Family Fun

After three rather stressful weeks at camp, I finally made it home to spend some quality time with ma familia. First things first, I met my dad and sister at the Green Truck Pub in downtown Savannah for lunch on Tuesday. It was a hot day, and the line to get a table was long, but the food was delicious, and best of all, most of it was homemade - right down to the pickles and ketchup. My Greek chicken sandwich hit the spot after too much mass-produced cafeteria food, and my dad and sister were definitely a sight for sore eyes after too much time spent in high-stress, less than friendly company. 

The next stop was 32 degrees - a new(ish) frozen yogurt place in Richmond Hill with Peyton and Ms. Jackie. I can't say that the yogurt itself was my favorite, but it was the right temperature and effectively cooled us down. As if make-your-own-yogurt-sundae isn't enough to entice children, the shop also has a blow-up bouncy house outside. It was more like a blow-up sauna that day, but Peyton enjoyed it as long as she could stand the heat. 

After lunch and dessert, I headed to the home of my most favorite in-laws to celebrate Katie Jo's 15th birthday with them (which, of course, meant dinner and more dessert - family time does have a tendency to revolve around meals for me). Turning 15 and getting your learner's driving permit is kind of a big deal, and Katie decided to commemorate the occasion with Japanese food and doughnuts, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Drew and I miss so many of these little moments by living so far away from our loved ones; it was nice to be present for a celebration.

Once the candles were fully blown out and happy birthdays officially wished, I joined Jennifer and Peyton for a nighttime swim. I'm not a fan of cold water, so I tend to be initially squeamish around pools, but there's something about the darkness of the night and the warmth of the pool lights that makes swimming in the evening so much more welcoming. We alternated between the pool and the hot tub, which were really about the same temperature, and then walked home for a sisters (plus canine brothers, Koda and Winston) slumber party.

The moon that night was crazy - really full and really orange - which might explain Koda's incessant howling through the night. While it might have been the moon, it's more likely that he was howling about the fact that I was in his spot in the bed next to Jenn. Whether Koda was lunar or just plain looney, he made sleeping soundly a little difficult, which made driving to St. Augustine attentively more than a little difficult the next day. No worries; a healthy dose of caffeine in the form of cherry Coke fixed that right up. 

Our first stop in St. Augustine was Mojo's Tacos - an all around family favorite. A taco made with a hard shell and a soft shell, plus fresh pico de gallo and special Mojo's sauce; how could you go wrong? You can't; it's quite scrumptious. And there we go again with the family time = meal time thing.

Peyton currently lives for the water, so we spent the rest of the afternoon in the pool at the marina where my mom and Danny usually keep their boat, followed by dinner at the Conch House, the restaurant at the same marina. 

Sunned and fed, we were ready for the real 4th of July festivities to begin. St. Augustine hosts an incredible fireworks show over the water every year, and it was perhaps even better this year, complete with fireworks that spelled out U.S.A. and displayed big blue chemical stars in the sky. Our view was definitely better than last year. We sat on a dock where some friends of my mom and Danny keep their boat; the reflection of the fireworks and the lights from the Bridge of Lions in the water was marvelous.

I've had a great time with all of the pieces of my family over the past few days; I only always wish our visits were longer. It also consistently makes me sad to be by myself in these places where Drew so clearly belongs. (See here for our 4th of July in St. Augustine together last year.) We're well over the midpoint hump of our 2-month adventure in loneliness, and hallelujah for it. Three weeks from tomorrow, TIP will be just a memory and Drew and I will be together in Richmond Hill, embarking on a whole week of real vacation with our families. It will be splendid. Until then, I have high hopes for the next three weeks in Sarasota; it's a beautiful place with nice people, and I'm really excited about the class I'm teaching. Fingers will remain crossed that the darling kiddos don't ruin it on Monday.