Weekend getaway to Boca Raton...

One of the things the boys were most excited about in regards to our move to Florida was the opportunity they'd have to play water polo for a second season during their freshman year. We had no idea how much they'd actually get to play in games since there was only one boys team and Connor and Ty turned out to be the only two freshmen on it but as things turned out, their coach, who has been so gracious and welcoming since before we even moved out, has also been really complimentary of the boys for not only their skills but for their desire to get better and hear feedback. Much like their previous coaches, we often hear how "teachable" they both are which as a mom makes me a bit happy!!! So when we got to see them both get in the water during the first water polo game here in Florida, I was so happy for them. From that first game on, they've been included on every game roster which was a compliment in itself.

As it turned out, their first away game was a Friday-Saturday tournament in Boca Raton. We decided to pull Sage out of school and turn it into a mini weekend getaway for the whole family. What a great time we all had. Introducing #12 and #14...



Our little camera girl helping out Coach with video taping...



A sight that always brings about a smile...During one of the breaks between games Jack and I hit the beach in Boca Raton!



Since the tournament ended Saturday night, I organized an air boat tour in the northern Everglades (Loxahatchee) for early Sunday morning. I booked through West Palm Beach Airboat Rides and although our private tour had a bit of a redneck feel was much pricier than I would have expected, we all agreed it was a lot of fun. It really is crazy how these boats glide across such shallow water, even just mud at times. I can say we've seen enough alligators in the wild to last a lifetime.



Next it was time to hit the beach. We loved driving through all the beachside communities, starting in Boca and ending near West Balm Beach. We made note of a couple areas we'd love to spend a weekend and return to like Delray Beach. Note to self though: check President Trump's schedule of when he's in town because we learned that when he's in town access to many of the great beach communities can be tricky if not impossible. Here was our happy place...



After a great afternoon at the beach we managed to stop in on our way home to see our sweet friends the Schrecengost's who moved to Jupiter last fall. They spoiled us with a fabulous dinner and how fun it was to see their beautiful home and hear about their adventures since moving to Florida.

Florida living...

Just another Saturday in January! Seriously I still can't believe this is our winter weather. Here we are enjoying a day at Aquatica. It was our first time at this SeaWorld park and what a great park it is. They took such good care of us too hooking us up with a cabana and all sorts of treats! One thing is for certain, we have no excuse for ever claiming to have had a boring weekend during our time here...

Back to school...or not...

Sometimes things just aren't easy. And registering for school in Florida was one of those times. Back in October when I was out making house selections, Jack and I had unsuccessfully attempted to register the boys for high school thinking by doing it then, it would be one less thing we'd have to worry about come January. Well, that wasn't going to happen. And after such a terrible experience at the registration office we determined there was no way we'd pull the kids out midway through the year to deal with what could be a nightmare. We were definitely not in Mason any longer. Surprisingly though, when we proposed to the boys the idea of finishing out the school year in Mason, they were not happy. It was evident they had already mentally prepared and were excited about the move, being able to play a second season of water polo their freshman year, and escaping the cold Ohio weather. Poor Sage who did want to stay was outnumbered and after asking them all to think about it for a weekend, the boys insisted we stick to the plan of moving and really they were the ones we were most worried about. So here we are trying to register the boys for school the day before students start back up and it was as dreadful as the first time I attempted to register them. If the house had been progressing as planned perhaps things would have been easier to deal with but compound our school situation with our housing situation and I was beginning to feel defeated. Even with all my paperwork in hand we still burned through three days of dealing with everything from a disorganized registrars office to registrars that probably should have retired a decade ago to having to wait FIVE hours to finally meet with a registrar to having to return the following day to select classes and then having to wait almost a week for them to be issued their laptops. Private school started looking better by the minute but that would be no easy process either as there is even more paperwork and testing, not to mention tens of thousands of dollars to get that process started. Finally the boys got their schedules only to realize after their first full day that they already had been taught what was being taught. Needless to say it was back to the dreadful registrars office to upgrade every core class that wasn't already an honors class. Of course nothing about this was going to be easy including the fact the school is about twenty minutes away so every morning I have to drive them to seminary at around 5:40. Then I'm back picking them up at 5 after water polo ends at a pool that is even farther away for us. I can't tell you how happy I'll be not only when our house is done but when their brand new high school is done which will be next fall and will thankfully be located just five minutes from our house! The bright star in all of this has been their water polo coach. She and I had been communicating long before we arrived and already she has had our back and is looking out for the boys and the boys are really enjoying playing here.

Next up was Sage. Things appeared to go quite smoothly on her end. We got her registration materials dropped off at her school, the registrar was warm and lovely to Sage, and although they asked Sage not to attend on the first day of school but rather the following day so all the new kids wouldn't get lost in the shuffle, it seemed like it was going to be great...until we got the unexpected call the next day alerting us Sage was registered at the wrong school! We then found ourselves back to square one with her and delayed yet another day in getting her into school. The jury is out on what we think about the schools here but I am happy to report that all three of them seem to be adjusting well.

Sage and I determined there are far worse ways to spend your days waiting to get back into school...Florida in January has it's advantages...



Finally she's in school!



Thankfully after that disastrous first week, Jack arranged for a great day for us at Busch Gardens in Tampa where we felt a lot of love. It was the kids first time there and what a fun day we had despite it starting off a bit wet (the first bit of rain we'd seen since arriving to FL)! It's not everyday you get to feed a giraffe, hold a sloth, pet a tarantula and kiss flamingos! Definitely a way to lift the spirits from the past week.






This is not your ordinary drop tower. Once at the top it turns your chair facing down towards the ground and drops you before bringing you back to your upright position just before getting to the bottom. A true skydiving experience...lol! Definitely a way to take your mind off other things...

Happy New Year and hello 2017!

How great it was to be able to spend our first day of 2017 at the beach and even better was we got to spend it with friends from Ohio (Andrea, Eyk, Julius and Johannes). When Andrea and I first figured out they'd be returning from their cruise right around the time we'd be in Orlando we knew we had to meet up. So glad it worked out!

Goodbye 2016...

After a hectic few days getting settled in our apartment how nice it was to get out and ring in the new year! In many ways 2016 has been a fabulous year but not without a few bumps in the road. Jack and I kicked off the year traveling to Maui in Jan. In March he was invited to come down to Orlando to interview with SeaWorld Entertainment. In April we took our amazing trip to the Philippines. In June Jack finished working at Luxottica and started at SeaWorld. The week before he started we all came down to Florida for a house hunting trip. Although we were unsuccessful in finding a house on that first trip, SeaWorld spoiled us that same week with VIP treatment at the parks which really got the kids excited. In July, Jack met us out in Utah for a summer vacation. After some time there the two of us jumped back on a plane to Florida for a second house hunting trip. During that trip we signed on a piece of land and with a builder with the hope of being in our new house by June 2017. We closed on the land in September. For the next six months Jack commuted between Orlando and Cincinnati while the kids completed the first semester of the school year in Ohio. It was a decision we struggled with, wasn't ideal, but looking back was definitely the right thing. In October I joined Jack in Orlando to make house selections, and in December we officially moved down to Orlando. And now, here we are, starting a new adventure in albeit tight quarters but as a family! As excited though as we are to be in Florida, it will feel much more real once we are settled in our home. In the meantime though we'll take every opportunity to get out and enjoy beautiful Florida! So that was 2016 in a really small nutshell!

So it would only make sense we'd ring in the new year at SeaWorld! Nothing beats parking behind Shamu stadium and being in the park within a minute. Happy New year!

The calm before the storm...

There is plenty to miss in Ohio but one thing we are not missing at all is the weather! As we waited for the moving truck to arrive here in Florida, we enjoyed a wonderful day at Discovery Cove. It was a perfect way to unwind before the storm of the moving truck arrived...




Another evening we made our way over to SeaWorld to enjoy their holiday festivities. It's really amazing how beautiful and done up the parks get for the Christmas season. But again it felt so weird to be out and about in shorts in December!!!



After a great week off from cooking, cleaning, and worry, the moving truck arrived and reality was about to kick in. At first glance our apartment complex is really lovely. Huge modern club house with infinity pool overlooking a small lake, that has a real resort type feel. The place is only a few years old so still has a very new look to it. Well, we hadn't seen our apartment beforehand. The only thing we knew was that it was three bedrooms (the largest offered) and we had upgraded to a lake view unit. Even after being so conservative in what I had the movers bring to the apartment, it was still very clear it wasn't all going to fit. We still have boxes piled up on our balcony and inside. We ended up having to rent a second storage unit because of a shortage of space. Thankfully the storage unit is less than a mile from the apt., and is also new and air conditioned. Heaven knows though what shape our stuff will be in when it finally makes it to the house as one of the units is packed so tight with furniture on top of furniture that I couldn't help but imagine a bunch of broken dishes and ruined pieces of furniture. Already we had one casualty with a kitchen chair that was demolished. The movers assured me they knew what they were doing but I can't imagine we'll get out of that unit without a few disasters.

After shedding a few tears over the lack of space I keep trying to remind myself how much more exciting moving into the house will be. But at the pace the construction is going I just hope my little heart is able to survive long enough to actually see it completed...