Hope Lodge Pumpkin Carving

Paige and I volunteered at the Hope Lodge at the Mayo Clinic this past week. We volunteered along with some students from Bartram and Nease high schools to entertain some of the patients with pumpkin carving. It was a little awkward at first when we showed up, but eventually everyone warmed up to each other and we had a good time. We also helped to separate all the pumpkin seeds and baked them.

 

Paige's Pumpkin and Dancing with Sarah

On Saturday, Paige went over to our neighbor Sarah's house to hang out for a bit and they carved some pumpkins together. Paige's turned out pretty cute and they had a lot of fun at our house as well. The girls brought out the gymnastics mat in the family room and were attempting a recent popular move from Dancing with the Stars. I jumped in to help out and we (somewhat) pulled it off while Sarah filmed.

Paige and Shawn - PV Clinics and Anejo with Millie Mae

 
Paige was not thrilled to have to do it, but I insisted that she join me on Saturday morning for the 9am and 10am tennis clinics. Paige played well and I love to see her able to hold her own against grown adults that have played tennis for their entire lives. Millie Mae came along as well and was very patient sitting on the bench while we played. 

Paige captured a video of me between games when we checked in on Millie and told her that she was being a very good girl.

We walked over to Anejo (one of our favorite Mexican restaurants) afterwards, for lunch and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Paige with Millie Mae in her Sweatshirt

 

Thankfully Millie Mae is a very patient dog and will go along with just about anything. Paige decided to stuff Millie up in her sweatshirt the other day and luckily Millie is not the kind of dog to freak out or bite someone.

Connor, Paige, and Sadie at Beaches Go Green Cleanup

The kids went to the beach this weekend along with classmates to do some community service. They helped to pick up trash and one of the club members took a photo of them and posted to Instagram.

Paige and Friends at Haunted house - 13th Floor

 

California Visit - Shawn at Diane and Lee's 50th Wedding Anniversary

 

Shawn's Aunt Diane and Uncle Lee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year, and their daughters organized a celebration with some close family and friends. The kids are in school, and it was a long distance to travel, so I decided I would just go on my own. Alex organized a house for our family, and we all got to spend a lot of time together. 

The event was at the American Legion Post 291 on Saturday October 5th, and we all enjoyed drinks and snacks before Brynn gave a speech and we all toasted Diane and Lee. Everyone contributed pictures and slides to a slideshow that was playing on a screen, and a photographer captured the moment and got us the photos the next day.

After the event we all took pictures together on the beach, then the Vernons went to the beach nearby so Charlie could run around and be wild in the sand. 

In the evening we changed in to more comfortable clothes and gathered at Diane and Lee's house. The girls had a taco truck pulled up, serving margaritas, Mexican coke, and many options for food. 

Sunday morning we went back over to Diane and Lee's for breakfast and then stayed the day, playing games, watching some football, and enjoying the weather. 

Most everyone flew home on Monday, while Alex's family did some sightseeing nearby. I enjoyed getting to spend some extended time with my brothers, and definitely got all the quality time with Charlie that I could have wished for. He is certainly a high energy little guy and we got to be good buddies by the end of the weekend. He couldn't remember my name consistently and I tried to convince him my name was Uncle Bunny, but he preferred to call me Uncle Shawn.

Weller - Cavapoo Neighbor Friend

We are finally able to go on walks again as the yellow horseflies have apparently started their annual migration back to hell, or wherever they go after summer. Millie Mae has been enjoying her walks and we've been thrilled to see our Cavapoo friend Weller. He's the friendliest guy and is always thrilled to see us when we turn and start walking down his street. He's got such cute proportions, he's shorter than Millie at the shoulder, but he's quite a bit bigger and longer than her. We would definitely take him home to live with us if we could.

 

Hurricane Helene Damage Cleanup with Paige

 
We didn't have much damage in the neighborhood from Hurricane Helene, but some big branches from the nearby trees fell off, and an oak tree out front fell over. It was never the healthiest of trees, so not a huge surprise, but it has survived quite a few hurricanes before so a little unexpected.

Typically, I'd have Connor help me with the manual labor, but I decided it was time for Paige to do her part. Fortunately for Paige, but unfortunately for me, she had tutoring and was only able to help for about 20 minutes. I ended up chopping it in to manageable pieces myself and I was a sweaty disgusting mess by the time I finished.

Disney - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party - 2024

 

The last weekend in September, we took the opportunity to go to Orlando for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Andrea and Paige went with Amanda and Graydon last year, but Connor and I haven't been to the Magic Kingdom in quite a while. 

Connor will hopefully be leaving home for college next year, and since most of the schools aren’t super close, we had him drive to get more highway experience. Andrea sat up front with him for most of the time, and he did a perfect job getting us there safely.

We stopped off at UNO’s for lunch, then checked in to our hotel, before heading to Disney World in the evening. The weather was clear and sunny, which was quite a surprise since hurricane Helene had just passed over Florida. The rain had been terrible for a week, and many homes around Tallahassee and north up in to North Carolina, had been destroyed. We were expecting the parks to be closed, but since we finally had a nice day, and tickets that we’d already paid for, we enjoyed our time at Disney.

Before the sun went down, it was a little warm, and we started off the day at the Country Bear Musical Jamboree. Andrea and I haven't been to see that show since before the kids were born, and Disney has reworked it to be more recognizable music and Disney classic songs. It was entertaining, and a perfect way to chill out before the sun went down.

After the show, we walked through the park to do some trick-or-treating, and made our way over to the repurposed log ride. Instead of the somewhat racist Splash Mountain featuring the "Song of the South", the ride is now "Tiana's Bayou Adventure". It's a perfect fit for Tiana and friends, and quite an upgrade. Unfortunately, the ride was closed when we arrived to the park and we were worried we wouldn't be able to ride it. We rode the Snow White train, Thunder Mountain, and a few other rides before making our way back to the log ride as it opened for the evening. 

Andrea wore her rain jacket and sat in the very front with Connor. From the very first moments, we all got drenched by the little drops. By the time we got to the big drop we were already super wet and the big drop completed our soaking.  Even Andrea's rain jacket couldn't keep all the water out. 

Connor, Paige and Dad all rode the Tron ride together and Mom skipped it to do some trick-or-treating.

As we were leaving the park, I asked everyone what their favorite part had been. Paige’s favorite part was sitting next to Connor on the Tron ride and listening to him scream. Connor‘s favorite part was when we talked about Paige’s Tik Tok post where she insinuated that her parents yell at her. Andrea loved Tiana’s Bayou (the log ride) and getting drenched with Connor in the front seat. My favorite part was my disgusting looking Halloween themed pot roast sandwich for dinner, which ended up being delicious.

The rest of the weekend, we enjoyed the amenities at the Ritz, including some very competitive pickle ball. Connor drove us home on Sunday and it was a wonderful family weekend. 

Andrea Snuggling Millie Mae

 

Millie Mae may be getting a little more snuggly, or at least a little more tolerant of it.