Is it October or September?

We haven’t had any luck finding Luke a baseball team. We had some really bizarre interactions with one coach (let me know if you want to see the texts, I am happy to send them out to see if I am the one who is crazy) and then there was another team that was expensive and full of complete beginners. So, no real plan going forward.

Speaking of Luke, he had a wisdom tooth removed Thursday. It was growing prematurely and had caused another tooth to be sideways. So, he had to have the wisdom tooth removed and the other tooth uprighted. Poor kid has so many problems with his mouth, particularly the lower right side. It was hard for him knowing he is going to have to do this all again in a few years to have the other 3 removed. And, he has to go back to the orthodontist this week to have something put on the tooth that was uprighted so that it doesn’t sink back into the gums. What did people do before orthodontics? We had a (mostly) quiet weekend at home while he recovered. Update (since I never finalized the blog):  Thomas took him to the orthodontist who was supposed to put something in to keep the uprighted tooth in place. However, they had a substitute orthodontist in and she treated it like a regular appointment, replacing the wire and bands and even trying to pull a baby tooth. They don’t bring parents back, so Thomas had no idea and when he found out, he was livid. Poor Luke, who was still recovering from the other surgery, was told to keep his mouth open while they did this unnecessary work (he was not due for another routine appointment until the end of October). And, we have to go back this week for them to deal with the other tooth. It was not a good day for them. Meanwhile, I was with my dad in Lakeland for his doctor’s appointment. They added some tests and it was a long day, but I was happy to be there.

Halloween Horror Nights has begun. Kara and I got multi-night passes. As is our tradition, we went on opening night and did every house. We didn't get home until almost 3am. As someone who is the opposite of a night-owl, this was very challenging. 

Anna just goes once with the free ticket that comes with her pass and her day was Friday (I started this blog and never finished, her Friday was September 5). Temperatures this year have been below average, which is really nice, but still nowhere near typical Fall or Halloween weather. But, we just pretend it makes sense to be at a Halloween event in early September. Anyway, we had a lot of fun on her night. We did 7 houses (well, 6 houses, but we went through one of them twice) and Anna was very brave. 

Thomas gave us our last scare of the night. The flash made it brighter than it was :)

Thomas and I went on Thursday, September 11. We had an amazing time, I love being out with him and it’s a much more carefree experience. Kara and I went for just a few hours on Friday night, we saw the show for the first time this season and loved it. Kara went with her friends on Saturday and stayed until they closed at 2am! Then, we were back again on Sunday with our neighbors. We continued the tradition of going with Bevin and Beya and this year Kaitlin and Ella joined in. It is always fun to see the event through other people’s eyes. Beya was especially funny as she repeated “I don’t like this” as we walked through each house.  The girls (who are 11) picked the walking order for each house and made Kara hold on to them. It’s been a lot and I am exhausted!

Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture with Bevin (she had to run home for a bit)

We had a great family day on Saturday. In the morning, everyone but Jack (who was tutoring) went to SeaWorld. We did a few rides, fed the sea lions, and bought treats with our free money. Then, we went to Sam’s Club for a late lunch and a little shopping. That afternoon/evening the boys and I played Cataan (Luke won). And, Anna and I rounded out the day with an evening walk and the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was the kind of day you wish you could just put on repeat.

The kids got absolutely soaked! Thomas and I did not ride :)

Back to School, $$$, MNSHP

The kids have now been back to school for three weeks. It is hard to believe that it was Jack and Anna’s last first day. Thirteen years has gone by so quickly! I was a little sad to see that I didn’t take great back-to-school pictures on their first day of Kindergarten. So, no amazing individual side-by-sides can be done now. 

I think the year is off to a good start. The teens were all able to get late arrival, so they don’t have a first period class. That was a hard-fought fight, as apparently the default is to have the free period at the end of the day. But, we were able to make it happen and they are enjoying the extra hour of sleep. Luke’s days are much longer this year. He has to leave at the same time he did last year to catch the bus (he walked to elementary) but doesn’t get home until almost 5, essentially meaning he loses about 1.5 hours daily. But, he got the electives he wanted, piano and theater, so he is happy(ish).
 
Kara is taking all AP/AICE classes, so her schedule is a bit of a nightmare, but she wants to go to UF and that is what it takes. Speaking of which, we toured UF on Monday, well except Luke--he was not interested and went to school. We all liked it more than we thought we would. Unfortunately, UF is incredibly difficult to get into, the average GPA is a 4.5-4.7 (AP are weighted at 5, honors 4.5 and they only consider core classes and foreign languages) and the average SAT range is 1360-1500. Even with numbers in that range, it seems like it is a bit of a crapshoot. FSU is only slightly less competitive. Fortunately, there are lots of great Florida colleges or the option of starting at community college and transferring later (worked out well for both Thomas and me). It's good to have options! And, as said, we enjoyed the tour and seeing the University. 
 
In other news, Luke’s baseball team disbanded. They played together for over 3 years, so it was sad, but too many kids quit and they couldn’t find replacements. Luke was going to take the season off, but changed his mind, so we are evaluating options.
 
Jack decided not to do cross-country this year. There are some clubs he is interested in (debate and law) and something had to give. He still enjoys running but won’t be on the team.
 
And, a venting moment. I am sick of massive bills. I don’t remember this being such an issue in Maryland, but we constantly have unforeseen giant bills here. This month, we caught up from having a few months of respite with new tires, new pool motor, air conditioning repair, and dental work for Luke. Total for all that??? Over $5000!!!!! We try and make sure routine maintenance is done, we get multiple estimates, go with reputable companies, and yet everything here seems to break so quickly (obviously not referring to the dental work, but the other stuff). Is it just us? Has quality gone that far downhill in the past 5 years. Does anything last?!?!?! I don’t think we’ve had a year here without spending many thousands on things we didn’t anticipate. That’s not even considering things we probably should do, like new windows, just stuff we must do. Thank goodness for decent paying jobs and emergency funds. Okay, end rant.
 
To end on a more positive note, Anna and I went to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party last Friday. That probably deserves a blog of its own, but I am behind, so here it is. We had a fun time. The weather didn’t cooperate and the rain threw off our schedule, but we got to do (almost) everything we wanted. We tried some fun foods, rode Space Mountain in the dark with spooky music, saw the fireworks and parade and trick-or-treated. We wish we had been able to do one of the fun character meet and greets, but the lines were crazy. We agreed that the highlights were the fireworks and the pumpkin funnel cake. 

Anna and I should be actresses

The show had lots of cool projections, a giant Jack Skellington 'puppet' and fireworks!

I wish they sold this during the day! I like pumpkin flavor, but it's not favorite. Yet, somehow this was perfect.

Summer Waning

Some highlights from the past few weeks:

Thomas’ best friend since middle school (Kevin) and his wife (Patricia) drove in from Kansas to celebrate Thomas’ birthday. On Monday, July 21st, we went to Disney and they did all four parks. Thomas and I bowed out after three, as we had to work the next morning. It was super fun, we haven’t done multiple parks in a while! 

On Tuesday, Thomas and I worked for half a day and then we went to Sea World. Another very fun day, we rode a bunch of roller coasters and got to try their newest ride, Expedition Odyssey, which is similar to Soarin’ – we loved it! 

Wednesday, Thomas’ actual birthday, I went to work. Thomas, Kevin and Patricia went to Fort Christmas. Then, we all met for lunch. That night, we attempted to barbecue, but the weather did not cooperate. We (including Jack and Anna) played games and had a fun night. Kevin and Patricia left early the next morning and we were sad to see them go.

Anna gave him a cool old promotional book from Mount Vernon (Jack gave him a fun Disney shirt, I gave him an old Lincoln coin).

 
During that week, Jack was at band camp and Luke joined Kara at Elks. Anna was home because of knee pain, but since she had to stay off it for several days, she wasn’t able to join in any of the festivities (other than game night).
 
We picked up Kara and Luke on July 26^th and it was nice to have everyone back together. Luke loved his second week of camp. Kara loved being a counselor and hopes to go back next year. Anna did not love being a counselor and will not go back.
 
On August 1^st, we toured FSU. It is about 4 hours from our house and we did one long day. We left the house at 730am and got home at 930pm. But, it was amazing. We were very impressed with the school and enjoyed the experience of our first college tour. We ate lunch in the dining hall, got to see dorms, walked like 6 miles, etc. It was fun to hear about some of the ways FSU is unique. For example, all the fountains are designated swimming pools, but it’s bad luck to go in them before you turn 21; at midnight on your 21st birthday, your friends throw you in. We are going to tour UF in a few weeks and will see how it compares. It is nice to live in a state with so many great schools. Although, I wish there were some smaller, good public options to consider.

On August 2nd Jack and Kara volunteered with the Special Olympics. Anna went to the mall with her BFF. August 3rd we all went to Lakeland and had lunch at the 34 Club and watched the Flying Tigers. It was a great game that went into extra innings. Fortunately, the Tigers got the W.
 

Friday, August 8th, Thomas and I took the day off from work and we went to Disney. Poor Jack had to tutor. It was his last session with his first client. They gave him a nice card and the student cried when Jack left. Very sweet! The Disney folks started at Epcot as we had a theory that rope dropping GOTG would be more effective now that Test Track is open (it wasn't). We had a very inefficient day, but it was nice to be more laid-back. We rode Guardians (and got September!). Luke and Anna rode Mission Space, we had a leisurely lunch, then went to ride Frozen, but it shut down right as we were about to board. They gave us an (almost) any ride fast-pass, and we were able to get it converted to Hollywood Studios, where we rode Slinky! We were at the parks for like 6 hours and only rode 3, or 4 for some of us, rides, the other being Star Tours. But, we also 'rode' the boat and the Skyliner and I really enjoyed the day. It's the kind of day that would have driven me absolutely crazy if I wasn't a passholder who could visit whenever :)

Kara has been practicing driving. Anna has put it on the back-burner (again). We've done our back to school shopping. I took Luke to back-to-school day at the middle school. How is our youngest entering middle school? And, don't get me started on having Seniors! Hard to believe it's the last weekend of summer. I am sad to see it come to an end!

Luke normally has Thomas buzz his hair, but I forced him to get a 'real' haircut.

 

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.