2017 :: week 19

May 7

Our ward relief society has a visiting teaching conference the first Sunday in May. This year we did a skit featuring various visiting teaching "ants" at a picnic discussing ways to be a good visiting teacher. I was Observ-Ant. Acting isn't my calling in life, but it was fun working with these ladies.

May 8

The kids always want to play outside after school. I got out my camping chair to watch them play and it made me smile when they were all lined up. Spring makes me happy.

May 9

Monday and Tuesday were my big work days. We left Wednesday for our family reunion trip to Florida. I was pretty busy doing all the prep work, but got ahead of schedule enough that I was able to take Lauren and Elliott to a birthday party for our friend Emmett.

May 10

Wednesday was our travel day! We left after school, flew through Nashville and arrived in Pensacola around 8:30. By the time we rented our car and got to our hotel room it was pretty late. Our trip out was not without stress. There was a car accident and our trip to the airport was delayed by about twenty minutes. The Southwest employee was struggling with our tickets and after spending over twenty minutes with him waiting for our luggage to get processed and our boarding passes to print we were some of the last people on the plane. Elliott threw up down my shirt just after we took off. The plane we were on had some serious undisclosed "technical difficulties" including an ineffective air conditioner and had to be towed to the gate after we landed. That night Will and Lauren both struggled to sleep so we had to change up in the middle of the night.

May 11

The beach is beautiful and as a Midwesterner I am amazed and awestruck by the ocean every time I visit.

May 12

We went to the beach in the morning and early afternoon, but a thunderstorm passed through in the evening. The ladies, including Lauren, and some of the men got pedicures. That night we had a bubble blowing contest with some bubble gum my mom bought. Will LOVED this activity.

May 13

Saturday we rented paddle boards. It was the windiest day we were there, so it was a lot harder than I was expecting. The house we stayed in was on the sound with a short walk to the beach. Most of us weren't brave enough to brave the ocean with the paddleboards, but the sound was perfect. Lauren had never heard of a sound before, and when we left to go swim asked if we were going to the "noise" or the "beach."