Megan's first middle school dance and some Daddy time

Megan attended her first middle school dance on Friday night. Her "date" was a boy named Jackson who asked her by sending a note through a friend.

Once she got our permission (how responsible!), she sent the note back, saying she'd meet him there. They continued to talk in school, and on Wednesday, he mentioned that he'd bought a tux for the occasion, so she couldn't back out. Friday night, after giving her dad a big congratulatory hug, she got ready for the dance. Doesn't she look beautiful?

After dropping her off, we headed to Ted's Montana Grill for a celebratory steak, and Danny got some fun time with Daddy.

Afterwards, we picked up Megan, and George got to meet Jackson, who was wearing a red bowtie that matched perfectly with Megan's dress. Totally unplanned, and so cute! Saturday morning started bright and early with Karate. Afterwards, while I had a very relaxing hair appt, George took Danny to a friend's birthday party at the Fun Station and stayed to play games with Megan. He told me he was going to try to corrupt her with Terminator: Salvation, and here's proof of his attempt.

Of course, her favorite has always been Air Hockey.

They also feasted on pizza and cokes (and George finally experienced the deliciousness of Fun Station pizza).

She had a blast with Daddy.

Sgt. George Creamer, Jr.

On Friday, the Sergeant's promotions were announced at TPD, and this time, George's name was on it! I am so proud of him, and I know he can't wait to meet his new squad. Congratulations, Honey!

My "Bucket List"

For a long time, I've kept a mental list of things I want to do before I leave this earth, and I thought writing them down might be good. It might inspire the one who loves me most to plan things around my list (hint, hint...). I'm not the most adventurous person (read as "not an adrenaline junkie"), but there are definitely places and things I want to experience in my life. So here's my list in no particular order of importance, and I hope it inspires you to think about your list, too.

1. Take a walking ghost tour in a Savannah cemetery.
2. Visit every state Capitol building (2 down, 48 to go) and the White House and Capitol in Washington, DC.
3. Visit Tokyo gardens while cherry blossoms are in bloom.

4. See Tom Jones in Vegas (before he has a walker).
5. Go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH.
6. Visit Graceland and Sun Records in Memphis, TN.
7. See a live Grand Ole Opry show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.
8. Go to a live Austin City Limits taping.
9. Ride the train from New Mexico to the Grand Canyon.
10. See the Alamo.
11. See the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in person.
12. Eat fresh salmon from the salmon run in Alaska.
13. Visit Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA.
14. Stay the night in Williamsburg's Historic District.
15. Take a whisky tour of Scotland.
16. Tour (or even cook in) the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland.
17. Take a photographer's dream tour of Vermont's covered bridges in the fall, stopping at the King Arthur Flour store in Norwich.
18. Take a culinary tour of Italy, featuring the farmhouses in Tuscany and the seaside town of Capri.
19. Visit the Parthenon.
20. See a Shakespearean play in the Globe Theatre in London.
21. Go to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
22. Drink wine at Monticello.
23. See the Goonies house in Oregon.
24. Vacation at a dude ranch.
25. Drive Route 66, stopping at diners along the way.

This list is not comprehensive, but includes the things I would most like to do in my lifetime. Of course, it morphs and changes as my age and interests increase. I look forward to checking off each one, although I better hurry on the Tom Jones one!

My favorite meal...

My favorite meal these days is Bun Thit Nuong,

or in english, Vietnamese BBQ pork with rice vermicelli. I can only get this dish one place in Tallahassee, Far East Cuisine, and I crave it. The best I have ever had was at Mekong River in Austin, TX (which I shared in my Austin Food Scene post), and Rice Bowl in Tallahassee used to serve it. Unfortunately, I'm limited to Far East for my Vietnamese. Good thing it's delicious!

Literary Corner

In case you haven't seen it in a while, I had fallen behind in my Literary Corner blog too. I'm all caught up now!

http://thecreamerchronicleliterarycorner.blogspot.com/

Wow, am I behind...

I am so behind on these, I know. George even reminded me last night, but I was too lazy to go to the computer to update. So here goes.

Last Saturday, Zac continued to improve, and was moved out of ICU. He got to take a shower (YEA!) and stayed one more night at Shands for monitoring. He was doing very well by all accounts, but was ready to get out of the hospital. I don't blame him at all.

Meanwhile, George and I drove the kids and Harley home. Megan and I had a book club meeting (which I missed due to exhaustion and laundry) from 2-4. Thanks, Susan, for taking her! Afterward, all of us donned our western wear and headed to the civic center where we had tickets to the Professional Bull Riders tour.

It was a family-friendly night that showcased one of the toughest sports around. It is also amazing how the civic center can be converted to a bull-riding ring.

It was a great night for it, and we had a blast.

Sunday, Zachary returned to Tallahassee for more recovery. For us, it was back to the grind. After a full week of school, karate, and work (which also was the first week of Legislative session, in which the bills came fast and plentiful) I was grateful for the long weekend. It was very relaxing, but we did get a few things done. We also managed to go to the FSU vs. Miami Women's Basketball Game, and Zac was well enough to come with us!

It was a good game, but Miami beat FSU by 1 three-pointer in the last 10 seconds of the game.

The rest of the weekend was productive but, again, restful. We needed it, and I was ready to go back to work this morning, sort of...

Day 3 at Shands

Thursday, Grandma and Paw paw Gilbert drove Megan and Danny down to Gainesville for the night.

They got to visit with their big bro for a good while, but since George was staying the night at the hospital, I took the kids back to the hotel after dinner. They were so excited because Country Inn & Suites has an indoor pool and they could swim, even though it was cold outside.

We had a relaxing night, and enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel. Meanwhile, George and Zachary got no rest as the hourly checks that began that night kept them awake through the night. After George got a few winks at the hotel, we made sure we got Joshua

(George's Christmas Bonsai tree), then checked out and drove to Jacksonville to spend the night and pick up Harley.

I missed her so much. I think we collapsed when we got there, but I can't remember...

Day 2 at Shands

Zachary's second day at Shands was an adventure. The first exciting thing to happen was that George and I tested out our new coats

(which we had to buy in Gainesville because in our haste we forgot them on Monday) in the 24 degree weather this morning! As the ice was melting on the car windshield, our coats were keeping us warm, so they were good buys. I am so grateful for the sales racks at Target and Old Navy. The next event of the morning was that George's phone completely died, and after I dropped him off at Shands, I had to make a quick trip to the Verizon store to haggle with the customer service people (actually, the store CSR was nice, it was the person she dealt with on the phone who offered zero help). Because his phone number is on all of the paperwork as a contact number, we needed to do something quickly. Verizon was not of the same opinion, but it should be resolved soon.

Meanwhile, George visited with Zachary. When we were all there, and when Zachary was feeling strong enough, he tried sitting up in a chair. The one time he'd tried it before then, his nausea got the best of him. This time, he was successful!

The next hurdle for him to jump is too embarassing to mention here, but lets just say he was successful at that one too. Throughout the day, he made progress by eating some of the best hospital food I've seen in a while and eventually getting up and walking down the hall.

He even got a visit from Bud and Weiser, the therapy dogs that visit the pediatric unit.

They were sweethearts! It was a big day for him, and by the time we left the hospital for the evening (his mom's staying the night with him), things were promising as he waited for a followup CT scan. We just got word that his doctors were a little worried about the way his cerebral fluids are draining, and we're hoping that isn't too much of a setback. If all goes OK, he should get out of ICU tomorrow and be in a normal room. We're all praying for his recovery.

An early start at Shands

Zachary's surgery was scheduled for 10am today, but we were lucky enough to be told to arrive at 6am this morning, even before the check-in nurses arrived at Shands! Nobody got any sleep anyway, so it wasn't that big of a deal, but it made for a long wait. When they took him in for prep, George took some shots of Zac being Zac before he went under.

He was very scared, and very brave. I'll spare you any pics from the ICU, but suffice it to say he was the best looking brain surgery patient I've ever seen. He was laughing and joking as soon as we saw him and he's making good progress. We go back tomorrow to hang out with him, help him stand up and walk around a bit, and maybe even pee by himself. We're all excited about that!

January 2nd

This new year has gotten off to a busy start. The day after New Year's Day, I drove wo drop the kids and Harley off in Jacksonville with Grandma and Paw paw Gilbert. The kids could not wait to see them. We also stopped by Granny's for a visit.

From there, I drove to Gainesville for Zachary's surgery on the 3rd. Sorry, no pics for ya, but just imagine orange and blue everywhere, and you're on the right track. More to come...

Happy New Year!

Our New Year's Day started out with a special treat, homemade doughnuts! For Christmas, Megan received a Babycakes Donut Maker (and cake-pop and mini cupcake maker), and she and I made mini chocolate doughnuts with chocolate glaze.

They were delicious, and with a four minute baking time, super easy. After breakfast, we went to church to start the new year right. Then off to Mom and Dad Creamer's house for the Creamer Christmas (a little late, I know, but it takes the stress out of trying to get together before Christmas). We had a wonderful time eating, opening presents and setting off fireworks. Here are a few of the pics George got from the day.

After an adventurous day, we were all tired. While George and I finished up laundry and packed, the kids dreamed of fun times to come in Jacksonville with Grandma and Paw-paw Gilbert. Preacher Danny even went to sleep with his Bible and suitcase on his bed.

Sweetheart, isn't he?