Monday, July 23, 2012

Summer Update

So we have been in Florida for a little over a month now. And I gotta say, It is just as good as it has ever been. We traveled up to Saint Augustine to go to our family reunion a week ago and had a fabulous time. It is sort of like shoving a mini-vacation into our summer holiday.
For those who don't care much for beaches, this is your kind of town. There are tons of historical spots to visit and a precious downtown area for shopping and people watching. We have visited most of the historical spots in years past, so this year I planned a trip to Marine Land for Anna's 9th birthday treat! We went to a dolphin research center when Anna was 5 and that is where she threw her very first EPIC-giant-"Oh my God, I don't know this kid" sort of fit..
(Back story: Anna was too young to swim with the dolphins, so we paid for her to have a meet and greet with a dolphin. When it was over, she wanted to swim with her dolphin, and all but threw herself into the sea to be with the dolphin. And as luck would have it, there was an audience watching Anni and her little sister. I guess the people visiting thought it was cute to see 2 little gals touching and feeding a dolphin. Boy were they surprised when they saw Anna lay herself on the dock and try to boodie scoot herself into the water. August seeing Anna very near the water felt She should be there, so she also threw herself on the dock and did her Russian best to get into the water. It was amusing as hell to the audience who clapped and laughed, but it was one of those rare times when I gave pause and considered just kicking both of my precious girlz into the water..But I didn't. And that is when Anna began a two hour screaming fit shouting, "I need to get in the water."   Yeah, all the way from the upper Keys, to Miami.)
OK, so given the back story, I knew that Anna would much love the dolphin experience at Marine Land. Because of the huge expense, (400.00 has never been so worth it!) Anni didn't have a birthday party. She was totally fine with it. August said she wanted to do it also, but I know my girlz. August would stand on the water's edge and say, "Yeah, Hell no am I doing this." so I chose the Feed, Touch, and Paint program for her.

We traveled up to S.A. and had a day with the Green family. It is so amazing to see everyone. We  meet at my cousin Kelly's house. She and her sister are a lot like my sister and I. Kim has children and even grandchildren now and Kelly doesn't have any. She just loves on her nieces and nephew. They do a great job of planning the party and making everyone feel at home. Kelly has the best pool and lives on the bay side of the beach so everyone who goes gets a little mini-vacay. My dad is one of 8 children so there are many cousins for my girlz to play with.
We stay just down the road from my cousin's house and my sister flew in from DC to be there..

Our Marine Land visit was beyond worth the money. My neighbor told Anna, "Your mom is rich. She pays for you to do a lot in the summer." I had to share some basic economics with my girlz so that they know this is NOT the case. I plan, plot, and scheme to put away money for special events. Single motherhood and rich NEVER go together. I don't want my girlz to think of themselves as wealthy or spoiled so I shared with them the basics of how to save for a summer of "special birthday" treats. I reminded them that our SUV is almost 8 years old. I reminded them that we shop for many items at thrift stores. I reminded them that we only plan a couple of trips a year. I reminded them that although we want a pet of some sort, it takes planning. Mostly financial planning so that we are ready when the time comes. The are pretty clear on the fact that Mommy is not quick to make any big purchases, and although we spend a big amount of money on trips, we have planned them at least a year in advance..

Okay back to Dolphin Day. August and Aunti did the painting first. It was a perfect program. Although my lil' Auggie seemed excited to be with the dolphins, I could see there was NO WAY she would have gotten in with the dolphins.
Anna and I got to swim the dolphins. And let me tell you. It was amazing. One day I am going to write a book on water/swim/ocean time as an alternative bonding therapy. And if I did write the book, dolphin therapy would be at the top of my list. It was the most precious thing I have done with Anna. The joy on her face, the love in hear heart, the excitement of the process was too much. I was teary eyed for much of the event, but then the dolphin would come up to us and I could only joy in my heart.   Twice while in the deep water, the dolphin would swim away do some sort of trick and then instead of returning to the trainer, it would swim up to Anna and I and allow us to give it it's "reward rub."   We knew this wasn't what she was supposed to do, but we loved it. The trainer would end up swimming up to us and move the dolphin away from us and back to the middle of the pool..
It was an awesome time and I highly suggest it to anyone with children who need a birthday treat!


There is much to share about my job. But I won't muddy up my happy post with the "Icccckkkk" that is FCPS. Just can't even allow myself to think about it right now..So I will leave you with some pretty pictures!!






Aunti and AugustRose painting, touching, and feeding their dolphin Dazzle and Roxy!









Anni and I during our Dolphin Experience!











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