and managed to get one ball thrown to him.

Shadowy, but at least I remembered a picture this time!

Thomas and I took Monday off (for an extra-long weekend after the Independence Day holiday) and we and the boys went out to lunch at Fazzoli’s and then did some shopping. Anna hadn’t been feeling well at camp. On Monday night, she called and said we had to come pick her up on Tuesday at 8am. So, Thomas took the day off from work and had an even longer weekend. Anna seemed okay, just really run down. It was nice having her home for a few days while she recovered. She rested, went to lunch with Jack, and made bracelets.

 
On Saturday morning, Anna and I went to Animal Kingdom. We got there shortly after the park opened at 8am and rode Dinosaur, Everest and the Safari. Then, we walked along Gorilla Trails, where we had a great view of the gorillas. They were very active and we watched the juveniles annoy their mom. We also walked around the Pandora area and the shops. We had a super fun morning and enjoyed being leisurely. Meanwhile, Thomas picked up Kara. The plan was for them to meet us at the parks. But, it was very hot and we decided to meet for lunch instead. So, we all met up at Tijuana Flats for a late lunch.

Sunday was a big day. Kara practiced driving, then we dropped both girls off at camp. It was really hard for Anna to go back. But, she found out she was going to be in a cabin with her best camp friend, so hopefully, her week goes well. 

That night, we took Luke to his first concert—Big Time Rush (BTR)! BTR is a boy-band that had a really cute show that aired from 2009-2013 on Nickelodeon. It was one of the few shows available on the kids' kindles when they were younger and Kara especially loved it. When they started airing reruns on Netflix, she got Luke into it and he became a huge fan. He has watched every episode multiple times. So, when we heard they were doing a tour that would include every song from every episode, we figured we had to take him. It was in Tampa at the same Amphitheater where Kara went to her first concert (Lana del Rey). 

The opening acts were both on the show and they were good, but it was hot and it started late and Luke didn’t know any of their songs, so he was kind of wishing he had stayed home. He has become less of a fan in the 6-months since we bought the tickets. He still likes them, but doesn’t watch the show anymore, so we had told him we could skip the concert, but he still wanted to go. Anyway, after the long drive, incredibly long line to get it, starting late and watching two opening acts with long breaks between them, let’s just say he wasn’t loving the experience. 

Then, BTR came out and everything changed. The crowd, including Luke, were all on their feet. I would guess there were around 15K in attendance (update: it was a sold out crowd of 20k). The majority were 20-something females, but there were people of every demographic and the energy was fantastic. Everyone danced and sang. It was an amazing show! BTR engaged with the crowd and performed all their songs, with a few fun nods to the tv show. There were only two songs that they didn’t play live, using recordings (and show clips) during two outfit changes, unfortunately, one of them was Thomas’ favorite, called 24/7 (we have seen enough episodes to have favorites).  During one of those breaks, Luke and I went to the restroom. They had been bouncing giant balloons around the amphitheater and Luke was disappointed that none had come our way. But, as we were walking, someone hit one and it went into some bushes right next to us, Luke went in and got it and hit it into the crowd, then the wind took it…right into a nearby palm tree, where it got stuck. It was pretty funny. Anyway, we all LOVED the show. Luke was super chatty for about the first hour of the drive home. It was fun to see the experience through his eyes and I am glad Thomas and I were able to experience it with him.

He was dancing and singing, so no good pictures. But, we have lots of fun videos to remember the night by!

I'm going to try and embed a short video. Someone let me know if this works :)

First week of July

Saturday: We picked up the girls from Elks. I drove so Thomas could enjoy the scenery. We stopped at Steak n Shake for lunch. Jack stayed home and went to cross-country conditioning. Then, he went to a friends house and out on their boat where he tried waterskiing, wakeboarding and something else I can't remember. He had a great time. He is also dog sitting for a neighbor. They are friends of the family, so at some point throughout the weekend, all of us popped in to spend time with the dogs. The girls and I watched the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and I took them shopping at Burlington after a dinner of Huey Magoo's takeout.

Sunday: We took the girls back to camp. The drive up and back is around 2 hours and 45 minutes, so it takes up a lot of the morning. We stopped at Publix on the way home. Jack did more dog sitting. It was a pretty quiet day. We thought about going to a theme park, but it was a stormy afternoon.

Harley popped over to say hello

Monday: Thomas and I woke up at 420, exercised (separately) and were at work before 6. Luke ran a mile with Jack at 7, then Jack did another 3 miles. We talked to both girls during their break. Kara's counselor has covid, so Kara is on her own for now. Hopefully, the quarantine period is fast. Both girls like their campers. Thomas and I got home around 4. Luke went to a pitching practice. 

Tuesday: After work, Luke, Thomas and I went to Hollywood Studios. We rode Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, and Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. We also had dinner. Unfortunately, it started to rain so we only stayed a few hours. Meanwhile, Jack filled in on a tutoring session. 

Wednesday: Luke and Jack did a sprint workout. Then, Luke went to a trampoline park with Gael. Jack went to Sam's Club for lunch and then picked up a few things at Aldi. Thomas and I worked and walked to Tropical Smoothie for lunch. I am having an annoying time with one of my coworkers. I am her legal advisor and she doesn't trust my advice. My biggest issue is that she is nice and agreeable when we talk and then she goes behind my back to seek out other opinions; then she sent my supervisor and her supervisor an email asking them to direct me to do something! Fortunately (or obviously :), my advice was correct, but it is frustrating. I don't mind people disagreeing with me or questioning me, I am happy to explain my rationale or reexamine an issue to ensure I haven't missed something. I do mind people who say one thing to my face and then go behind my back. Not cool and not conducive to a good working environment! I will remain professional, but I have no respect for this person.

Speaking of troubles at work... we talked to both girls. Anna has to split her time between two cabins and one of the CITs is terrible. Anna said she won't do anything and this morning, she didn't even bother getting out of bed until after breakfast, leaving Anna to get everyone up and out the door. The girls in that cabin beg Anna to stay with them and it is stressful for Anna (she really likes the girls in both cabins). She said she has spoken to her supervisor, but they are super short-staffed. Meanwhile, two more people quit in Kara's track. Kara has no idea why. It seems like the camp is really well-run, so maybe these are common problems when you hire young teens? 

Thursday: Thomas and I only worked a half day. Luke and Jack went to lunch at Zaxby's. We went to Walmart with Luke to pick out fireworks. Jack did two tutoring sessions and then hung out with his friend, Martin. It is a very rainy day and I am typing this with the sliding door open while  listening to rain and thunder. Anna isn't feeling well, but one of the counselors came off quarantine, so she no longer has to split her time between cabins. Kara's counselor is also off quarantine.

Friday: Independence Day! We went to Leu Gardens, then Target. We watched two movies--The Goonies and Field of Dreams. We had burgers, corn on the cob, chips and watermelon for dinner. Then, we set off the fireworks we'd bought. It was a nice day, even though I missed having the girls at home.

We wanted to see the rose garden in full bloom. These pictures don't do it justice. 

I love the majestic trees lining the old driveway.

That is the end of our week. Thomas exercised every day, alternating between weights and running. The rest of us exercised most days.  I always start my day with Wordle (205 day streak), Connections (13 day streak, 87% win ratio) and the mini crossword. I sometimes try the full crossword, but I always have to cheat on that one, well except Mondays when it is easy. Anna calls everyday and it is always nice talking to her. I asked Jack how often he thought he would call if he goes away to college. Guess his answer??? He doesn't think he will call or text, but he'll send us letters!?!?! That kid is living in the 1800s. Hopefully, his tune will change. I am honestly surprised that our kids don't seem to like us more. Are we not amazing parents??? 

A Night in Tampa, This and That

The past two weeks have flown by! On Sunday evening (June 15), Thomas and I went to Islands of Adventure. We went on 5 rides and 4 of them experienced technical difficulties, including a pretty scary experience on Velocicoaster. Right before we got on, it shut down. It was down for about 10 minutes and then reopened and we boarded. There is a point on the ride where it accelerates into a huge top hat. But, the ride came to a halt. We were stopped for a few minutes, then it started rolling backward slowly. Then, it started backing up fast before reversing course and accelerating into the uphill climb. I am not doing a great job of describing it, but it was scary. Several people on our car started screaming at the fast backward motion that is definitely not part of the regular ride. The other delays were more minor. Regardless, we still had a nice visit. They recently opened up the express lane for Hagrid's. Our pass allows us one express after 4 on each ride and it was so nice to use it for Hagrid's. The park was surprisingly empty, so the wait was super short, I believe around 20 minutes. 

Last week Luke had a baseball camp. He went with a friend. They drove Mon-Wed and we drove Thurs/Friday. There is little I appreciate more than a good carpool! Luke enjoyed the camp and somehow the boys convinced both sets of parents to stop at Wendy's for a frosty after camp each day.

We did not pick up the girls last weekend, because we had plans to go to Tampa and watch some baseball. It was a Rays/Tigers series. We generally don't like to root against the home team, but we couldn't pass up the chance to see the Tigers. Right now, the Rays are playing in a minor league stadium, so there are no bad seats. We drove down Friday after Luke's camp and our half day at work. Waze said it would take an hour and 50 minutes. It took 2 hours and 20. But, we made it to our hotel to check in and rest a few minutes before heading to dinner at Chick-Fil-A. We got to the game just in time for them to announce a rain delay. I would say about a third of the crowd was Tigers fan, which makes sense as they Spring Train about an hour away. We saw some really great plays, but the Tigers lost (score was a crazy 14-8).

Only picture I took, Jake Rogers batting. He tossed Kara a ball back when he was in the minor leagues and we've rooted for him ever since. I sent this picture to her (unbeknownst to me, Thomas did the same thing). Also shows how good our seats were.

We went back and did it all again for the Saturday game. It started at noon and we had an early lunch at Chick-Fil-A. Why mess with a good thing? We had some trouble getting into our car, but a quick trip to WalMart for a new key fob battery thankfully fixed everything. For that game, we sat right behind the Tigers dugout, which was really cool. Unfortunately, they lost again.

The drive home went well, right around 90 minutes, which is best case scenario. I don't think we did anything Sunday.

The next week was uneventful. Luke went to camp at the middle school along with two neighbors, so once again a great carpool! Thomas missed a couple of days at work, which made my days extra long and boring. And, there was some type of emergency that required them to carve up one of the roads we use to get to work and the detour added 15 minutes to our commute each afternoon. With the return to office we discovered a Tropical Smoothie in a neighboring building and have been going there once a week for lunch. I love, love LOVE the watermelon mojito. Unfortunately, it is only around for summer. Probably better for my wallet (and waistline).

Today is Friday. Thomas and I took the day off to take Luke and a friend to Aquatica. They were giving our level of passholder $20/beach bucks (used like cash in the park). And, right now, we have 10 passes, so $200! If you're wondering, our family has 5 passes (everyone but Jack). They expire on July 1. But, it was cheaper to buy a new pass than to renew the current passes. So, I canceled the current passes and bought 5 new ones. But, there's a few days of overlap. Hence the $200. We bought some new drink cups, lunch, ice cream, walking tacos, water shoes for Luke, and cotton candy. And, we had 10 quick queues that they used after lunch when the lines got long. If Luke's friend, Gael, ever goes with us again, he is going to be sorely disappointed by how cheap the visit will be in comparison. 

In final news, I can't resist a mom brag. Jack got a 1510 on his SAT! He studied completely on his own and made a nice improvement. He already had a 1400, which is good enough for Bright Futures, but he felt with a little studying he could do better in math. He was right. His superscore is now a 1540! He isn't sure what he wants to do and is not even sure if he is ready to go away to school, but this score along with his grades and activities should open some doors if he wants to.

A few bonus pictures. I enjoy facetiming with the girls. Anna calls every day during her break. Kara calls most days. And, both girls sent me their schedules. I like to randomly look during the day and see what they're doing. We are picking them up tomorrow and I am looking forward to spending some time with them. They are now halfway done!

A very full schedule!

CITs & The Start of Summer

The girls were both hired to be counselors-in-training at the Elks summer camp. It is the sleepaway camp they went to when they were younger. They both went through periods of nervousness, regret and excitement. Fortunately, it was mostly excitement. We did last minute shopping on Saturday, May 30. Then, Thomas and I drove them up to camp on Sunday. The camp is about an hour and fifteen minutes from our house. The first 50ish minutes is just highway, then the rest of the drive is very scenic country. There are lots of horses and hills and it doesn’t really feel like central Florida. The camp is in a beautiful rural area.

We said our sad goodbyes and their summer adventure began. Their first week was a training week. They learned the rules and expectations and did many of the same activities as the campers. They both enjoyed the week, but said it went by slowly. They were also able to regularly check their phones.

 

Meanwhile, it was the first full week of summer for Jack and Luke. Luke went to summer camp at the middle school. One of his good friends was there and he made a couple of new friends and had a good time. They even had a field trip to Universal—complete with express passes! They weren’t there very long, but he managed to do some fun rides and had fun, except they left him in the bathroom. He went in, came out and his whole group was gone. This was stressful for a couple of reasons, one, the obvious “what do I do now” type feeling (Luke doesn’t have a phone) and two, they had warned the campers that if they wandered off they would be in serious trouble and would not be allowed to go on any more field trips. Luke hadn’t wandered off, but he didn’t know if they would think he had. So, he walked around for a bit, found another group from his camp, who were able to call his group and he was reunited with no issues. I am not sure they even knew he was gone. Seems like they need a better system!

 

Jack’s week was a little quieter. He studied for the SAT and did some volunteering at the high school where he learned how to give tours to new students. And, he tutored his first client—a 3rd grade boy he is helping with reading and math. He said it went well, the mom told him she was impressed with how prepared he was and promised to leave him a good review with the company. Jack thinks he will be able to add more clients, if he wants, after he demonstrates he is reliable.

 

On Friday, Thomas, Luke and I went to Busch Gardens with one of Luke’s best friends and his mom and sister. They have played on the same baseball team for a few years and have similar interests/personalities. We had a very fun day. The drive there was unexpectedly long and it was a little more crowded than we expected, but the drive home was unexpectedly easy and the crowds cleared out as the day wore on.

Saturday, Jack took the SAT and we picked up the girls for their 24-hour break. It was nice to see them and hear all about the camp. I was impressed by how professional it all is. The counselors are background checked and drug-tested and the week was full of instruction (what to do if a camper is homesick, how to tell if a child is being groomed, etc.).  Some of it seemed intense. And, as mentioned, there was also time for fun to do some of the camper activities, like the ropes course.

 

We went to lunch on the way home at Steak n Shake, then mostly they rested. Saturday night, the boys went to a Flying Tigers game where they were handing out Tarik Skubal bobble-heads, the girls and I hung out for a quiet night at home. 

I asked Thomas for a picture of the crowd. This is actually quite a bit more than we usually see. Bobbleheads are a good draw.

Sunday, we had to drop the girls off at 1045, then we had to hang out until 130 when we could also deposit Luke. We went to a nearby park and practiced baseball and went to lunch. Then, we dropped him off for his week of camp. We saw both of the girls in their professional capacity; it was much easier to leave Luke knowing they were there.

 

The girls get a 2-hour break each day, which is the only time they are allowed to look at their phones. Anna has had some ups and downs. The counselor in her cabin only speaks Mandarin and does not engage with the kids or follow the cell phone rules. They assigned another counselor to be with them during the day, but Anna feels like she has to do all the work in the morning and evenings. Fortunately, the CITs get to switch cabins after two weeks, so hopefully her next counselor is more proactive. Kara is having a better experience. Both girls love their little campers and are going to miss them when the week is over. They see Luke occasionally and he appears to be having fun.

 

It has been quiet with just Jack. Jack said it is a little lonely and he would not like to be an only child. He has cleaned in the house, hung out with friends, gone running and will do his second tutoring session today. Thomas and I are going to work, just like any other week. We did go out to dinner one night. 

It's taking me a while to finalize this (I always write and then go back and add pictures), so I can update. Friday night, Thomas, Jack and I went to Epcot. We rode Guardians twice. We also went to the aquarium and rode Living with the Land and we saw the nighttime show! We almost never see the evening shows, usually we are hopping in line for something. But, the timing worked out. We all thought the fireworks were good, but the song choices and voiceover was not our favorite. 

Saturday morning, I rode up to Elks camp with my friend Kaitlin (one of the 3 if you remember my previous pity party post). Her daughter Ella was also at camp this week. She and Luke were in the same track and it was so fun to hear them discuss the week. They both loved it! And, they are both going the same week later in the summer. Luke had another two friends there from school in his track (we have told lots of people about the camp) and he said everyone had fun. But, his "best camp friend" was someone he met there, named Wesley. He said Wesley also lived in Orlando. I thought that was great and asked Luke if he got his number. Luke did not. Ella said that she got the numbers of all the girls in her cabin. I thought that was funny and wonder if that is a difference between boys and girls or just Luke and Ella? My recollection is that both Anna and Kara also communicated with their camp friends after camp and that Jack did not. 

We had to pick up Luke at 830 and the girls said they would get dismissed between 11-1130, so Thomas drove up separately for them. They both enjoyed their first week with campers and it sounds like they both did a great job. Anna made up a story, Ratanna, that she would add to each night as a bedtime story. I think she said she turned all the girls into rats and gave them rat names and they loved it. A couple of girls even said that was their favorite part of camp. Kara's counselor asked her to be a little meaner because all of the girls liked her the best :) One week down (two if you count training) and 6 to go! And, update on Anna's counselor who doesn't speak English--she quit. Anna is not sure what will happen now. 

It was nice to have everyone home for the night! Kara baked cookies with Jordyn. Anna and I went for a walk. 

End of School Year!

Picking up where I left off, we had Luke’s fifth grade promotion ceremony on May 22. Luke cleaned up! He received a ton of awards for his academic achievements, including being the only kid in 5th grade to receive a perfect score on the ELA FAST (he also had a perfect score in science)! We were very proud of him.

The other kids also had strong finishes to their years. Anna and Kara had straight As for the semester. Jack got his first B; it was in Spanish and he is at peace with the end of his Straight-A Streak.

May 23rd was fifth-grade day for Luke. Thomas and I took the day off to volunteer. The first thing they did was a clap-out, where the fifth graders walk the halls by all their old classrooms and the teachers and kids come out and clap for them. They had the parents in the lobby and there was a ton of us! They handed out noise makers and the parents all cheered, clapped and made noise as the kids came down the stairs into the lobby. They all looked so excited and surprised, it was an amazing moment. Luke gave me a big hug and it was actually a bit emotional. We missed some of Jack and Anna’s 5^th grade events when we moved to Florida and Kara’s were all canceled for Covid, so this was a first for our family.

After the clap-out, they had some bounce houses and two gaming trucks for the kids. Then, they went inside for lunch and a glow dance. It was a pretty great day to be a 5^th grader.

Last walk home as a student at NLPCS. Hard to believe we've been doing it for 6 years and now it is over. Very sad.

After school, Thomas, Jack, Anna and I went to Hollywood Studios. We had a great time, we rode all our favorite rides, including Slinky Dog at night. They had a preview of the new Villains show, which we all liked. And, we got to see Muppet Vision 3D one last time. I am going to miss that show! We didn’t go every visit, but we went multiple times a year and it was one of our favorites. It makes me sad thinking about it!

On Sunday we had a nice visit with my dad and then went to a Flying Tigers game. Luke ended up with 6 foul balls/home runs. And, he actually caught one of the home runs as it came over the wall! It was very cool and the crowd (of about 100) went wild! It is a shame the Flying Tigers can’t get a better turnout, it is such a fun time. The other home run ball that Luke got was the player’s first. So, they sent staff to get the ball and gave Luke a different one that he was able to get signed after the game.

He caught it!

Luke and Stephen Hrustich

The last day of school was May 28th, but most of our kids (all but Jack) didn’t go the last two days. Their teachers told them that grades were final and they didn’t need to show up, so they didn’t. Therefore, our last day of school pictures are kind of weird, but we did them, just not on the last day. 

On the 30th, to celebrate another year in the books, the whole family went to Epcot. We had a great visit and rode Guardians of the Galaxy and got Thomas’ favorite—Disco Inferno.

This is probably getting a little long, so I will pick up with Anna and Kara become camp counselors in my next post. Right after this bonus picture of Luke. Sunrise, sunset. 

Disney, Baseball, Mother's Day, Wisdom Teeth, Golf

The kids are down to their final days of school. The teens have basically stopped going. They have turned in their computers, their teachers have stopped teaching and grades are final. May has turned into a month of testing and once those tests are done, so are the kids. At least for the high school.

Luke has also wrapped his testing. He got perfect scores on the reading and science assessments and only missed math by one question. Tonight is his fifth-grade promotion and tomorrow is fifth-grade day, I am sure I will write more about those later.

 We upgraded our Disney passes so we can now go on the weekends. In honor of Mother’s Day, I dragged everyone to Magic Kingdom on Saturday, May 10^th. We had a really fun visit. The boys, Thomas and I spent some time on Tom Sawyer’s Island. I appreciate the need to make room for new attractions, but I am going to miss the island. It was kind of an oasis away from the busyness of the park. I wouldn’t say we spent a lot of time there, but we always had fun when we went, and it was nice knowing it was there. I remember how much our big kids loved it when they were little.

Maybe our last picture at Fort Langhorn

The double entendre here makes me laugh.

Shooting their shots

Bonus of our twins looking somber like the Haunted Mansion twins.

On Mother’s Day, we planned to go to Busch Gardens, something I have been talking about for years (usually Luke has baseball). We can go to Busch Gardens anytime, but I have noticed that on Mother’s Day, crowds are low and it’s something I have wanted to do. I was pretty excited it was finally happening. Unfortunately, Thomas was sick. I didn’t really want to go without him, so Anna, Kara, Luke and I attempted Epcot. Unfortunately, some rides were down and our plans were thwarted and I was kind of cranky about the whole thing, so we didn’t stay long.

 

Kara got her wisdom teeth out on Thursday, May 15^th. She was much quieter than Anna. The only comment she made was about how quick it was, which is very similar to what she noted when she had her appendix removed. She was a little nauseous on the day of, but her pain level never got too high. She was also swollen right away, which was different from Anna; but her swelling was mostly gone by Monday and she was back to school. Timing was tricky, as she can't play lacrosse for a month. And, both Anna and Kara are going to be counselors-in-training (CIT) this summer at the Elks camp, so we needed to get it done before camp starts to not interfere with fall lacrosse. Fortunately, it is over and it went well.

Right after surgery.

Luke had another baseball tournament. He had his best game ever hitting and went 4-4, including another over-the-fence home run. Unfortunately, his team still lost. Their record this season is an abysmal 4-26. Most of the kids on his team are really good, there are a couple of weak links, but they aren’t really responsible. I am not sure what has made them so bad this year. Many of those games they’ve only lost by a couple of runs, so it’s not like they have been completely overmatched; I’m not saying they should dominate, but they aren’t so bad that you would expect them to lose as often as they do. In my opinion, losing begets losing and they are deep in that cycle (expecting to lose). There is one more tournament left in the season and then hopefully we can have a fresh start in the fall.

 

While Luke was playing his amazing game (and Kara was still recovering from surgery), Anna and I went to Epcot to redo the Mother’s Day fiasco. This time, no rides were down and we had an amazing visit. We rode Soarin’, Living with the Land, and then Guardians—where we got September as our song. We sat in the front row and it was amazing! Then, we walked around the World Showcase and got a couple of snacks and lunch. We did a Twinings tea garden tour in England and Anna bought a little tea box. They were offering free customization, so she had lilacs and her initials painted. I hope it something she keeps for a long time to remember our fun day.

 

Yesterday, Thomas, Anna, Luke and I had a fun night. We got take out from Huey Magoo’s and then went to the Drive Shack. We had a really good time. We played some Bejeweled game, which I dominated (99% luck). Thomas is the only one of us who actually knows how to play golf, but the rest of us did okay. Luke and Anna loved it and both want to go back soon. Jack and Kara were off with friends or I am sure they would have joined.

SeaWorld! Epic! And More

I always have to look at my blog to see what date I last wrote. Then, I have to go and look at my pictures to see what we’ve been up to. If it wasn’t picture-worthy, I have probably forgotten about it.

 Anyway, the Wills left and we were sad, but we consoled ourselves with a fun Friday night at SeaWorld. SeaWorld gives passholders some great benefits. On this particular day, every member got 2 free food samples from their Seven Seas Festival. Plus, they gave us $10/each to spend how we chose. So, the five passholders (not Jack) went and had a fun night. The weather was beautiful! We mostly enjoyed our samples. I got a lobster roll that was amazing. My other sample wasn’t great. Luke spent his money on pizza and redeemed his two samples for a huge cupcake and a giant meatball—he enjoyed both. Anna and Kara got footlong pretzels. I can’t remember everything we got, but it was all pretty good (or great, if we take into account the $0 price). We rode a couple of rides, saw a few of the animals and left when the park closed at 7.

Luke went to a fun birthday at Drive Shack (similar to Top Golf). He had a great time. I have said it once, I’ll say it now, and I am sure I will repeat it—I am very glad that all my kids have good, kind friends. Also, Luke was surprisingly good at golfing. I am not sure if it was beginner’s luck or he has a knack for it. I stayed and practiced my Spanish (I don't know much) with one of the moms, so that was good for me. The birthday family is from Brazil and the desserts were amazing! They brought a traditional Brazilian carrot cake (not at all like American carrot cake) and multiple types of brigadeiros (almost like little balls of fudge). I really hope Luke stays friends with this kid and is invited to his birthday again next year!

 

There was more baseball. They actually won a game! It was a brief respite from their losing streak. Kara went along to a game and took pictures, I shared them in the parent chat and the parents were impressed. She got some great shots.

 

One of Kara's pictures of Luke

Jack had his final band concert. It was really good. They played music from Jurassic Park, a western piece called Kowboys, and one of their MPA pieces. Kara went with me and we both enjoyed it (Luke and Thomas were at baseball).

 

On Friday, May 2, we all skipped work/school and did a preview of Universal’s new park—Epic Universe. We were very, VERY excited about this. The park opened at 11, we got there around 1030 and were ready when they dropped the ropes. We didn’t get to do everything we wanted. Sadly, the new Harry Potter ride was down most of the day and we couldn’t get a virtual queue. And, we waited for the Harry Potter show for 40 minutes and then it was canceled. We saw the How to Train your Dragon show, but it had some technical difficulties. So, the day was not perfect, but it was pretty awesome. We loved all the rides we went on.  For favorites: me and Jack chose Monster's Unchained; Luke, Kara and Anna chose Stardust Racers;  and Thomas picked Hiccup's Wing Gliders. For lands, Anna said Celestial Park; Thomas, Jack and Luke said Nintendo; I said Isle of Berk; and Kara can't choose between Nintendo and Dark Universe. We'll see if any of that changes with time.  

 

The theming of the entire park was amazing and even though we stayed until closing, we didn’t get to explore it all. We all hope that they let us do it as an add-on to our annual passes soon (not likely, but one can dream). We ate at two different restaurants, Moon Pizza and Toadstool’s Café (Nintendo themed). Both were good. In conclusion, everyone agreed that the park is beautiful and well-themed. We were very impressed with everything and can't wait to go back. 

The Monster's Unchained queue was unbelievable. (Kara's picture)

The Nintendo portal was like stepping into a game.

The week following Epic was relatively uneventful. It is now Friday. The older kids had AP tests. So far, they think they are going well. Kara got a 5 on her FAST exam. Luke also had his standardized testing. He got a perfect score on ELA and was one question away on math. His ELA teacher actually called to tell him, which was pretty fun. We planned to go to Magic Kingdom tonight, but the forecast was bad and we don't like getting trapped there. Instead, Jack to Luke to see the Minecraft Movie, which Luke has been asking to see since it came out. It is nice having Jack drive. On their way home, they picked up pizza. Anna, Jack, Thomas and I played the National Parks Game and then Kara and I watched a movie. It was a nice night. And, it was a good call, because it is crazy storming here right now, which is good, because we are in a drought. 

And, to conclude, a couple of other pictures from my phone:

The cranes that live outside our office building had a baby. We watched a hawk swoop in and try and snatch him/her. It was pretty cool to see how the parents protected it by moving it under a bench and standing guard. 

Luke was inducted into his elementary school's honor society.