We went to the Bee City Zoo, where we were attacked by parakeets, spit on by llamas, and hand fed kangaroos, giraffes, and monkeys. Robin particularly loved petting the bunnies, especially the little black baby bunny that hopped around all over the place. So fun.
Tag: travel
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July 2
We went into Charleston today and spent way more money than we should have. The weather eased a little and it was much cooler than the last few days. Robin traded her phone for a very expensive, very cute pair of shoes that brought big smiles to her face and happiness to my heart. Christina fished Robin’s pen out of the Edisto River and touched a branch in the water even though it had a spider on it. An action-packed day.
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July 1
We visited Fort Sumter today. We humans have so much history to learn from and yet it feels like we’ve learned so little. Today I stood in the same place where soldiers fought for the integrity of the United States of America over 150 years ago. I could see the artillery in the walls. There were fingerprints in the bricks that were made and laid by hand. And what of that integrity they fought so hard for? Have we come so far since then? Humanity is such a challenge.
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June 30
We checked Congaree National Park off our list today! We hiked a trail that was described as a good opportunity to spot otters. Unfortunately the creek was almost completely dried up so we didn’t see any. But all the cypress knees were pretty cool.
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June 29
We have a cute AirBnB in South Carolina for the next few days, right on a little river. Looking forward to exploring the next few days.
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June 26
I went to my first escape room today and it was more fun than I expected it would be. The people in my group worked really well together, which I think helped a lot. Also we won. I am grateful for the time I got to spend with people from work, but I am ready to go back to my little private office in Jacksonville tomorrow.
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June 25
I wasn’t sure what I was going to do all evening by myself, but the kids took care of that, spending 90 minutes on FaceTime with me after dinner. They all seem to be hanging in while I’m away.
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June 24
First day of a work-related road trip. I have probably not been as invested as I should be. But I had a nice meal with Sarah and Q and that’s two in-person meals with Q in one year so I win!
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April 17
I got another flat tire today, my third in four months. Got it replaced in time to drive to Orlando, yay! Now for a good night’s sleep before our big day tomorrow!
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February 3
Days like today are why I live in Florida. Sitting by the pool on February 3 is just what this girl needs. We sat by the pool and Christina swam for almost five hours. It was kind of perfect.
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January 26
This is the first of a long string of weekends we’ll be traveling for cheer and dance competitions. There was a stretch of about 15 minutes that was very tense on the way to Orlando when my gas gauge turned on just before a 15-mile stretch of highway without a single exit. I made it with about ten miles to spare and Christina was none the wiser. Next time, AAA, next time.
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November 11
There was some kind of soccer tournament going on near the hotel. There were at least 75 kids running around the lobby and the pool after dinner while their 125 parents drank beer and wine and largely ignored them. The noise! The chaos! It wasn’t the peaceful escape I imagined, but we did get this moment to ourselves before the soccer exploded.
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July 31
There was a bit of a mental breakdown today. I have been trying to make everyone around me happy on this trip and it just hasn’t worked. Robin hated me for making her hike up two mountains, Billy didn’t seem to want to hike with us at all. I felt like I was bringing Siggi and Brett into drama they don’t need. I finally broke down at the end of the day when I didn’t understand the GPS and then I drove over a curb. It was ugly. But I stole this smile from Robin when she wasn’t paying attention and I’ll take it. Maybe she doesn’t hate me completely.
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July 30
We went into Asheville today, which was a lot of driving for a hamburger and poking around in shops we have no business being in. It was a little disappointing. But we came home and made bouncy balls and grilled up some pesto pizza and Brett even got a modest fire going with some damp firewood so we could roast s’mores.
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July 29
I hemmed and hawed and fretted over whether to take out the SUP and use it at Lake Santeetlah. I haven’t used it much and I’m not confident with it, plus there were a lot of people swimming where I wanted to paddle. I was so self conscious. But I did it (no thanks to the kind gentleman who tried to help with his electric pump but instead of inflating it pressed down the air valve so that after I had finished hand pumping it and I disconnected the pump, all the air shot out of it), and we had a lot of fun paddling around the lake. Robin was a little scared to be out by herself, but Christina paddled all over the place for almost an hour and even stood up a couple times. She was even kind enough to give me a turn, which was nice of her. The kids were just thrilled they didn’t have to hike anywhere today. We also introduced them to disc golf, but oh my god it was way too hot and humid. Thank goodness Brett suggested disc golf first so that we could cool off at the lake afterwards. Robin really liked it. Maybe we’ll get a couple discs and play when we get home too.
