Florida Connection - Finis

(Note: Long ago I found a way to change the date on my posts - so instead of being dated when I publish them, I can have them chronologically dated for when the events happened.  While keeping things in order, this means that not every entry was posted in a timely fashion.  Take this one, for example.  In real-time, it's June.  I only mention this because I know I haven't been updating regularly - it's been, say... five months or so?? - and I have more entries in queue.  Bear with me while I get back to this whole blogging thing, will you?  I mean, if the twelve or thirteen of you haven't gone off and abandoned me already since I've neglected your trust in me to provide... something... more frequently than TWICE A YEAR...  Ahem.)
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We spent our last evening having dinner with family friends I haven't seen for more than 20 years.  (It doesn't seem right that I'm old enough to have known someone that long ago.)  In a complete coincidence (and thanks to Facebook), we found that Sam and Pam were in Florida for vacation at the same time we were there for Greg's running mania.  I'm absolutely amazed, and a bit shocked, that we could be so far from home and hook up with friends from Idaho (of all places), just because a picture from Olive Garden was posted on Facebook.  How cool is that?!? 

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous - I mean, what am I going to say to these folks after so much time?  And what do I call them?  I mean, I'm an adult now, but they were adults when I was a child so is using first names acceptable?  But Mr. and Mrs. just sounds way too formal...  And I also admit to being a little concerned that they wouldn't approve of me in some way.  (I choose to think that was a throwback to my childhood days and remembered authority figures, rather than an indication of deep-seated self-doubt.)  It didn't help my nerves that we were running behind, went to the wrong pickup spot, then had to backtrack to finally get connected.

As soon as we were together, it was easy as pie.  We spent the few hours we had catching up on family goings-on and glossing over the intervening years of separation.  Almost like going back in time, only better because now I can more fully enjoy the interaction.  They're almost unchanged from what I remember - or else my new memories are superimposed over my old ones - a little grayer around the temples, perhaps, but still the same. Amazing to think of how time has passed, and so totally wonderful that we could get together - I was sad when our time together ended, but glad of the new memories we have.  God bless and keep you, Sam and Pam.

It's been an amazing trip.  Between the sightseeing, getting acquainted with friends, Greg's running accomplishments, and the wonderful surprise of connecting with old friends, it's almost hard to leave.  And yet... home beckons.  Not the cold (it's been below zero for almost the whole time we've been gone), but the friends and family who are waiting for us.  And, I suppose, the knowledge that I have not yet found the job that will pay me to not work.

And so we're down to the final adventure: the trip home, where I almost lost my wallet, Greg shoplifted from the Disney store, we barely made one of the connecting flights, and I saw another new vending machine (with makeup, a mini boom box, sunglasses, and eye covers for sale).

After we checked our bags and were heading for security, we decided to use the restrooms.  From there, we stopped at the Disney store to browse for souveniers.  I found some chocolate covered pretzels but when I was heading up to the counter, discovered my wallet was missing.  I handed everything to Greg - rather abruptly, I might add - and raced back to the restroom, praying all the way that someone had turned it in, and where is the lost and found anyway? I don't care if they take the money, just please, please leave the ID so I can get home...  Miracle of miracles (thank you, Lord), my wallet was on the floor just outside the stall I'd used, where it must have fallen out of my pocket.  I gathered the recalcitrant item (and my racing heart, and my dropped stomach) and headed back to find Greg, only to discover that he had followed me out of the store and half way down the long hallway.  I marched him back into the Disney store so we could pay for the pilfered items, and then we were on our way home.  (To be fair, I guess the pretzels got wrapped up in my coat, so Greg didn't even realize I'd handed him an item from the store.  But it's much more fun to say that he shoplifted...)  Only one delay, one mad-dash race to the gate for the connecting flight, and now we're home, dreaming of sunny, warm Florida while attempting to avoid frostbite from the frigid weather.

Another Vending Machine

Found this one in the mall.  Will wonders never cease?

GeoWoodstock, Sheri, and all that Jazz...

The onset of this trip was fraught with stress.  Somehow I misread the departure/arrival times for our flight and thought we were leaving for Seattle at 5pm and arriving at 9pm on Wednesday (06/30) - instead we left at 1:30pm and arrived at 5:50pm, a WORLD of difference for us and for Sheri (who picked us up).  I took Greg to work (at 4am!), went back to sleep intending to get up at 8:30am, and woke in a panic at 10am - when I was supposed to be picking Greg up from work (so we could get food before going to the airport).  An hour late, we were on the way directly to the airport instead - sans breakfast.  It worked out okay - made it through security, met Aaron for lunch at Chili's, got to the gate a few minutes before they started boarding...  and we're on our way!!

I got pictures of two new vending machines I'd never seen before: Best Buy, where you can get iPods and games; and a lottery vending machine.  The trip to Seattle is going to be a whirlwind - is there any other kind of trip when Greg's around?  I call it the trip to Seattle, but we're actually not going to spend much time there (if we go at all).  We arrived at SeaTac last night, had dinner in the Renton area (Olive Garden, YUM!), then headed down to Portland to spend the night there.  Got some tasty beverages for the road.  Of course I had to have my Rock Star, but we found a new one we just had to try.  It's actually pretty tasty - although you might never guess by the name: Kickapoo Joy Juice, the Original Dogpatch Recipe.

Early this morning, we left our comfortable beds at the O_EL to get breakfast with one of Greg's cousins, then meet friends to do some geocaching.  The main purpose of this trip is to attend GeoWoodstock - a major geocaching event, where loads of people are descending on the area to... get together and cache?  Something like that.  I'm a day behind in my post - haven't covered anything from today, but it's midnight here and we're going to be starting early again tomorrow.  So I'll leave you tonight with some teasers...

Whirlwind - The Return

It's hard to believe the weekend is over already - even though I know that regular weekends go by super-quick, and extraordinary weekends would therefore go quicker. I'm trying not to think about having to be at work tomorrow morning (a thought I struggle with every Sunday...). =) Greg & Sheri made the trek to the storage container to get the couch, while I stayed at the apartment to pack (and to sleep a little longer).

From there, we split the group. Sara had lots of things to get done before work, so she stayed home while the rest of us headed out to Puyallup via the lighthouse that's in the girls' neighborhood. Greg got a cool picture of the (rather plain) lighthouse, with a smiley faced tree in the foreground. Somehow I missed that entirely. We hooked up with Holly & Corey for a late lunch at the Olive Garden. (I've yet again heard rumors that we're going to get one - but I'll believe it when I see it, I guess...)

Sheri took off after lunch to run some errands - we'll hook up with Sara & Sheri on the way to the airport for what was going to be dinner, but will instead be desserts (since I was full of bread sticks and salad). Anyhow, Greg got in the rest of his shopping, and then we found a cache in a nearby park to give Holly,Corey, and the boyos their first find.

It was nice to spend the afternoon with them. I only wish we'd had more time. I always wish we had more time. More time for visiting, more time to spend with family, more time at the museum, more time to watch the leaves bloom.

We made it to the airport about an hour before the flight. Were intending to be there sooner, but we spent too much time visiting. I'd rather spend the time visiting than sitting in the airport reading and waiting. We were lucky and made it through security and to the gate with plenty of time to spare. Had enough time to pause and take a picture of a new vending machine. Lotto tickets from a vending machine - who'd have thought? =)

After note: Stacy was so kind as to pick us up at the airport at midnight - not just at the curb, but she actually parked and was waiting at baggage claim for us. How sweet! We got home just fine, and were unwinding (Greg was shoveling the snow that fell while we were gone) when I got a call from work. The volcano erupted earlier tonight - I need to go in to cover computers (I posted earlier here). How fortuitous! If I'd already gone to bed, I wouldn't have had my cell phone and would have missed the call. Additionally, flights after ours were rerouted or returned - so we were apparently lucky to have arrived at all. Looks like I'm back to work a little earlier than expected...

It was a *fantastic* weekend - a total blast! And now it's time to get back to my regularly scheduled life.

Whirlwind - Day Two, Sara's Birthday

Today was a busy, busy day - but *loads* of fun! We broke fast together at Sara's favorite breakfast joint, Black Bear Diner. The food was good, and they have some of the biggest biscuits I've ever seen!

We made reservations for dinner - three times, since I set one up for only 4 and we actually have 5 people. I called back to adjust the number in the party, but there wasn't a table to accommodate 5 until much later, so I canceled. Called back one more time because we decided the later time would actually work just fine for all of us. With that worked out, our group split up. Greg & Jeannea went caching and Sara & I went shopping. I found a milk vending machine at the mall - and they have leather couches for weary shoppers to rest on! Way more fancy that the wooden benches I'm used to.

From there, we hooked up with Sheri - she got off work early so she could spend a little more time with us while we were visiting. Yay! She's been in her new position for just a few weeks, so I got to see her new store and we went to a late lunch at one of the places within walking distance. The area she works in has lots of options for dining and a cool skyline. I took some pictures of some of the interesting looking buildings - I'll be updating my Flikr site with the extra pictures that I don't post here.

I also like that there are sculptures decorating the plazas and open areas. It's a very aesthetically pleasing area. Sher - I hope things go well for you in the new position and that you enjoy it! =)

We spent a few hours at the Rock Bottom Brewery, where we had lunch and visited. The three of us spent lots of time laughing... I don't even remember what we were laughing about, just that at one point Sheri was laughing so hard she was silent (and crying). Ahhh, fun times!

I like the cool architecture of the area and that there's so many things to go do and see. But you really have to plan for traveling. When I plan for things here, if I've got an extra hour I can go home - there, it would take almost an hour to get home, then you'd be late for wherever you were intending to go. And traffic. Here rush hour traffic can be a pain. But there? Rush hour traffic makes a 35 minute commute into almost two hours. Man, that's harsh! Definitely pays to live in the area you work in - but sometimes that's not feasible, so you're forced to spend more of your precious free time traveling in a car.

Those are some pretty big drawbacks, but I also noticed some pretty cool things too. Already mentioned the architecture and the soccer games at 11pm in March (previous post). I was also watching the world green up and bloom. In just the few days we were there, I saw leaves pop out and flowers bloom. In contrast to the cold and snow back home, it was extremely nice to enjoy wearing jackets. Even the rain wasn't that bad, since it was warm and changed to sunshine often enough that I was glad I brought sunglasses.

So we headed downtown to meet Greg & Jeannea for dinner. Sara took the route over the floating bridge - pretty cool. (I guess they've got more than one floating bridge, since we went over a different one on Saturday. Not something I would've thought of, since all our big water is tidal, so you can't build the bridges on the water. But floating bridges apparently work just fine over enclosed lake waters.) Got to park at Sara's work (and Jeannea's - they work for the same company) and walk a few blocks to the Space Needle. The Seattle skyline is another really cool view. We finished out the evening at the Space Needle. We arrived early enough that we could check out the view before the sun went down, and again after dinner when it was dark. An amazing view. Of the 1 to 2 dozen pictures I took, only four turned out because I just have the cheesy point-and-shoot camera (but it suits me, and I can fit it in my pocket instead of carrying a whole bag devoted to a camera and camera accessories - looks like I'm not getting into advanced photography anytime soon). The ones that turned out are pretty cool.

On tap for tomorrow: The Experience (Music Project and Science Fiction Museum) in downtown Seattle - Holly and boys are meeting us there; then roller derby - yeah, baby!

The Whirlwind Begins (Thursday)

I meant to get up earlier today, so I could get some stuff done before we left. I meant to leave work by 4pm, so I could be home, packed, and we could be at the airport by 5pm. I meant to eat dinner before we left the airport. The best laid plans of mice and men...

From the airplane

I got the last of my laundry in the dryer before I left for work. Then, after balancing meetings and last minute projects, and the daily minutia I left work by 4:20pm. (I really should tell myself to leave at least a half hour before I need to - that way maybe I'd be on time. Even though I know the "real" time I have to leave, if I'm aiming for earlier, maybe it would help me get out when I should instead of 20-30 minutes late... Can I trick myself? Can I tell myself one thing and know that I really mean something else and have it work out? Who knows, but maybe I should give it a shot next time...) Anyhow, now we're not so far behind, but not where I wanted to be either. James was at the house to pick us up before I even got home.

Dinner is served!

Packing went quickly, but since I didn't write things down we left things home. Meant to bring Jeannea's mail to her. We'll have to ship it. Meant to bring the sausage Greg picked up for someone. It's still in the freezer. Meant to have the last glass of apple beer from the growler. Will have to dump it out when we get home. Oh well. We made the flight. Yay!

Interesting airport finds

The flight went smoothly, and I got to read ~100 pages in a book that's been sitting on my desk for almost a year. That'll teach people to loan me books! =) Found a new vending machine in the Seattle airport - an equipment charger. Hmmm. That's new - but I can *totally* see how it might be handy. And we found the Alaska Lodge. Looks like it's a little food/bar joint. Had some neat pictures on the wall, but I wonder how "Alaskan" it really is. =)

Weather here is cloudy and rainy - but at 11pm it was 50 degrees. I'll take warm rain!! On the way to the apartment, we also passed people playing soccer. Won't see that back home. We won't even see soccer during the middle of the day for quite a while - since the fields have to thaw and dry out - let alone 11pm... Anyhow, we've settled in and made plans for tomorrow, so it's time to hit the sack.

Nice view from the apartment.

On tap for tomorrow: Breakfast for sustenance and then the split. Jeannea & Greg are geocaching all day; Sara & I are shopping then hooking up with Sheri for more fun. We all convene for dinner at the Space Needle to celebrate Sara's birthday. Yay!!

Zion - The Beginning (01/02)

Today was the day to check out of the hotel, run a few errands, get some lunch, and hit the road south to Zion. Everything went fairly smoothly - although I would have liked an hour or two more in bed, but the free breakfast (and coffee) helped make up for lack of sleep. One of the stops before leaving was to Lehi Roller Mills. A couple years ago, I picked up some gourmet mixes - two muffin mixes (raspberry & blueberry) and a pancake mix (cinnamon). They were *heavenly*! I wanted MORE - and this was the perfect time to get some. At the mill, I found another vending machine for my collection. This one may look like a regular soda machine, but how many soda machines do you know of that are outside in the snow?? This is the first I've seen... and so it fits. (Chad, I'm still looking for the iPod vending machine in the airports...)

From there, we headed out to meet the rest of the troups for lunch before leaving. En route, I found a mystical sight: Orem has standing stones. Like Stonehenge in England. Now, I doubt these have faeries or magical properties, but they're pretty cool lawn ornaments. It's part of the decor for a physical rehabilitation center - the building itself was pretty cool too, but the stones are what got my attention.

We had a great lunch at Fud Ruckers. (If you haven't seen the movie Idiocracy, you should check it out - funny and kind of scary too, but don't let the kids watch. Fud Ruckers is briefly in the movie.) Once we finished dining, we hit the road...

The entire trip is about 300 miles (270 miles according to Google Maps). A fair distance, but once we hit the interstate, the speed limit was 75 & 80 practically the whole way. We stopped in Kolob Canyon breifly as the sun was setting to get some pictures. It's gorgeous there!

When we hit Springdale (a great little town just outside the park), we stopped at a gas station to do the necessaries, but also to ask about places for dinner. The helpful attendant listed a few places, and we decided on The Benten Spur... which Greg corrected me was actually The Bitten Spur... I think I need my ears cleaned out, since the sign clearly shows it's The Bit & Spur. At least I had the Spur part right. =) (I had a similar experience New Year's Eve: Sheri asked me a question, but I wasn't sure what she said so I repeated it back to her... Winter s**t cell phone? Made no sense to me at all... until she repeated it: When are you shipping stuff home? My, that wax buildup can hamper communication!!) Anyhow! Dinner was *fabulous* and gave us just enough energy to get checked in and settled into the hotel before we crashed for the night.

On tap for tomorrow: Greg's early rise; hiking; some of the party departs; watching for sunset.

Family Fun - Day Three

We split the group today. Greg & Jeannea got up early to go to Antelope Island. We had people at work, school, shopping, and visiting friends. Sara & I went shopping for the chili & cornbread makings. While we were at the local grocery store, I saw yet another new (to me) vending machine - for movie rentals. (Chad tells me there's one in some airports that sells iPods... I'm going to have to look for that one!)

We spent lots of the day cooking. First getting the chili ready and into crock pots, then baking the cookies that Jeannea had already mixed up. Two kinds of ginger/molasses cookies for testing - there was supposed to be three kinds, but we ran out of time. Dave helped with the cookies, rolling the dough balls in sugar and swapping the trays. Sara helped with the chili and cornbread. We pulled the bread out of the oven just 15 minutes before we needed to head out to Auntie Dianne's house for the party.

The rest of the evening was a blast! All my cousins except two (and their families) were in attendance, with spouses and babies in tow. I think the group of cousins (not counting spouses, kids, or parents) is about 22 people - so if you add in the rest... I think we're looking at 60-80 people. It was great to see everyone - it's been quite a while since I've been able to attend one of the big Family Gatherings. I do miss visiting and catching up. I wish we had more time this trip (I wish this every trip), as I'd arrange some one-on-one time with people to do more than "party chat". I absolutely *love* seeing everyone and getting the hugs - seeing how we've changed and yet are the same. I just wish I had more time. Maybe on the next visit.

We had loads of great food and spent time chatting and catching up. Then it was on to the important stuff - the talent show & gift exchange. One of the cousins-in-law recited The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service; Aunt Bonnie did her family rendition of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (a tradition I haven't been around to hear for *years*); and the Killpack brothers put on animal puppets and got the kids to dance around. It's interesting to see that so many of the little kids respond to the same music - it means there's enough interaction between the families that activities, music, and learning items are shared. Like a great, big family! =)

Greg got a tub of cookie cutters and I scored a great travel game (that we're going to use on the trip down to Zion this coming weekend). I was hoping that we'd sing some Christmas carols - the whole reason I started the tradition in AK was because I miss singing with the cousins. We have lots of fun when we do it at home, but it's all about enthusiasm as there's no time to get together and practice or do any "serious" prepping. We did try to get a couple songs in, but it was amidst the chaos of people starting to leave and calling for a group photo since this is the most of us that's been in one place in almost 10 years. So I heard the ghost of memories past, and made lots of new, wonderful memories - it'll have to be enough for now...

On tap for tomorrow: Shopping and hanging out. Skiing was cancelled, as Greg & Sara both opted not to go (and now Sara has a cold).

Family Fun - Day One

We had a red-eye flight direct to SLC leaving Friday night. The flight home has a layover in Seattle, but only one plane going down. Which was great because our flight was delayed by a couple hours because of bad weather in Chicago, but we didn't have to worry about missing our connecting flight. We sent email & texts to family that was supposed to meet us in the morning, then settled in to hang at the airport for a while.

The flight was uneventful and our bags were waiting on the carousel when we got there. I found a new vending machine - it supposedly serves hot pizza. This will eventually go into my (currently non-existent) Flickr album for strange vending machines. (I found some other interesting ones while we were in Florida last May - they're here & here.)

From there, we headed to the rental car company. We thought we were going to beat the family to breakfast, but that was before we stepped into the building. Let's just say that for *several* reasons, we won't EVER rent from this company again. (Complaining customers about blown tires and bad maintenance; rental cars that are delivered to the new rentee with apple cores & trash still inside; we were supposed to get an all-wheel drive vehicle & didn't; won't guarantee 4-wheel drive - whatever's there when you get there is what you get; our car is out of windsheild washer fluid; because of undisclosed extra charges, our "good deal" turns out to be as mush as we would have paid at one of the national rental companys like Dollar or Alamo... not to mention pretty piss-poor customer service all around.)

Anyhow, after what seemed like an eternity, we got the car and headed up Emigration Canyon to Ruth's Diner for breakfast before wandering around taking family photos. The canyon has lots of great scenery, and we even stopped at "This is the Place" historical site. (Heath, I found a barn star and took a picture for you!)

From there, we headed out to Liberty Park to take some more pictures, then split the group. Some went home to rest, and others of us decided to head to Gateway Mall - more pics and shopping, wahoo! I saw several areas that have outdoor fire pits so people can congregate and stay warm - very neat!

We enjoyed hot beverages and some shopping - I found some really comfortable jeans and Greg picked up a pedal stand so he can sit at his desk and exercise. We finally checked into the hotel around 6:30pm and headed out to dinner. The first restaurant we were going to try (a new Olive Garden in Lehi) told us the wait was 2-1/2 hours for a party of 10 - definitely too long to wait. We went to the one in Provo, thinking we might have to pick another joint but we got lucky - only 30 minutes and we were in! The food was great, the visiting was better.

We stopped at mom's house to visit for a while and then headed back to the hotel. It wasn't an early night, since I still had wrapping to do and we didn't get to bed until after midnight. On tap for tomorrow: family fun... breakfast, Rock Band, family cooking, gift exchange, more pictures (since we'll have *everyone* - Sheri was missing today), and general enjoyment.

Davie Monday

Monday was my favorite day yet - and since Tuesday was spent traveling home, this means that Monday was the best day of vacation! =)

We slept in just a bit, then Chad made some great pancakes and we ate breakfast on the lanai. A lovely way to start the morning. We were trying to get some geocaching in before Chad's classes, but it just didn't work out. Angie had just finished work, so we all met at the school. We traded Chad for Angie, and then went back to the house where we left Angie & Abby so Abby could have her nap. From there, Greg & I headed out to see the Everglades.

We stopped en-route for an earth cache (of course there was a cache!) - learned loads about the Everglades and saw another strange vending machine. We don't have branded vending machines here (except maybe soda), so these are interesting to me...

And so you know that wasn't the only interesting thing there, here is some of what I learned about the Everglades: Because of the expansion of humans, the Everglades are shrinking - they're currently only 50% of what they used to be. Five major bodies of water feed the Everglades (can't name them). There are only two seasons: wet and dry. They can absorb trillions of gallons of water in just a year. There are several projects in progress or being planned to help preserve the Everglades and strike a balance between the needs of people, and the survival of the animals that inhabit the Everglades.

Our date with the Everglades was on the Seminole indian reservation, with a company named Billie Swamp Safari. Options were an airboat ride or an eco-tour. The eco-tour is done over land in a monster dune buggy-type rig - looked like it would be fun, but in the interest of time (and seeing alligators), we opted to do the airboat ride.

Monster buggy

Airboat transport

We had a bit of time before our ride, so we wandered around the premises. They had a mini-zoo, with some fun (?!?) exhibits: alligators, lizards, colorful birds (that bite), and turtles.

On the ride, we saw plenty of animals. Because of my seating location, I didn't really get a good photo opportunity until the boat was close to or passing the animals. Which means that I got lots of animal butt shots. =) And I finally got to see a wild pig. After missing out on them yesterday, it was cool to see them today - along with the water buffalo, land buffalo (bison?), alligators (galor!), ostriches (we saw two!), cows, and various birds. It was great!!

Wild pig!

Water buffalo butts

Hungry alligator

Once we were done safari-ing, we headed back to Davie so we could hook up with Chad & Angie again. Plan for the evening: hang out, geocache, eat, have fun... in no particular order. We headed out to one of the local beaches. It wasn't that far away - maybe 10-15 minutes from the house. We wandered the boardwalk (which was really a stonewalk), played in the ocean, watched some people dancing, and had dinner. The moon was bright and full.

Sea Oats are important

All our feet in the Altantic

Dinner by the shore

A lovely moon

After dinner, we cached our way home. Although we tried for several, unfortunately we were only successful in getting one cache. But we're all on the log - Abby & Angie are cachers now too... I suppose I should start logging my finds. =)

The only way the evening could've been more perfect was if we had some famous key lime pie... Oh, right! We did!! And then we stayed up entirely to late, visiting and chatting and enjoying each other's company. All in all, the most perfect day of my little vacation.

On tap for tomorrow: time to go home. =(