SV Epilogue

We have made it back to Colorado Springs.  We had a fabulous time in Fort Walton Beach.  We tried to take some family photos on the dock before we headed to the airport.  Bode and I were in a goofy mood when we took these.

We convinced Mommy to come out to the heat...

and we had Papa take one of the family.

And then we all got a little goofy...

Of course, we had to take a final sweet one with Papa.

Another summer vacation has come and gone.  We like Colorado, but it's different.  A few examples:  We did a lot of Crossfit while in Florida.  After each workout, our shirts were drenched.  We did a Crossfit workout this morning.  Not even damp.  This is not to say we weren't sweating.  It's simply the humidity, and unlike 99% of the population, we enjoy the muggy stuff.  Another example:  We went to Gunther Tooty's for dinner.  As we headed out to the car, I was thinking, "It will be nice to get outside and warm up."  Wrong on that one.  I wish I had brought a coat.  During our nine days in FWB, I don't think I was ever cold (unless you count being inside a restaurant that had the AC set on absolute zero).  We all have the weekend to rest and relax.  I'm sure I'll continue to push the garden project, and we need to get back into the habit of doing choirs like cleaning the house and buying groceries (blah).  One thing we must do is go school shopping.  Bode has a little more than three weeks until he starts first grade.  Crazy.  Pleasant weekend to all.

SV Part VII

David, Teddy, and Charlie had to leave on Monday.  Bode was sad--"Why does Uncle Dave have to go back to Denver?" he asked in that pitiful little voice that was wondering where his buddies had gone.  To ease some of the pain, we went out to a movie and saw the new Planes movie.  Bode liked it.  I think we did too--some funny lines.  The plot was decent, but I'm not thinking it will be nominated for any Oscars next February.  I'm sure Bode was worried he'd be stuck with just Mommy, me, Nana, and Papa.  We are all fun people, but since we're also over four-feet tall, we probably aren't categorized as great playmates in Bode's eyes.  Fortunately, the Bledsoes happened to be vacationing in Destin this week.  Ashley went to college with Dave, which means both are Auburn alum, so we are subject to a cacophony of, "Wareagle," and "Well, Wareagle to you!" and all that crap, I mean, school spirit.  Dave married Cathy, an ugh-guh girl (UGA spelled phonetically), which is commonly referred to as a mixed marriage as you get closer to the Tropic of Cancer.  They have two boys, Westin and Keller.  Westin and Bode are the same age, while Keller is four, going on "Keller!  What the f*ck are you doing?!?"  He's quite a handful.  Dave and Cathy both summed it up as follows:  "Keller can be a d*ck."  Evidently he can push Westin's buttons and get him all riled up.  He managed to get Bode crying once, but otherwise, he was a fun, energetic four year old that had a great time in the water.  I, of course, took pictures, although I didn't get any shots of us swimming.  We splashed in the bay for an hour or so and then invaded Ted and Barb's pool for another hour.  Afterwards, we had some food and then sat in the shade.  The boys were trying to catch some fish from the dock, which is an impossible task as they are Chris-Davis-like quick (sigh...another Auburn reference).  Still, it is always fun to watch boys having fun.

I also took a shot of the ladies as they sat and watched.

Note Ashley's sun glasses.  She was in the sun-glass store at the mall.  The clerk was amazed at Ashley's retro-ness.  As Ashley put it, "She's so old, she's now cool again."  Perhaps Santa will bring a new pair of shades for my girl.

Bode's big task for today was to get Mr Dave to watch this Auburn football 2014 hype video.  Bode's favorite song, for some reason, is Thunderstruck by AC-DC.  I have it on my iPod, and every time we go somewhere in the car, he wants to hear it.  Bode also loves watching youtube videos, especially those that contain Auburn football highlights.  It was like Christmas morning when Ashley found this video, which has highlights from 2013 set to Bode's favorite song.  Below is a video of us watching.  I'm not sure how well you can hear the comments from Bode and Westin.  I can assure you, the Auburn propaganda machine has successfully recruited these two into the Auburn fold.

We have one more day of vacation.  I'm sure Ashley and I will try to get in a last workout down here at sea level.  We'll probably just relax, as neither one of us is anxious to get back to work.  Hard to believe but Bode starts first grade in less than four weeks.  Where has the summer gone?

SV Part VI

Ashley's friend, Brantley, and her husband, David, recently moved back to Destin.  Dave retired from the Air Force a couple years ago.  They were working in Oklahoma and decided rather than work for someone else, why not work for themselves.  Thus, they bought an existing short-term rental management company and have been busy ever since.  Fortunately, we were able to pry them away from their office for a nice dinner at Dewey Destins.  I tried to get a picture of "the Rankin men" but no one would sit still.

Ashley didn't have any better luck...

Brantley and Dave have two terrific kids.  Below is a picture of Charlie and Hudson, who's big into lacrosse and has a vice-like hand-shake (my hand still hurts).

Our boys were rather tired from the day's activities.  Note Teddy's yawn--the boy on Teddy's left is the other Cook offspring, Mac.

But no one was quite as tired as Charlie...

After a delicious dinner, it was time for the obligatory posed-shots.  First, Brantley and Ashley.

And then Dave and me...

Finally, you can't go to the dock without feeding the fish.

The first part of our Florida adventure is at its end.  But not to worry; we still have another four days in the heat and humidity.  We've both forgotten all about work and with enough convincing, we could probably stay here full time.  Of course, we've also have to convince the Rankins to let us stay, but we'll leave that to Bode, with his puppy-dog face and long eye-lashes :-)

SV Part V

The water has been a crucial part of our daily activities.  We've been fortunate to have good weather.  Only one day did we have a lot of rain, but by the afternoon, things had cleared up which made for a very pleasant evening.  The boys have been swimming at least once but usually twice (but not thrice) per day.  It doesn't take much to convince them to get in the water.  The Rankins purchased some inner tubes, and the boys love playing "bumper boats" in them.

The Rankin's neighbor, Mr Ted and Miss Barb, were kind enough to offer up their pool.  The boys certainly could not turn down this invitation.  Here are some pool action shots.  The dog, McGuire, belongs to Ted and Barb.  He's the sweetest thing and loves the water more than the boys.

Below is a movie of McGuire playing fetch.  I think it's cute watching dogs swim.

The highlight of the water games has to have been the waverunner.  Ted and Barb have been nice enough to let us use theirs.  Tons of fun.  We've all taken turns.  The boys aren't quite old enough to go on their own so an adult has to drive them around.  Here's a shot of Teddy and Dave.

After a spirited ride, it was Bode's turn.

Even JoAnne and Frank took a turn.

It's hard to top a waverunner when it comes to bringing out everyone's inner child.  Ashley took a turn as well, but I didn't get any photos.  At some point, Dave took Teddy all the way over to Crab Island, which is quite a haul on a waverunner.  Even Charlie got in on the action.  I gave him a ride, and he kept wanting to go faster and faster.  I'm sure we'll take it out again given the opportunity.  But sometimes, the boys just had fun looking at the fish and crabs swimming beneath the dock.

I could probably post more pictures, but I think you get the idea.  There's only so many shots of three boys in knee-deep water that are interesting, even if they are your own kids :-)  On deck:  Dinner with the Cooks.

SV Part IV

We went to Stacey and Tim Tobik's home for dinner on Thursday night.  Tim and I go way back to 1997, which doesn't seem that long ago in my head, but when you say, "We met 17 years ago," it sort of takes my breath away.  I was a young second lieutenant while Tim was a program manager at the Fuze Branch.  Fast forward those 17 years and Tim is now the head-honcho at the Fuze branch while I still have lieutenant in my title :-)  We had a lovely evening of pizza, drinks, ice-cream sandwiches, and swimming, but not exactly in that order.  Tim and I sat on the patio him and his son, Carter, built.

Here is a shot of Stacey and me, and the Tobik's daughter, Marlee (note the correct spelling--I've been spelling it wrong for the past eleven years).

You might be wondering why we weren't looking at the camera.  Bode and Carter were gearing up for a race in the pool.  Here are some action shots.  Although the race was close, Carter eked out the win.

After the Tobik Olympiad, it was time for some ice cream.  Obviously this next picture is taken post-sandwich.

That goofy thing on Bode's head is some game Bode and Carter were playing.  I'm not sure of the object, but it seemed to entail throwing a velcro ball at the other person's head and getting it to stick.  Such an old-school game!

We had a lovely evening with the Tobiks.  We do hope their year gets a little better.  Evidently Stacey had to have a blood transfusion.  She's had some blood clots and other scary issues, and we can only hope they are on the happier side of these things.  It was great seeing them again and we have vowed to see them before Marlee graduates from high school.  This is still seven years away, but I know how quickly the past seventeen years have gone :-)  Next post:  The Wave Runner!

SV Part III

We started Day III of our summer vacation with a morning jog.  I always like running in Florida--it's flat, and the oxygen is so prevalent.  David and I ran over Brooks Bridge and down Okaloosa Island. We didn't break any land speed records, but it was nice to be out running.  When we returned, the boys were ready to do some swimming.  Charlie was geared up with his snorkel and mask...

while David and Teddy had to do some minor equipment repairs.

It was a glorious morning.  Even Ashley got in the water, but I'm sure she thought it could have been warmer.  Note her security guards kept me from getting too close--she doesn't want any Kate Middleton-like shots leaking to the public.

The boys had a wonderful time swimming, trying to catch fish in these little nets, and having a crab race.  This entailed Ashley catching a lot of little crabs, setting them up on the beach, and the first crab in the water won.  Not quite a NASCAR race, but exciting.

I spent some quality time lounging in an inner tube, away from the kids' clatter.

After a nice lunch at home, we went to the Goofy Golf.  I think my camera had a smudge on the lens, because I'm noticing all the pictures look a little blurry.  Hopefully I can get this fixed before tomorrow.

The boys could not be contained and took off on their own.  I'm not sure who kept score or who won, but they seemed to be having a good time.

Ashley, David, Jason, and I played a highly competitive round.  Here's Jason on my favorite hole, The Frog's Butt:

At the final hole, the goal is to get the ball into the snake's mouth.  If you do, you win a free game.  Teddy surprised us all by doing just that.  No one else managed this very rare albatross-like feat.  Here was Jason's attempt.

Afterwards, we posed for some pictures in front of the T-rex and the totem pole.

I must add Ashley was the big winner, trouncing her nearest competition by four strokes.

I'm sure we'll head back for a second go-around (I must have ESP if I can predict that!).  Next post:  The Tobiks!

SV Part II

We started Day Two of our summer vacation with a crossfit workout.  Ashley found a gym where we could drop in and do some exercise.  I had forgotten how much one sweats down here, for in a few minutes, I was dripping wet.  When we got home, we took a quick dip in the bay, per Bode's desires.  Afterwards, we did something similar to our Colorado routine:  we went to the Waffle House for lunch (which was delicious, as always).  We then lazed around the house, patiently awaiting the arrival of David, Teddy and Charlie.  Bode spent his time on the coach with Uncle Jason.

Ashley joined them on the chase lounge.

After what seemed like decades of waiting, Teddy and Charlie (and David) arrived.  The boys quickly started drinking (Capri-Suns).

Nana whipped us up a big feast for dinner...

Afterwards, we sat outside and watched the water...and the boys.

We finished the day with some family time on the coach.

Such a relaxing day.