My "Chairs"

One of our favorite movie quotes is from the movie Phenomenon.

Robert Duvall, who plays Doc, is trying to explain why Lace (Kyra Sedgewick) is so committed to being with George (John Travolta). He says, "Now George has a love at his side and she is sticking with him. You know why? Because he bought her chairs. That’s pretty smart to me." The chairs are these hard, uncomfortable chairs that Lace makes, and George buys them because they are a part of her - what makes her tick.
 
For me, a big component of my "chairs" is anything Outlander-related. From the books (which I started reading in college 20 years ago) to the new series on Starz, my obsession with Outlander is well-known. During our 15 years together, my George (coincidence on the name, no?) has bought my Outlander-related "chairs," and has even surpassed me in reading Outlander spin-offs. He's right there beside me, watching the show every Saturday night (and then during the multiple times I rewatch the show during the week). I can't tell you how buying these "chairs," as well as others (my love for Indian food, watching every British show I can find, anything Le Creuset, trips to Thomasville, etc) means to me.

Thank you, George, for buying my chairs!

Happy 84th Birthday, Granny!

Today, my grandmother turns 84. Born in 1930, Ida Annette Gilbert grew up in small town Georgia. This is one of the few pictures I have from her youth, just prior to her marriage to my grandfather at 16.

She lived the life of a military wife through the Vietnam era, farmer's wife, catfish cleaner, and more importantly, mother and grandmother. I have so many memories of spending summers with her, mostly simple things like going to the post office and watching her make spoon bread. She now lives in an assisted living facility in Jacksonville, where my dad (her oldest son) takes good care of her and keeps her supplied with Coca Colas and M&Ms. We visit her whenever we can get the chance to break away from our busy lives.

Granny, you are very loved by your grandchildren and your great-grandchildren! We will see you soon!

The Creamers' Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend for the Creamers can be summed up in two words, fun and hot. Our fun started with the McCranies on Saturday at Discovery Cove, Sea World's all-inclusive park where you can swim with the sting rays, float in the lazy river to view otters, and feed the birds in the aviary. We got the same cabana we had in 2012, and spent the day relaxing, eating, drinking, snorkling, and having good clean fun. Here are some of the pics from the day.

Because DC closes so early, we made dinner reservations with our friends, the Mazeracs, at Raglan Road,

Kevin Dundon's Irish restaurant located at Downtown Disney. Raglan Road was having a big Irish fest that weekend, and we were excited to see the bands, dancers, and to have some awesome food. The wait was a little long, and we missed most of the entertainment, but we had a great time being with good friends.

Unfortunately, Danny was a zombie after swimming all day.

Megan tried to revive him, but I don't think blowing on someone's face is a valid CPR technique.

After a late night, we got a late start at Sea World the next morning.

When we arrived, we got almost immediate reservations at Sharks Underwater Grill, and after a quick ride (George and Zachary) on the Manta, we headed over to eat some seafood while watching sharks, grouper, rays, and other large fish swim over the Shark Encounter tube. It was awesome food, if not a little expensive, and Danny really enjoyed the whole experience. After a trip through the Shark Encounter,

we headed to the new Penguin ride where we stood in line for 30 minutes (of the total hour) before the heavens opened, and we escaped line to the store with 250 or so other people for whom hygiene was not a priority.    After the downpour ended, we went to catch the dolphin show, but it was delayed from the storm. So after petting the stingrays,

 

visiting Turtle Trek,

and seeing the dolphins from the underwater viewing area, we were done. It was 3 or so, and the rain had made everything very steamy and hot. We dragged our dehydrated bodies to the front of the park, and made one last shopping stop before heading back to our hotel (Hilton Grand Vacations) across the street. We enjoyed the rest of the night relaxing in the pool. We even got to catch some real life soap opera action poolside. People are people, where ever you go. All in all, we had a great weekend, but after a quick stop for breakfast at Friendly's, we were ready to get home.