July 4th

Happy Fourth of July!

It's the fourth of July and we're on the Cape and it's lovely.

The kids and I just hung out in the morning, on the computer, and then Makenna and I went to the parade in Cotuit. It was very sweet, townie-wise, with lots of kids on bikes, old cars, and the usual assortment of fire trucks. I think it's possible that every person who actually lives in Cotuit was in the parade. Makenna and I knew we were in for a new kind of parade, though, when we noticed how many people showed up with crates and baskets full of water balloons and had loaded supersoakers and water guns. What's with this? We found out once the Cotuit Kettlers Baseball team showed up. The folks here love this team and they love nailing them with water in every shape and form. It's important to say, though, that the Kettlers show up prepared too. They are loaded with waterguns, buckets full water, and water balloons. It was jaw dropping amazing to watch their "float" go down the street and see the pummelling that the whole team, including the coach, took. It was all out warfare. This was a parade, Cape style. Fun.

After the whole parade we went over to Chery's friends Jayne and Steve. They were throwing a nice 4th party at their beautiful home in Yarmouthport. What a nice home they have, sprawling lawn, lovely cedar shingle house, gardens, birds going in and out of their birdboxes. Jim, Cheryl's friend, brought bocci ball and we all played. It was a very comfortable, nice afternoon spent at a beautiful home. Thanks Jayne and Steve.

Home and relaxing on the porch. Makenna and I sat on the front porch and watched what looked like the whole town of Hyannis make their way to the beach to watch the fireworks. We were feeling like the cat that ate the canary, sitting high on our porch, eating popcorn, looking down on the poor fools hoofing it and paying $30 for parking.

When it was time to watch fireworks we all headed up to the upper porch off of our room and had a great view of the full moon, and the fireworks. It was just so wonderful and special. Kim and J.C. (Cheryl's housemates) and Torin and Kenna and I had a great show in a great place.

Happy Fourth of July.

Gratitude.

Getting settled in and Job Hunting

Let's start by saying, it's great being here in the Cape. There is not doubt it's wonderful. Now job hunting......oh dear. I'm rusty, out of shape, you know...fill in the blank, I'm it.

Here's a little story, Makenna and I am walking around Hyannis, checking in and out stores and restaurants to see if there are any Help Wanted signs. We're walking in, asking for applications, asking if they're hiring. So, we go into a coffee shop and I ask if they are hiring. The man behind the counter looks right at me and says "How old is your daughter?" as if I'm asking about a job for Makenna. I said "the job is for me." and he has this look on his face and says "oh" Ah...am I too old? Or, do I have work experience, um only made up or 15 years old. Or, how long am I in town...only for July. Sigh....this was a tough couple of days on the work scene. Not deadly. Not horrible, but oh, goodness, not easy either.

That was Thursday, and on Friday I replied to several Craigslist ads, Grocery Warehouse clerk, Dog walker, Art Gallery assistant, and dropped off applications at Trader Joe's, and at Diparma's Italian Restaurant, and at the Hampton Inn. I'm calling them all back on Monday.

I've had to settle in and realize that I might just not get a job, or maybe I'll just keep networking and talking and get a little something here or a little something there.

I did some driving around after the job hunting and I think it affected my state of mind. This whole town was starting to feel a bit like a big memory of my life "before". I've had a lot of time here as a couple and it just seemed like everywhere I looked it was somewhere I had a happy memory. That may not seem bad, but it was hitting me that my life was different. I needed to come home, come upstairs and have a little cry. Then I needed to get my head straight. I had a good friend point out to me that I could be without a job in Florida or I could be without a job in the Cape. Being in the Cape was a good thing. I knew all this, had already put it in those terms in my own head, but it helped hearing it, too.

So, off to dinner with my girls. Wanna know a special wonderful thing about being in the Cape? My Aunt Cheryl. She's a sweetie, a peach, a very special person, and not just in my life. She's very special all around. And she cooks! Do you have any idea how nice it is to have someone sharing cooking, planning, shopping....oh, my, it's wonderful. We've had Tuna noodle casserole (kicked up Cheryl style), Wonderful Quiche and salad, and Grilled Chicken and Salad with baked potatoes and watermelon. Yum to all of it.

I'm gonna get my head around this job thing and I'm not going to miss the wonderfulness of this month.

Snap out of it, girl! OK.

July 2nd

Getting settled. Unpacking. Finding a spot to tuck in upstairs.

The room we're in is half of Aunt Cheryl's that she's divided into two. On our side she has a dresser and a curtain room divider that she's hung to make it very much a private space. There's a closet on our side, and several windows. It's a great Cape Victorian. Cheryl and I put Makenna and my bed on the angled wall, jutting out, with the window as our headboard. There is a window on each other wall so we're surrounded by sea breezes and light. The room is bead board, painted white. The marina is right across the street and life here is bustling early in the morning with workers, and late at night with Cape visitors.

It's so nice being back here.

July in the Cape

The girls and I are spending the month of July in the Cape, specifically at Aunt Cheryl's lovely house in W. Yarmouth. Jordan, Makenna, and I (with Torin as our guest for a few weeks)descended upon this quiet unsuspecting domain around 6:45 on Wednesday July the 1st. The drive this year seemed a bit more intense than in years past. Usually there are areas of heavy traffic and more white knuckle driving. This year it seemed pretty intense all the way here. July 4th is approaching and that's the big start of their season. I thought I was ahead of it, and I probably was considering, but it still had an affect for sure.

A specific note about the trip: Don't take I-95 through DE and PA. That was a directional error that I figured out, but wasn't the "new best way to go". Part two. I took exit 7 when I got here in Hyannis, made a left and followed the Hospital signs in. The AAA map wants me to take exit 6. Don't.

Ok, so a bit of backup info. The reason the girls and I are here for the summer is so that I can work. With them happy and settled, cared for and in a great place, I want to be able to go off and work any time, any shift, any day. Getting a job is another thing...I'm hoping I can do all the networking, begging, pleading, and bending to whatever whim an employer needs to get myself a (or several) job (s). I have a few strikes against me - lack of recent experience, and the fact that I'm only here for July - but I'm so very much hoping that someone sees something in me that fits with what they need. The anxiety of this working out is starting to color how I think about the time here, but I'm hoping that is all a past memory soon.

So, that's the Cape update. I am going to try very much to blog my experience here to give me a place to unload a bit of what's going on inside and to help me remember this new and exciting thing I am doing.

Life changes. Sometimes the change is unbearable at first. Sometimes that change is the very thing that opens your life up to a new change that's pretty freaking awesome.

Welcome to the Cape, Michele.

Universal Messages

It's been a while since I've blogged, other than what I did yesterday, but that seems to be the way I roll. And so it is.

I wanted to make a special note of something that happened to me yesterday, just so I have it somewhere other than the lost jungle of my mind.

Yesterday, Makenna and I drove Jordan down into town for work. We usually go a bit early so we can have coffee and chat with our friends at Mount Dora Coffee House. On Tuesdays I usually leave the coffee house and head over to the art center to work there for a while. Well, all of this occurred, but yesterday Makenna was also trying to connect with our neighbor Val to hang out with her for a bit. We walked all over town and couldn't find her. I went to the art center prepared to give them some time, and no staff was there. Veterans Day. So, it's a strange kind of morning, it seems like nothing is working out too well. It's not a big deal, it just seems kind of weird.

By this time we both are getting hungry, but we're not sure if we feel like heading home. We decide to go by Cecile's French Cafe and split our favorite lunch. They have quiche Lorraine and serve it with a very nice tossed salad on the side. Add a good lemonade and we're in.

One of the cool things about Cecile's is that they have the whole patio outside of the restaurant and there are many tables and chairs with umbrellas, etc. They have a lot of plants and a pergola filled with blue sky vine and it's all very nice, very Florida. It's a great place to watch people stroll by.

Anyway, Makenna and I choose a table and sat down. Our waiter comes over he greets us and remembers me by asking me if I'm planning on drawing today. This makes me laugh because it feels interesting to me that he would even remember me, let alone the fact that I sat sketching on a napkin the last time I was there. I had gone on a Sunday when I had some time alone while Rich was spending time with the girls.

So today, he takes our drink order, I get out my knitting (it's Christmas work time, must knit at all opportunities) and Makenna gets out her sketching. When he brings back our drinks he tosses down the napkin from the last time I was there and asks me if I would finish it, that I've left an unfinished corner. Apparently he's kept it this whole time.

I told Makenna, as I was sketching on the napkin, that sometimes life is funny. Sometimes when you just don't know what's going on, the Universe sends you this little message that tells you to keep going, keep being who you are, keep plugging away. This napkin, this waiter, well they seem like messengers of the Universe to me. At least that's how I'm choosing to see it.

Yesterday, in many ways, was a difficult day for me. And yet, I still have a part of yesterday that was completely wonderful. I can't let this part get lost in the whole.

Magnolia Fest 2008

Hey there,

Here are a few photos from when Makenna and I went to MagFest this year. We went on the way up to North Carolina this year. It rained for a lot of the day, but that didn't deter us, did it? No!

This is a picture of the main stage,

and the next pic is the hammock section in the back area. We love the hammock section.

Here's the Sugar Shack, man their Veggie Thing is to die for, a tortilla laid open on the grill, add cheese, and load on the veggies...spinach, broccoli, carrots, lettuce, add salsa, and wrap it up like a big taco and chow. I like to add hot sauce, but Makenna likes it just fine without.

We love these guys. They're from Bristol, Tennessee and we look forward to seeing them every year. This year I spoke with the owner and he was telling me his wife is attending ETSU, and he loves Asheville and lots of other stuff that I think is cool but everyone else will think is BorInG. Community feels like community, no matter how large and he made me feel like that area, which I hope to move to sometime in my life, has a sense of community for me. Little bits, combined, add up.

Here are some straight out Festival Shots. Part of the fun of going to festivals is all the people and sights, not just the sounds. I needed this festival so badly, mentally, and I really didn't' even know it until I got there and felt the ease seep into my body. It was like "Here are my people, whew!" Nice. About the pics. So....Airstream trailers are awesome, and then the fashions are beyond belief. This guy on the right made a whole necklace out of old ring tabs which they stopped making in the '70's. He was totally into it, lol. This year, as just something to do, Makenna and I decided to do a photographic "treasure hunt". We made a list of things to capture and then compared our evidence at the end of the day. Our list was something like this... Jewelry, Sign, Person, Vehicle, Bike, Art, and Hammock. Some of these photos were from that list. Treasure hunts are fun in many capacities, yes? yes. A photographic treasure hunt is an invitation to look around and really see. Really look. Then be invasive and take pictures! Hurray.

Festivals are so awesome.

206 to 244

Well, it was Saturday morning this morning. That means you'll find Makenna and I - if you were alooking - at the Mount Dora Coffee Shop, either playing cards, or if this morning is any indicator, playing Scrabble. Jordan has a great travel Scrabble game, and it does as the name implies, and travels, well. Little tiles that snap in, little trays for the tiles, it's all very cute.

Last night I asked Makenna if she'd care to join me at the coffee shop for some cards and coffee (or iced tea in her case), a muffin or a bagle and cream cheese and some time together. this would be completely open time, no watch watching, no beginning or end except of our making. She hearily agreed. Last Friday we did this, but we played Garbage, a card game that Daphne taught us. We played round after round, until one of us won, which we had never done before. Neither one of us had ever played long enough to get to a win. Coffee shops are great for this kind of free time.

this is Daphne, Hi Daphne!

Well anyay, last week we did, twice. Friday I won. Saturday we did it all over again, and Makenna won.

You can tell it's summer. I'm feeling that summer feeling of let's just hang out, spend time together, and play much more the last couple of weeks than I remember doing in such a long time. It's very nice.

And, Makenna beat me at Scrabble today...206 to 244. Go Makenna!

Slice of Joy

Last night Torin was here. He worked close by and drove over on his motorcycle to stay with us and be able to go to work this morning from here. For those of you who don't know, Torin is Jordan's boyfriend. He lives in Winter Park, so being here is not a daily occurrence.

Torin is a teenage boy, and Torin can eat. So...no wimpy dinners when he's here. This can be a good thing because sometimes when it's just the girls and I wimpy dinners happen, maybe more than they should. Last night it was Alaskan Wild Salmon, grilled asparagus and a great tossed salad. Bread and butter got added spontaneously at the end because, well, Torin was here, why not?

The slice of joy part for me was on a few levels. I had gone to the market while Makenna was doing karate so by the time we got home everyone was hungry. I knew that it was going to take multiple hands to make this quicker so we could all eat. I set Jordan to work on cutting carrots and apples for the salad, and Torin was given the job of culling out the good grapes from the sad, tired throwaway grapes. I did the fish with fresh lemon, lemon zest, fresh parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. I did the asparagus pretty much the same way. And then cooked it all on the grill, as a thunderstorm approached. Life in FL, take heat, add thunderstorm, lather, rinse, repeat. Emphasis on the repeat.

While we were all working together, there was Pandora on the computer, so music....and talking, goofing around, teasing Jordan, Torin catching grapes in his mouth, and cooking together. My home was filled with joy, friends, love, life, laughter and it was what my heart has been craving. Really craving. Life has been challenging lately, sometimes wonderful, sometimes dark. Through it there's been a sense of finding myself, what makes my heart sing, who I am, and where I'm going, and not just getting lost in the pain.

My children, and their friends, my friends - new and old - and my own self, this is what my heart needs, this is what my home needs. In deep gratitude for a night of simple pleasure.

Princess for a moment

So, Makenna and I found ourselves at Luigi's Italian restaurant the other night. They sent me a coupon for a free dinner for my birthday to be used before the new month started. We decided to go and check it out, on the last day of the month. Procrastination, who saw that coming?

We arrived at the restaurant and were getting situated when Makenna pulled a tiara out of her jacket she had all bundled up. "What's this?" I ask. She says "It's your birthday, you have to wear it!" Oh my. So, in the spirit of celebration and overall fun I plunked the tiara on my head. Not long after that the waitress came over to take our order. I announced "It's my birthday, I'm wearing a tiara." or something like that. She took our order and when she repeated it to us, for clarity mind you (or fast thinking in the spirit of playing along), she said "Kids cheese ravioli with marinara for you and Chicken Picata for the princess!"

Yeah brother, Chicken for the Princess.

I wore that tiara all through dinner, paid the check and walked out of the restaurant, head held high, tiara balanced perfectly. Not only did I do that, I stopped for gasoline on the way home and left it on then, too.

Your birthday only comes once a year, you know....and when your girl asks you to wear a tiara, well...you do it.

Student of Life - Officially

Here's something new and exciting that's happening in my life. Today I went to pay for my class at Lake Sumter Community College, and get my parking pass, and get everything in order for my first class starting on August 26th. Design and Color.

I'm going back to school. I'm working on my Associates degree. I'm majoring in Art.

With the encouragement from my therapist, Michael Rebel, and after some personal work involving a bat and some anger, I got the strength, courage, and confidence to figure out what I want to do in my life for me. For sure, one thing was to turn in my application at Lake Sumter. I had no idea how I was going to pay for it, but I have a new plan of action these days. Previously, I always had to have everything in order before taking a first step. Now, I'm practicing identifying what I want and then just taking the first step, knowing that things will unfold as they need to and I'll be able to figure it out as I go.

So, with my new plan I decided to fill out the application and just turn it in. And ask questions. And by the end of the afternoon I had been to several departments and ended up in the Career Center. That's where they told me about a grant that I qualify for, a "displaced homemaker" grant. Oh, what a horrendous name, but what an equally glorious concept. "Pick your class and come back at the end of the month and we'll give you a voucher to pay for it." Um, OK...are you sure I qualify, are you sure. YES! And I'm on the path, taking the first baby steps to what I've wanted for a long time.

So, Celebration. Joy.
Dare I say... Hope?

My heart gets fluttery just thinking about it.

Spring at Rock Springs

Hello there.

Spring has sprung here in Florida and that means it's time for tubing down the springs once again. On Thursday the LIFE gang and the girls and I went to Rock Springs, our local spring that's in the "tubing" variety of springs. We rented a tube from the little dive bar on the corner before you get to the springs (Note to self: avoid that next time, $5 bucks for a one shot deal and money could be save just by blowing up the tube in the garage) and paid the $3 to get into the park.

The water right now is clear as clear can be and (bonus) the flowers and grasses are still in Spring shape so the run is wide and easy to maneuver. Nothing has become overgrown yet so to speak.

Right now it seems to be just the most perfect time to go. There's tree shade for sun avoidance so staying cool is easy, and yet sitting in the sun is necessary to warm up before going into the 72 degree water. Ah, balance....not to mention the hordes of people have yet to arrive.

Here's a bit of what we saw and experienced while we were there on Thursday.

• an otter playing in the cow lilies right off of the bank of the run near where our blankets and chairs were
• Speaking of cow lilies (or spatterdock), we saw them, and spider lilies, and pickerel weed, to mention a few.
• snail eggs everywhere, on the plants and on the wall by the sharks teeth digging area
• lots of turtles sunning themselves everywhere
• lots of tattoos - ha! There're always sitings of lots of tattoos at Rock Springs.
• When I first got in the run there was a barred owl doing his "who cooks for you" in the woods around us.
• a huge skink, the largest I ever saw, probably about 8 inches long and about 1.5 inches wide in the torso...No kidding.

I'm so often aware of the powerful beauty here in Florida. All this just from going to the park for a cool water play day. It was sublime.

Gratitude.

Learning About Wildflowers

I currently am working on wildflowers. I am learning names and habitat and edibility (is that word?!) and those that know me would know what a slow process this is going to be. No matter, life is life, slower is better than no-er, so onward....

Spiderwort - seen this March on the Lake County Water Authority hike at the sinkhole off of Robie Ave in Mount Dora, currently seen blooming all over including in Sue's yard. I might go dig some up!

Innocence - This little white groundcover was just delightful on my hike with the LCWA in March

Wood Sorrell - Lyn and I ate some of this delicious lemony plant right off of the Oklawaha River outside of the Ocala National Forest in March during our weekend workshop.

Cupids Shaving Brush - Lake County Water Authority hike March 2008

Phlox - Shows up all over, fields full of the stuff.

Film Festival 2008 - Eat It Up

Well, it's already time for the Film Festival again. This year Jordan and Sadie volunteered a bit. It wasn't that exciting (read: it was boring) but I think with these types of things it really matters what exactly you sign up for. The girls ripped tickets at the Enzian for a hamburger documentary. Yep, two girls who either are, or recently have been, vegetarians ripping tickets for a documentary on hamburgers. Jordan also volunteered at the table outside of the Regal Cinema, also boring (she says). I think the feedback Jordan would give regarding volunteering is that she felt under utilized. She was there willing to work but there seemed to not be enough work, or maybe the work wasn't being delegated very well.

I still feel inclined to make the effort to volunteer next year. I spent $30 on the three movies I saw, two of which were on a day I drove Jordan down to volunteer. She got in free to two of those three movies....so, you see where I'm going with this. This year I chickened out a bit with signing up for the volunteering, just because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to fit in seeing movies and also volunteering. I prioritized seeing over doing both. Not next year though.

So, onto the movies I saw. The first was a selection of shorts called Shorts#1-Hustle. Three of the filmmakers were there for a short Q&A afterwards: William Slichter of Flourtown, Rajeev Dassani of A Day's Work, and Gregg Brown who did Shrinks. All the films were quirky and good in that "short film" sort of way. I liked sharing that with Jordan, she and I both have an enjoyment of short films. Makenna does as well, it's just so hard to tell what these guys are rated, which makes it a bit more of a wildcard for her.

On Friday I drove Jordan up for her shift outside of the Enzian and had the wonderful pleasure of having lunch with good friends Sue D, Lisa B, and Lyn M. We went to Ethos, a vegan restaurant owned by the daughter of our friend Shirley from Simple Living Institute. It was delish and one of the many benefits of eating there (besides my friends and the treat of time away) was eating good, delicious, healthy, wholesome food prepared by someone else! Ah ha. That's so wonderful. After lunch the girls and I headed over to the Regal to catch Lili and the BoabubTree. Cynthia and Sadie joined us there for the film

The movie was in French and Pulaar (african) with English subtitles. From the Enzian website: This compelling, picturesque story reveals a woman finding herself and the world in an emotional journey of discovery worth making. Freelance photographer Lili (Romane Bohringer in a superb performance) is assigned to document Agnam, Senegal, the sister city of her hometown of Cherbourg. There she is warmly welcomed by the community, and she experiences its rich life. She connects to a quietly independent and unmarried woman, Aminata (Aminata Zaaria), not unlike herself, although they share no common language. Economic migration, post-colonialism, and cultural divides are all issues here, but the film avoids the traps of proselytizing and cultural tourism. Instead, it offers a slice of life lived, with Lili seeing the Normandy coast differently upon her return, and also showing the contradictions of the communal lifestyle she leaves behind but does not forget. The strength of both women and Lili’s life-affirming connection with the world under a Senegalese baobab tree gives hope in a film of uncommon depth, intelligence, and beauty.

It was the perfect film to see with a group of friends. Fascinating and heart expanding, lovely.

After the film, I met Jordan and Torin outside in the hallway, made a quick break for the loo, ran next door to grab a bite of pizza and Pepsi, then back into the Enzian for the International Narrative Shorts. So, exchange 4 women friends for 2 teenagers and I'm off. These shorts are always favorites of mine simply because I adore hearing the accents, seeing the different names on the marque, and reading subtitles. I know, I know....I'm a bit much at times. But, alas, that is me. Loved these shorts with the grand finale of Spider at the end. It's all fun and games until someone loses and eye. Side note: Gregg Brown of Shrinks sat a couple of seats over from me, in the front of the row, so I got to chat a tiny bit with him. That was cool.

So that was this years 17th Annual Florida Film Festival. Check out last year's blog for past experiences. I can't wait for next year already!

It Must Be Spring

Hello Spring!

On the 22nd of March Makenna informed me that the pitcher on the back of our hose reel again has what looks to be a nest being built in it. I had seen a little bird activity around that area just that morning and was wondering if it was our House Wrens from last year, or just a little bird caught away from the brush. I'm so happy it's The Wrens, our wrens, Mr. and Mrs Wren from last year.

Today, the 3rd of April, Makenna told me that she saw 4 little eggs in the nest. So, not only did the nest get built but Mrs. chose it as her nest. You never know with these things, Daddy Wrens can build a couple to four nests and Momma gets to choose her favorite. I'm so glad she chose us. Last year I just couldn't believe she would choose that nest, it just doesn't seem to be the safest or least stressful nest. But once they raised a brood of babies I was hopeful we'd see them again this year. And here they are.


This is a great shot of last years wren and the nest, I have still yet to get one of them this year.

Welcome Back!


****SAD UPDATE ON WRENS: due to lots of rain this year, the pitcher nest wasn't such a good idea. No drainage made a situation the eggs couldn't survive and this clutch didn't progress. We pitched the whole pitcher, it was a mess.

Lace cookies

We love Lace Cookies.

One thing I just couldn't seem to get to making this holiday was Lace Cookies. Well, we had a cold front come in so we decided to make it a baking day. Makenna and I cranked up the oven and whipped up a batch.

They are the yummiest cookies, delicate, buttery, sweet, crispy.

They should be gone tomorrow.

Here's the recipe.

Lace Cookies

1 cup oats (rolled)
1 cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
2 TBSP + 1 tsp flour
1 stick butter – melted
1 beaten egg
2 tsp vanilla

Put dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and use a whisk to sift them together.
Pour butter over dry mix.
Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Drop 1/2 tsp batter 2 inches apart and bake at 325 for 12 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly, until they firm up a bit, then remove from parchment and continue cooling on a baking sheet. Reuse the parchment over and over.

Happy 2008

Play Day

Yesterday, Tuesday, we went to Busch Gardens - Tampa. A while back a bunch of the kids had a series of yard sales to raise money to offset the cost of big field trip to Busch Gardens. This was a case where they thought of something they wanted, it cost a bunch of money, and they made it happen for themselves anyway. Well, on that trip some of the kids took the opportunity offered them and upgraded their tickets to a yearly passing expiring on Dec 31.

This trip yesterday was what's known as the final hurrah.

I was fortunate enough to have some free tickets given to me by my mom (thanks Mom!) and was able to go and invite Heather and Ivy. I love free theme park tickets. Free is good.

We all headed out early in the morning and had a great day. Makenna could hardly settle herself down to sleep the night before just thinking about the roller coasters. It was one big, scary, thrilling ride after another. The kids essentially just ran around all day in a big pack - it was Sadie (thank you Sadie for being the wonderful adult for a lot of this) and Cheynne, Nic C, Gareth, Eliot, Ivy, Amalie and Makenna. Cynthia, Heather and I watched a lot of rides, hit the beer tent, um, Hospitality House a couple of times, and strolled around, a lot.

Cynthia and I did the Sandstorm ride. I was reminded how, in my aging, that I no longer tolerate the round and round so well. Ohhh, it makes me sick to my stomach. I can go forward and backward much better than round and round. Makenna and I did the Scorpion roller coaster. That's the only one I did. Ever since I've become claustrophobic being in a harness is intolerable to me. Little cars spaces. Anxiety about the ride. Ugh. It's all a bit more yucky than fun now. But I did it. And it was fun. Except for the extreme spiral at the end, I could have done without that. Round and round.

Oh, we did the train ride around the Savannah and the Rhino Rally, which is a safari tour in a car and the bridge goes out and it's all gloom and doom, but lots of fun. It was fun having a whole car full of just us, just people we knew. There were some wonderful animals, giraffes and lots of zebras, hippos, elephants, and lots of other more exotic animals that I cannot even remember the name of but loved looking at! It was a great day to go, the weather had hit a cool spot (lovely lovely) and it was hardly busy so the kids could go on any ride over and over and over. That's a bonus. Time spent in line is time not spent going round and round and whip it up good, so..well, you get it.

We stopped at a Jason's Deli on the way home for some comfort food. I'm so glad we didn't have to eat at a Steak and Shake or some equally awful place. Jason's has complimentary ice cream. And muffins on the salad bar. Complimentary that is. And baklava, not complimentary, but they had it. Amalie loved it. It was a good end to a great day.

I hope Sadie sends me some of the pictures she took!

change

I'm not reporting much.

I'm just saving the space of a day.

Life changed today. Maybe life changes everyday, but Life with a capitol L changed today. Truths were spoken. Illusions shattered. Maybe honesty is setting in.

We are well and not well, strong and weak, we are. We just are.

We are living this life, and at times I am not sure how I got where I am.

Sunday

I haven't posted in so long, and it's the beginning of December....so, new month, new commitment to try to keep posting.

But then you knew that, didn't you?

Yesterday, Makenna and I had a beach day together. We went to Flagler Avenue at New Smyrna Beach. It was a gorgeous day. Unfortunately, the red tide wasn't fun to deal with, but it was a great day nonetheless. Makenna was mostly driven to go to the beach because she is always looking for an opportunity to ride her skim board (see previous post), and because she just loves the beach - her words, and I do too and love to be there with her - my words.

We had a discussion on the way to the beach about how, because I grew up in the north, once summer is over I forget a bit about going to the beach. Around here in Florida we mostly avoid the beach in the heart of the summer, it's just way too intense of an experience, so things are a bit backward in that regard. It seems to me that remembering where I live might be a good thing at this juncture.

Some memories of our day at the beach...sniffling, burning nose, coughing, nasty taste in mouth, sore throat...Thanks red tide!

Other memories...cool sand drip castle which looked more like a forest of wild wacky trees than an actual castle.
Getting washed out on our blanket by a rogue wave, then going into the ocean with the quilt to rinse it off, trying to hold onto it as the waves came and went, carrying Makenna like a little boat, then wringing the quilt out playing tug of war.
Tiny little olive shell given by older man-shell seeker. I love olive shells.
Makenna and I finding interesting ways of writing our names in the sand, piling the letters inside each other, attaching letters to other letters.
Just sitting in a beach chair, feet in the sand, watching little sandpipers and gulls, people, reading my book. sigh.
Makenna doing hand stands into a bridge, then laying down to get out of it.
The joy, the buoyancy, the energy. Just watching M run, skip, cartwheel through the waves and the water just for the sheer fun of it.
Playing the "add one word, make a story" game waiting for our food at Breakers.
Going for a walk, window shopping, looking in a shell shop at all the cool shells and dried sea life.

I guess that's mostly it. It was just a very nice day, even with the red tide, and I'm thankful for getting to have it!

Makenna turns 11

This past Monday was Makenna's birthday. She turned 11. Hard to believe, but true. We spent the past weekend helping her to celebrate. On Saturday night we took Makenna and her friend Kristen to Cape May. No, not Cape May New Jersey, but Cape May, the restaurant in the Yacht and Beach Club at Disney.

Here's a shot of Makenna and Kristin on the beach outside of the hotel. Makenna likes to go to this restaurant mostly because it's a buffet and on the buffet they have steamed clams.

Makenna loves steamed clams, don't you Makenna? All you can eat? Um, ok.

What Makenna didn't count on was having our waitress, Karen, make her stand on her chair and have the whole restaurant sing happy birthday to her. Oh well, it was fun!
After dinner we hung out on that beach watching the fireworks from Epcot.

On Sunday we went to New Smyrna Beach for a bit of family time in the sun. Rich and I had gotten Makenna a new skim board for her birthday, so we put a big bow on it and packed it in the back of the van with all the other beach stuff. When we got to the beach Makenna got her new skim board. Makenna was happy then.

Very happy, see.

Here's an action shot.

On Monday, Makenna's actual birthday, we hung out and played Clue a lot. Makenna wanted to have a really low key day for her birthday, mostly playing Clue, going to the Cat Protection Society (her new fav place!) and watching a movie. We did all that (National Treasure was the movie) and had her friend Amalie over for dinner and more Clue.

What a nice birthday and birthday weekend Makenna had.

We all had.

Happy Birthday, Makenna!! We love you.