As I mentioned in the previous post, on Friday, November 10, 2023 we left Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont, Florida and drove one hour north to Wekiwa (Wekiva) Springs State Park in Wekiva Springs, just outside of Apopka, Florida. That night I dropped Cindy off at her daughter Amber’s house. The original plan had been for her to be there over the weekend so Cindy, Amber and Abby could go to area theme parks on Saturday and Sunday in celebration of Abby’s 14th birthday. With the passing of Amber’s father, the plan was changed so that Cindy would stay there the whole week to take care of Abby while Amber was out of town meeting her brother as they dealt with the inevitable tasks associated with the passing of a loved one.
But first, Cindy and Amber still wanted Abby to have as normal a birthday celebration as possible so they maintained the planned schedule for that weekend. That meant a day at Walt Disney World on Saturday and a day at Universal Studios on Sunday. Meanwhile, poor old granddad would be batching it at Nomad with Bella. Not that I minded at all. Theme parks and the attendant crowds are not my thing.
On the morning of her birthday Abby went with Grandma to Ulta Beauty for a makeover session, then she went to school a little late. That night, we attended a volleyball game her team was playing against the Lake Como school to cheer her and her team on. It’s a good thing we did because they won their first game of the season! And though I may be a tad prejudiced, Abby was the best player on her team. Always hustling to get to the ball, being available to back up a fellow player and, from what we saw, their very best server.
After the game Grandma and I took her out for a birthday dinner to one of her favorite restaurants; Tijuana Flats.
Tuesday, November 14th was a busy day for us. Cindy had a dental appointment at 7 am and lab tests at 9:45 am. Since there was to be no eating after the previous midnight until the labs were completed, she (we, because I wasn’t going to eat breakfast when she couldn’t) could finally have breakfast and so we enjoyed ours at Panera Bread. Afterward I had my physical with my PCP at 12:30 pm and we had to mail a package out (my iPhone trade-in) before grabbing a late lunch at Firehouse Subs.
Wednesday, November 15th we both had our eye exams and that night we attended another game of Abby’s volleyball team, this time against the Conway Falcons. Her Aunt Ann and cousin Charlotte also attended to cheer her on. Abby played excellent again and her team won their second game this season. Unfortunately it was the last game of the season but they played their hearts out.
Saturday, November 18th Cindy and Amber attended a reunion picnic of the Disney Reservation Center folks where they both worked at different times. Cindy got to catch up with a lot of old friends and colleagues who all worked at the DRC over the years before she moved to the executive building at Celebration to finish out her career at Disney.
On Tuesday, November 21st, I had labs at 7 am and a meeting with my specialist at 11 am. All good news. That evening, Ann took her old dad out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse where we enjoyed a delicious meal and time to catch up with each other one on one. Thanks Princess! Then Cindy and I met to pick up our new eyeglasses. Now I can see the other vehicles when we’re driving across the country.
Abby came back to the campsite with us and spent a few days with her old grandparents at Nomad. We had fun hiking with her around the park and down to the springs, as well as enjoying s’mores around the campfire a couple of nights.
Thursday, the 23rd was Thanksgiving and the three of us met Amber at Perkins Restaurant for a traditional meal of turkey, dressing, veggies and dessert. I prefer this to the large family gatherings we used to do, but Cindy misses those and most especially her mom. It’s true that, as you age and important people in your life pass on, the holidays become more about enjoying it with those you still can, like your children and grandchildren. After our dinner Abby went back home with her mom and Cindy and I headed back to Wekiva Springs State Park.
Friday, November 24th we packed everything up at Nomad and moved to our next stop, back to Lake Louisa State Park.
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