The Last Drive to Florida

    We had a really wonderful time at Walt Disney World. Our girls met over 19 characters,  went on Dumbo four times, and ate Mickey Mouse waffles every morning. Our older girls had ample access to roller coasters and other thrilling rides.  I even found a new favorite ride that was safe despite my pregnancy...Soarin' at Epcot, which is hang glider simulator. I love the feeling of flying! At the end of the week, I think that running throughout my pregnancy made a huge difference in my stamina at Walt Disney World because I did just fine with all the walking.
     While we were driving down here, I was reminded of the times in my childhood that we drove to Florida, and specifically the last time I had driven to Florida.  It was back when I was only 12 years old. My dad had been sick with cancer for a couple of years; but after two radical neck surgeries to remove the tumors, we were hopeful that he would beat the cancer. Still, there was the nagging thought in the back of our heads that this might be the end of the cancer. I remember being annoyed that we spent four days driving to Florida and another four days driving back from Florida. We actually only spent three days in Florida, even though my parents called it our Florida trip. My brother and I affectionately termed it the "trip TO Florida" because we spent so much time driving...we wanted to hang out with our cousins in Florida instead of stopping at every welcome center on the way down and back. Looking back now, I understand more why we traveled that way. I wonder if my dad knew this would be last time he would ever see this part of the country in this life. My uncle lived in Sarasota, and my mom and dad often drove down in their 26 years of marriage.  In fact, that was where they went on their honeymoon.  This was my dad's last chance to show us some things that he loved. He wanted the chance to show us Opryland, and paid for the fanciest hotel there that I can ever remember staying in...EVER. There was even a huge fountain in the middle of it. I wonder if this is why he insisted on us trying every variety of Goo-Goo Clusters...his favorite candy that was unavailable in Illinois at the time.  I wonder if that is why he took time to stop and have me feel the spanish moss on the trees at a welcome center to Florida despite my mom's look of concern over it. I remember getting my first chance to ride up front with my dad in our car and to navigate him with the atlas. It was the first time I really understood how to read a map. I'll never forget all the things he showed me. Although my brother and I were usually fighting, I remember buying Hubba Bubba and him teaching me how to blow bubbles for the first time on that trip.
      This trip with my family has been a great memory; and so when they wanted to feel the Spanish moss, we encouraged them. When my lizard loving girl discovered the brown anoles all over Disney World, we stopped repeatedly to let her attempt catching them, and we stopped to let our girls wonder at the gorgeous butterfly next to the train station at Magic Kingdom. We let the girls meet that one more character they'd been dying to meet even when we had planned to leave at that point. We really never know when our time is up. This could be our last trip to Florida, so we want them to have precious memories to reflect back on someday too when my husband and I are gone from this world. 
     This last week, I was once again reminded of the fragility of life when my friend said goodbye to her five year old that died of a rare form of brain cancer. I remember talking to her for the first time when her five year old was just a baby (which happened to be her third child), and I was pregnant with our third child too. She gave me some advice on a stroller we were considering purchasing, and we continued our friendship over the years (and through a couple more pregnancies ). Our little girls were even in the same class at church. I found out about her daughter's cancer on my daughter's fourth birthday.  It made me stop, and remember to hold her just a little longer and forgive some of the things she had done that week that annoyed me. This week when I told my little girl about her friend's death, she asked if she hurt anymore. She remembered her having horrible headaches in her class and being in pain. I told her most assuredly that she did not. She's in heaven now, and I can't help being a little jealous. I'd love the chance to tell my dad how much I value that last "trip TO Florida".

Giving up

      Some days are great, and I feel so blessed to be alive and just be me. Other days are awful. Today was awful. This morning,  I began my day by finding out my hubby had run out of a necessary clothing item. Oops!  Then, I was greeted by a pee accident on the floor of my daughter's bedroom. It had gone all through the carpet to the sub-flooring beneath, and I had to move the bed frame in order to allow the floor to dry. (At this point, I was hollering for God's help!) Next a poopy diaper leaked on my stairs when I tossed it down. This all happened 15 minutes before I was supposed to leave. I didn't keep my cool, and I wasn't on time for the girl's art class. I had to apologize several times.
     I thought I just had a rough start, but after getting groceries, more "fun" ensued. I put my daughter in charge of our dog, so I could get tweezers from inside  to remove a tick on a cat. When I came down, she confessed she had forgotten she was in charge of the dog...and we had no idea where he was. A few minutes later, he sheepishly wandered up the driveway with something dark brown all over the front half of his body. It smelled very much like some foul poop. Oh how I love my keen sense of smell during pregnancy. It's all I could do to keep from vomitting. My negligent daughter had the job of bathing him; but when he escaped from the bathroom, I dragged him back to the shower myself. That's when I noticed the tick embedded in his ear. I've successfully taken out several since our move, but this one came apart piece by piece. Our dog lost quite a bit of hair around the site due to my trouble, and he still smelled awful.  At that point, I just gave up on my day going any better. I relaxed, and realized it would all be over soon...eventually bedtime will come. I always aim to have our school done by early afternoon,  but today it wasn't done till 6pm--not a shining example of the joys of homeschooling, but we did have fun playing a couple of card games during math for my second grader that taught sums of ten. Sometimes it is easier to just give up your notions of how your day should go, enjoy the good moments that are there, and laugh at the bad ones.
     I'm super thrilled that we will be taking advantage of Disney homeschool days next week, and a vacation sounds really, really good after a day like today.