Birthday Beach Party

Part of our trip to spend my birthday weekend with my parents had included a promise to Luke that we would take him to the beach. With my grandfather likely to pass at any minute, my parents ended up spending all of July 24 in Waycross with him, which is completely understandable and appropriate.

However, I knew that sitting around a medical compound waiting around for his great-grandfather to die was not the best way for Luke to spend his time. So, with my parents' blessing and encouragement, we stayed and took him to the beach while they traveled to be with Pa-Paw. I hated for them to miss it, since Luke loves the beach so much (and they love watching him enjoy it), but it seemed the most logical answer since we were not guaranteed any time to get to the beach after this point, with funerals and family clearly coming up immediately. We needed to let him have a little fun while there was time.

Unfortunately, the tides were not being cooperative. Melanoma Girl here can't go to the beach except in the mornings or in the evenings. Unfortunately, that coincided with low or lay tide on both the 24th and the 25th. Tides wouldn't be decent until the 28th or so, and who knows if we would even still be there or have time to get to the beach. So we went, even knowing conditions were not ideal.

Look at how flat the water is! It was more like a lake; it was still enough that Luke could actually go out and swim in the ocean, something he had never really done before due to the currents.



He still managed to have some fun, but I know he was disappointed at the severe lack of wave action, and it broke my heart.

My grandfather actually did not pass away on my birthday but on the following day. That gave my parents time to come home and present me with an ice cream birthday cake they had picked up on their way back to the house. I was really touched, since I had expected nothing with all of the chaos of the day. The next few days were wrapped up in funeral arrangements and the actual burial, with lots of extended family in town. After everyone else had departed, we ended up with the evening of July 28th unexpectedly free.

And with high tide coming in and not due until 7, we packed a bunch of leftovers in a cooler and headed to the beach for waves and a picnic.

Much better!

Currently feeling: having a beachy birthday

Savannah 2015

June was a pretty busy month for us, and we were afraid the summer was going to slip away without any type of vacation. So, we decided on a long weekend in Savannah with my parents in conjunction with my birthday. Dad really wanted to take Luke to Fort Pulaski.

It reminded me a lot of Fort Warren in Boston, which I guess shouldn't be a surprise, even if this was a Confederate fort and Fort Warren (obviously) was not. Mr. Minecraft couldn't resist the anvil on display (we didn't let him actually strike it, just pose with the hammer).

Great shot of the arches by my father. That's Luke all the way down there by the cannon.

See! (This is cropped from the above picture. Yes, he does have an awesome camera!)

I think one of Luke's favorite things about forts like this is that you are allowed to climb on and touch just about anything! This was taken at the top of one of the far walls.

It was shaping up to be a hot and humid day, and we knew we would be racing the rain. We decided to do all of the outside stuff first and save the indoor museum for last. But first, it's time to eat! Although we did go to the Mighty 8th Museum back in 2009, we never ventured closer to the coast than I-95, so this was really Luke's first ever visit to Savannah. Obviously, there was only one place we could eat for lunch:

Fried shrimp for the men-folk, and broiled shrimp for the ladies. YUM! Then it was time to do something new for everyone, the "new since the last time I was there as a teenager" Georgia State Railroad Museum.

They have several locomotives and cars on display, and they have a short piece of track on which they run either a real steam or diesel engine. We were lucky enough to get steam on our day!

They also have a hand car that guests can pump (with a museum employee running the brake and the reverse lever). Luke absolutely had to try it!

Yes, there's video!



They finished just in time for the rain to start, so we packed up and headed inland to the Mighty 8th Museum. Luke was 5 the last time we went, and he doesn't remember anything at all about it. I did a terrible job taking pictures, but I did get the most important one.

I understand your confusion. It doesn't seem very important, does it? Oh, but it is! For this:

I think he's grown a little bit, what do you think? It's not a perfect match on the camera angles, but given that I had forgotten to look at the original photo before we went, I don't think I did too badly.

We ended the day with dinner at one of our favorite Savannah pizza joints, Lovezzola's in Pooler. We were all hot and tired and hungry, but it was a good day. Thank goodness, because things were about to take a dramatic downturn.

As we left Savannah, the heavens opened and started dumping oceans of water on us as we got on the interstate. I haven't been in rain like that in probably a decade or more. You literally could not see any further ahead than the car in front of you, which in this case was my parents with my son in their vehicle. We just took it slow, but it took nearly 90 minutes to make what should have been only a 60 minute trip, at most.

And in the midst of all of this, the day before my birthday, we got the call we have been expecting for over a year: the care home where my grandfather stays called to say he had taken a turn for the worse and they did not expect him to make it through the night. It was not unexpected, but the timing was still pretty crummy He did make it though the night, and through my birthday as well, but he died late on the morning of July 25. How appropriate that the last thing we did before he passed was visit the museum honoring the airmen of WWII, who he supported during the war, at the last place we all visited with him as a family.

Rest in peace, Pa-Paw. You will be dearly missed.

Currently feeling: up in the air

July 4th, A Few Days Early

Luke is finally able to stay up until about 10 PM on very rare occasions (woe be unto you if you attempt it more than once or twice a year), so I wanted to actually try and do fireworks for July 4th this year. But we did them on July 2 instead!

Stone Mountain usually does their "July 4th" fireworks for 2-3 days near the Fourth. With the Fourth on a Saturday this year, I figured the days would be Friday and Sunday. I checked the availability for Friday, but they were requiring a two-night stay at double the usual per-night price. We didn't need to stay two nights, and we couldn't afford four-times the cost of what a single night is usually priced. Then I noticed the show dates for 2015: July 2-5. Really?

So I called the hotel to be sure. Yes, indeed! Not only were they also doing the show Thursday night, but a Thursday night stay at the hotel was regular price and did NOT require two nights. Score! Plus, I figured they would be less busy Thursday than Friday.

There were a fair number of people there, but I'm sure nothing like it would have been Friday through Sunday. We arrived a bit before lunch and roamed around.

The picture they took before we went up didn't turn out half bad other than we were all sweating (it wasn't all that hot, but it was about 1000% humidity), so we picked that up. It's better in person; it doesn't scan very well.

Luke decided he wanted to do the SkyHike. I don't think he realizes what a sacrifice this was for my husband. I certainly didn't realize he was so afraid of heights until he got down and was clearly pale and shaken. (I'm guessing he may not have fully realized it, either. Sorry, honey!) I can assure that this is the last time my husband will ever do it. Guess Luke will have to do with next time with Nana until I lose enough weight to feel comfortable up there. (There is a weight limit. I am under it, but not by very much, and I'd rather be a bit further under it for my own peace of mind.)



They were between 10 and 15 feet ( m) off the ground at all times during this course, and it took them over 30 minutes to get all the way through. We also did the train (I always forget how boring the train ride is; Duck Boats are better, but they are not included with the day pass). The we grabbed some dinner and picked out a spot on the lawn to wait. Luke spent about half his time playing with some of the other kids (ranging in age from about 6-12) and doing this (of course):

The laser show was fun, as usual. They've added a few new things since we were last there. And the fireworks were quite good, though a little thin in a couple of spots. Our room package came with park tickets good for two days, so we intended to get up early and do stuff hopefully before the crowds started rolling in.

What we didn't know is that there was a storm rolling in. A HUGE ONE! It was actually raining when we took this picture above, but it was mostly covered by trees, so we stayed relatively dry. (The building behind him looks hazy because of the rain.) We hoped it might blow through, but after 90 minutes of raining and checking the forecast, we realized there was no chance of getting in any outdoor activities. It actually rained out the fireworks both Friday and Saturday nights. I'm so glad we decided to go Thursday!

My parents joined us Friday evening, and we did sparklers (these are actually called Morning Glories) on Saturday, July 4, in between rain storms.

Not a bad way to spend our 17th wedding anniversary!

Hope you had a happy 4th!
Currently feeling: patriotic

Dark Lord Funk - Uptown Funk Parody

Most of you know that I am not huge on watching YouTube. I know people (including my son) who can and do spend hours on there, but it is really just not my thing. However, a friend posted this on Facebook, and it is so awesome, I absolutely have to share it. Whoever managed to weave in the John Williams "Hedwig's Theme" (what most people think of as "the Harry Potter theme") was brilliant!


Currently feeling: amazed at the cleverness of people

Dona Nobis Pacem

Image Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos
Apparently, there is this thing going around called "Throwback Thursday." On Facebook, it typically manifests itself as people posting old pictures they have. It's been really fun to see, though I've only done it once. I doubt it will become a regular thing for me (I usually forget) on Facebook or here, but I couldn't resist this one when it struck me.

A friend posted this YouTube video on her Facebook feed today.



Talk about a throwback! I haven't sung that song since I was in the 7th grade; that was 25+ years ago. We used it as one of our warm up pieces in chorus. There were separate 7th and 8th grade chorus teachers, so it was only for that one school year, but I did sing it nearly every single day during those 9-ish months. Even after all this time, every note immediately came flooding back as if I'd sung it every single day since then. It really made me smile. It also made me realize how little I sing anymore. Maybe I should change that....

Currently feeling: warm and fuzzy, and like singing

A Cat's Guide To Taking Care Of Your Human

My husband showed us this over the Thanksgiving holiday. I literally laughed until I cried! I even had to stop it at one point because I was laughing so hard that I no longer had any idea what they were saying. Too funny! Hope you enjoy.



Currently feeling: I resemble that remark

Do I Work at the Tower of Terror?

Remember the storm that knocked out power to our house last week? This video was circulating at work this morning. Note the building on the far left. That's the building I work in. Video is only 11 seconds, and safe for work.



It seems to strike on the North-facing wall, near the northwest corner, somewhere around the 40th floor. I sit on the 39th floor and can see that window from my cube!! WAY too close for comfort. That had to be terrifying if anyone was on my floor near that wall. I think maybe I'm glad I was home with no power.
Currently feeling: no thanks!

Happy Birthday, Nana

After calling my mom this evening and helping me sing "Happy Birthday" to her over the phone, Luke made these all by himself, with no prompting. When he came in and showed them to me, he asked if we could make a video for Nana. Yes, yes we can! (Everything is not in the correct orientation, but it's hard to do upside down!)



Happy birthday, Nana! We love you!

Currently feeling: hoping she had a great day

Bowling, Take 1

We attended a birthday party for Luke's friend C today. I believe it is only only Luke's 3rd time ever bowling. He's been twice before (once a year) with his summer camp daycare program. I'd never been to Stars and Strikes before. It's quite amazing. Bowling, arcade games, bumper cars, and laser tag.



When he was getting his shoes, the woman asked what size shoe he wore. He didn't know, so he glanced back at me. I held up five fingers, so that's what he told her. "No, honey, you don't wear a size 5 shoe." Um, yes he does! The sneakers he had on at that moment were size 5.5, and I knew the bowling shoes were in "paired" sizes, so he needed a 5/6. "That means his foot is almost as big as mine!" she said. Yes, yes it is. (A boy's/men's size 5 is equal to a US woman's size 7, which I believe is about a women's British size 4.5 and women's European size 37.5.)



I didn't get many good pictures of him bowling. The ones of him playing bumper cars were better. The bumper cars are actually more like hover craft. The boys all thought they were just SO COOL! (Luke has only bowled and played games at Stars and Strikes, so this was his first time in the bumper cars.)



Managed to get a decent video, too.



Each party attendee also received a few dollars/points worth of game play on their cards. He got to play "full size" Fruit Ninja (as opposed to the cell phone version) and one of my personal favorites: Ski Ball!



It was really fun, and everyone seemed to have a blast. But as the title suggests, this was only our first bowling trip of the week. We were set for another round of bowling at Stars and Strikes on Thursday with Cub Scouts.

Currently feeling: ready for more