A few weeks ago, I was out with some friends & we decided that once a month we will get together for "Fun Friday" -happy hour. Our 1st hostess, Lisa, is a teacher & suggested the 1st Friday after school starts. Lisa prefers early, so we set our time at 4 o'clock (just enough time to settle in after school)! And believe me, I was knocking on her door at 4:01 !!! The only down side...I was in bed by 8:30!
We made it through the 1st week of school...it was a lo-ong one. And now it is "Fun Friday". After trekking out early to take a test in Altamonte Springs, I came back & Griffn & I met some friends at the Fountain to play & eat. This is such a fun age...they spent much of their time carrying water froma spicket, back in to the fountains.
Marya, Josie & I were minding our own business watching the parasailers from the end of the pier when all of a sudden we heard a loud thud. We turned around & saw a shark squirming for him life about 2 feet away from us. at 1st i thought " where the heck did this shark come from?" Seriously, I couldn't figure it out (Einstein)- then we saw that there were fishermen standing a few feet away- they had caught the shark & thrown it towards us. Creepy. One of the guys convinced Josie to pick it up & even told her it would not hurt her if she put her fingers in its mouth(what?). Brave girl...I wouldn't go near the shark & was relieved when they threw it back in the ocean. A few minutes later...the same loud thud & another shark appeared..ick!
Although I am not a fan of the Posed" picture, it is tradition to take a family picture each year at the beach ( it is a great idea since it really is the only time we are all together). We had to bribe Griffin to get out of his pj's ( which he rocked this year at the beach). And look at our Jose...wearing a dress!!!
Ahh cooking day. The day each family sacrifices so that dozens of others don't have to lift a finger in order to get a delicious meal. Totally worth it to shop, chop, stand over a hot oven, serve food & clean up in order to do not much the remainder of the vacation. This year the Lowell clan stepped out of the comfort zone & tried out a new menu. Successful!
A great thing to do on vacation. Griffin had a back seat driver b/c he was too young to drive solo, however he let Griffin drive the last lap alone. Of course Griffin plowed ( a nicer word than crashed) right in to the back of another car amidst everone screaming STOP STOP STOP! Then Josie had a turn & we were cracking up at her as well...she had a huge smile on her face & her cousin Dani was trying so hard to pass her...so funny how competitive they get.
Okay, this picture does not do the bite justice. As the story goes...Sydney, Josie & their cousins Dani & Tara were boogie boarding fairly far out & I heard what I thought was happy screaming! As the girls starting coming towards the shoreline , I could not determine if it was laughter or crying...if it was Josie or Sydney (also how many times a day do we hear "mom, I need you" when it turns out to be a minor incident). Sydney had gotten stung by some sea critter. Her leg was grossly swollen, dozens of pin prick dots on her knees & a raised line that had wrapped around her leg a few times. I have to say she handled it extremely well, but she was definitely hurting. We tried benedryll for the swelling, vinegar to neutralize the sting- without much success. Drawing on a "Friends" episode we convinced Griffin to pee on her leg & voila...the swelling went down & she started to feel some relief. Griffin has a small bladder, so we needed more contributions (anonymous of course)...so a few more applications & all Sydney had left was the marks of the tentacles! A few more in our group got stung over the next few days...most of us chose to just dip our feet in the ocean instaed of going for a swim!
It's been three years since we went on the annual beach vacation...but no one skipped a beat. everyone is so great & Griffin seemed to jump right in & be a part of all the fun.
One of the families we were on vacation with brought their jet ski down & all of us (except Lee) had a chance to ride on it...what a blast. Griffin had the best time- he really enjoyed jumping the waves.
