oh, did i mention the florida thing?

A bit late to the party here; but, it's never to late for fun, right?  So anyways, we spent Thanksgiving week in Florida.  We drove down in 22 or so hours, spent 5 days there and then drove back in 24 hours.

The trip is, quite possibly, the most insane thing we have ever done.  Or, actually, it's pretty much business as usual around here.

We tried to leave the Nutmeg State on Friday night; but, we ended up turning around an hour out, somewhere outside of New Haven because we got a nail in our tire--it was the opposite of awesome.  We drove back home, slept in our own beds, got the tire fixed the next morning and then headed out again.

We got to Orlando, checked out the hotel, the Liki Tiki (no, I am totally not kidding) and then crashed.

The next day, Monday, and the three days thereafter were spent at one Disney park or another.

We rode the people mover ride 5 or 6 times.  Because, well, it moves people, I guess?

The kids had fun, but honestly, the parents were thinking harikari by the middle of the second day.

Also, the whole family rode the Tower of Terror.  It has that name for a reason, I think.  The Pups LOVED it though.  Not wanting to be a killjoy, I just said that "it [was] nice [they] enjoyed it so much."

And since we had already committed ourselves, we opted to go to Legoland Florida on Friday, you know, before driving back home...on Black Friday.  Yep, that's how we roll.  Literally.

I know there was doubt, but yes, I do believe that Parents of the Year trophy can be sent our way for 2013...yes, indeed...

We are getting a book made of our Florida adventures, because apparently that's what you do now.  If you come visit us, you can take a look at it and live vicariously through our adventures...

just another birthday...

I celebrated another birthday today.  We did it with style and panache (and presents!!), and a fair amount of nerdification, because that, my friends, it how we roll.

After gifts and singing, we went to a library book sale in New London, Connecticut.  I am not going to lie, finding a pickling book for $1 pretty much made it worth the trip there for me, it was like the New London Public Library gave me a birthday gift (with a minimal service charge).

And then we went to the circus.  This wasn't necessarily my original plan, it just happened to be when we were all available to go.  And Papa figured if he had to suffer through it, I should have the privilege as well.  The Pups loved it though, so there's that.

And then Papa and the pups gave me the gift of time.  I dyed a bunch of wool and took a bunch of pictures, effectively knocking out requirements for two classes.  While I was being productive and academic they made me a birthday cake.

It was a great day.

just your atypical day in new england

Over the last few weeks we have been having unseasonably warm weather in New England.  At this time last year, we were buried in snow.  This year, not so much. 

It was so warm over the weekend (60 degrees F) that we played outside (without jackets!) for a few hours.

We aren't complaining about the weather at all, but it's a little weird.  Just an observation.  A few more shots in flickr.http://www.flickr.com/photos/wanderingseals/

in memoriam

My father passed away on April 3rd, 2009. He had just finished his breakfast and was ready to start his work day when his heart failed him. My aunt, who found him, says he had a peaceful expression on his face and he looked as though he was sleeping. I choose to take comfort in the peaceful state he was found in.

Upon hearing about his passing, we packed the mini-van for a return trip to Pensacola, Florida and drove for 25 hours. As sad as the occasion was, I have to say, it was an opportunity to get together with family. I was able to see family members that I haven't seen in years.
I was able to take my kids to some of the great places my dad took me to growing up.

But most importantly, and probably what would please my father the most, I was able to grow a little closer to my two half-sisters (let's just call them sisters, shall we?) who live in Miami.

the expression on SP2's face is priceless

When I was growing up, I was pretty close to my cousins, so it was pretty great that SP1 got a chance to spend time with cousins he had never met before.
He spent a ton of time with the girls (which isn't so shocking, really, he does like girls, afterall).
My dad's funeral was lovely. He always said he wanted something simple (yes, he did talk about his wishes, before hand...morbid, but true) and he wanted a veteran's burial as was his due. I think his girls were able to achieve that for him.
I will miss my dad a great deal. It will be strange to not have my dad to report good news to, I always puffed up a little when he told me he was proud of me. The things I will miss most however are his jokes; the sounds of his laughter (he really did live up to his name, Isaac--he laughs in Hebrew); and his birthday phone calls which usually came two months after my actual birthday (he didn't always remember that I was born two months prematurely).
As sad as I am, I have some really great memories of my dad to cherish; and, those memories will always make me smile.