A Week at the Beach

For the past several years, the clan has wanted to go on a vacation together. However, ever since our last trip in 2005, we have been unable to for a variety of reasons. This year was different, and the Lord was gracious enough to allow us to go to Cape San Blas. Unfortunately, we were short a few people, as Noah and Gabe were too busy with work and school and Ben was unable to take time off from teaching to go with us. Nonetheless, our rather large group rented two houses (one of which was the one we five stayed in during our vacation last year, and the other was on the same extended driveway).

We left on September 8th. The day before that was rather hectic. We had to run several errands, and then Mom and I had to clean the church (Mandy previously had that job, but I've more or less inherited it when she got her current job) and go shopping. Then I went home and made rosemary potatoes, as we three kids spent the rest of the evening hanging out with some friends. It was a fun time, as we enjoyed some homemade barbecue, got involved in a water balloon fight that also included a hose, and sitting around a campfire and just talking. We wanted to stay longer, but eventually we had to leave because we had to get up the next morning.

On Saturday morning, we woke up around 6:30 and began helping Dad pack up the car as well as packing some last-minute items. The clan was supposed to meet around 7:30, but several members were late, meaning that we did not get on the road until after 8 AM. We made a few stops for breakfast, lunch, and gas, but we made good time and got to the beach houses in the mid-afternoon after a seven hour drive. We then unpacked and had pizza for dinner.

The days all sort of blended together, so I will just point out some highlights of the trip.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous. It was stormy on Saturday and Sunday, but the weather cleared up and grew calmer. As the weather grew calmer, so did the ocean; on one of the days, the water was almost crystal clear and was so calm that it was more like a lake than an ocean.

We five had a nice house. Nicknamed "The Treehouse," it had a nice set of spiral stairs. Some of the younger cousins had fun throwing some toy stuffed dragons down the stairs and seeing how far they could go. Because only we five were in the house, it was quieter than the other house. On a few occasions, some of the older cousins came over in the afternoons to do some schoolwork without the chaos of the younger cousins.

Our days were pretty relaxing. We would wake up the mornings, enjoy some breakfast, go down to the beach for a few hours, go back to the houses for lunch, relax in the houses during the afternoons, get together for dinner, go down to the beach for a walk or for some brief swimming, and then hang out for the evening before going to bed. We did venture out a few times during the week. On Tuesday afternoon, we went to Applachicola; we did a bit of casual shopping, had dinner at a local restaurant, and then got ice cream at a local tourist stop. On Thursday, we had dinner at another local restaurant and then went back to the house to have Key Lime pie for dessert. Also on Thursday, we went out in an attempt to do some shelling; however, one place only had smaller shells while the other place was undergoing high tide and thus had no beach.

This year, we saw quite a lot of wildlife wherever we went. There were jumping fish (Uncle Josh said they were whiting), and we even saw some other fish while we were swimming. We saw dolphins several times, especially when the fish were doing their acrobatics. We even saw a few sting rays; one of those times, we saw one jumping out of the water, and Uncle Jason caught a video of another one swimming near the shore while we were out shelling on Thursday. On Thursday, we saw a pelican on shore while we were shelling; the fellow had a rather large fish in front of him and was trying to eat it, though we think the fish may have been too big to fit into his mouth. Still, it was an entertaining scene. Our other wildlife, unfortunately, also included black flies; these flies were horrendous, flocking to us when we were doused in bug spray and sitting on the beach or when we were standing in the water, and nothing seemed to keep them at bay; they were one of the reasons that some days we had return to the houses early. Other wildlife included a few frogs, some rather loud locusts who nearly made us go deaf, sand fleas, ants, and a mysterious big cat (i.e. bigger than a house cat) that was hanging around the garbage cans.

On Thursday evening, there was some debate on whether or not some people would return home on Friday. The next day, Uncle Jason and his family decided to leave a day early so that they could get home and be able to get ready for church on Sunday; Mom, Mandy, and I also decided to go home early with Grandpa Mike and Marsha so that we would be able to get the church cleaned early. It seemed to be a long drive home on Friday evening, and Mandy was antsy, especially as we grew closer to Atlanta. Ben, who had kept an eye on the house and the cats for us, waited for us three, and Mandy was extremely ecstatic to see him; the two stayed up until 2 AM that night talking as, there was not a good cell phone signal down in Florida to allow them to talk on the phone. Three of us coming home early proved to be good, as we were able to get a good night sleep and then devote Saturday to cleaning the house and cleaning the church. By the time Dad and Seth came home on Saturday afternoon, we were ready for Sunday.

It was a good trip this year. It was nice to relax and to be able to spend time with the clan, as nowadays it seems difficult due to everyone's schedules and due to several of us growing up and being semi-independent. I took some pictures, but unfortunately my camera went kaput on Tuesday, so I only have pictures from before that point; Mandy also took some too, and we both have uploaded some on facebook for your viewing pleasure.

And so, now it is back to our normal schedules. Dad and Mandy are back to work, Seth is doing his part-time job and his on-line certification, Mom is back to teaching her students, and I am back to doing housework and looking into colleges. For myself, Nanowrimo is coming up in a little over a month, and I am getting ready for it; I've got a couple different story ideas, but I probably won't decide on a story until the last minute.

Beer and Driving

A few things I'd like to mention before our guests arrive (because of Labor Day, we're having some family and friends over for dinner).

One, I want to mention one of Dad's birthday presents for this year. A week or so ago, Ben and Mandy were thinking about what to get Dad when one of them (I believe it was Ben) got the idea of giving him beer. And not just a normal case; no, forty-five beers, in honor of how many years he's lived. So, last Monday, Mandy and Ben went shopping and bought (I should say that Ben bought them and that Mandy helped pay for it) forty-five bottles of beer. Some of the bottles were in cases, some in six packs, and a few single bottles. Dad was very surprised to see it, and so now his beer fridge is full. It was a very nice gift, and kudos to Ben for thinking it up.

Two, last weekend a certain someone drove roughly fifteen miles from a place near home and then back to the house. Yes, it was myself, with Dad directing me from the passenger's seat. I've been thinking about going back to college again, but the college I applied for a few weeks ago means that I would need to learn to drive. So, I have finally found motivation to push myself to drive. So, Dad and I have been trying to find time on Saturdays for him to take me out driving because Mom doesn't want to and because Seth and Mandy are too young to teach me. I started off rather nervous, but I loosened up and felt more comfortable. I even changed lanes a few times and interacted with some decent afternoon traffic. Granted, I wasn't perfect, but I felt very accomplished afterwards. Driving no longer seems so frightening, and I pray that I will continue to pursue it and overcome my fear of it.

I mentioned above that I'm thinking of returning to college. I applied for one a few weeks ago and am waiting to see if I got in for the spring semester. If I get in, then I will go in for a history major. The college's website has a list of internships, and the ones in museums were enough to make me excited as I looked at them. If I do get into this college and can afford to go, then it will require me to move in with Grandma Linda, as she lives much closer to the campus than I currently do. So, some pretty big things might be on the horizon for me later this year.

Well, gotta dash. Our company is beginning to arrive. My next post will probably be about our trip to Florida, which will happen next week.

A Few Summer Events

- A formal dance. Due to popular demand, Mandy decided to plan another formal dance at the church. She and a few of her friends did the decorating themselves, and they asked people to bring the food. That day, Mom and I spent some hours in the kitchen and dining room preparing the food; we contributed some some ham and cheese sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, some baked crackers, and a tray of fruit. I nearly had a fashion emergency when the blue dress that I bought for last year's formal dance refused to zip up (problem with the zipper, not with my waist); I was not happy with the prospect of wearing something that wasn't formal, but Mandy finally managed to get the dress to work, much to my relief.

The dance itself was very enjoyable. We had a good amount of people and, for the first time at any dance, we had an equal amount of guys and girls. I managed to capture some videos of the event, but I was out on the dance floor quite a bit and did not get a lot of variety of the dances. I also had the rare opportunity to dance the complicated Scottish dance "The Clumsy Lover," the only time that night it was done; unfortunately, no pictures or videos were taken of it, though I was told I did a good job at it, despite missing a few of the steps. We danced for quite a long time, and my feet were killing me afterwards. Still, it was worth it.

- Mandy and Ben are still courting. Ben has become a regular fixture at the house, and he has become almost like a fourth child in the family. Lately, he has started his teaching again, and so we are seeing less of him, which is weird because we have gotten so used to him. We got a good laugh out of it yesterday when, while we were at a church wedding, Mandy ended up catching the bouquet; apparently Ben got a good chuckle at it too when Mandy called to tell him about it.

- Mandy has a job. Her first day is tomorrow, but she'll be working for an insurance company. The job is not too far away from the house, and another plus is that she'll be working with two guys who go to our church so she won't be alone at the job either.

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4th of July

Last Wednesday, we had our annual 4th of July family celebration. This year's was special because we had two potential new family members join us for the day; Mandy's suitor Ben and Gabe's girl Sarah were both there and had the opportunity to meet the rest of the family.

This year, we met at Uncle Jason's house. It proved to be a hot day, but it was bearable with low humidity and plenty of shade from the trees. Each family brought their own meat and a few side dishes, and so there was plenty of delicious food to go around. Mom made her first banana cheesecake for the occasion, and it was very, very yummy. After the meal, the younger kids got into the new swimming pool while the adults sat down nearby to talk. It was a quiet yet enjoyable afternoon, just sitting around and enjoying each other's fellowship. Eventually, some of the older kids, feeling the heat, joined the younger ones in the pool. Nathan loved the water, and Noah was constantly holding him up while he squealed with delight and peered over the pool rim at us. Noah also got involved in a rather spirited water gun war with Hannah, which led to some innocent bystanders getting a bit damp.

After spending the afternoon at Uncle Jason's, we stopped by the Howlands for a little visit. We chatted for a little while and then, when the sky had gotten dark enough, walked up the road to watch the fireworks. We did not get a good view because there were too many trees blocking the fireworks, so unfortunately there was not much to see. Finally, because Dad and Seth had work the next day, we had to leave, and we left Mandy to spend the night with the Howlands.

Ever since then, not much else has gone on. Dad and his brothers are traveling for a family wedding this weekend, Mandy has got several social activities, Seth is waiting to hear back from a potential new employer, and I am waiting for Georgia Gwinnett to send my transcripts to an on-line college that I applied for a few weeks ago. We've also been enjoying more interaction with Ben, as he visits us (in particular, Mandy), and last night we kids went out to a movie with him. Otherwise, things have been pretty normal around here. I've heard rumors of another upcoming dance in August, and I hope it'll happen because our last dance was cancelled due to supposedly bad weather and I miss dancing.

Adventures of the Cakes

In March earlier this year, a lady at our church started a cooking class for the young ladies. Once a month or so, we go to her house and cook something. We've made pie crust and pork tenderloin once, and last Saturday it was time to learn how to decorate a cake.

Things got off to a bad start on Saturday morning. Due to an oversight, one of the cats devoured a piece of pizza and left the crust all over the kitchen floor, which meant I needed to clean it up. Then it was time to make vanilla buttercream frosting. We only had enough milk for one batch when we needed two, and Mandy and I had to leave and pick up two other girls for the class. So we grabbed our cakes and the bowl of frosting and began driving all over the county to pick up our friends. It was 9:30 in the morning, and it was already in the upper 80's. It didn't help that our suburban has no A/C, and so it made for a very hot ride. We arrived late, and I fretted over the frosting, which did not look very good but turned out to be fine.

We had a good time. First, we iced our cakes (we got some extra frosting, so there was enough for Mandy and I), which was quite a task in and of itself. Then it was time to decorate. The lady had shown us some techniques, like basket weaving and shell borders, and so it was up to us to experiment and have fun. Mandy decided to go complicated and do a basket weave on top of her cake, which she was not happy with, and I did a poor attempt to recreate an ocean with a sun and a palm tree. After a few hours of handling the sticky frosting and admiring each other's culinary creations, it was time to go. However, we four were beginning to worry. By now, it was around 1 PM, which meant it was very hot. The car had no A/C, and the heat could melt our frosting and ruin our hard work. We rolled down the windows and decided to stop halfway home at Chick-fil-A, where we would bring the cakes inside and let them cool down a little bit. By the time we reached the place, two of the cakes were already showing signs of the frosting melting, smudging, or falling off the cake. After lunch, we resumed the ride home, whereby we were all staring at our cakes and ordering the frosting to stay put for just a little longer.

My cake and Mandy's did not really survive. Apparently, hers was dry and the frosting fell off, and I've been afraid to taste mine. Nonetheless, it was an interesting adventure during the hot temperatures down here.

Feeling Hot

Generally southern summers aren't horrendous in regards to heat; some years are hotter than others, but generally the humidity is what irritates most people.

Not this time. I don't ever recall (though I could be wrong) Georgia getting into the triple digits temperature-wise. According to weather.com, it's already 95 degrees F, and it's not even to the heat of the day yet, which usually happens sometime between 3 and 5 PM. Thankfully we have AC (though two of our cars don't), but our unfortunate garden doesn't. To keep the garden alive in this heat, we're having to water it twice: a good dousing in the morning and then again in the afternoon. Though it makes me worry that I'll water it too late and end up killing the plants instead.

I'm really craving a thunderstorm right now. With sheets of rain lasting for preferably most of the day, both to cool down everything and to water the plants. I pray we'll get rain soon. And not only us but the other heated states, especially Colorado as it battles wildfires.

The Last Homeschooler

Yes, it has happened. Mandy has officially finished high school. Unofficially, however, she still has some work to finish over the summer, but she is technically graduated. The big event took place last Saturday.

On Thursday and Friday, the realization that the party was upon us finally hit us. We began to mad scramble to get the food prepared. I spent two days making the bacon-wrapped smokies and also made the chips for the mango salsa (it took an incredible amount of willpower to stop myself from tasting the fruits of my labors, but I was satisfied with both of them on Saturday), and Mom worked to decorate her cheesecakes, make the salsa, and work on the meatballs (a joint endeavor between her, Dad, and myself), and Mandy went shopping for shoes and a necklace to wear for the party. Saturday was a mad scramble to complete the final preparations, make sure the house was clean, and make sure nothing had been forgotten.

The party was held at church, and the decorating committee did an amazing job at arranging the purple and green on the tables and also at doing the flowers. Because the party was for Mandy and her friend Leila, we had quite a bit of friends and family from both sides come out for the occasion. We had probably close to 150 people, though unfortunately I did not get any pictures of the crowd; so the few pictures I did take make it look like the church was empty, but I assure you that was far from the case. Once everyone was seated, Leila's father got up and welcomed everyone. Then Pastor Strevel got up and gave a charge to Mandy and Leila about being godly women and serving God's kingdom; it was an amazing and well-spoken charge. Then it was time for the first performance. Mandy did not want to give a speech, but Leila did, so they worked out a compromise: Mandy would accompany the singer Joseph while Leila would give a speech. So, Mandy and a few of her friends did a beautiful performance of "Take My Life and Let It Be." I'm going to try to upload it to facebook soon. Then Leila gave her thank-you speech. Then the dads got up, said a little something, and presented Mandy and Leila their diplomas. Then it was time for the highlight of the show: the slideshow of the girls' lives. The slideshow was done by Leila's brother Steven, who did an amazing job on it. Check out the following link to see it on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRf6-5arGzU&feature=youtu.be

After the slideshow, it was time for the reception. There was plenty of food to go around: hummus, stuffed grape leaves (I don't remember if that is the exact name, but I know it is a Lebanese dish), fruit (strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes), bacon-wrapped smokies, mango salsa, meatballs, and then a cheese-cracker dish. There was also delicious punch and plenty of dessert: a small cake from Costco and then Mom made four cheesecakes (including one that was gluten and dairy free, which went over very well and apparently tasted amazing). Mandy was running around, getting pictures with her friends and some family members, and she got several of them. I did not get many pictures because I was either eating or because I was taking pictures with her camera; she has uploaded 27 of them to facebook, so check them out.

Another nice touch was the pictures on the gift table. The girls showed off some of their senior pictures, and each of them had a picture with large white borders that could be signed on. Both of them got plenty of signatures from friends and family, and they each had plenty of gifts and cards.

After the crowds began to thin out, we started cleaning up. Some of the guests, who had arrived late and did not see the slideshow, watched it with us again, and this time we were all laughing and making comments about each other. Then the clean-up resumed. Because we had so many people, the main part of the cleanup took maybe about an hour and a half. Once everyone was gone, Mom did a bit of sweeping and mopping. Seth and Mandy went to a friend's house to relax and have fun, and Mom and Dad went out for an hour or so. I was tired and stayed home, happy to have my feet up and to be relaxed.

Originally, we had had plans to go to Florida this week. However, those plans eventually had to change due to several reasons, including a broken car with no A/C and a broken dryer, so we had to postpone the trip. Dad and Seth still took the week off from work, and they are both relaxing from jobs that are becoming very stressful due to the integration at work. It has been a relaxing week, very nice not to be running around preparing for parties or the like. Mandy and I still are thinking of going to Virginia for the annual family conference later this month, but circumstances have also changed and so neither of us may be going this year.

It has been emotional watching Mandy graduate. On Saturday after the slideshow, her best friend was in tears, and there were several emotional hugs from friends and peers afterwards. Mom has spent twenty years homeschooling the three of us, and now those days are over. We three kids are now graduated from and finished with high school.

Before I close up the post, I wish to express my gratitude to the ladies who helped out with the party. As Mom pointed out, it was amazing to see everyone's specific gifts come out in the preparations. We had her beautiful cheesecakes, the pastor's wife doing a beautiful fruit arrangement, the young women doing the decorations, and even those who did not have a specific gift but worked hard to keep the food stocked and to help out here and there. I offer a big thank you to each of those ladies for their hard work and for the love they put into it on Saturday; without them, the party could not have happened.