Thanksgiving

Here are just a few pictures from our trip to Fort Myers. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Ponce De Leon Inlet LightHouse

Last weekend Ed and Sue came up for a visit. There was a bunch to do since it had been a while since they were here last. They were able to see our new apartment and see a few places where we hang out. So, we took them to the Ponce Inlet Light House.

The Ponce Inlet Lighthouse is 175 feet tall and is the tallest lighthouse in Florida, and is one of the tallest in the nation.
It takes a long 203 steps to get to the top of the viewing deck.

Steve, Sue, and Tyler went to the top of the lighthouse. Ed and I didn't go up. We sat and timed to see how long it would take for them to get to the top. It took them less than ten minutes to get there.

I tried to get a picture of the three of them. You can see Steve and Tyler and just a bit of Sue's head. It was a nice visit to the lighthouse. Afterward, we went to Inlet Harbor for lunch. We sat out on the water and enjoyed the beautiful weather, and caught a glimpse of a dolphin swimming by. We are planning on going kayaking next time they visit. I wish we had more time to visit, but they had to head back home on Sunday. I sure do miss family and really appreciate the time we do get to spend together.

Our Sunday Journey Down A1A

A few Sundays back we got up and went traveling down A1A. A1A is a Florida state road that runs mostly along the Atlantic Ocean. Our first stop was at a miniature golf course called Congo River. We weren't there very long before Steve and Tyler became very competitive with the game. They watched each others moves/strokes every step of the way.

Here you can see Tyler watching Steve make his putt.
Steve is adding up the scores while Tyler does a one leg in the air putt.
Look at the two of them..."Did it make it?"
After golfing Tyler played in this panning station. It was a neat set up.

These are all the little stones he found and kept. Steve kept them in his pocket because Ty's shorts didn't have any. They ended up at the bottom of the washer.

After playing golf, we headed back onto A1A going north heading towards Flagler County. We had no specific destination. There isn't much to look at other than the ocean and some fancy million dollar ocean front houses, houses, oh yeah, and more houses. We were on the road for a half hour before Tyler started going nuts from boredom. I saw a sign that read, MarineLand 14 miles ahead. Out of curiosity we kept traveling until we got there.

MarineLand is a town right outside of Palm Coast Florida. We stopped and visited a dolphin conservatory. When we were there, some of the dolphin trainers were practicing some of their tricks with the dolphins.

The trainers didn't do as much with the dolphins like they do at SeaWorld or anything, but it was fun to watch the dolphins swim and jump. After MarineLand we stopped for dinner at Outback Steak House, then headed home on I-95. We took I-95 because we would get home allot faster than A1A. I decided A1A is a nice road to travel on when you can afford a fancy million dollar ocean front home, but until then I'll stick with I-95.

Shopping Cart Surprise

Tyler has a great sense of humor and he tends to share it with us no matter where we go. For instance, he uses it to keep himself occupied when we go grocery shopping. On more than one occasion he has surprised me by throwing random food products in my cart while I wasn't looking. And, I normally don't find out about it until it's time to check out. I hand things right back to him and then he goes and returns stuff from where it came from. One day, he surprised me by filling my cart with all sorts of hot dogs, bacon, spreadable meats, sausages, and any other packaged meat he could find.

I walked away from the cart for a few moments to look at something that I wanted to buy, and then walked back to my cart to find that it was a bit harder to push. I looked in the cart to find piles of packaged meat! I thought it was hilarious! It was such a ridiculous amount of meat! I was impressed by the amount he was able to throw in there in such a short period of time. We both had a stomach ripping laugh. Afterward, we got to work putting all the meat back. As we emptied the cart, some old woman strolled by trying to figure out why we are unloading all of this meat. Of course, all I could do is smile and nod my head at her. We had a good time and I know now to keep an eye out for any other surprises Ty might have up his sleeve. I wouldn't be surprised if I turn around one day to find my cart full of frozen turkeys!

He is OK

My youngest brother Adam was robbed while at work a few days ago. He is doing just fine, but was shaken up a bit. He no longer works for Dairy Queen and has started a new job in construction. When I found out about him being robbed, I felt my knees almost go weak. My poor mom found out when she was at home in bed watching the news. She flew over there in her pajamas to meet up with Adam's new wife Shani and her parents. When she arrived, Adam was giving his statements to the police trying to describe what had happened to him and the others during the robbery. The four robbers came in through the back door and forced Adam along with his co-workers into the freezer at gun point. I talked to Adam the next day, and he said, " I was just coming out of the restroom, when all of a sudden I felt one of the robbers put a gun behind my head. The robbers forced me into the freezer and had me lay down with my face to the freezer floor, and then the punks locked us in the freezer while they robbed the place. All of these thoughts were going through my head. I thought about Shani and the family... if I were to die. I'm not afraid to die, I'm just afraid of what the family would go through." I told him he was lucky he went to the restroom before all this had happened, because he would have messed his pants up. We had a good chuckle about that and then took a deep breath. It really has made us stop again and think about how precious life is, and who we have in our lives, and you never know what your day may bring. Thank God in the heavens he is o.k.

Here is a link to a short story of what happened.
http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/14/4-men-rob-dairy-queen-fort-myers/

I'd Rather Be....

Quality Time with Uncle Grant

Grant and Penelope visited with us for a short while yesterday. Becky was out conducting business with some of the local doctors, so Grant came over to see what we were up to. Steve was at work and Tyler wasn't home at first. Ty was at the YMCA working out and hanging out with some of his friends. In the mean time, our dogs got acquainted with one another. Grant showed me all the tricks he has taught Penelope, and then I showed him all the tricks my dogs know. Penelope is such a cute dog and we were happy to have finally met her! Grant and I talked for a little bit before Tyler came home. Once Tyler was home, the two of them were in the zone talking about video games. I don't play video games, so I sat and enjoyed listening to them talk. It wasn't long before the two of them were playing Guitar Hero and Smash Bros. Brawl. Tyler was a great challenge for Grant. Now, they plan to play one another through wi-fi. I know Tyler will be contacting Uncle Grant very often to play games. He already has his Uncle Adam lined up and ready play. I think it would be great for everyone to join in!