World Autism Day, Jayden's Birthday, Work Remodel

I jumped right back in knee deep after we returned from vacation.  I am helping out with some craft projects at church and planning for Esme's birthday party.  Tuesday was World Autism Day.  We all wore our Parker Patrol and Autism Speaks Walk gear and changed out our patio light to a blue one.  Sometimes we get more in to it, but it was kind of a last minute thought this year.

Tuesday was also our nephew, Jayden's, birthday.  I seriously can't believe he is 15 and starting Driver's Ed next week.  I still remember his little baby days and more than one night where he kept me up late.

We got him a new mouse for his computer, but that paled in comparison to the gift my dad (grandpa) made him.  It was a custom wooden chess set.  He crafted the board and turned the pieces on his lathe.  I had seen his making it in stages over the last year or so (maybe less, he will inform me of the correct timeline.)  I think it turned out amazing!

Jayden was pretty excited about it and asked to play a game right away!

My office at work has been undergoing a massive remodel.  The final stages of the new sales stations was completed while I was on vacation, so I came back to a new home.  We all have electronic desks that move up and down so we can opt to sit or stand at preset heights.  We selected spots in order of seniority and I got a lovely location with a large window.  I really like having so much natural light.  The sun would be a factor in the morning depending on the weather and time of year, but then we just draw the shades.

The foyer was formerly our front counter entrance and will be removed sometime in the near future.  This will really open up the view.  There are a lot of other exciting changes happening.  It's going to be a fun year at Discount Steel!

Spring Break: Part 4

Thursday was our actual 10 year wedding anniversary.  My parent's watched the kids so we could go out to dinner.  I thought we may do something a little fancy, but Jimmy found this kitschy place.  Manny's Original Chophouse is the "Best Place," at least according to the sign over the front door.  It had a Texas Roadhouse type vibe and menu.  We waited about 30 minutes to be seated, which is easy when it's 75 outside.

Can't believe this guy has put up with me for a decade!

I ordered a fancy mango drink, because, why not, we're celebrating! (I am not usually a big drinker)

They started us off with warm rolls and cinnamon butter with a salad hand tossed at the table.

I ordered the coconut shrimp and Jimmy chose the 18 oz ribeye! Our server was great and even guessed where we were from (ya sure, you betcha!)

Next, Jimmy located a nearby Krispy Kreme.  We never skip a stop if we get within reasonable driving distance.  We pulled up and the hot light was on.  This may be top 10 exciting things one can ever experiance.  Nothing beats getting a fresh original glazed off the line.  We ordered a dozen, then got two additional free ones when we told them how far away from the closest store is.  They were still hot when we got back to the house.  Everyone loved that treat!

Friday was our last full day of vacation.  The kid's aren't quite ready for the full Disney experience, so we went to Disney Springs.  It is an outdoor mall with lots of shops, restaurants and entertainment.  Our first stop was the Candy Cauldron.  We got a Dumbo cookie for later and a bundle of Mickey Mouse suckers.

They had stores for almost all of the big Disney brands, like Marvel and Star Wars.  You could even customize your own lightsaber.

Parker found a pond with a wheel that turned a corkscrew to deliver water to the top.  He got to play with it for a long time before another child came along.  It's exciting when he finds something that peaks his interest.

We had a morning snack of poutine (didn't taste as good as it sounded) and a Strike It Rich Sundae from Ghirardelli.  It had butter pecan and vanilla ice cream, butterscotch sauce, handmade fudge, whipped cream, nuts (I thought they were pecans, but the official description says almonds) and a cherry on top!

We stopped to burn some energy at the splash pad.  We didn't have the kid's suits, but they dried off quickly in the sun. Each of the water spout openings was shaped like Mickey ears.

The kids and grandpa all sported their Nebraska gear.  Jimmy and I didn't get the memo about wearing red.  We ordered a pizza from Blaze for lunch before leaving.

We took a couple more swims before packing up for our 9am flight on Saturday.

After a couple mini meltdowns in the security line and while waiting 20 minutes for Burger King, the kids got some breakfast in before boarding the first flight.

We had the same seat configuration on the way home. I was with the kids in one row, with Jimmy across the aisle on the first flight, and we were two and two on the final flight.  Pretty uneventful, which we were thankful for.

One more snooze as we landed back at home.  We are all ready for our own beds.

Here is the video compilation from our whole trip.  It went way better than either of us could have hoped for.  Just one minor hiccup with Parker's knee, but he probably doesn't have any recollection of that now.  It will probably be a few years before our next big trip, but this is one to remember!

Spring Break: Part 3

The kids went to Club Ocean for a couple hours that afternoon.  There were only a few kids since it was a port day.  We went swimming and ate lunch from the sandwich shop before hearing a page to give them a call.  By the time we got up there, Esme had calmed down, but we picked them up anyway.  We got a front row seat to watch the elevators and listen to the violins before dinner. This was date night for Jimmy and myself.  My mom came over to our room to stay with the kids.  They were sleeping already, so it was a pretty easy gig.

We perused the shops on board, then went to the Love and Marriage show.  I couldn't convince Jimmy to volunteer to participate.  They chose a newly married, middly married and oldly married couple to participated in a Newlywed Game type competition.  It was hilarious and so fun!

Wednesday morning we docked in Freeport.  I caught the port captain being dropped off to guide us in.  We were in a very industrial area here, Nassau was very commercial.

You could really see the beauty of it once the sun came up.

There were a few shops just off the boat, so we walked around for a bit.  Parker had woken up with a limp, so he wasn't in too much of a hurry.  Esme really wanted a stuffed animal she saw and had a meltdown when I took it away.  We were back on the boat before 10 and got dressed to go swimming.  By this time, Parker didn't want to put any weight on his leg.  He was telling us it hurt, but couldn't fully communicate what was happening.  

I decided not to take chances and we went down to deck 1 where the medical center was.  We checked in with the nurse and filled out some paperwork.  I was trying to hold it together, but got a little teary.  We waited about 30 minutes before seeing the doctor.  He was from South Africa and started by doing a physical exam.  He noted some swelling in Parker's knee and could tell by his behavior that it was painful.  He was able to rule out dislocation and tendon issues right away and ordered some e-rays to check the bones.

It took some effort to keep him still, but they got three clean images.  The initial review of those was good, but they would be sent ashore for final reading.  The final step was doing a blood draw to measure his white blood cell count.  An elevated number would indicate infection.  I sat on the bid and bear hugged him while a doctor held his legs, a nurse held his arm, and another doctor took the sample.  This came back clear as well and they said it was likely a twist or sprain.  We got some Ibuprofen for the road and were ready to break out.  Everyone was so kind, gentle, and patient with us, I could not imagine a better experience given the circumstances.

 

Parker and I stopped at the pizza place to get some lunch and brought it back to the room for Esme.  Jimmy took her swimming while we visited the doctor.  It seemed like we might be able to get her to take a nap (we did!), so Parker and I strolled to the pool for a soak while Jimmy hung out with her in the room.

I carried Parker to the hot tub for a relaxing soak.  A brief rain shower had cleared it out nicely just before we arrived.  We hopped back and forth between here and the pool for about an hour.

I had tacos for lunch and then we explored the ship while waiting for Esme to wake up.  I found a outside area on deck three where we could watch for Grandpa and Nana to return from their scooter adventure around the island.

We took another pre-dinner dip once everyone was back on board.

I finally got to go down the water slide as well.  I went 4 times and dragged up my dad, Tegan, and Jimmy.

Here is that great picture of the view from our dinner table.  You could feel the rumble of the engines, but it wasn't too distracting.

The wind and waves picked up once we got back to our room.  They ended up closing off most of the outside decks because of how much the boat was rocking.  I ventured up to the 12th deck to return the Club Ocean phone and it was really crazy up there!  We watched them tie up at Port Canaveral and finished the rest of our packing.  Here are a few pictures of our room.  It was a little tight, but did the trick for a short cruise.  We may have gotten stir crazy on a longer journey.

Parker and I stopped back at the medical center to get our final paperwork, then fought the crowds to get off the boat.  I had all of our passports, so Jimmy and Esme were stuck and had to wait for us.  Once out, it was a quick shuttle back to the van.  We had a little time to burn before checking in to our house, so my dad drove to the University of Central Florida.  This is the former school of the current Nebraska football coach, Scott Frost.

We had a minor miscommunication with the VRBO contact, but were able to access the house by 1:00.  Everyone hopped in the pool for a swim and some friendly competition.  Parker was able to touch, so Esme wore the vest we brought from home.

Up Next: Anniversary dinner, Disney Springs, flying home