The Trip East

This post will be a little out of sequence since I have already posted the movies of the new-home tour.  I left Colorado Springs on the 25th of May.  I didn't come directly to Florida; I went via Albuquerque, where, unlike Bugs Bunny, I did make that left turn.  I also dropped Bode off with Uncle Pat and Aunt Dana.  We figured he'd rather spend ten days playing with his cousins than driving across country and unpacking boxes (we were right).  I didn't take too many pictures, but I did get a picture of the kids playing tether ball.

Uncle Pat was also kind enough to send a couple pictures.  Apparently Bode has taken a liking to tennis, so we will do our best to find some racquets and tennis courts and start playing with him.

    

I also took some pictures of Kona and Barkley.  Initially, we were worried the dogs wouldn't get along, as neither has shown a great affinity for other dogs.  After some uncertainty, the dogs quickly became fast friends.

I only stayed a couple nights because I figured I should not let all the unpacking and moving in fall to Ashley.  Thus, on the Sunday before Memorial Day, I headed out.  Barkley did great in the car--the vet said I could give her four Benadryl (four!), which would probably cause me to sleep for 12 hours.  She didn't get sick once, and she slept quite a bit.  We stopped in Wichita Falls, Texas, and stayed at a La Quinta Inn.  I spoiled her and let her sleep on the king-size mattress with me.

I then proceeded to Shirley, Texas, and stayed with Penny and Milton and lounged in their pool.  It was nice to just do nothing for a couple days, as the moving out was a bit stressful, as was the driving.  We all love their pool.

They also have a cute dog named Chief, who was a little afraid of Barkley at first, but, much like with Kona, the two quickly became friends.

I also got to see Owen, who is Ashley's third cousin (Owen is Penny and Milton's first grandchild; Penny is Ashley's first cousin, so if I've done the math correct, Owen and Bode are fourth cousins).

On the Wednesday after Memorial, I left Texas and came to Fort Walton Beach.  I was on the road by 4:45 in the am, which was god-awful early, but I didn't want to get stuck in any Houston area traffic.  I made it to the new house by 2:30 or so.  I filmed the dog-reunion, which wasn't as great as I thought.  Note also I forgot how glass and lenses fog up when you go from a cool environment (the air-conditioned car) to a hot, muggy one.

Per the previous post, Ashley and I have been doing a lot of unpacking for the past week.  Yesterday, Bode arrived, flying as an unaccompanied minor from Albuquerque.  He did great, and we are happy to have everyone together again.  The dogs really gave him a nice greeting, especially Barkley.

 

Today is supposed to be a beautiful day; perhaps Bode will enjoy a swim in his backyard :-)  Pleasant day to all.

Florida

We have safely arrived in Shalimar, Florida.  Ashley and I are here, as are Barkley, Joey, and Barry (the fish).  We think Cisco (the snail) is somewhere in the tank, but we haven't seen him.  Our stuff was delivered a week ago, and we've done nothing but unpack boxes.  We have most of the big stuff done with the exception of the garage; hopefully Ashley, I mean, we, will get to that. 

Below are a series of movies, narrated by yours truly.  I'm like the Morgan Freeman of house tours.  First up is the house from the street and the lot.

We have a very large number of trees, which I think is a good thing.  Of course, one huge hurricane, and they could all come down on the house and vehicles, but we'll keep our fingers crossed that does not happen.  There's also a lot of raking that needs to be done; Ashley's yard-boy needs to get his act together and start earning his keep.

Next is the interior of the house starting at the front door.

The great room is amazing.  The views are wonderful, and it's so open.  Plus, it's quite cool, although the AC probably has a lot to do with that.  We are both amazed how well our new couch, which we purchased last September, fits in this space.

Next is the living room.

Next, the master bedroom.

We really like our bedroom--simply and quaint, and the shower (not shown) is a step up from what we had in Colorado--there's a nice ledge upon which to sit, because you always need to sit down in the shower.

Bode's room is quite nice. 

We are probably spoiling him with the Xbox and the big TV in his room.  However, I can always disable these if his grades suffer :-)  He also has a great view of the water.

Finally, two movies of the backyard.  It's nice--views are incredible, and the water is wonderful.

That's about it for the tour.  We should be settled in the near future.  We've even gone out wave-runner shopping.  We need to get two lifts installed on the dock for storage; the guy was here this past Saturday to quote that effort.  We hope to have water toys by the 4th of July, but that might be a bit optimistic; hopefully by 1 August.  Pleasant evening to all.

Bode's Piano Recital

Ashley has now left Colorado.  She headed out early Friday morning with Joey (the boxer), Barry (the beta fish) and Cisco (the snail).  Prior to her leaving, the dogs were their usual active selves...it's hard to believe these two beasts are in the working-dog group.

It's weird having Ashley out of the house, but I think it's even weirder for Barkley.  She's just not herself without Joey.  I've tried to explain that she will be with Joey in eleven days, but I don't think I'm getting through to her :-)

Bode had a piano recital today.  It was his last time with Miss Pat--he started taking piano lessons with her in November of 2014--has it really been 3 1/2 years already?  Where does the time go.  Below is a picture of Bode and Miss Pat.

Bode played two pieces--Minuet by Bach and Spring Storm Melody Bober.  He did great, and I couldn't have been more proud.  Below is a movie of the grand event.

Dave, Jennie, Teddy, and Charlie were able to come down for the recital.  We all went to dinner at Dion's.

 

Not much else going on.  Bode and I are busy packing things up and finalizing the organization for the big move.  Ashley has made it to Penny and Milton's place in Houston.  She is going to spend a couple days lounging at their pool and drinking slushies.  Pleasant day to all.

The End in Near

We have started (sadly) to say good-bye to various friends in Colorado Springs.  Yesterday, I had my going away luncheon for my "previous" job at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.  We joked there was better turnout at the luncheon than staff meetings--probably because Peter bought all the drinks.

We also had a wonderful dinner with Scott and Lacey (Tylen's parents).  We went to Bubba's, and had a wonderful time, even though the service was a bit lousy--poor Lacey's plate was dropped, so her meal was late, and the waitress (for some reason) brought her food out as soon as it was done.  Thus, she first brought her a plate of mashed potatoes; a few minutes later was a cup of broccoli, and then finally her fish.  Not the best of service, but we still had a great time. 

They are planning on visiting Scott's family in Alabama in late July.  Scott's dad lives on a lake with a beautiful boat and jet-skis.  He had us at lake in Alabama :-)  More good-byes later this week.  It's all happening very fast right now, but also there is so much to do.  Pleasant day to all.

Mother's Day

The days are passing by fast and furious.  It is already the middle of May, and we've had quite an eventful month.  To start, we had our last Broadmoor Brunch a couple weeks ago.  Per the usual, we got all dressed up and took some pictures.  Here's a nice one of Bode.

We also stopped to get some pictures in front of the hotel.  Note the warm weather--first time in months that Ashley's wedding-dress-white legs had seen the sun :-)

We all feasted on the meats and cheeses and shrimps and fishes.  Bode even tried the Banana's Foster, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

My Mom (Grammy) joined us for the meal.  Afterwards, we posed for some pictures by the lake.

The middle of May also means the end of the spring soccer season.  Bode's team "tried real hard" which is code for didn't win a lot of games :-)  But the boys were all very fun to be around and they seemed to have a good time, both at practice and the games, even though we were on the bad side of the score.  I got the boys trophies and handed them out yesterday.  Here's a team photo.

Next is a picture of Bode and Dylan.

Today is Mother's Day, which is also Ashley's last Sunday in Colorado.  To commemorate, we went on a 10-mile bike ride.  Here's Bode getting ready.

Next is a before-picture of Bode and Ashley.

Finally, an after picture of a boy and his Mom on her special day. 

We had a lovely afternoon.  We spent some time packing, and then Grammy came over for a chili dinner (forgot to take pictures).  Bode has nine more days of fourth grade, and I'm basically done at UCCS.  The clock is ticking--tick-tock-tick-tock--and we are in the Colorado endgame phase.  Lots to do, but also time to enjoy ourselves.  Pleasant week to all.

Florida House

We are rapidly approaching the end of our time in Colorado.  We have mixed emotions, as it will be tough to leave, but we are excited about our new adventure.  I was able to fly down to Florida last week for some job interviews; still figuring out the final decision, but there's a good chance I'll be getting a "real" job.  I was able to go by the house we are buying, and I was pleasantly surprised.  The pictures Ashley brought back didn't do a number of the rooms justice, both in size and some of the nice features.  I didn't take many pictures, but I did take this one--the view from our dock as the sun is going down.  I see some peaceful sunsets in our future (provided my wife isn't hopped up on beer watching an Auburn game...)

Bode's YES club (young environmental stewards--sort of like a science club) finished up their semester with a presentation at Colorado College.  They did something on caves, and their project was very well done.  Here's Bode in front of their cave model.

Per the fall semester, there just happened to be the same number of awards as there were projects :-)  Here's Bode's team getting their certificate.

Bode is in the middle of soccer season--no pictures yet, as we keep forgetting to take some, but he's doing great.  He was off from school this past Friday, which happened to be opening day for Avengers Infinity War.  We scored us some seats, and Tylen, Bode's bud, was able to join us.  We stopped at Firehouse Subs for some lunch...

and then we headed to the theater.

Obviously the boys were pretty excited.  I think we all enjoyed the movie, and now we are also very anxious to see the Captain Marvel movie that is coming out next March--the ending of the movie was rough, but good.

Ashley is traveling tomorrow to North Carolina.  This is my last week of classes at UCCS...time sure is flying by.  Pleasant week to all.

Odds and Ends

April started with a visit from the Easter Bunny.  Bode, however, for some reason, thinks it was me that hid the eggs and brought him his Easter basket (Ashley was out of town).  I tried to convince him, but I don't know if I succeeded.  Still, the young master was all for going on the egg hunt.  Here's Bode finding a well-hidden egg.

The bunny hid 23 eggs, and we managed to find them all, unlike in other years when the bunny just hid them too well :-)

Bode's 4th grade class had a spring play/recital.  Last fall, we had the foresight to bid on front-row seats to the 4th grade recital at the silent auction of the fall carnival.  Thus, I had a great seat (Ashley was still out of town).  I took this first shot as the kids were entering--the little man leaning in the front is Bode's buddy, Tylen.

The songs were rather patriotic.  The first one was the 50-Nifty states, and I remember singing this song when I was in elementary school.  Bode seems to enjoy the singing, and he told me it was a lot of fun.

The concert was actually quite enjoyable.  Afterwards, they kids posed for pictures.

As our time in Colorado winds down, we realize we need to keep eating at the Broadmoor, as we have grown to love the Sunday brunches.  Here's a shot of Bode all dressed up--weather was very nice here this morning.

Per our usual behavior, we all feasted on the goods.  Bode has become quite the meat connoisseur, devouring some steak, salmon, red snapper, and leg-of-lamb.  He also had a couple helpings of the iced creams.

Afterwards, we went outside for some pictures.

Not much else exciting going on here--work, school, and practices.  Should keep us pretty busy.  Pleasant week to all.