aaahhhhh....where to begin?? i'm feeling the post Florida fog today. everyone is getting back to routine here in our household, but i'm waffling somewhere between now and then~ frequently picturing what we would have been doing last week at this time. yes~ the time away, forced to be crammed in a van for over 38 hours all together as eight, was soooo necessary and good. there were, as expected, highs and lows~ but the highs far outweighed the lows, and the funny moments and memories shared (like when there was "no room at the inn" for our crew, hotel after hotel near the Florida border at the end of a long day of travel. yep~ last year it worked to just pick a hotel we liked when we felt like stopping...this year, it didn't! next year, we pre-book!!) were worth every moment of planning, packing, every mile driven and dollar spent (US dollar, that is...yikes! :)). it was real deal family bonding. something i often feel is even more crucial with our larger family. the week was perfectly delightfully hot. it had a Caribbean feel to it even....daily we had the super hot sun but always a nice breeze to cool you enough to stay out in it...okay~ i won't go on and on about that. :) that would be cruel...
first stop~ McDonald's in Ohio. AJ's post "hotcakes" contemplation...
first day by the pool~ time spent with this girl was a highlight for me. we had lots of conversation, walks on the beach, and just fun hanging out. she also had time to make two new friends at the resort, swim like crazy, and stay up late with the rest of us.
three ham bones~ nothing changes! :)
oh, the manatees...one of my favourite things about our Florida destination. i heard someone refer to them as "giant baked potatoes" floating in the water....not far off, actually. they aren't pretty, but so cute and laid back and fascinating...they love the warmer waters in the marina by our condo, so they gather to frolic and surface to blow air and entertain onlookers. it is a sight to see...there is a mom and a calf (dark brown~ they lighten up later) in the picture below.
late afternoon beach walk...bliss!
this guy read a whole book this week....so nice for me to see
a huge highlight for at least half of us was going to watch Team Canada play baseball against the Baltimore Orioles rookie team.
Joelle met six school friends, all there to watch their other school friend, Tyler (#19), pitch three awesome innings. he did great under intense pressure. he had to have the biggest fan support there that day, and i can only imagine how nervous that made him feel.
pretty cool event and super neat to see the inner workings of higher level baseball. scouts intently watching with their radar speed guns measuring pitches, quiet note taking, head shaking, recording of player's activity on the field. no popcorn or hotdogs or lighthearted conversation among these guys. it was a whole different world and quite interesting to observe.
bumping into Roberto Alomar was kind of cool too. Hudson got a picture with the former second base legend of the Toronto Blue Jays. Hudson was carrying his ball glove and Roberto asked why he wasn't holding an Alomar glove! it was funny...
this, my dear readers, is a horseshoe crab, which Adam later researched and informed me was closer to belonging to the arachnid family than the crab family...so, wanting to make my big brother proud (Joe~ aka the turtle catcher), i fearlessly clasped on to its hard shell exterior while AJ snapped the picture. impressive, i know...
these feet...they were busy this week.
part two next week! so glad to note the highlights here~ always fun to have and look back and remember where the kids were at and what vacations were like. not too many years left with all of us together, i expect....sadly...
as i said to the kids on Monday morning, "don't be sad it's over, be glad it happened!" wish it was my original quote, but it's not~ i heard it once and it stuck with me. so true though...i'm completely glad it happened!
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