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 ... Scooby Doo with Frankensage, Ruff Weather... updates coming soon...

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Mom and I bought this audio version of "Something Wicked This Way Comes," read by Paul Giamatti - and it's just really cool for the season.  We've never read this book before, and I know this isn't technically reading, but it is something we can share together.  We're sitting there in the couch or up in bed, and just listening along to the story as it begins.  It's certainly a bit different than the 1980's movie, but it's still got the creepy vibes and some really fantastic descriptive dialogue.  Ray Bradbury's writing is just super fun.  Of course, we meet Tom Fury pretty early, and he's an even better character in the book, each conversation a quotation you want to hold on to.   

...audiobook, taekwondo, Warbington...

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... KidPak in the morning, sea monkeys tiny hope, wet... updates coming soon...

Indoor Day

The rain fell down immensely today, the wind gusting harshly outside, all loud enough to wake us up earlier.  Still in bed, you could hear all the violence outside and pray quietly that nothing falls and that everyone stays safe.  The power stayed on - our electricity has rarely gone out here after a storm.  But it was clear we were staying indoors today.  So what did we do?

We got ready for Christmas!  Seriously!  Yes, it's still October, but at the same time Mom saw a new bed covering at Cracker Barrel that looked festive and bright, and she ordered matching pillow covers.  Add to that our Christmas-themed Buc-ee, and the look of our bedroom has changed dramatically.  We've had the same blankets on our bed for 26 years now, so this is a big deal!

Mom also got me this really nice looking Christmas Carol devotional.  Can't wait to dive into this, but I'm good to wait until November at least.  Speaking of "A Christmas Carol," we Maddie and I recently drew our portions of the story to tell - it's our third annual SUNO contest, and this year we're all collectively telling the story of "A Christmas Carol" with different created songs that we write up.  That should be lots of fun!

But here's the more time consuming thing of the day:  Mom had a funny idea about putting a tree up and covering it with a sheet when it's Halloween.  So I actually spent a few hours getting the Star Wars tree up this afternoon, including all the new ornaments we picked up over the year.  One tree down, a few more to go.

It was an indoor day.  Maddie was doing homework, and we were watching seasonal movies and shows today.  We have a big October list of movies, so there's always something to check out.  We spent a good deal of time in the basement cleaning up down there, and while there I was also on the treadmill, still marching along that virtual Niagara Falls walk.  Amazingly, there's still plenty of POV footage online to watch of different attractions in the area, and so I've had a lot to see to go with the theme.  

Okay, time to get some rest.  We read tonight and said our prayers - tomorrow we're back at KidPak, and it's gonna be a great day!

Return to Mule Camp Market

I was at Mule Camp this morning, something I haven't been to in like seventeen years or so, even though it's right here in Gainesville.  We were there with the church, just advertising for the church, handing out candy, and just goofing around.  Of course, these costumes helped with all that.  It was an overcast and breezy day.  I parked at the parking deck, and it was a bit of a walk there, which was fine with me - I got there early enough to see the grounds and watch all the other booths get set up.

It never rained, but there's a hurricane coming up through the coast, and although it's path is straight north through Alabama, it's clear this massive storm will be affecting us here - is affecting us here.  Tomorrow we get the deluges and bands of storms, but today was a good day, outside of the occasional wind burst that would surprise people in booths and those little canopies.  I got a lavender lemonade at one point, a tasty treat, and one of our co-workers has a daughter that sold these succulent arrangements - I actually bought one!

It's a nice little seasonal treat for myself.  It looks nice on the counter now.  

It was a good time there, of course most of it working the booth.  Tonight Maddie had taekwondo, and things were getting a little more gusty outside.  She got home without any incident and now it's time for all of us to batten down the hatches.  First we have to find some battens...  anyway, tonight we read and we said our prayers before getting some needed rest.  

A Happy Heater

 

Okay, this small heater seems happy!  We're moving things back into the office area after the flood, and I think this goes over by Josh's desk or Isaac's.  I can't remember.  I just know it seems pretty happy about the move back.  File this one under the "things with faces on it," and one it a good mood!

Check out this turtle we found in our driveway.  This is not quite our pet turtle, but it has lived around our house for quite some time.  I was walking out on the porch and saw him there, trying to figure out which way to go in the driveway.  Eventually I got up and decided to give him a lift over to the grass in the yard.  I was concerned about cars.

This year we're back to our seasonal movies, and this is one that we've got a huge appreciation of.  In fact, Mom and I are about to get an audio book of this story, "Something Wicked This Way Comes."  More on that later, I think.  But for now, the movie was enjoyable to go back and see - the library scene is so creepy, and there's so many moments that just set up a creepy atmosphere.  This era of Disney movies was so unique.  

We did our reading tonight, moving along still with "The Thief of Time," where a glass clock has been built, one that can stop and capture time.  And those Auditors are behind it all, so the end result isn't going to be pretty.  Fortunately Susan and Lobsang are present to help save the Discworld.  We're enjoying the read.

Maddie was off of school today, but there was taekwondo tonight.  She got to sleep in though!  We all slept in a little bit, actually. 

Meanwhile Nana and Ye-Ye are on another expedition.  They're literally at Niagara Falls and other places in the area.  It's another amazing adventure, but this is something someone else posted about them.  It was posted by the folks who run Howe Caves in New York.  I'll close with this really fun posting we got to see about them.

Meet Marie and Glen, whose story with Howe began in 1969. The funny thing is, they never actually went into the cave! It took them 57 years to finally make it underground, and the story of why is just too amazing not to share. Glen and Marie have been together since the seventh grade! In 1969, they were high school seniors living in Riverdale, New Jersey. Like most teenagers, they wanted a little freedom, a little adventure, and a day away from their parents and everyday life. So, they hopped in the car and spontaneously headed to Howe Caverns! There was just one little problem. They hadn’t exactly figured out whether they could afford the trip. When they arrived, they were captivated by the property. They remember the big letters on the front lawn, the beautiful green grass, and how the entire estate looked more like a country resort than a tourist attraction. Marie remembers it as a beautiful fall day. The air was crisp, the weather was perfect, and they were two young people madly in love, enjoying what felt like a little vacation from the real world.

However, there was still that pesky issue of money. Gas was about 39 cents a gallon, and Glen wasn’t entirely sure they had enough to get back to New Jersey! So, instead of purchasing tickets and heading underground, they decided to stay outside and toss a football around. They didn’t even set foot inside the Main Lodge! That was their first visit to Howe Caverns. Fast-forward 57 YEARS…Glen and Marie are now retired and enjoying some time traveling around New York. One of the beautiful things about this chapter of their lives is having the opportunity to go back and experience some of the things they couldn’t afford to do when they were young- including a cave tour that they missed in 1969. This time, there was no worrying about gas money, no football on the lawn, and no skipping the tour. There’s something incredibly touching about two people who have loved each other since seventh grade, returning to a place they visited as teenagers and finishing an adventure they started nearly six decades ago! In 1969, all they needed was each other, a football, and enough gas to get home. Today, they have a lifetime of memories together and one more to treasure. Glen and Marie, thank you for coming back and sharing your wonderful story with us. We’re so happy you finally made it into the cave! Some adventures are worth waiting 57 years for!

Glum

I got another virtual post card today, another milestone along the way with this virtual Niagara Falls walk.  It's 75 miles long, but I'm doing a little over two miles each time I'm on that treadmill.  

It was a glum day today.  We were at a funeral for a good while today, one for a young lady that we watched grow up, one who was very special to the church and everyone that knew her.  It was an emotional afternoon.  

Adding to the glum, the Braves lost again tonight, ending their season.  It was sad to see it end, but they did much, much better than anyone anticipated.  Winning the National League East Division was huge, and it was a fun year watching the team play.  Now it's time to pick another team to cheer for until the World Series.  Any team but the Dodgers, right?

Maddie is at a Bible study with Nate on Wednesdays, and it's great.  She's there with others she knows, and everyone's enjoying the time together.  She was at school this morning of course, and college seems to be going well. She has stories to tell about teachers and class, and things seem to be almost like high school in that there's this balance of occasional fun moments in class with just a lot of classwork and homework.  She's keeping busy, but doing well.

We said our prayers tonight after reading, ready to turn the page to a new day.

Mad Hatter Day

It's Mad Hatter Day!  Time to visit Wonderland again, and this was the first stop there, a new installment in the "Descendants" series called "Wicked Wonderland."  It's a fun trip back with the VK's next generation, the fifth full movie of the series.  I actually enjoyed it - this was fun to watch while marching along on the treadmill for a bit.  

Later on, the three of us watched Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" by request - Maddie wanted to see that one again.  Hard to believe that movie premiered sixteen years ago now, but here we are.  It seems as if this is the season of Tim Burton movies, doesn't it?  Not a bad thing at all.  

We didn't have time for the tea tonight - it was a long day at work, and a lot going on.  I finished the Christmas book, and now just need to proof it.  The design is largely based on the cover, so many of the pages feature stained glass artwork.  Back to work, right?  Funny thing is always the thought that we woke up on a cruise ship yesterday morning.

Tonight the Braves lost a big game, and things don't look great for the home team.  It was a bit of a let-down, but baseball has those ebbs and flows, and we've still got one more game to catch up on tomorrow.  Either way, it seems apparent that this season was much improved from last, as they've won twenty more seasonal games or so and clinched the division.   It's been fun watching.

To close out the Mad Hatter Day theme, let's talk about peppers.  We have three Mad Hatter Peppers growing now, and I had to research to see what exactly is a ripe pepper - I think we have a little more time for these to grow.  But not much.  They're coming along nicely, although I don't think they grow too much larger.

Tonight we read again, and we said our prayers.  Things seem to be settling down a bit, and with no big Christmas production there seems to be a little more time for us to spend together doing other things perhaps.  We'll see how this season goes, but it's been fun so far.  

Race Home

Well this one was short.  But we knew it would be - you can see we're all geared up for our express exit off the boat, something we usually don't do, but there's an event tonight in Oakwood that we don't want to miss:  Maddie's doing yet another taekwondo testing.  We thought it would be fun to make that testing, and yes, we started out the day on the Disney Wish in Port Canaveral.  

So first, a shower.  And a word about Disney soaps and shampoos in the shower.  If you know, you know, but these are some of the most iconic fragrances to the seasoned Disney traveler, a smell that takes you right to a vacation destination.  Super nice stuff.  

Ah, our last view from the veranda of 10520.  It's dark out there, and you can see all the porters jostling and moving about the suitcases.  Ours were with us for this part, as we're skipping breakfast and a longer line there to just get to Oakwood quicker.  Of course, it would be great to return to 1923 one last time for a nice breakfast - we'll do that next time.

We got into the express line at around 7am, and soon enough we were all off the boat fairly quickly.  We didn't have too much time to feel bittersweet about things, but again:  we knew it was a shorter cruise at the start, and it certainly isn't our last cruise.  You can see our first stop after leaving the parking deck:  it's a grocery store in Titusville.  Mom is there to select some flowers for our visit to the cemetery today, and we'll pick up some drinks as well.   

But we probably won't pick up any of these.  What an odd assortment, right?  Anyway, we left there and went up a few exits to the Canaveral National Cemetery.

This is where Nana and Ba-Ba are laid to rest, still a peaceful and serene location that's far from any noisy population center.  It's an emotional visit.

Mom placed the flowers there, and she touched the stone with the names of her parents etched upon it.  

We spent a few moments there, and it was super quiet.  No one else there at that time, and that was okay.  And from there, it was time to head home.  Our only planned stops were two visits to Buc-ee's on the way home for gas and food snacks.

But not one of these.  We like the Christmas one better.  This one was okay, as were the other t-shirts for the season:

I did get a racing t-shirt, a NASCAR vehicle with a Buc-ee on the hood.  We stopped at the Daytona location, and it wasn't as crowded as last time, thankfully.  We filled up with gas, got some iced tea, chicken salad, and these incredible chocolate candies that Mom and I are now officially addicted to... and then it was off for testing.  Still got a long way to go and a short time to get there, just like the old song says!

We made it next to the Georgia Welcome Center to use the rest room and pick up a few brochures for some Georgia destinations, but we were on the clock.  I was happy to get to the Georgia state line by noon, but I knew testing was around 5:30, and there was Atlanta traffic to consider, or more specifically the dreaded HENRY COUNTY.

Ah, time for our second stop at Buc-ee's, this one in Georgia.  The home stretch!  It was going to be close, but like Phileas Fogg, we were confident we'd make it just in time.  Even with Henry County traffic.  And then Atlanta traffic... oh boy, we were cutting it close... and then there was traffic caused by an accident around the Mall of Georgia area.  Would we make it in time?

Testing started at 5:30.  We made it to Edge Martial Arts at exactly 5:20pm, having driven straight from the Disney Wish this morning.  And we were so glad to make it.  Maddie brought the camera, and I was happy to take pictures of all the students during their testing.

Maddie destroyed this board with a sudden fierce jumping kick!

Look at everyone's expressions!

Maddie destroys another board with the People's Elbow.

Sparring sessions for everyone!

And finally, her form.  Maddie did really well tonight, and we were glad to not miss it.  But we didn't stick around long afterwards.  Maddie went to see Nate, and we went home to unpack a little, and then get some well-deserved rest.  It's been a long day, but really a wonderful and happy little trip, a birthday gift for me that I will always treasure.  Hey... treasure.  Treasure.  Maybe next time?

Maddie got home and we read again, and we talked and shared stories.  But we were tired, all of us, so we said our prayers, and got ourselves a good night's rest.