The New Water Cooler
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safe travels!0
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We made it to FL on Wed eve, driving 13 hours the second day. It is windy and rainy here in St. Augustine today. Miles is a dolly pie. He is so easy going, social, loves to play and is not shy with us at all.
Russ and I drove around to some different RV parks in St. Augustine area today. The two we would consider are already booked through next February and will only rent daily rate March through Fall. I think we will look inland and see what we can find within 90 minutes of each coast and St. Augustine. Otherwise, we may look into Texas or AZ if we can't afford or find a site in FL. My joints are hurting this week so it may be the humidity. Also, sitting in the car for two days caused my leg to swell even though I wore a compression sock the first day. I'm limping around so far. Bummer! Miles turns 1 year old tomorrow! Alligator Farm on Saturday and cake smash tomorrow.
I hope you are having a good week.0 -
This week got away from me! I am glad you made it safely. Not surprised you are swollen after the trip. I get swollen after being in car after a couple of hours (something about how the seats hit me).
Enjoy that time with Miles. Soak it in! Hopefully the sun returns too.
I am locked on feeling anxious about graduation. It's just too early to do a lot, but the next few weeks are going to get really busy. Plus I haven't gotten Caleb locked on a menu. I told him this morning that we need to test his macaroni recipe so we can give it a thumbs up (or down) and lock that in. I sent Bernie on a beverage run today since Hyvee has a big fuel saver (50 cents for every 50 bucks). No reason not to buy that stuff now. My other stress is I am not happy with my centerpiece ideas - so I want to nail that. For some reason I want that done (I think because I loved Zach's so much) and I am so not crafty. And get started on his picture display. Soon we can get started on the plants for the pots and keep them in the garage so hopefully they are nice and established for graduation.
Have fun!0 -
It sounds like you have a plan for the party. Mac n cheese would be a hit. Would you have toppings to mix in?
Miles is deleting my words as I write them. He is so funny. Russ and I just took him for a walk with his stroller and he jabbered the whole way. He turns 1 today and has 5-6 words that I've heard in the past two days.
I got in the pool but the water is freezing so I just walked around in it but didn't go under. Perfect temps today of 75 sunny. Karah has a really bad cough so she isn't feeling the best. She just keeps going. She baked Miles' cake and cup cakes last night and is going to frost the cake like a fading blue ocean/sky for tonight. We are going to grill chicken and make a salad for dinner. Then we will watch him smash his cake. I told her she should face time with her parents so they can watch if they are home.
The cold water of the pool was like icing my legs so they feel a little better. I'm struggling with swelling and joint pain this week.
Well good luck finding party stuff and finalizing your party plans. MI is having horrible weather, still winter. So glad to be in the warmth and sunshine.0 -
made some decent progress today. Did a bunch of picture sorting and started the picture display. Did most of the envelope addressing. Tried Caleb's mac-n-cheese recipe. He wants to 'tweak' it. That kid. I swear he is going to end up in culinary school. My folks came by. Bernie is (currently anyway) set to start at Vishay Monday. I did also make him sit down at the table with me to 'talk'. I made him cry (which was not my goal) - but I had made some statement that in a few months without the kids between us we have nothing in common. Or something like that. I said a lot of other things that have been on my mind and heart. So we'll see.
Have a great time!0 -
It sounds like progress on the party. I think the photo sorting is the most time consuming task to prepare for the party.
Good for you getting things off your chest to Bernie. Did he say anything or acknowledge how things are? Any plans moving forward?
David and Rory like to cook too. Nothing fancy but they will make meals.
Beautiful and windy here today. Russ and I took Miles and Charlie for a walk. I made it 1.25 miles today. We hope to go to the Alligator Farm but Miles is napping, finally, so don't know if we will fit it in today.
We are grilling spare ribs tonight. Russ is going to make his mac n cheese with the cauliflower in it too. I am going to sit by the pool and catch some rays.1 -
Miles went to daycare today and Jeff and Karah need to do some work. Russ, Charlie and I are going to explore a beach area north of here. It's a beautiful sunny day! Snow fell last night at home so winter is hanging on into April.
I'm not use to this humidity so even though I shower I perspire. Good moisturizer for my skin I guess.
The pool looks inviting right now but the water is cold. I'll have to give it another chance. The sun is so much closer down here and I got some sun burn and tan yesterday just sitting on the porch and pool patio.
Hope you have a good week.0 -
Sounds like such a great time with your family. Did you get to go to the alligator farm after naptime?
Bernie started at Vishay yesterday and seems quite happy. It will be hard for me to let go of my increased anxiety due to all the things, but I am happy for him. I pray this is a good fit, is stable and can be the end of our employment drama. I am hopeful that Bernie is willing to work on himself after our talk, we'll see.
My mom had to have multiple teeth from the lower front removed yesterday due to bone decay issues (because of smoking). I don't think this will get her to quit though. Sad.
At three a.m. this morning a hug picture collage that hung over the open staircase crashed down. Oy. So, that was an alarming and early start to the day. Glass everywhere. I sure hope we got it all.
We found these decals you order for stick to the walls that look like various circuit components. Caleb seemed to think that was cool. So I think I may be moving along the path of some decorations. I found circuit board game tokens that I can turn into picks for cupcakes and vases. Gear shaped confetti to make into picks as well. He also liked the music notes, so I am also getting some of those. Some progress made!
In a couple of days Caleb and robotics team will head to a prestigious national robotics event. Wouldn't that be exciting to bring home a win! Either way they are excited.
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Congratulations to Bernie! I hope he stays happy and if not, just deals with it.
You have made lots of progress on your party. It sounds like it is shaping up to be very nice. Good luck with the robotics competition. That is also very exciting.
Yesterday I went in the pool twice and dunked my head after we got home from our beach walking and drive. Even with sunscreen I am slightly burnt but at least have color. Today Russ and I left Charlie at Jeff and Karah's and went for a drive to Daytona. We just hit the outskirts and had brunch and then went inland to look at an RV park near Flagler Beach which is very nice and a cute old Florida beach town. The RV park had openings for next February so we put money down on a site. The pool looks very nice and is heated. The other amenities are pretty poor but it does have laundry facility. The location is the best it has going for it. We are a 10 minute drive from the Atlantic Ocean and beach town of Flagler Beach. The area surrounding the RV resort is very nice and nothing is seedy like lots of FL can be. We can cancel up to 60 days ahead and get a full refund in case we find something better. We see it as a place to plant ourselves for next February while we explore other options for 2024 that are nicer. So at least we know we can go south for February.
It is mid 80's today and humid. We took a walk with Charlie when we got back from our road trip. I couldn't go as far due to heat and my left knee is getting worse. I may ask doctor about a replacement at the end of October for next Fall. I would be healed and finished with PT before we left for FL. We will see...
It is still winter in our part of MI. Fingers crossed that next week warms up.0 -
Charlie isn't doing well down here with the heat and humidity. Good thing we won't be here in April next year. February is any where from 40's to high 60's. I'm still wondering if we should come down here for a month or not. Maybe we should head to Texas or the southwest. Drier and warmer... Or shorten our stays to two weeks and do a couple of trips in the winter without the dog to different destinations. I hate planning all this and am inclined to get lazy and say forget it. Prices on rentals has skyrocketed down here. Crazy!
We've had three storms with thunder and lightening since being here. Russ loves it! There was a tornado warning and one sighted up near Jacksonville this morning. Weather here changes quickly just like every where else these days.
Stormy today, not sure what we will do. Russ and I may explore some of the state park campgrounds in the area or just relax. Miles was crabby this morning. He is at daycare while Jeff and Karah are working from home. We watched him one day but I haven't asked to have him stay home since because he is active and all over the house. They are in meetings on Zoom and making phone calls. We would have to take him somewhere and what do you do with a one year old?0 -
It sounds like a good trip overall. Sorry Charlie is struggling. Hopefully returning in February is better for you all. Will it be hard to haul your camper that far?
I worked on graduation stuff yesterday. Caleb took off for robotics and Zach made a sketchy trip home for his interview. He is doing it now and then we’ll have lunch and he has to head back for a required event for one of his classes. He seems in really good spirits so that makes me happy. He’ll be done with his junior year in three weeks. !!!! Craziness.
I’m not sure how Saturday will work for us and Caleb trying to do both his robotics finals and get to the big acapella event but hopefully we figure it out
I still have to finish my taxes. 😞
Friday!0 -
Been trying to watch the robotics event on the livestream but it is terrible. It goes about 20 seconds and then you have to refresh. Frustrating. But Caleb’s team is doing ok. 16 out of 50 so far.
Caleb got his first outside scholarship today! The American legion Maynard Jensen scholarship has been awarded to Caleb! I’m so happy for him0 -
Your household sounds busy. Yay for C and his scholarship! How did Z feel his interview went? He worked there last summer under different management didn't he? Good luck with robotics and singing events.
Charlie has settled in. He is not afraid of Miles anymore and tolerates him near by. We have taken him to the beach twice and he enjoyed it the second time as much as is possible for him. Today we hiked about 1.5 miles on a nature trail in a state park (I'm still working on leg strength). Then we went to a beach and walked for a bit and sat on some big rocks to watch the waves and catch some rays. I love the sound of the waves breaking so I could have sat there all day but didn't. We went to a restaurant that had a patio and they allowed Charlie to sit with us under the table. Tonight, Karah put Miles to bed and we told them to go out and get drinks and dinner together and we would stay with Miles. Tomorrow is our last day. We are going to the Farmer's Market again and hope to get in to the Alligator Farm. That place is crazy busy!
We've had weather ranging from sunny to severe storms, temps from 60's to 80's and some windy days. Over all it has been pleasant and nice to be away from winter for a bit. When we get home the snow should be gone and I'm hoping to start riding my bike.
Happy Weekend!0 -
I bet beach walking is fantastic therapy for you. How much longer do you get to stay?
Loooong day. Robotics was up and down. The first two days Caleb’s team was scoring quite well even though they had poor match ups. Ended up 11th out of52. Felt happy with their final alliance (the finals the teams pick their final team). But just had two bad runs. Caleb’s autonomous program glitches and the drivers didn’t get their tasks done. Ended up 8 out of 12. Didn’t even get back to their starting seed. Caleb is unhappy with himself. He thinks he should have coached better. Then we ran off for him to sing. It was great as usual, but he was just done. Poor guy so tired. He said he couldn’t sleep at all at the hotel. The other Columbus robotics team was also in his room and they are ……. Odd.
Hopefully he sleeps well and feels better tomorrow0 -
We are home! Charlie is very confused for some reason. What a home body!
That is too bad about robotics but learning how to deal with less than desired results is part of life. C sure is busy so I can imagine he is very tired.
We are beat too. Long two day drive. Last nights hotel was better than the one on the way down. I acquired a cold in FL or it is allergies to all the things blooming down there. I'm going to give myself a COVID test just in case.
The snow is gone! If is is in the 50's tomorrow and not raining, I'm going to try out my bike.
Russ is cooking a frozen pizza for our dinner since we just got home. We stopped at the grocery and picked a few things up but don't have any energy to do anything.
We are having my sisters over for Easter dinner on Sunday.0 -
Another crazy weather windy day. Tonight we lost power and had a fire (probably power related) in a field right to the south of our home. That was some excitement nobody needed. It’s gonna be a long night worrying about it for sure.0
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Did lightening cause the fire? Such crazy weather around the country. We are expecting a severe storm but not sure of arrival time or if it will pan out. Our plow hills are reduced to about a foot high with the rain and warmer temps. Yesterday, I rode my new bike on the trail for an 11 mile round trip. It felt good on my knee but I need to get stronger for sure. Rain predicted for the next week so we'll see if I can squeeze in a ride again between drops.
I came home with this cough and congestion. COVID test was negative but I am wiped out. I made my Mom's home made throat/cough syrup with honey, butter, lemon and a splash of bourbon. I've been taking Nyquil at night which helps me sleep for awhile but dries out my sinuses. I just woke up from a nap and am drinking tea with honey. I hope my energy comes back for the weekend.
I'm finishing up laundry and will need to dust and vacuum for Sunday dinner with my sisters. Russ is making a pomagranate glazed ham, a corn dish from our summer corn we froze, another vegetable. My sisters are bringing party potatoes, salad, and pineapple upside down cupcakes.
What are your Easter plans?
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from what I heard it was a transformer that blew (we were also out of power during the fire). Yesterday when I saw the field in the daylight - it was a huge area that was blackened. Yikes. Really close to one of the houses - not ours, but still. That had to be terrifying.
Guess we are heading to Wayne again for Easter.
I hope you are feeling better. There are plenty of other nasty bugs and bacteria out there to make you feel terrible, not just COVID.
I love a glazed ham, but the powers that be say no. Food tends to have to be "like Grandma would have made it." And nothing against the food my grandma made, it was mostly delicious, but sometimes changing things is ok.
Got to watch Caleb's barbershop quartet practice perform their piece they will do for district music contest the other night. The choir teacher had the least amount of critique for them. He definitely has a soft spot for the traditional barbershop. The official contest isn't until next Friday and Saturday.
Another WINDY day. Bleh.0 -
Will C join a choir club or group in college? He seems to enjoy it so much and puts himself out there for competitions. He must get that from you and your influence.
The weather turned to windy, gray and cold here the day after I rode my bike. Just as well as my cold has me wiped out. I slept in the guest room last night so I wouldn't wake Russ with my coughing. I took Mucinex DM instead of Nyquil but it didn't suppress my cough as well as Nyquil.
It just started snowing, April 15th! Not unheard of but so disappointing. 22 degrees today with strong wind gusts...ugh!
I get it on the food that is acceptable. Even though Russ loves to cook different dishes and does an amazing job with holiday meals, he has his stubborness when it comes to certain dishes. Certain dishes must be included in the meal because that is tradition for his family.They must be like what he grew up with prepared by his great aunt, grandmother, mother and aunts. His brother, Bob the chef, was the same way. At one of his hotel restaurants where he was executive chef, he put Grandma Hazel's Pot Roast and his mother's spaghetti and meatballs on the menu. Both very good but interesting to say the least.
I am headed to the chiropractor to get the kinks out of my body from the long drive to and from FL. I may stop at my friend's store and visit with her if she is there but I will mask so I don't spread my cold.
That burning field sounded scary. Glad your neighborhood is ok.0 -
I would love for Caleb to keep singing in college. I also think it would be so good for him. His other classes will likely be difficult and stressful and singing is fun. We'll see. I am definitely encouraging him to do so.
I hope the chiro and another days rest is helping you feel better.
I think the menu is shaping up. I cornered Caleb a bit. He finally stated he really like grandma's calico beans and the strawberry pretzel salad. So we'll tentatively plan smoked turkey (a ham in reserve), slider buns and condiments, baked mac-n-cheese, fresh fruit, calico beans, strawberry pretzel salad, cupcakes. And deviled eggs by my mom if she is up to it. Sounds yummy! The calico beans I'll have to get my moms recipe. And I pawned off the strawberry pretzel salad on my sister because that salad hates me.
Caleb is feeling the year end burn out. He is really tired and stressed out. A lot of homework, projects, new music and etc. I hugged him and reminded him only a couple more weeks. Don't quit!
Have a wonderful weekend.0
