It's All About the Journey

Or at least that's my view of travel. I am not the person who pushes through non stop to see how fast I can get somewhere. I'd rather discover new places along the way. Build new memories.

So Jasmine and I stopped to visit Wakulla Springs on our way to Gainesville for her pre op and surgery.

One of the reasons we went is because I wanted to see if I could make myself jump from the 22 foot platform into the 69F water in the springs. Right past the buoy, the water depth drops to 120 feet deep!

Jasmine missed capturing the jump. There's a video on my phone, but I haven't downloaded it to my laptop yet. I am the purple blob on the upper level.

I jumped twice from the 22 foot platform, and once from this lower platform.

Jasmine swam out and jumped off of this.

Then we took the boat ride and saw lots of alligators, white Ibis, blue crane, wood ducks and other things.

We came around the bend just in time to see these two guys dive backward off the top level.

The tour ended with a manatee in our docking area.

All Different Directions

Right now some of the kids are headed all different directions.

Kayla is at TMI camp.

She won't be home until July 28

On Sunday Kaleb leaves for camp in Pensacola

On Sunday Jasmine and I head to Gainesville for her pre op and surgery next week.

On Sunday Adam leaves for California for his two weeks of reserve duty.

So as many as could spent time together at the pool on Wednesday and Thursday.

Then last night we had some of the group over for one last get together for a while. We claimed it was a combined half-birthday celebration for me and Adam.

Adam's girlfriend Tara and her three year old son are in the picture too. They are very good for Adam!

And of course Ashley is in Indiana

And Jeff is still in Louisiana.

In the Basement?!?

This is the first ICRS has been in Cincinnati since I've been going.

I have a writer friend, Teresa, in Cincinnati who I connected with years ago by mail. I was living in England with four kids, Adam being the youngest and only 4 years old. She was living in Cincinnati with her three. A publisher sent her invoice, including address, to me with my writer's copies of a Sunday school take home paper, so I wrote to her. She wrote back. Then we started e-mailing. We've only met twice face to face in all those years.

She and her husband recently moved to a new house and graciously offered to let us stay in her basement during the convention. This "freaked" Jasmine out. She was like, "In the basement?!?!"

I think she was picturing something more like a storm cellar. But here's the basement we stayed in.

It has windows to the outside, so I'm thinking it's more of a split level.

I think she was a bit surprised when she saw the basement! Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to enjoy it. The three days flew by and we were off to Chattanooga.

Here are some pictures of the rest of the house.

From the back

Our chef

Two of the four barn cats

They aren't used to being held, but "Friend" was willing to give it a go.

My kids would love this, but their kids are grown.

The "barn"

From the front

I just realized that I didn't take any of the upstairs or Teresa's writer's office.

 Here we are together