Anniversary lunch/Eclipse lunch

We went to lunch today for our anniversary, and we took Megan with us because the eclipse happens to be today too (it's educational)! We didn't get the full eclipse, but we got enough to see the sliver through the eclipse glasses. It was a great experience, and we are amazed at how bright our little star really is.

  

  

Kolomoki Mounds

Quick stop at the Kolomoki Mounds State Park where we climbed the Temple Mound to get some steps in.

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.

An All Natural Deodorizing Room Spray

Yesterday, Danny came home from camp with a note from his ceramics teacher to me. In the note, she explained that she had eaten some garlic for lunch one day that week, and it was so stinky that she had to break out her room spray to cover the odor. Danny loved the spray so much that she wrote down the makings for the spray for him to bring home. So, last night we stopped at Earthfare and Target and bought some essential oils, distilled water, and a spray bottle.

Ingredients for the spray:

4 drops Lavendar essential oil

3 drops Frankencense essential oil

6 drops Rose Geranium essential oil

(we couldn't find Rose Geranium, so we used 4 drops Geranium and 2 drops Rose separately)

 

1/2 cup distilled water

1 small spray bottle

 

 

Add distilled water to spray bottle. Add drops of essential oils. Replace bottle cap, shake and enjoy!

A visit to my old stomping grounds

A few weekends ago, the kids and I made a trip to Jacksonville and stayed the night at Jax Beach. My old stomping grounds from high school/college days, the Jax Beach in my memory was always crowded and a bit, well, dirty. I decided that we'd stay one night, and we'd get a few hours of play on the beach. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, and we started with dinner at the bar/grill on the beach.

After dinner, we ventured out onto the near empty beach to look for shells and sharks' teeth. Megan, true to form, brought her book along.

I got some great shots of both kids as the sun went down, and they enjoyed a few hours in the sand

and then, while Danny and I swam in the hotel pool, Megan got comfy in the room.

The next morning, we all got up early enough to enjoy the sunrise on the beach, something I enjoyed much more than my two grumpy sleepyheads. I tried to explain that the east coast sunrise is something that we don't get to see at home. The beauty of that morning's sunrise took my breath away.

After a quick hotel breakfast, we went down to the beach again to enjoy the waves before it was too hot or crowded. Danny had a great time in the waves

while Megan again searched for shells.

We saw jellies

and shrimp,

and we enjoyed the beauty for a little while.

After a few hours, we checked out and spent the rest of the day with Mom and Dad Gilbert and visiting my Granny in her new and improved digs. After a dinner at Sweet Tomatoes,

We headed back to Tallahassee to George and Harley. It was a short visit, but we enjoyed it very much. My memories of Jax Beach have been changed forever, and the kids got some time with grandparents who love them so.