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#it was great until it came to making dinner in -20°C with only a space heater
lavenderblight · 3 years
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help i’m listening to the living tombstone fnaf songs again—
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marcholasmoth · 2 years
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OSRR: 2620
today was a good day.
i was on time (but forgot to go to class on time, rip), i was brought cupcakes by my coworker (which i only got to try one of today and it was DELICIOUS), i helped a bunch of different people (i legit didn't stop running around until 2:30, which was half an hour before i was supposed to leave), i left on time today (which was nice), i went to starbucks for my free birthday drink (it was the third one i had to go to that was actually open, AND they had hazelnut back in stock so like. Best Day Ever. it's been out for AGES. all i wanted was my hazelnut hot chocolate. it just wasn't the same all this time) (and the guy at the window had naruto pins and a one piece hat and i played go!! by flow while i was sitting at the window because i was like "this one's for you, anime guy"), i went home and helped my mom set up for dinner (all sorts of cute things, including a birthday banner, a "the party is here" sign, disney princess table covers, and tiny bud vases with roses in them were all set up already, so i just needed to find the plates and stuff), i helped with the dishes, i went with my mom to pick up dinner (and the guy at the front desk who went to get it all and bring it out to us also brought a slice of pumpkin pie because i said it was my birthday, which was nice because that's my favorite kind of pie), i had dinner with my parents and my sister and her husband, and it was really nice to have them around and to have good food, and mom made this cake she brought out after dinner that was four layers of dark chocolate cake with chocolate mousse in between the layers and it was fucking delicious and i want nothing except that for the rest of my life (fortunately because the cake was so goddamn huge it may be true lmao), and i opened the cards from my parents and my grandmother and the gift from the eggs (my mom is making me a bathrobe with long sleeves and good pockets, my grandma got me a $20 starbucks gift card, and the eggs got me a set of shiny click clacks that are glittery and blue green and SO pretty and i love them), and after the eggs left i helped my mom clean up the space, and then i sat and played animal crossing, and i wrote a bunch of reminders on sticky notes because i don't remember what i need for tomorrow, and i came upstairs and i folded my laundry and put it all in neat piles, and i'm now in bed and about to put my phone down so i can sleep, and i generally speaking had a really great day.
i exchanged a few texts with joel today, and he wished me a happy birthday, but i still haven't heard from riot. :c
otherwise, spectacular day. i hope they also had a spectacular day.
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nonstoplover · 4 years
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sand in my shoes ~ Joe Mazzello (song drabble)
my masterlist │ my song drabbles
song used as inspiration: dido ~ sand in my shoes
words: 4.2K
approximate reading time: about 20-25 mins
a/n: number five!! it has a couple of time jumps, small scenes instead of one huge, eventful one. this song is so amazing, i love dido (thanks mum), and i love Joe and i love writing about him. i hope you'll enjoy this as much as i did writing it!! feel free to request anything!
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The strap of her bag slid down her shoulder just as the door behind her closed with a loud click. (y/n) glanced around, a weird feeling filling up her body. Her eyes moved around the furniture, trying to find out what it was that felt strange, but everything seemed to be just like when she left two weeks earlier.
Suddenly it clicked in her head. That was the weird thing. That it was the exact same.
After everything that happened, in the back of her mind she thought it would change her normal life as well, but it was as if her trip to Kauai never happened. As if it was only a dream.
She left her bag right at the door where it landed next to her suitcase and went straight to the sofa, sitting down and closing her eyes. She could still feel the salty scent of the ocean, the touch of the light breeze that moved across the beach, the perfume he used and his fingers moving on the skin of her arms.
As she layed her head back, she thought back to the events of the past fourteen days, letting her mind imagine that she was still there, not in her plain, stupid flat in Chicago. If she concentrated with all her might, (y/n) could even exclude the constant sound of cars under her window, something that she was usually a hundred percent used to and even found calming after a long day of work, but after such a holiday, it was nothing but annoying.
Tomorrow work starts again, she thought irritably, knowing that all she wanted was just get in her car and drive until she was in New York to find the guy she met on Kauai. She swiftly shook the thought away before it could totally ruin her mood and instead let these new memories fill her mind up again.
- - - - - - fourteen days earlier - - - - - -
(y/n) took a deep breath as her feet kicked away on the sand, already feeling calmer than she had felt in the past three years. It was the first time she got away from Chicago for a real holiday. Whenever she left the city, it was whether work stuff or visiting her family. She felt like it was well-deserved to finally spend two weeks on her own somewhere so far away from home.
The sound of waves crashing in the shore, the feeling of the grains of sand rolling around her naked feet, the wonderful view whichever way she looked at, the fact that she was alone on the beach as she mindlessly strolled around with her shoes in her hand, it was absolutely incredible, more than she ever thought it'd be.
(y/n) felt a smile make its way onto her face, something that rarely happened back in Chicago. At a particularly beautiful spot she stopped and sat down, enjoying the warmth that reached her skin even in the middle spring afternoon. She let out a contented sigh, leaning back on her hands behind her back, closing her eyes to enjoy the peacefulness.
Joe left his hotel room to find some peace and be alone for a while so when the first thing his eyes fell upon was another human being, he felt irritation fill up his chest. He wanted one thing and yet he couldn't have it. But he continued his way, determined to find a place he could fulfill his desire.
As he got closer, his eyes subconsciously travelled back at the person every other second and he started to notice the beauty radiating from her. He instantly felt drawn to her, as if he was attached to the woman with a thread someone was pulling to make him walk closer.
His mind was racing, trying to find a rational sentence to say other than 'I love you, marry me', but the situation got solved without the need of any as he tripped in his own feet at the last moment, only a few metres away from her.
Her eyes snapped open and her body jolted in surprise and he mentally cursed himself for being so clumsy. And I wanted to blow her mind away and ask her out, Joe thought, wanting nothing but to disappear from there.
"Sorry, I didn't wanna startle you," he offered her a small smile, hoping she wouldn't be mad at him.
"It's alright, I just thought no one else was on the beach," the woman smiled back at him.
"Yeah, me too, that's why I got out here in the first place," he chuckled before holding his hand out to her. "I'm Joe by the way."
"(y/n)."
As they shook hands, all he could ponder about was whether he only imagined the sparkle jolting through his palm and fingers or maybe, somehow, there was a chance that she felt it too?
She looked even more beautiful from this close, her (y/e/c) eyes shining in the orange-ish lights of the just starting sunset.
(y/n) felt a bit weird, this man had just came up to her without technically anything to say and now he just stared at her without another word. Should she be worried? But she stayed still, unable to move any muscle in her body as she silently examined him.
He was attractive and charming in a way she had never seen in a man before and suddenly all she wanted was spending more time with him, hearing more of his voice and that precious chuckle she had heard only a little snippet of a few minutes earlier.
"It's getting a bit creepy," she let out a giggle after a couple more seconds had passed, glancing down at their hands still holding each other, or more precisely, his hand holding hers.
Joe immediately let go of her and an embarrassed laugh escaped his lips as he turned his gaze away, hoping to somehow hide the blush that had obviously appeared on his face. Though if he didn't move his eyes, he would've seen the glint in (y/n)'s orbs, who found the way his cheeks turned pink adorable.
"It seems like we're about the only ones here," (y/n) spoke up to try and start a conversation.
"Oh yeah, even in my hotel it seemed like no other guests were there."
"Funny, I always thought this place is crowded all the time."
"Mind if I sit down?" Joe questioned as standing next to her sitting form, just looking down seemed more and more odd as the seconds passed. The girl just patted the sand next to her, smiling up at him, her eyes squinting a bit from the bright sky that framed his face.
They following couple hours flew by as if they were only moments, the conversation flowing unstoppably. They had so much in common that (y/n) couldn't help but wonder in the beginning if the man only pretended to be so similar to her. But his eyes shined with honesty, clear and bright, letting her know that it's just a strange but pleasant accident.
As if fate pushed the two of them close. But if it truly was fate, why did it wait for so long?
(y/n) waited for the right guy all her life, eventually giving up on ever finding him, but now as she was sitting in the sand with Joe, she felt that maybe it was him she was waiting for. Even if they only knew each other for a few hours, they connected as if they were two puzzle pieces.
"Do you maybe wanna get dinner together?" Joe asked out of nowhere and (y/n) felt like fainting, she spent the previous thirty minutes trying to find a reason to ask him the same thing and now she didn't even had to speak these words afraid of being rejected or worse, finding out that he had someone to get dinner with.
The man started to feel more and more worried, misunderstanding her silence and he was just about to take it all back when she finally opened her lips and said yes. The absolute happiness Joe felt was something he had never felt since being a kid.
He stood up and being the gentleman he always had been offered his hand for her to help her up, not letting go even when they started making their way back to civilisation. After a quick glance at the woman, seeing the pink hue of her cheeks, the way her eyes shined and the smile playing on her lips, he knew she was alright with it and from then on he didn't even try to hide how much he enjoyed it.
They found a small and lovely restaurant and ordered some food, their chat still never stopping. They talked about their jobs, their childhood, their dreams and desires.
"What?" (y/n) giggled after raising her glance back up at the man from her just arrived food and saw him stare at her with a weird expression.
He shook his head, his lips curving into an imbecile grin. "Oh don't mind me, just enjoying the view."
(y/n) felt the blood rush to her cheeks from the bold compliment. "Not much to enjoy," she mumbled to the plate in front of her.
"Oh, please," Joe frowned at her with stern eyes. "I have to disagree."
The girl just shook her head, not wanting to get in a debate about such a subject. And of course, it felt amazing to know that the man thought about her this way. Oh, if she was brave enough to tell him how the exact same thing entered her mind whenever she looked at him...
Long story short, their conversation continued, though with more silent spaces when they got back to enjoying their food. (y/n) hadn't felt this great in a pretty long time, it was such a pleasant dinner that she wished she could experience more frequently. She had wonderful company, a funny, smart and caring man, which in her experience was a rare combination.
At the end of the dinner Joe insisted on paying for her meal as well, no matter how hard she tried to reason him out of it.
"I don't really feel like going back to my hotel room this early," Joe spoke up, an unambiguous yet still unspoken suggestion hiding in his words.
"Me neither."
"Would you like to go back to the beach for a little walk?"
(y/n) smiled so brightly at the man that he needed no spoken answer to know what she's thinking. They set off with a slow and fine pace, walking close to each other but still not touching. Comfortable silence filled the air as they let the sound the peaceful waves of the ocean made fill their hearts and souls.
It didn't take long for Joe to position himself closer to the young woman, closer and closer with every step they took until his fingers ever so lightly brushed hers. He waited for a few moments, giving her enough time to turn down his approach. But her fingers didn't move further, and Joe could almost swear that a moment later he felt them press into his for a second.
He decided to take it as a sign and finally moved his hand so their fingers could freely intertwine. The soft skin of her fingertips felt incredible against his much more dehydrated and rough hand. It was almost equal to a luscious caress in his mind whilst from (y/n)'s point of view it was the raggedness tickling her fingers that sent shivers down her spine.
Under the moonlight everything seemed like they were in a real life fairytale or some romantic, cliché movie. The silver lunar light reflected in the deep blue water and gave the wet sand a magical glimmering. It was a heartwarming sight itself but with such company it seemed even more enchanting.
All of a sudden Joe came to a halt, and the light jolt in (y/n)'s hand made her stop as well, looking up at the man questioningly. He was already staring at her, but only the shining of his brown orbs could cross the darkness. The girl opened her mouth to ask him what it was that made him stop but he broke the silence before any word could have left her throat.
"Can I kiss you?"
The abrupt boldness completely took her aback. It was what she was hoping for since the beginning of their acquaintance and now it finally seemed to come true.
"Yes," she replied, her voice unintentionally raspy with anticipation.
Joe's heart fluttered in his chest and he started slowly leaning in. The girl could feel the impatience in her whole body and she hastened the situation with moving her head up towards his face.
Their lips met in the middle, nestling against each other delicately and softly.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Three days later (y/n) raised her arms to rub her eyes sleepily right after waking up. The sharp light made it hard for her to fully open them, she needed some time to get accustomed to it.
When she could finally do so, the first thing her glance met was the man grinning at her from the other side of the bed.
"Good morning," she greeted him, a wide smile making its way to her face.
"Hey," Joe replied before leaning in and pressing a lazy and lingering kiss on her lips.
A few seconds later the girl leant back, the happiness not leaving her cheeks and eyes for a single moment as she sat up, swinging her legs down the edge of the bed to stand up.
"You said my name in your sleep," the man's hoarse morning voice followed her as she slipped her feet inside the hotel slippers. She froze mid-movement, cheeks already burning up in slight embarrassment.
Would he think she was weird or creepy? Was he less serious about this than she was?
"It was adorable," Joe continued and (y/n) let out the breath she didn't even notice holding in.
He crawled closer on the bed and his hand touched her shoulder a moment later, caressing it all the way down to her wrist before grabbing it and bringing it back to his lips to press a loving kiss inside her palm.
(y/n) grinned down at the man before finally standing up to walk into the bathroom to do her morning routine.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
"You're so cute when you pout like that," Joe chuckled, his hand holding the ice cream up in the air where (y/n) couldn't reach it.
"You won't find me so cute if you don't give it to me in the next few seconds," the girl retorted within a second.
Joe laughed even more at the threat, but eventually lowered his arm so she could get to the oh so waited treat. (y/n) happily eyed it before leaning it and licking a stripe along the frozen dessert. He couldn't resist the urge and slightly pushed his hand up, successfully smearing the ice cream on her face.
"Hey!" She exclaimed. "Don't waste it!"
"I'm not," he replied before moving closer and kissing the already melting yet somehow still cold cream off her skin, eventually arriving to her lips. They shared a playful and passionate kiss before continuing their stroll.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The two of them moved around the hotel furniture clumsily, refusing to pull away, instead accepting bumping into every second thing in their way as they tried to reach the bed.
(y/n) felt her feet tripping in what probably was one of the legs of the chair they just passed by, and she almost broke the contact falling back before his strong arms tightened on her waist, probably sensing the upcoming fall, and he held her impossibly close until she could feel the ground securely under her feet again.
During the past week both of them kinda memorised the route in Joe's hotel room from the door to the bed, it was an unspoken decision that they used this room instead of hers, it became a kind of habit in the first few days.
No words were spoken since they shared their first heated kiss of the night and it stayed like that until they were already laying on the bed, Joe pressing small, sloppy kisses on her neck and collarbone before opening his mouth to an almost too quiet to be heard whisper, luckily with his lips right next to the girl's ears so she could actually manage to understand his words. "I'm in love with your body."
(y/n)'s eyes kindled in a new light, a different warmth spreading across her chest as she moved her head to be able to stare the man in the eyes, those beautiful shiny, chocolate brown coloured orbs.
I never want this to end, she thought but said nothing, afraid that Joe didn't feel that way and that it might ruin it all. Whatever this is, it's the best thing in my life.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"I don't want to leave."
(y/n) knew how pathetic she sounded as her teary eyes stared at the ground next to their feet and her shaking voice broke the awkward silence.
Neither of them could find the right words to speak, words that could help causing less damage, words that could make this departure easier. They stood inside the airport, the girl's suitcase between them as they tried to figure out what to do or what to say before she eventually had to step through the gate and leave this island to go back to her average, boring life.
"I know," Joe replied quietly. "I don't want you to go just as much."
The distant sound of a woman's voice coming from a speaker somewhere above them reached their ears, announcing that it was time for her to actually move her legs away from the man.
"So this is the end," she announced and he nodded hesitantly, his eyes fluttering to the side and back to her face.
"Are you sure we can't keep in touch?" He asked. "Maybe we could meet someday."
"I can't make any promises," (y/n) shook her head, flashbacks of her strict and insensitive boss and her constant working coming to her head.
She couldn't afford such an emotional instability this something between them would be. They had different lives, different jobs, living in two cities so far from each other.
He had movies to shoot, Hollywood waiting for him. He travelled between LA, New York, or the other cities he had his movies made, and (y/n) knew that Chicago wasn't high up on that list. Was there any point in chatting, FaceTiming or writing letters, whatever, if they could never meet?
He'd eventually meet another woman, it's inevitable, and it'd be only worse, breaking her heart even more than if they didn't keep in touch in the first place. She told him this already a couple times, and even though he seemed like understanding it and agreeing, he always brought this question back up, making her feel like a heartless monster for not giving them a chance.
Joe sighed, knowing she was right but still not wanting to accept it. He liked her too much to just let her go like this, but she gave no chance for him. He tightened his grip on her hand one last time, wanting to let her know of everything he was feeling.
"If you keep squeezing that hard, you'll break my hand," (y/n) tried to lighten the mood, a weak chuckle escaping her lips. She managed to get his lips curve into a small smile, not the wide, happiness-radiating one that could make her heartbeat fasten any time, but still closer to it than the serious expression that was on his face since they woke up.
Another announcement came, and (y/n) started to pull away, her free hand grabbing the handle of her suitcase.
"Can I kiss you?" Joe couldn't keep it in and let the words leave his lips, the same words he had spoken only fourteen days earlier.
(y/n) let out a small gasp before nodding, letting the man step closer again, closer and closer until the front of their bodies finally touched and he dived in for a sweet, lingering kiss.
"I hope you'll never forget me and our little holiday," he whispered against her lips.
He pulled away and after a small wave of his hand he turned around and walked out of the airport building.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(y/n) opened her eyes to dim street lights entering her living room. For a moment she just let her eyes roam around her surroundings, taking in the modern but somehow boring greyness of her apartment.
The cold temperature hit her skin, sending a shiver down her spine and she just now realised that she was still wearing the thin shirt she put on that morning back on Kauai, something that proved not to be enough against the cool Chicago weather.
With a sigh leaving her lips she stood up and walked to the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush her teeth before she eventually entered her bedroom and fell on her bed to sleep through the night.
Waking up felt miserable. The sleep she got was anything but relaxing. Her dreams were filled with Joe and the events of the past two weeks, making her heartbeat fasten as she was tossing and turning in her bed.
Sleepily she strolled to the kitchen, making herself a cup of coffee and drinking it standing at the exact same spot, staring at the wall mindlessly. When the mug was empty, she placed it in the dishwasher and went back to her room, pulling out the first shirt and elegant pair of pants her fingers touched.
She got dressed and left her apartment still not paying attention to anything around her. Silence filled her mind, no serious thoughts appearing inside as the hours passed by. She survived the day and got back home, eyes falling on the suitcase and backpack standing at the exact same spot she left them the day before when she arrived.
"You gotta do it sometime," (y/n) muttered to herself. "Let's just get it over with now."
With a few groans escaping her she pushed and kicked the bags waiting to be unpacked into her room, and after unzipping the suitcase, she turned it to the side so the clothes inside could fall out to the floor.
She knelt down next to them, and started piling them in two heaps, colourful and white, so she could do the washing easier and faster when she'd find the energy to do so. As she was moodily throwing the pieces of clothing, a piece of paper fell out and slowly floated to the ground a few metres away from her.
Her eyes narrowed and a frown creased her forehead as she stared at it deep in thought. What the hell was that? She clearly remembered not putting any paper in between her clothes. After another moment of pondering she got on her knees and crawled towards the note, picking it up and smoothing it out before sitting back down and letting her eyes move over the words scribbled on it.
"I know that you don't want to keep in touch and/or meet again, but these past two weeks were one of the bests in my entire life and I would really love to see you again. So if there's any chance you'll change your mind sometime, here's my number and address. Yours, Joe"
(y/n) felt a breath hitch in her throat, tears filling her eyes as her finger caressed his name on the paper. Suddenly the things she told him seemed ridiculous, why didn't she give them a chance? Maybe they could make it work out.
Right now, sitting on the floor of her plain, dull room, saying goodbye for good seemed like a terrible idea. And she did it still. Oh, how could she be so stupid?
She swiftly got up, eyes frantically moving around to find her phone as soon as possible. When she caught sight of it, she almost threw herself at it with the newly found determination, flying across the room.
With shaking fingers she unlocked the device and opened her messaging app, carefully but still nervously typing the numbers Joe wrote on the note before texting him the first thing that came to her mind.
Hey, I was thinking a lot and you were right. We should try to keep this going. I had the time of my life with you. Xx  
She stood there in nerve-wracking silence for what felt like eternity, though in less than ten minutes her phone beeped, signaling a new message and she let out the breath she was holding in, eyes skimming over his words.
And for the first time in the past 48 hours she felt an honest, real smile form on her face, splitting it in two in happiness.
.::the end::.
my masterlist
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fashournalist · 4 years
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Thank you, Isentia Content Hub: An open letter to my colleagues.
Eleven days ago, it has exactly been two years since I first started working at Isentia. I remember feeling scared whether I’d belong, and what kind of people I’ll be working with. I remember I kept telling myself “Bawal maattach, Grace, as some alumni have said, when you enter the real world, you’re there to work. Just do your job well and be a team player, but don’t invest your emotions.” But here I am, after two years, with so many beautiful memories with amazing people. I did get attached after all, and it’s worth it. Because I did not only have colleagues, I met a new family.
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This was my open letter to Content Hub, which I hesitated to send at first after writing, because it’s too long. But thankfully, two of my teammates encouraged me to send it because they said what matters is I wrote it from my heart and it’s my farewell message to my friends. (I was one of the employees who got laid off.) It was here that I learned tears are really contagious, because after sending this letter, I received texts saying they shed a tear, too. Perhaps that’s because when I wrote it, I was shedding tears myself. Why do I feel like graduating from high school? Haha! I guess this is how close we have been. So here goes my letter, and pictures of some of the memories we have made. :)
Dear Content Hub,
This August 20, it has been exactly two years since I started working at Isentia. And now, 731 days and 41,283 summaries later, I just finished my last working day as a Broadcast Monitor. Permit me to be cheesy, I just want to thank the amazing people who made the past two years a memorable journey. I apologize in advance for the length of this email, but please know this letter came from my heart.
I'm really blessed that I got to work with you. I did not only have colleagues, I had a family. That is why whenever I reached the office, my update to my parents has always been "Happy place". It meant I arrived safely, I'm at OSMA already. And I know there have been hardships, times heartbreaking news crushed me, or times I went home way past my shift. Yet whenever I was on my home, no matter how tired I got, I just looked forward to facing the next day and working again. If world news were a play, we all get front row seats, binge-watching current events for at least 40 hours a week. It genuinely excited me that our job allows us to literally learn something new every day. But, I don't feel that way all the time; sometimes I just have burnouts and frustrations. So I think the real major reason that kept me going through it all is I had colleagues as supportive as you guys are. Allow me to thank you.
To Sydney Swans, my first team. 
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Working with helpful teammates like you added to my motivation as I traveled from LB to Ortigas every day for five months (when I was not yet able to find an apartment in Manila). Thank you for your devotion to Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. It showed me what client-obsessed looks like, and I committed to following that example. Your compere inside jokes and reactions to news added a lot of fun to our job. Until now, I enjoy backreading the group chat just to see your new musings or memes. Thanks a lot especially to John, Julianne, Zennon, Marco, and Kuya Ronnie.
To Fremantle Dockers, my afternoon shift team for more than a year, 
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Thank you for everything; for being supportive colleagues, helping me whenever I struggled, and celebrating with me whenever I improved. 
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Kuya Coily’s last day at our team.
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How we help one another, especially during the Christmas dinner just so everyone can go to Sambokojin on time, inspires me. This was our post-Sambo bonding at Greenfield. I am also relieved that you never judged me as “walang pakisama” even though I only drank iced tea or milkshake haha. Others tend to force me to drink, but my friends at Isentia just let me finish all the food. HAHA. I appreciate people who can respect our preferences and differences. And you are witnesses that I don’t need to drink to be drunk. Based on my energy, I am drunk by default. Haha I will miss all these sessions with you and my batchmates!
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I will miss our movie nights and billiard sessions (tho I'm just watching you haha) at the lounge. I wish we played more board games, too.
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Isentia Outing 2019
Thank you so much also for being there for me when I lost my mother, you had my back and that will always mean a lot to me. When my Momi was still alive, she always knew I was working with great people. Thank you to every single one of you especially AJ, Morris, Evann, Aly and Kuya Mel. 
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I look forward to a Dockers reunion when this pandemic is over! 
And my favorite teammate, Czesar. The best meetings are the ones you participated in. Thank you for all the laughter you gave us. 
I also want to thank my friends outside my team, including Tomie, Zendee, LA and Nico from Collingwood Magpies. 
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Thank you for the dinner sessions and conversations on life and dreams!
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This was LA’s birthday salubong at Kanto Breakfast :) While the next photo is a “panel discussion” at Goto Believe haha! We talked about the news we monitored, and boi, we went home at almost 5am.
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Tomie, thank you for our never-ending laughter on our way home. Normally, I just want to be quiet and regain energy while traveling, but with you, it's okay to chat all the way to Quiapo.
To my favourite comperes, who will not read this but I feel like thanking anyway because some of you might share love for them: Marc Fennell, Jan Fran, Kanoa Lloyd, Jules Schiller, Sonya Feldhoff, Anna Vidot, Dave Sutherland, Tamara Oudyn, Sammy J, Paul Barry, Jeremy Corbett, David Speers, Leigh Sales and my inspiration Jesse Mulligan. Thank you because I learned so much about the world and about life from you. I will miss blogging about your stories and reacting to your insights.
To the leaders who managed me and/or accommodated my concerns, 
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This is my former TL, Kuya Coily :)
TL Coily, TL Angel, TL Rem, TL Nico, TL Nic, TL Jonna, TL Geoff, TL Alni, and Sup Mitch. Thank you for all your help! Thank you for the times you inspired me and my colleagues to grow as well as the times you coached me, gave constructive feedback, and helped me overcome my weaknesses so I can continuously improve. 
To our Trainer Rachel, who we can consider as Content Hub's matriarch, 
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thank you so much because you patiently equipped every single one of us before we transitioned to live operations. To OM Dean, thank you for your feedback and praise during my regularisation.
And most of all, to Western Borlogs fam, my home for two years, I don't even know how to thank you enough. 
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I'm grateful you've been my batchmates at our training--and for everything after that. 
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Isentia Outing 2019
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Sibyullee, farewell samgyup party for Jai (her last day in the company)
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Seoulgyupsal, farewell samgyup party for Aiona (before she flew to Spain to teach)
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office memories :)
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Pantry catch-ups. I usually eat at my desk because of all the work but I’m grateful for the times I was able to join their dinner breaks hehe.
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Sambokojin, Christmas dinner 2019
Dear Borlogs, thank you for all the memories, endless laughter, samgyup sessions (a regular segment haha), Friday nights, and times we comforted each other when some of us are facing a hard time. Thank you also for comforting me and my family when you and B visited the wake of my Momi. She has always heard about you (and I'm happy she met some of you) when she was still alive. Thank you for being such a great sounding board, a safe space where we can be vulnerable and strong at the same time. Also, I've never been a milk tea person until I met you guys, so thanks for that, too. My BM experience would not be the same without you. Naz, Janelle, Joey, Patty, Billie, Lou, Aiona, Jai, Nee, Mau, C, Ady, Sarah. Thank you, sists!!
If you've read until here, thank you for bearing with my lengthy cheesy, farewell note to Content Hub. I attached some photos that captured a few of the memories I spent with you, as well as some jokes I've randomly thought about while monitoring. I was reserving them for Christmas Party or something, but anyway, here they are. I am confident they will make you cringe.
So there, I will miss you and I appreciate you always. I will not forget the memories we've made along the way. Thank you for everything, Isentia Content Hub! God bless you all and stay safe.
Arrivederci :)
Always,
Grace / Mariel
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(this was me when I graduated from training and was so excited to be part of Content Hub haha)
PS. Thank you to Janelle, Jai, Joey, Jai, Kuya Coily, LA, Zendee, Dots and Troy for the photos!
PPS. Thank you so much for your heartwarming replies!!! And the food/gifts some of you sent!! I love you guys. (There, I said it. Haha! I was too shy to put that sentence in the email I sent. But this is my blog, I can write what my heart says without holding back)
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^letter from AJ with a Bebi plant. She sent me oatmeal cookies and three novels too huehue she knows my weaknesses well haha thankuu ajj
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^Matchaaaa from Patty thank you sist! <33
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^Carbonaraaaa from Tomiee thank you siz!!!
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Thank you to every single one of you. I was emotional when I wrote the open letter, but I got more nostalgic when I read your responses. I will always be thankful for the privilege of working with you and being your friend. Keep in touch, okay? We’ll still meet again. :)
Love,
Grace
3 notes · View notes
hymn2000 · 5 years
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Chiquitita - MCU AU fanfic - C21
Story summary: Something strange is happening. Someone from space has made their way to Earth, armed with a strange weapon. Targeting teenagers, their ray gun, when fired, turns the victim into a toddler. The Avengers set out to stop this, and find a way to reverse the effects. However, they don’t all come out of the battle unscathed.
Previous chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Part of my Frostiron and Spiderson series.
Warnings/themes: de-aging, family stuff, corporal punishment (early chapters only), mental health stuff, hurt/comfort, hospital/medical stuff
Chapter 21 - So You’re Blue
-
“For gods sake, Peter! Why do you have to be so flippin’ loud?!”
“I’m hungry!” Peter howled, tears streaming down his cheeks. “My tummy hurts!”
“Yeah, well, you can see I’m trying to make you something, but I can’t get on very well with you screaming like that!” Tony hissed. “Put a sock in it!”
Peter continued to shout and squeak. Tony put down the butter knife, trying to breathe evenly. He tried to stay calm, but it wasn’t easy. His heart was thudding, and Peter just seemed to be getting louder.
“Peter! Would you please just SHUT UP!” Tony shouted, grabbing the boy by the shoulders. “Shut up! You’re doing my head in!”
Peter went quiet in shock for a moment, and then started shrieking even louder than before. Tony stepped back, shaking, his hand twitching. He couldn’t do this. Why couldn’t the kid just shut up for five minutes? This was too much. He just-
The front door opened. Tony rushed down to the foyer, going so fast he couldn’t avoid banging straight into Loki.
“I didn’t know you were gonna be back this early” Tony said shakily, leaning on his chest.
“I���m sorry; I didn’t think to mention it” Loki looked at him, touching his face gently. “Are you ok? What’s up with Peter? I can hear him squeaking”
“C-can you go and sort him out? I can’t, I just- I can’t, I need some air. I’m going for a walk” he pushed past Loki, opening the front door.
“Tony! You’re not wearing any shoes”
“I’m a celebrity; it doesn’t matter” he said, closing the door behind him.
Loki sighed, slinging his work bag over the banister and heading upstairs to the kitchen.
“Hello, you” he said, picking Peter up and giving him a cuddle. “Shh, it’s ok! What’s the matter?”
Peter was crying too hard to reply. Loki looked round the kitchen, spotting the sandwich Tony had started making.
“It’s a bit late for lunch, isn’t it, sweetie?” he sighed, putting Peter back in his seat at the breakfast bar. “Hold on just a minute, my love”
Peter calmed down as soon as Loki put the plate down in front of him. He was still shaking a little as he started to eat, but he wasn’t really crying any more. Loki breathed out, relieved. He filled one of Peter’s sippy cups with juice, and set it down beside his plate.
“There we are, darling. Good boy...”
-
Tony seemed a bit calmer when he got back an hour later.
“Have you really just gone on an hours walk without any shoes?”
“Well, I spent half an hour sat having a coffee, so”
“Right”
“Where’s the kid?”
“He’s in the living room” Loki said. “Are you going to join us?”
Tony nodded and followed him. Peter was sat on the floor playing with his plastic dinosaurs and train set. Tony sat down heavily on the sofa, flopping against Loki when he sat beside him. Loki put an arm round his shoulders, holding him close.
“You’re still in your scrubs”
“Yes, well, I haven’t had time to leave Peter since getting back, and Jo Jo spilt coffee all over my civvies at the end of the shift”
“What? How did he manage that?”
“He’s an idiot, that’s how” Loki said. “He said he was sorry, but I still smacked him over the head with a clipboard”
Tony laughed slightly. “Ouch. Poor Jo Jo”
“Poor me, who now has to wash coffee stains out of my clothes” Loki said. “Jo Jo said he’ll bring me some stuff for my locker as an apology on my next shift, so as least I get something out of his mistake”
“I should hope so, too... It’s half four”
“Yes”
“I should start thinking about tea”
“I can cook tonight, if you like”
Tony stayed quiet. 
“Tony? What’s the matter?”
“I’m just sad”
Loki held him tighter and kissed the top of his head. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“...I want my son back”
“Oh, Tony” Loki sighed. “Please don’t start that again. We’ve been through this”
“I’m fed up. It’s been too long”
“There’s nothing we can do about that: we just have to wait. You know that”
Tony watched Peter. The toddler was too involved in his game to pay any attention to his parents. He’d abandoned the train set and was playing solely with his dinosaurs, making them talk to each other is funny little voices.
“Remember that first Christmas after the adoption, when he kept playing with your nativity and getting into trouble for it?” 
“That nativity cost a fortune” Loki said. “I kept telling him it wasn’t a toy”
“It was so cute though; walking into the room and finding him knelt by that table playing a proper little game”
Loki didn’t say anything. He didn’t see what Tony was getting at. 
“...Pepper’s coming round tonight” 
“What? Tony, why didn’t you say earlier?”
Tony shrugged. “What do you want for tea?”
Loki sighed heavily and stood up. “I don’t know. I’m going to go and get changed. You can decide”
“Wait, Loki-”
"What?”
“Should I wait until Pepper gets here?”
“Oh Tony, I don’t know” Loki sighed. “What time is she coming?”
“She said she’d get here at six”
“Well, cook so it’s ready for six then”
“Ok. Um, how long are you gonna be?”
“Tony, for gods sake” Loki scowled. “I’m going for a bath”
“You said you were getting changed!”
“Am I not allowed a bath now?” 
“I just think that-”
“Daddy, daddy!” Peter clamoured, grabbing at Loki’s trouser leg. 
Loki looked down at him. “What’s up, darling?”
“Where’s my rocket?”
“I don’t know, darling” Loki said. “Ask other daddy”
-
Tony found Peter’s rocket, and the boy settled quite happily, which was a huge relief for Tony, who didn’t especially want to be around him at the moment. Loki seemed to be taking his time in the bath, and Tony got impatient. After a while, he stood up, accidentally treading on Peter’s rocket as he did so. 
“HEY!”
“Oi, don’t shout at me!” Tony snapped. 
“You stood on my rocket!”
“It was an accident, idiot”
Peter looked at him, mouth open. “Daddy said it’s rude to call people that word”
“Don’t try to preach to me”
“Where are you going?”
“What do you mean; where am I going?”
“You’re up”
Tony sighed heavily, picking him up. “You’re coming too”
-
Loki lowered his crossword book and scowled when someone knocked on the door. He glared at Tony as he came into the bathroom.
“What?”
“How long are you going to be?”
“I don’t know”
“Well, I need your help with the kid”
Loki looked at Peter. “He seems fine to me. Go away”
“What, so you’re gonna spend all night in the bath?”
“It’s been twenty minutes, Tony! Can I not have a few minutes to myself at the end of a long day?”
“Well, I’ve gotta cook, so you need to look after the kid”
“You’re perfectly capable of doing both. It’s not like you’ve never done it before. Leave me alone”
“Loki, please” Tony said. “I need a hand”
“And I need some peace and quiet. You’re fine” he said, going back to his crossword. 
Tony snatched the book from him. “Loki”
“For fucks sake, Tony!”
Peter blinked. “Is that a bad word?”
“Yes, and I’m a very naughty daddy” Loki said, snatching his book back from Tony. “Now leave me alone”
Tony scowled, put Peter down, and stalked off.
“Tony! Oi, Tony!” Loki sighed irritably.
Peter stood on the bathroom mat, unsure what to do. He looked at Loki.
“Follow daddy” Loki said. 
Peter nodded and rushed off. Loki breathed out, reaching over and closing and locking the bathroom door. At least Peter was being reasonable. Maybe, if he was lucky, he’d be able to finish his bath in peace.
-
Tony looked down at Peter.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m following!” Peter grinned. 
“Right. Well, stay out of the way of the oven” Tony said. 
Peter nodded. He turned and started jumping between the kitchen tiles, clutching his rocket in his arms and humming to himself. Tony checked the time, and sighed. He should probably start cooking. Pepper would be here within the hour.
-
Tony burst into tears as soon as he saw Pepper.
“Tony? Hey, what’s the matter?” 
“I can’t do this-!”
“Hey” Pepper held him close, kicking the front door closed behind her. “It’s ok. Whatever it is, we can sort it”
-
Tony was uncharacteristically quiet at dinner. Loki and Pepper kept up their ends of the conversation, and Peter tried to join in, although he didn’t always understand what they were talking about. Still, Pepper made a fuss of him, and Loki let him have a little bit of fizzy orange in his sippy cup, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
Peter started yawning and whining after tea, rubbing his eyes and leaning against Loki.
“I don’t suppose he had a nap this afternoon, did he?”
Tony shook his head.
“Well, I think a slightly earlier night is probably a good idea” Loki said. “Come on darling; bedtime”
“But Auntie Pepper’s here!”
“I’ll come and see you again another time” Pepper said. “Be good for your daddy”
Peter yawned, his eyes watering. “Bedtime?”
Pepper nodded. “Bedtime”
Peter looked at Loki.
“Say goodnight, chick”
Peter held his arms out to Pepper, who stood up and lifted him into her arms, giving him a cuddle. 
“Goodnight, Peter”
She tried to pass him over to Tony. Tony paused, and then gave Peter a little kiss on the cheek.
“Goodnight, chick”
Loki took Peter from Pepper, kissing his cheek. 
“Come on, baby. Sleepy time”
-
Pepper leant back against the counter, watching Tony finishing the washing up.
“You’re trying to avoid talking, aren’t you?”
“I’m just washing up”
“Only so you don’t have to look at me”
Tony sighed, draining the sink and drying his hands. 
“We’ll go down to the lab. It’s more private down there”
-
Pepper held Tony’s hand while he cried. When he eventually started to quieten, she put an arm round his shoulders, and he rested his head on her chest.
“...I thought I was doing ok” he said thickly. “But after today, I’ve realised that I’m not”
“You just had an off day” Pepper said. “That’s all. You’ve done great so far”
“I forgot to feed him, Pep! How the hell do I forget something like that?!”
“You forget to feed yourself plenty” Pepper said.
“Yeah, but that’s different! I’m supposed to look after that little kid! I’m such an idiot. I can’t believe I forgot to feed him! No wonder he got upset”
“You’re not the first person to forget something like that. In fact, it’s not even the first time you’ve forgotten it”
Tony looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“Remember that time Peter didn’t have time to have breakfast, and you brought him along for a full event day and conference, he didn’t have lunch, and by the time you got to the final presentation of the day, he was so hungry that he was sick?”
Tony stopped. He’d completely forgotten about it. Poor Peter. He’d been so good all day that day, not uttering a single complaint. He didn’t try to bring Tony’s attention to his hunger as he didn’t want to get in the way, or spoil or interrupt anything. He lasted quite well, considering, but just before they’d gone in for the final presentation at 8pm, he’d suddenly starting coughing, and then he’d thrown up. It soon came to light that he hadn’t eaten, and Tony had been absolutely horrified. 
“You felt awful” Pepper said. “But it was just a mistake. You’ve made mistakes before, and you’ll make them in the future. Don’t they say that that’s a big part of being a parent?”
“It doesn’t make it any easier” 
“Tony, listen. You’re doing well. You’re a good dad, no matter how you look at it”
“I want my little boy back” 
“You’ve still got your little boy” Pepper said. “We’ve talked about this. Your son hasn’t gone away: he’s just turned into a toddler. It’s weird, but it’s not like it’s forever”
“It feels like it is” Tony said. “I really thought it was only gonna be a couple of weeks. Thor doesn’t even keep in touch properly. When I see him, I ask where they are with the reversal gun, and he always just says; ‘no real progress’. How long is this gonna go on for? Another six weeks? Six months? Longer? I don’t know how I’m supposed to do this. It just keeps going wrong. It’s like one minute everything’s going great and I’m like, this is fine, this is gonna be fine and I can do this, but then the next minute it’s a total nightmare and everything is hard and horrible and scary I can’t do it... I miss my teenage son so much-!”
Pepper held him tighter, resting a hand on his face. “Oh Tony”
“It doesn’t make any sense! I’m sick of this. I never should’ve let Peter get involved that day. I should have kept him well out of the way” he pulled away, looking Pepper in the face. “Why am I like this? Loki is coping so much better than I am. He’s just always doing so much better than me. He’s not all over the place anywhere near as much as I am. He just... He just seems to have adjusted so well to this, whereas I’m just-... It’s so hard”
“He’s just putting on a brave face. This is hard for him too, you know that. You need to talk to him more”
“We have been talking. Just, uh, well... Oh god, my throat’s all seized up. Like, I know what I want to say, but I can’t think of the words, and when I can, they just get caught in my throat”
“Have you talked to anyone else about this? On a professional level?”
“You mean like a therapist?” Tony shook his head. “How is anyone supposed to understand what this is like? This is the most ridiculous, impossible situation, and yet here we are! My son was turned into a toddler. How the hell is anyone supposed to understand that? We’re living it and we don’t understand it. I’m not talking to a therapist about it”
“Then talk to Loki more. No one is going to understand better than him. You should focus on the good days. Like you did last time we talked”
“...I miss talking to him”
“Loki?”
“Peter”
“You still talk to little Peter though, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but it’s not the same” Tony sighed, scrubbing his eyes with his fist. “Little Peter is just a baby. He talks about different things. Mainly his little games and just his version of life. He’s cute, and he’s funny, but it’s different... He can’t really come to me with his problems, because he doesn’t really have any”
“That’s a good thing, surely? He’s a happy toddler”
“I know. But I miss my baby. We always spent so much time together, talking and stuff. He was always crawling onto my lap to talk to me when he was upset or whatever. I miss having those long nights cuddled up talking to him, all those deep conversations and those times we laughed so much our stomach hurts” Tony laughed slightly. “Did I ever tell you about the time I made him laugh so hard he was sick out of his nose?”
Pepper smiled slightly. “Yes, you told me about that. You two are so ridiculously similar. You make me laugh, the way you interact and the things you say. He’s far sweeter than you, though”
“Only when he wants to be” Tony took his phone out to check the time, and stopped, looking at his lock screen. He titled it towards Pepper. “Look”
Pepper smiled slightly. Sadly. “Loki’s changed his lock screen...”
“I know. I thought I should too, so I don’t keep getting reminded, but I just couldn’t do it. I've had this picture as my lock screen for so long. It’d be weird having anything else”
“It’s an old picture” Pepper said. “It’s from when you went on holiday the year you and Loki got engaged, isn’t it?”
Tony nodded. “He was so excited for that entire trip. Well, he had a few little sulky moods, but generally... We had such a good time. He was so funny...” he paused, looking at the photo. “I don’t think he’ll ever be as sunny and bright and bubbly as he was back then. But sometimes he gets real close”
“He’s come a long way since the explosion”
“Yeah, he’s done so well, despite everything”
“I remember the first time I saw him after the accident” Pepper said. “He was just lying there. He had cuts all over his face, and he was so pale. His eyes wouldn’t focus on me”
“He was miles away for a pretty long time. It was like... His body was there, but his mind just wasn’t. He couldn’t take care of himself... You know, sometimes me and Loki talk about the way he was back then, and it just feels really odd to think about, because even though we know it happened, it feels like it didn’t. Do you know what I mean?”
“Do you mean it feels strange to think about because you’ve come so far, that it’s hard to believe how bad things got?”
Tony nodded. “You’re better at articulating my thoughts than I am”
“You’ll get him back” 
Tony looked down, and swallowed. “I hope so”
“You will” Pepper said, holding him close. “You just have to hang on a little while longer”
*
4 notes · View notes
michiganandback · 6 years
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We were proceeding up the coast and started to go to one of the points off the coast and GPS took us to the entrance to La Farge Quarry. There was a sign telling us to turn around because it’s private property. We did and ended up at another point which had a lighthouse on Presque Isle, which we were told means almost an island in French. As you may have guessed, it's really a peninsula. We drove past the lighthouse to the water where they had a picnic area to have lunch.  A very peaceful place and there was a beautifully carved and engraved granite bench in memory of a man who obviously loved that point. We decided to go back and take a look at the Lighthouse Museum which was free. There was a curator there who goes through a part of the history and then we explored on our own. After Owen finished his introduction, we asked where he was from. He said North Carolina and I said me too, where in North Carolina? He said near Winston-Salem and that piqued both our interests. I asked him to be more specific and I think he was getting irritated but he said Clemmons. I said we were there two weeks ago because our friend lives near Clemmonsville Road in Winston-Salem. It turns out he's been vacationing up here for 20 some years and now spends his summer up here doing docent work at the Lighthouse. The lighthouse was nice and we climbed up this one just to say we have been in a lighthouse.   Today was a long day of mostly driving. We ended up in Mackinaw City for the night. In the morning we went to a 1800s reenactment settlement in downtown. That was very interesting. Everything there was authentic, with birch bark canoes, the dress of the people including some Indian outfits and ladies spinning yarn, etcetera. Pictures will give a more complete story. About mid-morning it was time to cross the famous Mackinac Bridge. It’s a toll bridge and only cost $10 for a two axle RV. We found out that whether the word ends or C it's pronounced as a w because that's the way the Native Americans pronounced it. Now we all know. We just drove north headed toward a town called Brimley which had one of the three National Scenic roads in Michigan. On the way there we stop for “Provisions” in an out of the way place off Interstate 75. While we're walking to the store a man came up to me and said is that your rig. I said yes and offered to show it to him while Elizabeth did some shopping. As we're walking there I found out Tom was retired Navy and was suffering from agent-orange poisoning from at least two tours in Vietnam. But the interesting fact was, while we were in the van and we talked about him being a navigator on gunships in Vietnam he said something in German which means what goes up must come down which I translated that he had crashed at least once. That started a whole new conversation. His father was an officer in the Luftwaffe during the war and was granted permission to come to America where he was interned near Detroit while they investigated is fitness for staying in America. He grew up speaking German, but was told not to speak German when he started school. We went back to the grocery store and had another long conversation where he explained to us about his service in Vietnam and some of the things he did which were pretty hairy. He was there when the Tet offensive started and flew in a gunship that went up to Hue to help attack the 25000 NVA. They got to the city we're taking fire from artillery and a pilot had Tom take over the navigation to set up the rockets. They fired all the rockets and knocked out most of the artillery. then took the gunship down between the buildings with about 5 feet to spare with both door gunners firing their 7.62s, they flew down the street lighting up the buildings on each side at NVA  who were hiding in. We could have talked for hours but we only talked for about 30 minutes longer than we started to. One of the men who lived in his town and I think was a relative was in the group that got attacked in Afghanistan by 300 Taliban from that group that got attacked back in 2009  He didn’t survive. Very interesting.   Aug 3   We took the road from Brimley around to Whitefish Bay through Paradise to Whitefish Point. On the way we stopped at a state park look for a campsite. When we got to entrance to the park, the sign said they were full. We asked if there were any other campgrounds around they said no. One girl looked another and said we do have one spot and we can let you have for tonight if you're only staying one night. We said is it near the bathhouse? She said not very far. It's our handicap site that we hold open till the end of the day but you can have it. I don't even remember what we paid because she didn't give me a receipt. We had the only large paved level parking space but you can almost spit to the bathroom.  We learned now how to get the last spot in a Michigan State Park and the end of the day. It was a great spot and it rained during the evening so we just chilled out and got ready to drive up to Whitefish Point, the end of the national Scenic Highway. We went to see some falls but they weren't quite as spectacular as some Falls we've seen, but they lower falls were two levels and the minerals in the water make it look like they're rusty. At Whitefish Point, we saw the maritime Shipwreck Museum included four buildings incorporating the old Coast Guard Station there. The exhibit was very moving because it talked only about all the shipwrecks and how many people had been killed including the famous Edmund Fitzgerald wreck. They had a video about that which it look like footage maybe from the other ship that was with them, because it was very realistic. After that we backtracked to go past the Upper Falls of the river we had seen but we didn't go in to look at that fall. We took a chance and headed north to the shores of Lake Superior to take an “improved” gravel road along the lake to the pictured rocks National Lakeshore. The gravel road was pretty bumpy but doable at about 25 miles an hour. We got a little worried when a few rain squalls popped up which could have made the road impassable, but it didn't rain that much. There was another RV in front of us way ahead and many cars, trucks and vans meeting us so we knew the road was passable. After about 15 miles, we hit a paved highway and went on the Grand Marais. It was time to stop for lunch again. While eating lunch, a man walked by and said is it already Miller time. I told him to look at the plate on the front of our RV and he said I guess it is 5:00 somewhere and it's just about noon here. As you might imagine, we ended up having a long discussion about the area. He has a hunting lodge about 15 miles back where we came from and his wife was down the bank from where we were eating picking wild raspberries for a pie. Steve was an interesting character. He told us that in the middle of June, the bay in front of us is a Derby for seaplanes and pontoon boat flying in to do tricks, aerobatics, etc. He got one of the pilots to get him a ride in an old two seater Otter to look at his property from the air.  Steve sat in the front seat and the pilot flew from the backseat. He also pointed out to the breakwaters where 3 boys ages 14 and 16 had been swept off in a storm and we should go see the plaque at the end of the point. We would never have known about that if we had not had that chance encounter with Steve. One of the boys are rescued by crazy person who jumped in the water to try to help him. Steve reminded us that Lake Superior makes its own weather patterns and it can get violent in a hurry. We meandered through the National Lakeshore, which has the Pictured Rocks, stopping off at some of the pull outs until we got to Munising. At first we didn't think we're going to find a campground but we found one that was newly opened and told them we were on our way. We passed a really nice campground on the way that had spaces but we had told those people to hold Campground for us so we went on to it. It had only been opened a month and they gave me a 10% military discount.  We had booked a campground in Christmas, Michigan, founded 1936!  We only booked one night and when we got there a campsite we drove past an RV just like ours accept a slightly different model with a small slide out and a Murphy bed. After dinner, we walked over to chat with Jim and Linda call. Theirs is a 2014 so we discussed some of the similar issues that we both have had. His refrigerator will only work on gas right now so they had had to throw a whole refrigerator food away because they've been gone most of the day on an Excursion in their Jeep. I told him about the engine light problem but didn't discuss the electrical problem we're having with the main circuit board.  They really like the RV and they live in Utah after retiring from the Civil Service in the Maryland area. We kept talking and it turns out Linda has a mitral valve problem also. I told her to go to Cleveland Clinic but she says her insurance company doesn't want to do a prophylactic fix. I told her mine was leaking but my insurance company fixed it even though I was not having major trouble. She has when I consider the worst insurance company in the world, Blue Cross Blue Shield. I told her I’d totally ditch that company and get a good HMO. Probably overstepped my bounds there but I had nothing but trouble with BCBS when I was forced to have that when I worked for the state of North Carolina.  We exchanged emails and we will hopefully keep in touch with them. Well it's Sunday morning and very muggy and overcast. We have a boat tour scheduled for two to ride along the shores of Lake Superior paralleling the pictured Rock National Lakeshore. We will spend one more night at a different Campground because while this Campground is new and it has a wonderful bathroom, there is only one stall in the men's room for about 70 campers. Granted the sites come with full hookups, but they're ours many tents and pop up campers that don't have full hookups. We're glad we didn't reserve two nights here. The other Campground is closer to town and is $10 a night cheaper right on the lake. More to follow with pictures soon.   We have to close our windows almost every night because of the camp fires. Why do 98% of the people think we enjoy smelling like smoke and polluting our lungs?  Ugh.     Aug 5 – Aug 6 AM   We got up and had a relaxing morning with a nice long walk to the outskirts of Christmas, Michigan and back to our campground. We checked out a little early went to the new campground before we're able to park to pay for the spot and go downtown for our lake cruise. We got a nice parking spot near the boat dock and just killed time until the boat left. We were told to be there early because the line starts to form to be on the top deck. We got there 45 minutes early and there were already 6 people in line in front of us. We got really good seats on the upper deck.  The weather was overcast, but warm and the wind was what was produced by the boat. After we got out of the no wake zone, the boat picked up speed and we headed out to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. You'll see that at the end of the array of photos after this narrative. They're very hard to describe in words and we hope the pictures do them justice. This morning we take a glass bottom boat tour to see some shipwrecks. After that, we will continue on up the Upper Peninsula in the direction of the place that we will take airplane ride over to the Isle Royale National Park.  We have five days to get there so we should make it in time.    
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travelingtheusa · 4 years
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FLORIDA
5 Mar 2020 (Thu) – We drove into Panama City for lunch at Los Antojitos Mexican Restaurant.  It was excellent!  The chips were light and crispy, the margaritas were delicious, and the food was very flavorful and filling.  We took leftovers home.  
     After lunch, we drove to Panama Beach City and enjoyed a flight at the Panama City Beach Winery.  It is the only certified fruit winery in the U.S.  We bought 3 bottles of wine and some items as gifts.  Afterward, we drove around looking at the historic district. Panama City Beach was on the edge of the hurricane and only suffered light damage.  On the way back to the campground, we stopped for fuel and then shopped for groceries at WalMart.
 4 Mar 2020 (Wed) – We packed up and left Perry at 9:15 a.m.  It was a 3 hour drive to Panama City on route 98 along the coastline.  When we got to Port St. Joe and Mexico Beach, we saw devastation from Hurricane Michael, a category 4 storm that hit the area in October 2018.  There are still many houses with severe damage, tarps covering buildings, and scores of broken and downed trees.  It brought back memories of Super Storm Sandy.  That was awful.  I imagine this storm was, too.  
     We arrived at Tyndall AFB FamCamp Raptor Ranch Campground at 2 p.m. (actually, 1 p.m. with the time change).  We saw that the base had also suffered hurricane damage.  The base housing had been destroyed and many of the soldiers are camping here in the campground.  We got a space in overflow.  Even though it has full hookups, the sites are very tight.  We will only be here 2 nights.
     After set up, we drove to Wewahitchka for lunch at the Reel Time Fishers. Paul got breaded crab claws that turned out to be mostly corn meal.  It was terrible.  I had a bang bang shrimp basket with only six shrimp in it.  Good but not enough.
 3 Mar 2020 (Tue) – We packed up, dumped, and left Homosassa at 9:15 a.m.  The drive was uneventful and we arrived in Perry at 1:00 p.m.   We are camped on the grass next door to the Elks Lodge.  The lodge didn’t open until 4 p.m.  When we went in to pay, there was only the bartender – an old woman who couldn’t hear very well.  There are two more RVs parked out here with us.  They have electric and water hookups and a dump station.  
     We spent the afternoon calling campgrounds, trying to line up our next set of places to stay.  Several were full and we discovered that next week is spring break.  We finally got the next two stops secured.  We have to find a third and then we’ll be in Atlanta, GA.
 2 Mar 2020 (Mon) – We did the laundry today.  While the clothes were washing, we walked next door and wandered up and down the aisles of Harbor Freight.  Picked up a few things.
     We went over to visit with my cousin, Larry, and his sister, Lori. I got information for the family tree. It’s sad when families fall apart. Larry hasn’t talked with his two daughters for years.  He couldn’t tell me their husbands’ names or the names and dates of their children. Lori was in the same situation. In addition, they haven’t been in touch with their brother and sister either.  
 1 Mar 2020 (Sun) – We went to lunch at Fat Daddy’s Road House. It seemed to be the local hangout. There were two sheriff’s cars parked outside.  The place was pretty full inside although there were seats out on the patio that we couldn’t see.  There was only one waitress handling about 17 tables.  While she was very busy, she did not appear to be rushed or frazzled.  She handled everything with great attentiveness and got everything right.  The food was good and reasonably priced.
    After lunch, we picked up groceries at Winn Dixie.  Paul made a quick stop at Home Depot to pick up some parts to fix his lounge chair. The cable that pulls the foot rest out broke and he is going to rig up a replacement cable.  Mr. Fixit at work.  lol.
29 Feb 2020 (Sat) – We went to WalMart to pick up some groceries then to the Biscuit Barn for lunch.   I had a vegetable omelet with hash browns and rye toast.  Paul enjoyed a gravy on biscuit and a sausage biscuit.  The portions were very big.  We enjoyed the meal very much.
     I have been trying to get hold of a cousin in Crystal River.  The first attempts did not go through.  Since it was the day after heavy thunderstorms, I assumed the lines were out.  On the next day, the call went through and I left a message on the answering machine. Today, I tried again and my cousin, Larry, finally answered.  He is going to see if he can get hold of his sister, Laurie, and we will get together tomorrow.
 28 Feb 2020 (Fri) – I returned the remote control to the office this morning.  When we checked in, I got a clicker (with a $40 refundable deposit) for the gate. They lock it at 10 p.m. each night. They gave the deposit back.
     We packed up and left KARS Park at 9:40 am.  The traffic (as usual) was heavy.  It was almost four hours to Homosassa.  We are camped at Moose Lodge 2013.  They have four sites on the side of the building with 50-amp and water hookups. They say they have a dump site. That would be very convenient.  
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     We went into the lodge to get lunch and pay for camping.  The kitchen doesn’t open until 5 pm.  We got a pretzel and drinks.  Camping is just $20 a night.  Good deal.  (KARS was only $10 a night)
 27 Feb 2020 (Thu) – It was a busy day today.  We went into Cocoa for lunch and ate at Pub Americana. It was an interesting building with a somewhat attentive waiter.  I did not care for my salad or the onion soup.  Paul seemed to enjoy his meal.  Then we ran errands.  Got propane, fueled the truck, picked up dog food at PetCo, and shopped for cat food and groceries at WalMart.  
     At 5:30 pm, we went over George & Linda’s.  We all drove to Brooklyn Pizza for dinner.  The food was good and the compay, as always, as very enjoyable.  They gave us a gift of margarita mix, Jose Cuervo, and Cointreu.  We will enjoy our drinks around the campfire!  After dinner, we returned to their home and enjoyed some time around the fire pit.
     I am very annoyed with KARS Park.  The water went out on Tuesday afternoon.  They’ve been doing construction around the park and we thought they either cut a line or turned the water off to make a connection. We went to the John Tesh concert that night.  When we came home, the water was back on.  The next morning, we went about our business – washed dishes, brushed our teeth, etc. using the park’s water.  Then we went out to run errands.  When we came back that afternoon, we found a note on the door advising that they had broken a water line and NOT to use the water for fear of a bacteriological contamination.  WTF??? Why did they wait so long?  We used the water to cook, do dishes, brush, and so on.  We could have been terribly infected if there was something in the water.  I called the office and was told they won’t know anything until tests come back on Friday.
26 Feb 2020 (Wed) – My medicine arrived at George’s business today so we drove over there to pick it up.  We all drove to Jabbers Bar & Grill for lunch.  Paul and I enjoyed a salad and pizza.  When we got back to the shop, we found another package that I ordered had arrived.  It was goat’s milk for Bonnie.  Her diarrhea has stopped but the goat’s milk will help in the future.
     At dinnertime, we met George & Linda at Preachers Bar where they were offering a wine bar for $10 from 6 to 8 p.m.  We ordered meals and drank wine till we were full.
     The medication I am on has changed my hair.  Instead of the thin, wispy old lady hair I had, I now had thicker hair and curls.  When I pointed it out to the oncologist, he said Imbruvica doesn’t do that.  How can he say that?  Just look at me!
 25 Feb 2020 (Tue) – We went to the Maxwell C. King Performing Arts Center with George & Linda tonight to see John Tesh.  I was not that familiar with him as a performer and was surprised to learn that he was not only a song writer and singer but a news anchor and news caster.  The show was very entertaining.
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 24 Feb 2020 (Mon) – We went to the movies today and saw “The Call of the Wild.”  The movie loosely followed the book (they left out the dog fighting).  We felt they gave the dogs too much human emotion but otherwise it was entertaining.
     After the movie, we went to the port and had lunch at Grills right on the water and sitting under the shadow of a huge cruise ship.  Two ships left while we were in the restaurant, blowing their horns and easily moving out of their dock space.  
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     We went in the Exploration Tower, a 7-story museum right at Port Canaveral.  A 20-minute video told the story of all the activity and organizations involved in keeping the port going and the cruise ships serviced.  There are certainly a lot of actors that make the port work well.
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23 Feb 2020 (Sun) – We went food shopping today.  Stopped at a local coop to pick up a few things, then at WalMart to pick up everything else.  Had lunch at a pizza place.
22 Feb 2020 (Sat) – We drove to my cousin, Denise’s, house who lives about 3 minutes down the road. She drove us over to my cousins, George and Linda.  They were watching their grandson, Ryan.  The six of us went to lunch at Cheddar’s.  They served margaritas the size of small bathtubs.  I had a salad and a vegetable platter of four vegetables.  Life was so much easier when I ate anything.  This vegetarian “thing” can be problematic.  I hope I can get comfortable and happy with it soon.
     After lunch we went to George & Linda’s daughter’s house. Diane and Chris were away this weekend (that’s why George & Linda are watching their grandson).  We took a look around their home then drove to Home Depot where George picked up some weather stripping and a door knob.  He and Paul replaced the knob on Denise’s screen door off her back porch and put weather stripping around her door.  
     When the project was done, we drove back to KARS Park with George, Linda, and Ryan (Denise stayed home).  We showed them around the RV and visited for a while before they left.  It was a pleasant day.
     When we got back, Bonnie had crapped on the rug.  She has been suffering from diarrhea the last three days. Apparently, we stayed out too long and she couldn’t hold it.  I tried to clean the rug but it was ruined and I wound up just throwing it away.  We will have to shop for a new one.  Sheba has also been having diarrhea but at least she’s got the cat box.  
 21 Feb 2020 (Fri) – We packed up and left the Moose Lodge at 10 a.m.  The day was drizzly, dreary, and cold with gusty winds.  We drove 35 miles to KARS Park on Merritt Island.  We camped here December 2013, the first year we hit the road.   They have improved the campsites along the Banana River – put down stone on the river bank and installed new electric and water stanchions.  We parked in a spot back along the woodline.  Our campsite has a 30-amp and water hookup.  When we arrived, Paul dumped and I sat on the campsite to save the space.  Sure enough, someone came along and wanted the spot.  Good thing I held it for us.  
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     We had to buy a membership to the KARS Park.  The Park is owned by NASA and was, at one time, quite the place. They had parties and activities for hundreds of employees.  Then, when NASA closed, the park degraded so they opened it to retired military and DOD civilians.  Now, NASA is back in business and they are improving the campground and expecting a resumption of the parties and barbecues.  Ipaid $20 for a membership card and also got an additional card for a guest which I gave to my cousin, George.  He likes to fish and he says the fishing is good in this part of the Banana River.
     The day was unpleasant.  We turned on the fireplace, made soup, and stayed in for the day.
 20 Feb 2020 (Thu) – We went to lunch at Wendy’s then to the laundromat to wash the clothes. While they were drying, we drove to WalMart to pick up water.  While there, we picked out a clothes hamper.  The one we have is very inconvenient to use.  Hopefully, this one will work better.
     At 5:50 p.m., we met Pat & Fred, friends from church back home. They are vacationing in Orlando and we were able to catch up with each other for a very pleasant visit, made nicer by having dinner together at Sweet Tomatoes.  That place is great!
     We spent the last two days trying to find a campground further south and on the east coast.  There are no spaces available at any place!  It is so frustrating.  We wanted to explore the Keys this winter but we just can’t find a campground in that area. Bummer.  We will move to a campground in Cocoa where we have stayed before.  It is restricted to NASA employees, DOD civilians and retired military.  They have a first-come, first-served policy so we couldn’t make a reservation.  The clerk said they are only about 90% full. Campers can only stay 14 days so rotation is faster than in other campgrounds.
19 Feb 2020 (Wed) – I’m baaaaaack!  It was a great visit to New York and I got to do and see everybody and everything I wanted to.  The oncologist said my bloodwork is normal (I go back in 3 months for a CT scan).  I got a colonoscopy and had my teeth cleaned. I visited with my children and grandchildren; my brother, Dennis; my cousin, Claude; and a new cousin, Guy, and his wife, Mary.  Our grandson, Hudson, celebrated his fifth birthday and I attended the party.  My sister, Susan, was kind enough to let me stay at her house and use her car.  Susan is a vegan while I am a new vegetarian.  She made good meals and I learned a lot about healthy food choices.
     Paul and I went to Universal Studios today.  There were a lot of people there but it wasn’t too crowded. We went on two rides.  The Hogwarts train from one park to the other is a great ride.  We really enjoyed that.  Daigon Alley was very interesting to wander through.  The sun was hot and the sky was cloudy.  We left at 3:30 pm and stopped at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for a margarita and snack on the way out.
7 Feb 2020 (Fri) – A vicious storm rolled through last night.  I was wakened about 12:30 pm with winds and pouring rain.  There were warnings about possible tornadoes.  Thank God, we never had that.  But the storm continued for several hours.  
     We packed up and left Winter Haven at 10 a.m.  The dump site was a little tricky but Paul managed to back into it and get the tanks emptied.  It took us two hours to drive the sixty miles to the Orlando Moose Lodge. The traffic was awful.  This lodge has eight campsites; two don’t have working electric.  There are currently two campers here (I think it’s the same two that were here when we camped here about a month ago).  
     We got set up and then ran several errands.  Went to WalMart for various items, got fuel in the truck, did the laundry, went shopping at The Florida Mall, and had some lunch.  We got back and I tried to finish up things in preparation for my trip to New York tomorrow.  I will be gone for ten days.
 6 Feb 2020 (Thu) – It was a light day today.  We hung around the campground until noon.  Went in and paid for two nights lodging then drove to a nearby American Legion Post for lunch.  My member card was expired.  Somehow I did not have the new card.  I called Roby Johnson back home and left a message but the clerk at the post looked my membership up on line and verified I am a current member of the American Legion. We had lunch and drinks, then returned to the lodge.
 5 Feb 2020 (Wed) – We packed up and left Moore Haven at 10:30 a.m.  The drive was over two hours to Winter Park.  We are staying at a Moose Lodge.  There are ten spaces on the grass in back of the lodge with 30-amp and water hookups.  There is a questionable dump station that looks like it would be difficult to get to and on an incline. Eight campsites were full and another RV came in after us. The other campers were welcoming the couple like family.  As we looked at the license plates, most of the folks here are from Michigan.  We don’t know if they are family or friends but they all seem to know each other.
    After set up, we drove to Publix and picked up some groceries.  After we got back and were watching TV, a terrible odor floated in through the windows. Paul was looking out the window and saw a group of the other campers passing a joint around.  That happened three times tonight.  Paul was planning on staying here while I go back to New York but he’s changed his mind.  We will look for a new campground tomorrow.
4 Feb 2020 (Tue) – We had a pleasant day today.  While walking the dog at the campground, three boats came through the lock.  Paul went over to watch while I had a delightful conversation with an engineer who worked with the Corps of Engineers.  
     We left the campground at 11:30 a.m. and drove to Fort Meyers.  It is a very nice town with palm trees lining the main street (Fort Meyers is called the City of Palms).  We found out later that Thomas Edison planted palm trees along a mile of roadway in an effort to beautify the area.  Edison’s wife, Mina, was a great horticulturist and there are over 700 different species of plants on their property.  They’ve counted over 1,900 plantings!
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    Thomas Edison and Henry Ford lived side by side in their winter homes in Fort Meyers.  The two of them, along with Harvey Firestone, formed a company to research rubber sources. They were worried about not have access to rubber for their tires and other equipment as the military went to war. They found that goldenrod was the best source.  However, synthetic rubber was invented and their research never really discovered an easy, inexpensive way to produce rubber in the U.S.
     The largest banyon tree in the Continental United States is on the property.  A banyon tree starts with a single trunk.  As the limbs branch out, they grow vines that reach back down to the ground and form new roots.  The vines transform into branches.  It’s an amazing thing to see.  Hawaii has the second largest banyon tree covering one and a half acres (Edison’s tree is one acre big).  The largest banyon tree in the world is in Calcutta, India and covers three and a half acres.  That’s a damn forest!
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                                         this is a single tree!!
     At 4:30 p.m., we drove to Rib City and had dinner with SMART friends. We met Alan and Judy on the Canadian Maritimes caravan.  Judy’s sister and husband were visiting from Pittsburg.  The meal was very good.  Afterwards, we all drove to Alan and Judy’s house on the Caloosahatchee River.   It was a pleasant end to a pleasant day.
3 Feb 2020 (Mon) – We packed up and waited for the clerk to fill our propane tank (we ran out during the night) before we could leave.  It was an hour and a half to Moore Haven to an Army Corps of Engineers campground.   It is a delightful site.  Our campsite is on a concrete pad.  We have 50-amp and water hookup.  There is a dump station.  The campground is on a canal with a lock right next to the campground.  The skies are wide open and beautiful.  We are pretty far from the nearest city so we are expecting the night sky to be wonderful.
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2 Feb 2020 (Sun) – We drove to Punta Gorda to tour the Muscle Car City Museum.  It was basically a Chevrolet Corvette museum.  There were many, many vets and other Chevy cars on display.  All the vehicles had been restored to beautiful condition.  We enjoyed lunch at La Fiorentina (an Italian restaurant). The place was packed and we had to sit out on the patio.  It was a little chilly with the wind and we were glad to have a heater going.  I had a bowl of minestrone soup and a panini. Paul enjoyed lasagna.  Then we settled in and watched the Super Bowl.
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1 Feb 2020 (Sat) – It rained most of last night and today.  When it wasn’t raining, it was overcast, cool, and generally nasty.  We packed up and left the Fun-N-Sun Resort at 11 a.m. and arrived at the Big Tree RV Resort in Arcadia at noon.  This campground has 400 campsites.  The sites are tight but we got in fine.  We have full hookups and will be here for two nights.
       After we were set up, we drove to Ona to tour Solomon’s Castle. It was way off the beaten track out in the middle of nowhere.  It was a destination in itself, not a place you would pass by casually.  Basically, the place was built by a talented kook. The artist used parts of old discarded items to make all kinds of things, including his castle and other outbuildings around the 93-acre property.  Solomon worked with metal, wood, glass, and all kinds of materials to make some of the most interesting sculptures, pictures, and decorations. We had lunch in the Boat in the Moat; a galleon built in a depressed area with water surrounding it.  Solomon built it because he was bored.  He sure had a lot of time on his hands.  
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31 Jan 2020 (Fri) – We visited with my cousin, Patricia, today (she is Fred’s sister and daughter of my father’s sister).  It was an hour drive to her home in Valrico, a pleasant retirement community.   She lives alone and uses a walker to get around because of a hump back condition.  Pat was a delight to talk to.  She had a box of photos her mother left her that she did not know who the people in the pictures were.  I was able to identify some.  Others were marked (Pat has macular degeneration in one eye and no retina in the other so she has difficulty seeing things) and I was able to point them out. I took many pictures with me.  I will have to go back to Fred and see if he can recognize some of the folks.  All in all, it was a very pleasant visit.
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     On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner.  It was a little odd to order four different vegetables and vegetable soup but I am working hard at staying on a plant-based diet.  The food was good but I sure missed the roast beef Paul was eating.
     I got a call from the doctor’s office this afternoon.  My bloodwork came out fine and I was instructed to resume the chemotherapy.  I was a little disappointed.  I had hoped that the week or two I have been on a vegetarian diet would have cleaned up my cancer and made it possible to stop the medication.  What a fantasy world we try to live in.  Oh, well.
 30 Jan 2020 (Thu) – We spent almost an hour this morning calling campground after campground looking for a campsite for 3 nights when we leave here tomorrow.  Finally, one campground had two nights available, not the 3 we wanted.  So, we took the 2 days and extended for one more night here at Sun-N-Fun.  We are coming to dislike Florida very much.  The traffic is horrible and all the campgrounds are packed during the winter.  My cousin said the traffic used to be bad only during snowbird season but that’s changed. The traffic is bad all the time now. That verifies Paul’s story that he heard a news story that said 130,000 people a month are moving to Florida.  
    Lunch was at the Bonefish Grill. We have driven past that restaurant many times and each time, we tell each other we need to stop there.  We finally did today.  The Bang Bang Shrimp was as good as we remembered it was.  The rest of the meal was ok.  Before returning to the campground, we stopped at Staples to pick up paper and printer ink.
29 Jan 2020 (Wed) – We drove to the Florida Maritime Museum at 10 a.m.  It was a small former school house turned museum on the first floor, contained in just two rooms.  There were pictures around the rooms showing fisherman in the 1800s. The museum was mostly dedicated to recounting the days of the fishing village of Cortez.  I don’t think it took 20 minutes to go through everything. There was a cultural center next to the museum but it is only open on Saturday.  We walked through the nearby woods and came out upon a boatyard with a seafood restaurant.  There were many American white pelicans floating in the bay.  We have seen them in the northern states so they must have flown down south for the winter.  So, they are really snowbirds.  😊
      We had lunch out on the deck looking out over the Sarasota Bay and watching the white and brown pelicans.  I had shrimp tacos and Paul had lobster mad & cheese.  The food was good and expensive!  On the way home, we stopped at Publix for groceries and PetCo for pet food.
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 28 Jan 2020 (Tue) – We potsed around the RV this morning.  At noon, we left to go to the Florida Maritime Museum.  Unfortunately, when I pulled up the GPS, we found it would be 45 minutes to museum.  That would mean 45 minutes back, leaving us only a half hour to explore the place. We decided to put it off until tomorrow.
     We stopped at the Mellow Mushroom for a pizza.  The service was soooo slow.  The pizza was ok but not New York style.  We returned to the campground, fed the animals, then drove to Bradenton to visit with my cousin, Fred.  His mother, Aunt Tuddie, was one of my father’s sisters.  Fred and I had never met so it was a pleasure to spend time with him, his wife, Marge, and their son, Fred.  After talking about family and what we spent our lives doing, we enjoyed a delicious dinner together.  It was a good visit.  While we were there, Fred called his sister, Pat.  She is the oldest of the siblings and might know more about Grandma’s family than either of us.  Her mother gave her lots of pictures which Pat said she does not know who the people are. I promised to stop by to get the pictures and try to identify some of the people in them.  She lives about 80 miles north in Valrico.  Ironically, we were in Valrico for a few days before going into the Tampa RV show.  We’ll have to go back that way.
 27 Jan 2020 (Mon) – We drove to the Gamble Plantation Historic State Park.  It was an antebellum house built in 1843 by Robert Gamble.  He lived there 13 years trying to manage a sugar plantation but went bankrupt and finally left in 1856.  Different folks lived in the house over the years and it stood abandoned to the elements for years as well.  The Daughters of the United Confederacy tried to restore it but a hurricane ruined the place and they turned it over to the state.  Florida restored the mansion and now run tours through the house.  There were 22 people on the tour – way too many for the size of the house.  It was interesting construction with a hallway down one side of the house rather than down the middle of the home.  The house was built over a 3-year period with 3 separate additions.  The tour was about an hour long.  Afterward, we wandered through the small museum to read the story of the property and ownership.  It was interesting.
26 Jan 2020 (Sun) – Well, we had a bit of an adventure today.  I called the Elks Lodge in Bradenton yesterday to see if they had a campsite available.  They have two sites and the manager told us they were both open.  Unfortunately, when we got there, both sites had RVs in them. We then drove to the Elks Lodge we stayed in Sarasota but found 3 of the 4 sites full.  It wouldn’t have mattered so much except that our tanks were full (the last place did not have a dump site) and one of the RVs was parked on top of the dump station.  I called around to a couple of places in the area.  There was an RV Resort just a mile away so we drove there.  No one was answering the phones but it was a large campground and we expected we would at least find a dump station (if not a campsite). We got there to find the campground to be more of a mobile home park.  It was also gated.  When we pulled up to the keypad, we found there was no call button for the office. You entered the code or you didn’t get in.  Now we were stuck in front of gates that didn’t open and a short driveway off a main road.
     I got out and walked in back to redirect traffic turning into the driveway where there was also a busy gas station.  Paul backed up a little but wasn’t sure he could fit in the gas station (stations have overhead covers, many of which are too low for RVs and trucks). Next to the gas station was a one-way road that led to the back of a Jack in the Box and a Taco Bell.  I walked down the narrow road and saw a sign at the end that said it was the express exit to I-75.  It was a pretty busy roadway, too.  I stopped the traffic, turned people away (they were NOT happy about that), and held them off until Paul drove the wrong way down the one-way narrow road and passed in the back of the restaurants to get back on the main roadway.  
     I finally got through to an RV Resort nearby and found they had one spot available for our size trailer.  It is a huge place.  The Sun-N-Fun RV Resort and Mobile Home Park has over 1,400 sites.  It is a typical Floridian trailer park with hundreds of park models and some RVs.  And it cost almost $100 a night! Ouch.  That’s the problem with snowbirds in Florida.  The cost of staying here during the winter is very high and it is getting more and more difficult to find spots.
 25 Jan 2020 (Sat) – We went to the movies today and saw “1917.”  It had some great camera shots of the landscape.  Long, single pans of the countryside.  We enjoyed the show very much.  We had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes (I really like that place).
     We took Bonnie for a walk at twilight.  I love that time of the day.  The sun has gone down and a purple haze is on the horizon as the light slowly fades away.  There is a stillness in the air.  The daytime animals are returning to their dens and settling in for the night and the nighttime animals are waking, stretching, and getting ready to go out foraging for the evening.  There is a peaceful quietness that enters the soul.
 24 Jan 2020 (Fri) – We ran errands today.  Shopped at Pet Smart for Bonnie’s food, picked up vegetables at Sprouts Supermarket, then went to Publix to pick up “regular” food (because Sprouts is a health food place, it doesn’t carry a lot of non-health food items).  We had lunch at J.F. Kicks Bar & Grill.  I found a lab and had bloodwork drawn for Memorial Sloan Kettering.
 23 Jan 2020 (Thu) – We drove over to meet our friends, Brenda and Rick, in St. Petersburg (near Tampa).  We drove into town, stopping at the Green Bench Brewing Co. for drinks before going to lunch at the Oak and Stone.  It was a fun visit.
22 Jan 2020 (Wed) – The day started out a little uncertain.  I had the UPS tracking number and the webpage said my medication would be delivered at 10:30a.m.  At 9:35 a.m., Paul looked out the window just in time to see the UPS truck pulling out of the driveway.  We missed him!  I guessed I would have to wait for a note from UPS on the non-delivery.  Then, at 10:30 a.m., the UPS truck returned.  He had seen Paul running after him but he had to get other signatures.  The driver also said he was scheduled to make his delivery at 10:30 so he was coming back at that time.  So, I got my medication (not without a little bit of angst).  Now I have to call the doctor and arrange for a blood test before I resume the chemotherapy.
     We went out to a laundromat today and did the laundry.  While the wash was going, we went to lunch at Sabor A Mexico, a Mexican restaurant.  The food was pretty good.  I was a little concerned about being able to order something without meat but they actually had a section on the menu listed as Vegetarian Options.  The food was good.
      At dinner, I cooked mashed cauliflower and roasted Brussel sprouts with a green salad.  I’m still working on a menu plan that’s a little more appealing.  I’ll get it sooner or later.
 21 Jan 2020 (Tue) – We drove two hours to Ocala to get two tires for the trailer.  It seemed like that was the only place in the entire state that carried K9 tires.  I sure hope they hold up.  While waiting for them to put the tires on the rims, we went to Big Rascal BBQ for lunch. Everything was good.  On the way home, we stopped at Winn Dixie and picked up a few things.
     I called Memorial Sloan Kettering to see about having my medication shipped to me.  I’ve been off the Imbruvica since January 10th.  A nurse told me that the doctor wanted to make sure I was not taking Vitamin E with the medicine.  Apparently, it thins the blood.  The refill was authorized and I called the MSK Pharmacy to arrange to have the meds shipped by UPS.  Now, I have to make sure I am here when UPS delivers it tomorrow so I can sign for it.
20 Jan 2020 (Mon) – Paul put a light strip up on the side of the rig.  The RV was designed with a light on the awning.  The only time it works is when the awning is fully extended. You often want to put the awning out just a little or high winds make it impossible to put the awning out at all. That makes that light unusable. The light strip now gives us light under any condition.
     I called around to tire companies today.  We have been trying to find the same brand tires that we bought in Ocala just before going into Disney World.  K9 seems to be some kind of mystery brand.  I have talked to several tire dealers and no one knows the name. I finally called the place we bought the first two tires from in Ocala and ordered two more.  It will be over an hour drive there but I don’t see how we can do anything different.
     At 2:30 p.m. we went to Sweet Tomatoes for a late lunch.  I sure wish they would go to New York.  We love that place.  After lunch, we went to the movies and saw “Ford vs. Ferrari.” It was good.
 19 Jan 2020 (Sun) – We went to the service this morning.  Rather than a minister, they had a young woman with a sweet voice singing hymns.  They were nice but we didn’t recognize most of them.  Also, her voice was just a little too high.  We prefer a bass or alto to a soprano.  But it was pleasant anyway.
       All the Vilano owners bid one another good bye and we left at noon. It was a 13-mile drive to the Moose Lodge in Valrico after a quick stop at the Elks campground to dump.  After set up, we went in to the lodge and paid for a week.  It was only $10 a night.  THAT’S a great price!  We have 50-amp and water hookup.  We will have to go hunting for a sewer when we leave.  The bartender gave us a free drink as new visitors and another customer bought everyone a round at the bar.  We each ordered a small pizza for lunch/dinner.
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 18 Jan 2020 (Sat) – At 9 a.m., we met at the Tiffin display and took pictures with Leigh Tiffin. Leigh is the grandson of Bob Tiffin. His father, Van, and he started the Vanleigh line of fifth wheels in 2015.  They grew the line from Vilano and added the Beacon and the Pinecrest models. Last year in 2019, Bob Tiffin brought the Vanleigh line back under as a division of Tiffin.  The fourteen of us took pictures this morning with Leigh Tiffin and Freddie Swinney, Regional Sales Manager.  How many people can say they know the person who manufactures their RV? We never even got an answer from Montana when we tried to communicate with them.
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     The show ends tomorrow and we will be moving out.  We drove over to the Elks Lodge to check out space there. Sorry.  There is no room at the inn.  All 28 campsites were full.  The camp host said he would call tomorrow morning if something opened up.  A good many of the campers looked they are there for the entire winter season.
     We then drove over to the Moose Lodge, also in Brandon.  There are five spaces and no campers.  We walked around the lodge, talked with a guy sitting out on the patio, and checked out the hookups.  It looks like that’s where we will go tomorrow.
      On the way back to the fairgrounds, we stopped at Publix and picked up a few things.  Poor little Sheba is going stir crazy!  She couldn’t go out in Disney for 7 days.  Now she can’t go out here for 5 days.  Things will be better tomorrow.  We’ll have to give her some extra outdoor time to make up for her involuntary incarceration.
     At 6 p.m. we went over to the pavilion with our contribution of canned food (we gave 25 cans yesterday and 22 today).  For each can you give, you get one raffle ticket.  With all the tickets we had, we only won one bottle of cleaner.  Each time they pulled a ticket, we were conflicted.  You wanted to win but at the same time, we didn’t want any more “stuff” in the RV.  What a spot to be in!  The entertainment for the evening was a group called Malt Shop Memories.  They sang mostly doo wop songs.  They weren’t that good.  But, hey, they could sing and we can’t so that puts them up there.  Some couples got up and danced in the aisles. Young souls in aged bodies moving to the memory of songs long passed. 
17 Jan 2020 (Fri) – I am slowly getting better.  I have a big sore on the knuckle of my left index finger.  It really got to looking awful and the doctor said I had a bacterial infection in it.  My throat still hurts a little to swallow but it is at least tolerable.  The juicing is a big job every morning. I sure hope we can find a way to make this process easier and more convenient or it just won’t last.
     At noon, we went into the show and picked up a light strip for the outside of the rig.  We wandered in and out of a few rigs.  Looked in on a $2.4 million motor home.  We weren’t really impressed.
     At 6 p.m., we went to the pavilion and saw a show by Matt and Dave. It was a kind of oldies show where the two brothers sang songs from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s.  They were funny and entertaining.  After the show, they had raffles again.  I won a bottle of cleaner.
     My stupid watch!  My fitbit bit the dust on its 13th month (the warranty was good for 12 months).  After some kibitzing, I decided to get another watch but not the same make (who wants a product that barely lasts).  I bought a Garmin Vivosport.  I noticed last night that I picked up an extra thousand steps. Turns out the watch was recording the movement of my clapping as steps.  Dumb thing!
 16 Jan 2020 (Thu) – We went into the show this morning.  I bought a clever holder.  It has a magnet on a tab as well as in the pocket.  You put the tab over the waistband of your pants so it sits inside and the pocket hangs on the outside.  The magnets stick together and you have an extra pocket.  Pretty neat.
     At noon, we Vilano owners caught up with one another and had lunch at one of the outdoor eateries.  The sun was beating down hot on us and I sure was glad to finish eating and get back indoors. We wandered through a few Montana fifth wheels.  Our first fifth wheel was a Montana so it holds a special place dear to our hearts.
     We returned to the camper and drove into town to get groceries. Because of the severe reaction I had, I am determined to get off the chemo.  In order to do that, (I believe) I have to move to a vegetarian diet (plant-based is the new buzz word).  So we had to pick up loads of veggies and fruits.  
     After dinner, we walked over to the pavilion and saw Kenny Evans put on a show.  He is an entertainer who performs annually at Pigeonforge (near Dollywood) in Tennessee. He was a phenomenal performer with an incredible range of vocal notes.  The songs were mostly golden oldies with a few country songs thrown in for good measure. After the show, they had a raffle and gave away some goodies (like we do at the SMART rallies).  When we returned to the camp area, someone brought out their propane fireplace and we sat around the fire until 11 p.m.  It was very nice.
 15 Jan 2020 (Wed) – We went into the RV show today.  FRVTA claims to have the biggest RV show in the country.  Hershey, PA, makes the same claim in October.  Needless to say, they are BOTH very large with thousands of RVs on display.  
     Our SMART friends, Rick & Brenda (who live in St. Petersburg), drove over and joined us.  Together we toodled around the rigs and supplier tables.  There is so much out there for camping.  At 4 pm, we went back to the camper where I prepared a big salad, then we joined the other Vilano owners for a pot luck meal.  Everything was quite good.
 14 Jan 2020 (Tue) – We packed up and drove 3 hours to the Tampa Fairgrounds.  We will be here for 5 days attending the Florida RV Trade Association (FRVTA) Show.  We met up with 6 other Vilano owners and were parked together as a group.  There are starting to be enough Vilano owners that we starting to show up in groups.  Very exciting.
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 13 Jan 2020 (Mon) – I went to the doctor today.  I am apparently having a significant melt down.  I stopped taking the chemo on Friday.  Called Sloan Kettering this morning and was advised to get myself clinically evaluated.  My tonsils were so swollen and my throat so raw that I could barely swallow.  There is a canker sore on the side and front of my tongue that keeps rubbing on my teeth, making it very painful to just talk.   My teeth have been bleeding and just plain hurt, in general.
     We stopped in at an emergency room.  The doctor (who was younger than my son), followed by an even younger assistant who looked like he just woke up, said my lymph nodes were enlarged, not my tonsils.  He prescribed a mouth swish and augmentin (an antibiotic).  Sloan Kettering advised me to stay off the chemo and finish the antibiotic, then call back to arrange for bloodwork before I resume the Imbruvica.
12 Jan 2020 (Sun) – We went into the lodge this morning for breakfast.  It wasn’t bad and only $10.  After breakfast, we gathered up the laundry and went in search of a laundromat. What a job that was!  The Garmin GPS listed two that were no longer there when we arrived.  We finally found one and threw the laundry in.  We sat in the truck until the wash was done.  When the clothes were secure in the dryer, we went out to find a supermarket.  Again, Garmin sent us to a Stop and Shop that was no longer there.  Ironically, after all our driving around in circles following false directions, it turned out a Publix was across the street from the laundromat.  We picked up groceries, stopped at a GNC for a few things, and found a Pet Supermarket to pick up Bonnie’s food.  Then it was back to the campground where we collapsed.  Being sick makes everything seem like such a big deal.
 11 Jan 2020 (Sat) – We packed up and left Walt Disney World at 10 a.m. dragging ass all the way. We drove 40 miles to a Moose Lodge in Orlando.  They have a small area for RVs.  There are 8 sites but 2 have no working electric. There are only 30-amp and water hookups.  No sewer and no dump station.  We set up then slept for a couple of hours.  We forced ourselves to go into the lodge and pay for our camping.  The rate is really good.  Only $10 a night.  We will be here for 3 nights until we move to the Tampa RV Show.  We ran out to CVS to pick up medications, and searched around for a tire center that had the kind of tires we want.  Paul is trying to match the two K9 ST trailer tires we bought in Ocala but nobody had them.  In fact, nobody ever heard of K9 tires.  It’s making me a little nervous.  We’ll have to call the tire place we bought them from and ask for two more. We returned to the camper and zonked out.
10 Jan 2020 (Fri) – Ugh.  We have both been so sick.  We spent Friday sleeping and didn’t get to interact with Caiden, Miranda or Kenny all day.  At 8:00 p.m. we met at the Polynesian Resort for the Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show. Poor Caiden was so pooped that he basically passed out.  They didn’t really have any food he would have eaten anyway.  My throat was so sore, I couldn’t swallow so ate very little. Paul has a dry cough that’s making him miserable.
9 Jan 2020 (Thu) – Wow! It has been a very busy week.  We went to Universal Studios on Monday, WDW Hollywood Studios on Tuesday, WDW Magic Kingdom yesterday, and WDW Animal Kingdom today.  The lines have been insane (there are thousands of people here for a marathon). We waited one and a half hours this morning to get on the new Avatar ride.  I guess Virtual Reality rides are now the thing.  I found the ride to be very intense and had to close my eyes when my stomach started reacting to all the swooping and diving.
     You really need a minimum of two weeks, and preferably three weeks, to enjoy everything Walt Disney World has to offer. With just a week, lots of crowds, and four different parks, we have focused on the big stuff and had to pass on the small stuff.  It’s still been lots of fun.  How can it not be?  This is Disney!  Tomorrow is a laid back, sleep-in, take it easy day.  We will give Caiden time to really enjoy the pool and playground. That’s probably most of what he will remember about this trip anyway.
5 Jan 2020 (Sun) – It was something of a frustrating day.  Paul and I went to Hollywood Studios intending to meet Miranda, Ken & Caiden at 8 a.m. We got there at 7:45 a.m. and all the spaces on the Millennium Falcon were already gone.  That ride is not open to Fast Pass access so we couldn’t figure out how everyone got a spot on the ride when the park only opened at 7 a.m.  We signed Caiden up for Jedi training (after some confusing directions to get to the sign-up desk).
     The kids had some difficulty figuring out the bus schedule. Kenny and Caiden arrived at almost 9 a.m.  The park was packed and we couldn’t find any rides open.  We walked around the new Star Wars theme area until our Fast Pass for the Tower of Terror opened at 10:40 a.m.  After that, we again wandered around until our lunch at Hollywood & Vine at 11:30 a.m.  Miranda still hadn’t joined us.  She got stuck on the slow bus to nowhere and took almost an hour to get to the park. At any rate, she missed the character buffet lunch.  Kenny took a couple of pretzels for her.
     After lunch, I went to meet Miranda at the ticket booth and the guys went to get Caiden’s Jedi training.  Because I had gotten the admission tickets through the Army, I had to be there with everyone who had tickets.  The agent verified my military status, entered the tickets into the system, and matched our magic bands to the tickets.  The magic bands are a kind of digital key.  It opens the hotel door, grants admission to the parks, and lets you charge anything you buy in the park.
      At 1 p.m., the group of young Jedis (about 30 of them) marched through the park to the arena.  Both Darth Vadar and Kylo Ren fought their opponents as each child was given a chance to personally battle the dark side.  It was cute.
     We again wandered around until we caught the Indiana Jones Adventure Show at 3:15 p.m.  Our final event was at 3:40 p.m. on the Star Wars ride.  It was time to get back to the campground to feed the animals and walk Bonnie.  We parted ways and caught the bus back to Fort Wilderness.  After dinner, we searched high and low for Caiden’s ticket to Universal Studios.  We will be going there tomorrow and I was checking everything over.  We have one voucher for two one-day tickets and another voucher for two four-day tickets.  We will turn them in at the customer service desk for tickets.  We also had a ticket for Caiden which the agent at MWR had warned me to keep safe because it was unplaceable.  Guess what we couldn’t find?  We tore the place apart searching for that ticket but couldn’t find it anywhere.  Looks like we’ll have to buy another ticket for Caiden tomorrow.  Ugh.
4 Jan 2020 (Sat) – We bid Margaret & Rich good-bye and left Hernando at 10:40 a.m.  It rained almost the entire drive to Lake Buena Vista where we arrived at Disney World Fort Wilderness around 1 p.m.  We were checked in quickly by a perky young woman but then had to sit for about 20 minutes because the RV in front of us just sat there.  I guess they were having a problem checking in.  Finally, they opened another lane and let us drive around them.
     At 4:30 p.m. we drove over to the Port Orleans – French Quarter Resort to meet Miranda, Kenny & Caiden.  Unfortunately, their flight left Islip 20 minutes late because of the weather. Then the plane was held up on the tarmac when they arrived in Orlando.  After waiting about a half hour for the Disney Magical Express, they had to ride for an hour and were the last stop of the drop-offs.  In the meantime, Paul and I wandered around the resort; had an appetizer and cocktail at the Scat Cat Lounge; poked around the gift shop; picked up a 2020 ornament; explored the area around the lobby; looked over the pool.  They finally got in around 6:30 p.m.  They got checked in.  We took Kenny and Caiden to the restaurant to get something to eat.  Miranda was not feeling well and had to lay down.  We took Caiden to the pool for a half hour swim. Although the water was heated, the air was chilly and he was shivering by the time we called him out of the pool. He had a great time and is looking forward to more swimming.  We promised to go in with him next time.
     Unfortunately, Disney only brought two of their three bags to the room. At last word, they were trying to find her bag.  It has her medication and other important items in it.  Bad way to start off the vacation.  Bah, humbug.
3 Jan 2020 (Fri) – I did laundry today.  We certainly don’t want to have to do it in Disney World so we washed the few pieces that needed washing.
     We went out and did some errands today.  We put fuel in the truck, picked up pet food, shopped for groceries, and bought a Sun Pass (a prepaid toll card).
     While working around the RV this afternoon, Rich spotted a flat tire. Oh, No!  That makes two and now we have no spare.  So we called around and found a place in Ocala (about a half hour away) that had similar tires to what we have on the trailer now.  So Paul got two.  We’ll have the two on one side and the two tires we have now on the other side. Not the best of situations but we didn’t have much choice.  When we finish at Disney we’ll get two more of the type we bought today.
    Margaret cooked salmon tonight. Everything was good.  After dinner, we watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.  We’ve been watching those shows just about every night.  That music sure gets in your head.  Paul and I saw a special on TV last night where they were interviewing Alex Trebek.  We heard how he got started on Jeopardy and where the music came from.  The show was started by Merv Griffin, who (I think) is now deceased.
2 Jan 2020 (Thu) – We went into town this morning to mail off some items and get cash at the ATM. When we returned, we rode with Margaret & Rich to Chiefland where she shopped for gourds.  She makes the nicest animal sculptures out of the gourds. Margaret goes to 5 or 6 shows a year. After she bought about 20 gourds, we drove to Cedar Key.  It was a very beachy town and was quite crowded. We couldn’t find a parking spot so we left and drove back to Crystal River for lunch.  Later, Margaret cooked hamburgers for dinner.
 1 Jan 2020 (Wed) – We kept it easy today.  At 3:30 a.m. we went to the movies and saw the new Star Wars movie.  It was OK but I sure hope it’s the last of the Star Wars movies.  They are starting to become boring.  Margaret cooked chicken in wine with mashed potatoes and broccoli.  Um um good!
 31 Dec 2019 (Tue-New Year’s Eve) – The cat threw up on the bed last night.  The vomit went through the comforter, blanket, and both sheets.  I pulled everything off and washed them in Margaret’s machine today.  It was nice of her to offer.
     We took Bonnie and Sheba to the vet this afternoon.  Bonnie has been having trouble getting up lately and we were looking for something to make her comfortable.  And Sheba has been unusually hungry.  I thought she might be experiencing a thyroid problem.  Bonnie has a urine infection and a slight decrease in the space in her hips.  The vet gave us an antibiotic and something for pain when needed.  Sheba’s bloodwork was fine and showed nothing.  We’ll keep an eye on her.
30 Dec 2019 (Mon) – Paul was up and out at 6:30 a.m.  He was headed to WalMart to get an oil change on the truck.  Unfortunately, he went to the wrong WalMart where they had no auto center.  He then had to drive to the other one we were at the other day.  Four people were already on line in front of him and he had to wait a couple of hours.  He didn’t get back home till after 9:00 a.m.
     We took a ride with Margaret & Rich around the neighborhood stopping at Matt’s house.  Matt was also a coworker of Paul’s at DOT.  He and his wife are having a house built nearby.  They bought ten acres and Matt plans to build a drone racing track. We watched him run a drone through a small track.  That thing sure moved fast!  It sounded like a sick bird.
     After toodling around, we stopped at Oysters for lunch.  It was Rich’s birthday on Christmas Day (bummer) so we treated them for lunch.  The service was very slow but the food was good.  Margaret & Rich went out to dinner with Rich’s sister and husband to celebrate both of their birthdays.
 29 Dec 2019 (Sun) – During the party last night, we got to talking with another couple about New Year’s Eve plans.  He suggested we go to Crackers Bar & Grill on the water.  So we went there for lunch today to check it out.  They were busy and we ate at the bar so we wouldn’t have to wait.  Service at the bar was slow so it probably wouldn’t have made any difference to get on the waiting list.  The food was good.  Afterward, we strolled on the boardwalk in back.  We could see about four boats out in the marina with tour groups.  They were all doing scuba with the manatees.  
     We went in the house at 7:00 p.m. and watched “The Irishman” on Netflix. It was about crooks and how Jimmy Hoffa disappeared.  Interesting.
 28 Dec 2019 (Sat) – We went to Sabina’s Diner for breakfast.  It was a very interesting place with a large selection of unusual items. I had chipped beef and Paul had sausage gravy and biscuits.  Everything was good.  Then we did our laundry at the laundromat.  Margaret yelled at us for that.  She offered her machines for our use.  I felt it would be a burden given that she was having a holiday party tonight.
     We did some shopping at WalMart and Paul checked out the auto center to see about getting an oil change for the truck.  We went into Margaret’s at 6:00 p.m. for her holiday party. About 20 people came.  It was fun.
 27 Dec 2019 (Fri) – We packed up and headed out to Hernando to stay with our friends, Margaret & Rich.   Paul used to work with Margaret at DOT. They have two covered RV spots in the back of their house.  Their RV is in one and we are staying under the other one.  We have full hookups with 50-amp service.  Just like the best campground!
    Margaret made manicotti for dinner. It was delicious!
26 Dec 2019 (Thu) – We went to The Ringling today.  It is a collection of buildings once owned by John and Mable Ringling of the Ringling Circus. There is an art museum (we did not go in it), a visitor’s center with rotating art displays (they had glass art on exhibit), a restaurant and café, a circus museum, and a beautiful mansion.  The Ringlings had called their home Ca’D’Zan, which is Italian for John’s house.  It served as their winter home.  We took two tours of the mansion – they offer three: one unguided tour of the ground floor, a paid docent led tour of the second floor, and a paid docent led tour of the third and fourth floor.  Talk about soaking the tourists for all they can!
     The museum was fascinating.  I thought I had been to the circus but I have never seen anything like what was on display in the museum.  There was a 3,800 square foot model depicting the American tented circus in its Golden Age from 1919 to 1938.  The logistics of the size and movement of the circus is mind boggling.  As a former logistics officer, I can appreciate the work involved in moving 1,300 workers and performers and 800 animals (they were a traveling zoo), with all the equipment needed to put on a performance.  Every aspect of the circus was displayed in the model.  There was the Big Top where the shows were performed in three rings.  Many other tents housed the workers and performers, served as a large dining hall, was used a changing rooms, and allowed the staff to live and sleep.  There was also a large tent where the animals were on display.  The circus could travel up to 15,000 miles and perform in 150 cities in just one season!  Imagine pulling into town on the train (that set up is another story!), parading through the streets, putting on the show, then moving on in just one day. Incredible.  
     After the museum, we drove around looking for a place to eat.  We wound up driving through Keys – Casey Key, Longboat Key, etc.  The traffic was heavy and we got stuck going over the bridge.  Luckily, we found a restaurant and after a little struggle to find parking, we went in for dinner.  The weather was lovely and we sat out on the patio.  The food was good and I tried their featured drink – a Fizzy Cocktail.  It really wasn’t that good.  The check was a whopper $101!  Ouch. Well, we were in an exclusive area.
 25 Dec 2019 (Wed – Christmas Day) – We went over Greg & Potsy’s house at 11:00 a.m.  Their daughter, son-in-law, and grandson were there as well (Kathy, John & Little Johnny).  We exchanged gifts and visited for a while then went over their son’s house. Tim & Brittany have two boys – Sage and Phoenix.  Phoenix was born in May this year as was Little Johnny.  Sage is four and a half.  Greg’s other son and wife, Gregory and Kat, joined us as well.  It was full day of visiting, eating, and playing with the little ones.  It was a wonderful day.
     We left at 4 p.m. and returned home to feed the animals.  At 6 p.m., we drove out to the Sarasota Mall to see the Christmas lights.  The mall is huge and all the palm trees had been trimmed with white lights on the trunks and green lights in the palms.  There is also a large lake next to the mall where they have skull racing. There was a light show along the walkway around the lake.  It was all very festive and beautiful to look at.
     We drove around looking for a place to eat.  Everything was closed.  It was maddening!  Then we stumbled on Miller’s Ale House.  It was packed.  Probably because it was the only place open for miles around.  We were seated immediately in a bar area with the windows open.  Although we had to wait 25 minutes for our food, everything was good.  It was a pleasant ending to a pleasant day.
24 Dec 2019 (Tue) – We tried to find a tire place today to replace the tire we took off the trailer yesterday.  No luck.  Goodyear said they would have to send to Orlando for it and it wouldn’t come in until Friday.  We are leaving then.  Guess we’ll wait until we get to Orlando.
     We met Greg & Potsy and Kathy & John with little Johnny at Gecko’s for lunch.  Their margaritas were terrible!  Their homemade potato chips were delicious!  After lunch, we went over Greg’s to see his new house and visit for a while.
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     There is a flock of 3 sandhill cranes wandering the large field we are parked in. When Paul went out with Bonnie this morning, they clacked their bills, screeched, and flapped their wings.  This evening, they just stood and watched her every movement but didn’t act as threatened.  Guess they figured out she is not a danger to them.
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 23 Dec 2019 (Mon) – While packing up this morning. We discovered one of the tires on the rig had a bubble in the sidewall.   We pulled out of our campsite and into the parking lot where Paul changed the tire.   I looked up the record and saw that we have about 18,000 miles on the tires.  We bought them in February 2018.  Looks like it’s time to buy new tires.  Ugh.
     We were finally on the road at 9:45 a.m.  There was traffic at some of the chokepoints along the way and it rained on and off.  We arrived at the Elks Lodge in Sarasota a little after 2 p.m.  There is a large grassy field in the back of the lodge. There are water and electric hookups along the side of a Tiki bar.  A small pond sits off to the side.  Just as we finished setting up, the skies opened up and it poured.
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     We put up the Christmas tree tonight.  As always, it was a trip down memory lane.  As we travel, we get Christmas ornaments from each town and attraction.  We have a couple of boxes full of ornaments from all over the country.  Each one we put on the tree prompted a comment about the place we were at when we bought the ornament.  It’s always an enjoyable experience to share those special memories.
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     At 5:30 p.m. we went into the lodge for dinner.  Every Monday, they have a “Depression Dinner.” It started out a few years ago when officers of the lodge volunteered to cook dinner.  It evolved into a tradition that now has the officers cooking dinner every Monday.  The meal consisted of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, succotash, and gravy.  There was also pie for $2 extra.  Everything was very good.  The lodge is very nice – large, bright, and airy.  They have something going on every day.
 22 Dec 2019 (Sun) – We went out for breakfast at the Causeway Diner.  The corned beef hash was cooked perfectly!   The place was crowded but we were able to get a seat right away. The food came fairly quickly and was very good.  The waitresses all smiled and were friendly despite the crush of customers in the diner.
     After breakfast, we drove to Titusville to pick up food for Bonnie. Then we drove to the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum.  It was quite interesting.  They had descriptions of famous criminals, and lots of displays of police equipment – handcuffs, pistols, rifles, the electric chair, a straight jacket, a jail cell, fingerprint apparatus, vehicles (cars, motorcycles, ski doo, bicycle, snow mobile, and segway), and hundreds of PD patches.  In the center of museum was a chapel and next to it was a large circular room with all the names of police officers who have died in the line of duty etched on the wall.  There were tens of thousands of names on the wall along with pictures, flowers, and mementos at the base of the wall.  It was very moving.  
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     As we were heading home, we stopped at a development that advertised model homes to see.  But the office was closed and we couldn’t get into the homes.  That was a bummer.  Next stop was at PetCo for dog food, Publix for cat food and groceries, and a gas station to fuel up for tomorrow’s move.
 21 Dec 2019 (Sat) – We went to the Brevard County Military Museum this morning.  The brochure we had said the museum opened at 8:30 a.m. but when we got there at 9;00 a.m., we found it didn’t open until 10:00 a.m.  So we walked around the grounds looking at the monuments and then over to an open field where they are planning to develop the area.  By the time we were done, it was quarter to ten and the door was open.
     It was a small museum but jam packed with great information and displays. They had uniforms, artifacts, equipment, and weapons from every conflict since the Revolutionary War.  Placards described various wars and personalities. We enjoyed the museum very much and spent almost two hours there.
     After the museum, we returned to the campground, walked Bonnie then went to George & Linda’s for their open house.  We stayed until almost 5:00 p.m.  It was a long day.
20 Dec 2019 (Fri) – We got up at 6 a.m. this morning so we could watch a launch.  The Boeing Starliner blasted off at 6:36 a.m.  The Atlas V Centaur was an unmanned mission to bring supplies to the International Space Station.  It was a test.  This launch and the next are to test the rocket.  If they are both successful, then we will be able to transport our own astronauts back and forth to the space station rather than having to rely on Russia. Unfortunately, the rocket failed to reach the proper orbit and the mission was considered a failure.  At any rate, it was really cool to watch.  We stood in the parking lot watching the horizon where the trees stood.   A glow appeared on the horizon behind the trees and quickly grew brighter and brighter.  Then a bright light rose into the sky.  It looked like somebody shot off a bottle rocket.  We watched it rise into the air until we couldn’t see anything any more.
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       At lunchtime, we drove to Port Canaveral and had lunch at Grills Tiki Bar. We tried shark kabobs, which weren’t bad, along with coconut shrimp and rice.  It was good but the drinks were watery.  The restaurant was right at the port.  Right behind us was a Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the dock.   A Carnival and a Disney ship were docked as well.  There were pelicans everywhere!
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     After lunch, we drove over to the other side of the port.  We could see what looked like the Space-X booster rocket on a barge and we wanted to get a closer look.  When we got over there, we found an Air Force base.  The guard turned us away when we tried to enter. He said entry was limited to authorized personnel only.  Next to the gate was an Air Force Air & Space Museum.  Inside was a large room with pictures all around the wall.  Each one had a display about a particular launch site.  There are 47 launch sites around the peninsula where NASA fires off its rockets.  Each launch site has a story about what type of equipment was launched there, who was in the rocket if it was manned, and statistics about the event.  It was pretty interesting.  They even had a small gift shop where we bought items for the grandsons.
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     We returned to the campground and took naps.  Afterward, we went over my cousin Denise’s house.  She had a small Christmas party with three of her neighbors and us.  The food was very good.
 19 Dec 2019 (Thu) – We hung around the campground for the most part today.  We ran out to Publix to pick up a few groceries and the liquor store to get some wine but returned to the lodge right away.  We went in to the lodge for lunch and had their sandwich special.   At 6 pm, George, Linda, and Denise met us at the lodge and we had wings and a bucket of beer for dinner.  It was fun.
 18 Dec 2019 (Wed) – We left Mayport at 9:30 and drove to Merritt Island where we are staying at the Moose Lodge.  They do not accept reservations; it’s first-come, first-served.  When we pulled in, we found there was only one spot left of the 15 or so that are here.  The lodge is undergoing a lot of renovations.  They were hit with the last hurricane and are taking advantage to do upgrades.  We stayed here almost three years ago.
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    After set up, we called my cousin, George, to let him know we were here.  My medicine had arrived and he had signed for it.  So we drove over there to pick it up.  Later, we had dinner with George and Linda at El Leoncita.  The margaritas were very good.
17 Dec 2019 (Tue) – Kevin & Joy left early this morning.  Ships came and went all day.  We even saw a submarine come in and leave within the hour.  We figured they were probably stocking up supplies.  
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     We ran errands today – did laundry, finished up the Christmas cards, went to the post office, picked up pet food at Pet Smart, got groceries at Publix, fueled the truck, and picked up tickets to Universal Studios at the ITT Office.  We move on to Cocoa tomorrow.
16 Dec 2019 (Mon) – The laptop suffered a catastrophic failure last night.  The battery reached the end of its useful life.  It is a Dell where the battery is inaccessible.  We can’t change it.  Best Buy can’t change it out either.  The laptop has to be mailed back to Dell and maybe – MAYBE – they can save the computer.  It is ancient by tech standards.   We bought the laptop 7 years ago, just before we hit the road.  It is a high-end piece of equipment.  We got that because we were going to be on the road and we wanted to protect it from bumps and jars during our travels.  *sigh*  Luckily, we have the new laptop we bought last year.  Now I’ll have to move everything over.
     The gremlins are in the machines.  My fitbit watch also stopped working.  I can feel it vibrating when the phone rings (it is linked to the cell phone) or when I hit my steps goal.  It’s just that the screen face won’t light up.  Ugh!!!  I want to get another one but I don’t think I want to buy a piece of crap.  We only bought that watch 13 months ago.  The warranty, of course, was only for 12 months.
     We went to the Jacksonville Zoo today.  It is a very, very large zoo. Lots of animals were out and about.  All the cages seemed to be roomy enough for their occupants and were clean and well kempt. The mama gorilla was not happy.  I think she is depressed.  There was the silverback male, the female, a juvenile, and a baby.  Maybe she has post-partum depression?  At any rate, we got lots of walking in and the weather was pleasant.
     After we got back, we sat with Kevin & Joy to watch the Navy ships in the river.  Three large ships, a small ship, and a Coast Guard ship all left port today.  The tug boats went back and forth all day long.  
     After dinner, we sat down and wrote out our Christmas cards.  I ordered cards from an organization a couple of months ago.  When we started addressing them, it turned out we were shorted on envelopes.  I HATE that.  Christmas card envelopes are a special size.  You can’t just run down to Staples to pick up more.  Guess we’ll have to buy another box of cards.  Ugh.
 15 Dec 2019 (Sun) – It was a kind of laid back, relaxing day.  The sky was clear and the temperature was a bit nippy (nothing that a long sleeve tee shirt couldn’t fix).  We spent the day walking the dog, kicking back in our camp chairs, and watching the amphibious attack ship depart.  After one long blast of its horn, three tug boats led the ship past the campground and out to sea.  It was cool!
     At 3:30 p.m. we left with Kevin and Joy for dinner at Maggianos. It was an Italian restaurant that offers a special.  You buy two meals – one you eat at the restaurant and the other is to take home. The food was very good.
 14 Dec 2019 (Sat) – We pulled up stakes and left Savannah, GA close to 10 a.m.  The ride was easy and the weather was clear.  We pulled into Mayport Naval Station around 1:30 p.m.  Kevin & Joyce (friends from the Utah trip) were here. They took us to Freddy’s for dinner. The burgers were really good.  I think we have found a new favorite place to eat at.  After dinner, we took a nice long walk on the beach.  There was a sailboat that apparently beached in the sand.  Probably happened in the last storm.  It still has its sails and roping and lots of stuff inside. Seems like such a waste to leave it there.  I am sure that someone with a boat could use that stuff.
     The campground is beautiful.  There are 59 campsites all looking out at the water.  Palm trees and exotic birds are everywhere.  We spotted dolphins swimming right off the shore. Since this is a Naval station, there are several ships in the dock – an amphibious assault ship, a missile destroyer, and two battleships.  When the ships come and go, they go right past the campground.  We were here a couple of years ago.  The ships will sound their horns to say goodbye or hello (depending on which direction they are headed in).  The weather is marvelous!
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Clear Sky, 24°C
2 Chome-4-8 Ōmiya, Chūō-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka-ken 810-0013, Japan
Day 12 Universal Studios Japan - Osaka Maddy and Ville had decided to head to Kobe for the day, however Vicki had been most insistent that I visited USJ as their Halloween celebration was on and they have a zombie takeover of the whole park when night falls. With that in mind I had decided to head there on my own - however Naoko luckily managed to get the day off work so I had a friend with me, which made the day even better. Strangely, in Japan, at all convenience stores, you are able to buy tickets for the local attractions, so to avoid queues we managed to do this in the morning before catching a couple of trains over to USJ. Even before you make it into the park-proper the surrounding areas are all set up like an American-style city, surrounding you with Hollywood style restaurants and shops including Hard Rock Cafe. We headed into the park and I was not expecting it to be so immersive - the closest experience I can compare it to in the UK is Boomtown - with all the different areas built up perfectly to match their themes. A true 'theme' park. First up we headed to Jurassic Park for the Flying Dinosaur. This is a rollercoaster that is similar to 'Air' in Alton Towers in that you're lifted up so you are facing the floor, 'flying' round the track head first. It's also the only roller coaster I've ever been on with a full forward loop. Really good fun, and an amazing view of the park and surrounding areas. Onward to the Jurassic Park ride - I didn't realise that this was a water ride until we were nearly on the ride. It's a boat tour of Jurassic Park, complete with theme music and giant animatronic dinosaurs. Starts off pretty tame going past herbivores and such, before a fork in the road where a 'malfunction' occurs, taking you into an unauthorised area filled with carnivores jumping out at you from the dark recesses of the generator area, culminating with a giant T-Rex jumping out at you from above before a steep drop into the water below. How could we have made the same mistake as at Fuji-Q and gotten soaked feet (and everything else!) once again at the start of the day? Thankfully at this point the sun came out, and we dried off pretty quickly! Space Fantasy was an inside ride where you queued in a space port before being whisked round a track on a spinning space ship with amazing space visuals throughout. Next up was Hollywood Dream - a long rollercoaster with a personal soundsystem in every seat that you can choose the track on, with favourites such as Justin Timberlake and Pitbull... I stuck with the J-Pop they select for you! No loops, but a fun ride none-the-less, that covers half of the park - again with great views. We chilled in the park area for a bit and took in the views over the lake in the middle of the park - once again beautiful!📷 The Chucky horror maze was pretty scary, with Chucky staring at you menacingly and jumping out at every corner. Creepy and shocking in equal measures. Spiderman was another inside rollercoaster, however this one was in '4D'. You queue through the offices of the Daily Bugle, with J Jonah Jameson greeting you at every turn through smart quips on posters all throughout - most of them threatening you with being fired. The ride itself had you put on 3D glasses and travel through New York whilst Spiderman fought villains from the sewers to the rooftops, often with you being attacked with flames (shot with heat cannons), sprayed with water (self explanatory), or electrocuted (vibrating chairs). It ended with a huge drop off a building before inevitably being caught by Spiderman whilst he simultaneously tied up all the villains. A really novel experience being part 4D movie, part rollercoaster and part flight sim. We checked out the parade next, which included dancing Minions and Persian Dancers, amongst other things. We entered the Cyberdyne Systems offices next where we were taken on a tour by a presumably insane and fairly demanding Japanese woman who I'm sure from the reaction of the crowd (and my own intuition) was making loads of hilarious jokes - unfortunately I couldn't understand a thing and it was too fast paced for Naoko to translate for me. We were led into a demo of the new Terminator models. This was hacked by John and Sarah Connor (I presume) who then intruded on the demo. The T2000 then attacked and killed the Japanese lady and before long a Japanese Arnie had somehow appeared on a motorbike to save the day! This was also in 4D and I must admit I did struggle a bit with this as it was quite a long show and fully in Japanese. Still good fun, but frustrating as I think it would've been a real highlight as the acting throughout seemed stellar - I just couldn't understand it. Next we entered The Maze 3 - A Nightmare On Elm Street branded horror maze. This one we were split into groups and all forced to march through the Freddie themed maze slowly all holding onto a short rope. Whilst being fully immersive and a great representation of the series I didn't find this one quite as scary as the first, although there was one jump scare which got me - badly! Finally 6PM was nearing, so we chilled until the main event of the day... Zombies! As darkness fell the whole park was invaded by multiple kinds of zombies running round in packs. From chainsaw zombies, to mental patients, to twisted kids, big fatties 📷 and zombie midgets we were harassed and harangued by hordes of the undead and (badly) protected by SWAT teams whose idea of saving us seemed to be putting us into more precarious positions than before. There were multiple mobs of zombies throughout the park with set pieces such as: -A human being attacked on the bonnet of a car by a group of zombies led by a midget (all the while being attacked by zombies from behind as we crowded around to watch). -SWAT team leading park guests onto a bus before the bus was raided by zombies. -SWAT team leading guests (including us!) into a cage for 'protection' only for zombies to break down the door and chase us all out. -A zombie flash dance led by a hench tribally tattooed zombie. -A zombie woman locked in a cage with other zombies joining her before they started feasting on something out of sight at the front of the cage... When we approached we were sprayed with blood (water!). -A little girl zombie stood on a podium maniacally laughing with a teddy bear. All in all there must've been around 20 types of different zombies, each with their own personalities, looks and sounds. Amazing immersion and acting. What an experience! Thanks Vicki for convincing me that I had to go. Taking respite from the Zombies we headed to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter. After a short walk through the grounds of Hogwarts, including a quick pass by of the Weasley's abandoned car, we were into a real-life Hogsmeade. It was absolutely incredible, with all the shops represented well, such as Zonko's Joke Shop, Honeydukes, The Hog's Head, .Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Dervish and Bangs and so on. Again the immersion and style was spot on with Hogwarts Castle illuminated in the background. I was shocked to realise that we could walk all the way up to Hogwarts 📷 and inside it. Truly a sight to behold at night! Inside the castle we passed through all the sights including a classroom (unsure which), Dumbledore's office (complete with Dumbledore hologram), The Great Hall and up the staircase - complete with unsettling pictures where some would occaisionally subtly move, some would speak to you and even the ones that didn't had eyes that seemed trained on you at all times - I can't stress how cool this was as they appeared to be real paintings but were animated in a such a convincing way that you still thought them to be paintings despite the animation. Next up was The Forbidden Journey - another 4D rollercoaster in the same vein as Spiderman, however this one was half animation, half real models and took us all around the grounds of Hogwarts including The Chamber of Secrets, The Triwizard Tournament and a game of Quidditch. No sign of He Who Must Not Be Named, but plenty of Dementors causing all sorts of mischief before being Expecto Patronum'd away by Harry, just before he caught the Golden Snitch. I'm really running out of superlatives to describe how awesome this was! As we came out of Hogwarts suddenly the castle was illuminated by a blueish light. Harry, Ron and Hermione appeared as did another student - unsure which due to the half English, half Japanese dialogue. Suddenly there were Dementors flying all over the castle, before one attacked the nameless student on the roof with the Dementor's kiss. Many Patronuses were cast before they all joined as one to finally get rid of the Dementors for good. The nameless student was somehow alright as well - not sure how they got away with that one! A quick trip to look over Hogwarts Lake (again, amazing view of the castle), before we headed through the zombie horde once again to ride the Flying Dinosaur one last time before leaving the park We ended up grabbing Takoyaki for dinner📷 , this time with many different toppings - I somehow managed to eat 16 this time, quite a feat! Naoko also showed me the correct way to use chopsticks (post included picture) finally! We hopped on the train back and said our goodbyes - hopefully we'll meet again one day!
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Fanfic: Appendix A
Below, you’ll find our recommendations on where to find fanfiction, who our favorite authors are, and which are our favorite stories. Feel free to add more!
The Places to find Voyager Fanfiction
Archive of Our Own (AO3): http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Star%20Trek:%20Voyager/works
Fanfiction.net (FFN): https://www.fanfiction.net/tv/StarTrek-Voyager/
Trekiverse: http://trekiverse.org/efiction/browse.php?type=categories&catid=6
Bree’s (@breezybree) FFN page: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5118207/ArgyleTrekkie
Caroline’s (@rikerssexblouse) FFN page: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/6507376/RikersSB
Sarah’s  (@mollybecameanengineer) FFN page: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/5486596/Sareki02
Katie’s (@captacorn) FFN page: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7008970/CaptAcorn
Favorite Authors
Alpha Flyer @alphaflyer: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2537553/Alpha-Flyer
Delwin @delwin47: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4444184/Delwin
Photogirl1890 @pg1890: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1966297/Photogirl1890
Runawaymetaphore: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/2698350/Runawaymetaphor
Dalaire: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/103730/dalaire
Kezhke: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1996839/Kezhke
Ruchira: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1838165/Ruchira
Seema: http://www.seema.org/myfanfic.html#voy
Barbara Watson: http://deck9section12.federalproductions.com/
Northernexposure @notimejustwords: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1076835/northernexposure
MissyHissy3 @missyhissy3: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4908212/Missyhissy3
Laura W: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/831179/Laura-W
Mia Cooper @mia-cooper: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/242672/Mia-Cooper
MarcyGoomen @marcygoomen: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4937102/MarcyGoomen
Recommended Stories
Glory Days: http://seema.org/gd_index.htm
This series takes place approximately five years after Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant. Whole Cast.
Idle Gossip: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5515816/1/Idle-Gossip
Three years post-“Endgame,” Tom Paris and B’Elanna Torres prepare for new posts, Chakotay and Harry Kim rediscover old friends, Admiral Janeway stares down ghosts from her past, and the Voyager rumor mill is as strong as ever. Slight fluff. P/T, J/C, K/f.
Ordinary People: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9890916/1/Ordinary-People
"But home for Tom has always been about people, which is what he worries about most now." P/T, Janeway
Choices: http://archiveofourown.org/works/247279/chapters/381784
A re-entry story, focusing on Tom Paris. It explores how Voyager's crew might have resolved their outstanding legal issues and dealt with the real world of politics and Starfleet protocol. How would they integrate back into their families after seven years away, and approach future career options? Touch of TNG. P/T, Janeway, Kim, EMH
(The whole series: http://archiveofourown.org/series/10629)
Voyager Season 7.5: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/139635/Voyager-Season-7-5
A series of stories that present a new way that Voyager got home. Whole Crew
Further Up and Further In: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5768692/chapters/13293412
Three years after Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant, Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres have settled into their marriage and their careers in Starfleet. That is until violent terrorists disrupt their lives and threaten their relationship. Rated T for language and some vague discussions of violence. P/T
Variations: http://archiveofourown.org/works/7693771/chapters/17528452
An alternate universe where Tom and B'Elanna meet earlier in their lives, only to reconnect when they both get stuck on Voyager. P/T
All The Good Things We Never Did: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11944926/1/All-The-Good-Things-We-Never-Did
An abandoned patch of land in a broken-down LA suburb becomes the unlikely site for a meeting of very different worlds. Modern-set AU. J/C, P/T, whole crew
Gravitation: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11108689/1/Gravitation
So, this woman walks into a bar… J/C darkness set five years after Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant.
The Only Constant: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11949972/1/The-Only-Constant
Back in the Alpha Quadrant, Admiral Janeway is faced with a series of events that threaten her chances of happiness with Captain Chakotay.
New Resolutions: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10226272/1/New-Resolutions
What if...Tom had been bitten by one of those insects too? AU Tom's PoV
If You Came This Way: http://archiveofourown.org/works/5094998
The man who shows up at Kathryn's door is not at all what she expects.
Guerdon: http://archiveofourown.org/works/42084/chapters/55002
Wandering along the Federation-Cardassian border, an exiled pilot is drawn into a boon he doesn't want, but accepts for want of options. Having thrown herself into what work she could get, a troubled young engineer finds herself in a new situation. Both make use of their lots and their lives as they skirt the DMZ and deal with the forces at work there. Set 16 months before "Caretaker." P/T
The Word Painter: http://archiveofourown.org/works/83081/chapters/111655
Set in an alternate universe shortly before season 2's "Alliances," the tale begins with the disappearance of an away team. Following them through a temporally unstable plasma field only to meet a friendly and ancient culture, Janeway's worst fears are proven, plus some. Her crewpeople had indeed perished--during a war to free that region of space, and over a century ago. Feeling Voyager's loss and beholden to her promises, a dying elder who had been close to the survivors of the shuttle asks to share her memories of the people who made a great impact on her society and region. But is that all she desires to repay? P/T
A Space Between: http://archiveofourown.org/works/6130615
Sometimes we become who we need to be... (Tom Paris)
The Many Adventures... : http://archiveofourown.org/works/8642068
B'Elanna, Tom, and their relationship from the perspective of one of their closest confidants.
Ghost Lights: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10967932/1/Ghost-Lights
In the black depths of the Delta Quadrant, not every light is a beacon - and not every swamp is made of mud. P/T
Smoke and Mirrors: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6112949/1/Smoke-and-Mirrors
When an away mission goes awry, B'Elanna Torres and Harry Kim are thrown back to the Alpha Quadrant – but home isn't the place they remember it to be.
First Impressions: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5085292/1/First-Impressions
AU, companion to "Quantum Fluctuations". A long shuttle ride early in Voyager's journey results in Lt. Tom Paris telling Captain Janeway the story of how he met Lt. B'Elanna Torres. P/T.
Winter’s Child: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4535362/1/Winter-s-Child
A girlhood among ghosts - living and dead - and the day everything changed. "Timeless" AU. Complete. Whole Crew.
The Bitter End: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12405550/1/The-Bitter-End
Admiral Janeway timeline - In the tenth year of their journey, Voyager is in bad shape, and so is her command team. A powerful enemy brings ever more desperate times, and with nowhere to run, an unthinkable sacrifice may be the only option for the crew’s survival. Very dark. C/7 J/C P/T Crew.
Joyride: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10261799/1/Joyride
Kathryn Janeway's Day Off. Set sometime in the fourth year of the journey. J/C, after a fashion.
Followup story to Joyride is Road Trip: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10397874/1/
Kathryn and Chakotay get to know each other again. A sequel to "Joyride." J/C.
The Rift: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9973209/1/The-Rift
A ~20+ year post-Endgame story which features the Torres-Paris family, Chakotay and Seven, with cameos from Janeway, the EMH, and Harry Kim. Commodore Tom Paris gets involved when the peace talks between two warring factions fall apart. Primarily a P/T story with some C/7 in the background.
The Afternoon of the Day:  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11500431/1/The-Afternoon-of-the-Day
A sweet moment between Tom and a grownup Miral before the events in the Admiral’s timeline of Endgame.
Sainte Claire: Summer https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11527705/1/Sainte-Claire-Summer
Not quite P/T and not quite Voyager, but wonderful all the same. This is a background look at Bobby and Brigitte — Tom and B’Elanna’s WWII holodeck counterparts from The Killing Game.
For people who want a gentle introduction to slash, here are two excellent smut-free/low smut options:
Collateral Damage: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1682185/1/Collateral-Damage
C/P. Unlike a lot of slash fics, both Chakotay and Paris are very much in character here. It follows the very common C/P trope of Tom being damaged and Chakotay being the strong protector, but at least it make sense! Tom Paris is captured by evil aliens the day before he is supposed to meet Chakotay for dinner and their relationship is put on hold as Tom tries to put his life and his psyche back together.
Price of Memory: http://archiveofourown.org/works/4891492/chapters/11216884
C/K. An alternative look at what might have happened in Timeless between the time that Voyager crashed and Harry and Chakotay went back to change history. There is smut in this one, but the characters are very well done and the sex is definitely not the point of the story.
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7th August 2017
0400 and Steve's alarm went off. I wanted to sleep more but I was so excited to leave. I love airport days. We got up, got showered and ready to leave. We were meant to leave by 0500 but we left at 0515. We had to make sure the house was left in a nice state and I wanted to take the bins out etc. We got into the car and Jack wanted to drive. He took a few wrong turns but we ended up at the airport by 0615. We had to fill up the car on the way too. We parked in the Europcar space but there wasn't anyone at the desk. We just left the key in the box and went to check in. We checked our bags in and Mel's came to 20.1kg with a nice orange 'Heavy' label. Steve's was down to 16kg and mine was 18kg. Not too bad. Jack booked at a separate time as us as he thought he was going to go to Brisbane. He decided Cairns last minute so he isn't sitting with us. He luckily managed to get on the same flights though. We were starving so we rushed to get through to get a coffee and breakfast. Obviously, Hobart Airport was going to be ridiculously tiny and there were only 2 food options that sold the same items at the same price. I found a breakfast deal which was 'Coffee and Toast for $10'. Not cheap but it'll do. Steve had an egg and bacon roll with a large coffee. He lives in the present - if he wants it, he'll get it then and there. I live in the future so I always say no and try to save in case there's something better to have. I posted all my blogs on the Hobart Airport wifi so I was up to date and ready to go with Cairns. We got on the plane just before 0800 for our first flight to Melbourne. The flight went pretty quick but it took longer than the flight into Tasmania because we were further down. It took about an hour, if that. We arrived into Melbourne at 0900 and collected our bags. Luckily, we didn't have to travel with them too far and we only had about 100 metres to walk to check them in again. We checked in straight away even though we had 5 hours until our next flight. We sat in the departure lounge, feeling pretty tired already. Mel and Jack were starving so went and got some food. Mel had a burger around 1030 and said that she couldn't believe she was eating that at this time. To be fair, we had been up nearly 7 hours already. My throat was hurting and my head was absolutely pounding so I didn't have food until around midday. Steve and I got a bite to eat but I felt so ill, I didn't eat much. I tried to lean against Steve to get some sleep so I could feel a bit better but it wasn't like Gatwick. There were only chairs with tables for families to eat. There weren't any in a row so we could lay out over a few. I did fall asleep for a short while but I didn't feel any better. Steve woke me up and I put the laptop on to watch Loose Women and ITV This Morning. He went off for a walk and came back with Panadol, travel sickness tablets and a book I had been in search for. He's a good egg. After about 30 minutes, I heard our flight be called. We packed our stuff up and walked the 40,000 miles to our gate.    We got there and most had already gone through. They were obviously waiting at the terminal. We had to walk outside to get up the stairs in the freezing cold, it was raining and the wind was going 100mph. We were seats 20 A, B and C. We had to take the back stairs which was further to walk and there was a massive queue to get into the plane. I'm not impatient, but I was getting annoyed. I was frozen standing on the stairs for 10 minutes. We eventually got into the plane and realised it was behind a massive family that couldn't figure out what seats were who's. I think we were the only people on the plane that weren't from an Asian country. A very stupid family who were obviously too impatient to wait on the stairs decided to go through the front of the plane to their seats at isle 27. They were all standing by our seats as we tried to put our stuff in the overhead lockers getting annoyed because they couldn't get through. I kindly stated that’s the reason why staff make people on isle’s 1-15 go to the front of the plane and isles 16-32 to the back... Morons. The flight took off 10 minutes late but we managed to catch up fairly soon. The pilot seemed very nice and honest, he told us what was going on and why. Half way through, Steve, Mel and I managed to fall asleep. I woke up absolutely freezing and my body couldn't stop shaking. I felt even more ill than before. Steve woke up and felt my face which was apparently boiling. He was worried I was getting what he had last week... We arrived in Cairns a bit early and the pilot told us Traffic Control told him to fly for an extra 10 minutes as we were too early and there was traffic. I just needed to get off the plane. I didn't feel well in anyway whatsoever, my heart was pounding, I was frozen but sweating and I felt like I was going to be sick. Eventually, we landed, to be told that another plane is in our parking spot so we had to wait even longer... After another 15 minutes, we got off the plane. My muscles weren't working and I couldn't walk properly. I actually processed the thought that I was dying. I obviously wasn't and I was being a drama queen, but it felt that way. Steve had to carry my backpack as I physically couldn't do it. I went to the shuttle bus to get our booking and we walked outside of the terminal. Luckily, I asked to be put on the earlier bus and the man said yes. We booked the 1900 bus but we were there by 1745. The bus stop was right outside the door with a bench. I sat on the bench with my pounding head in my hands trying not to cry. The others waited for the bus to come. The bus came pretty swiftly and we got on. I cried on the bus because I couldn't hold it in any longer. We were the third drop off which was great. 100 Sheridan Street. Not too far from the airport at all. We checked in and straight away, I got into bed. It was only 1830. I honestly felt so poorly I didn't know what to do. The room was so hot but the aircon was so cold. Mel and Jack went for a walk to find their bearings. Steve stayed with me for a bit before the door knocked. It was Sophie! I completely forgot she was meeting us here! She heard that I was ill from Mel who she bumped into in the kitchen area. I told her I would act more excited to see her in the morning. Everyone put my illness down to exhaustion, which it probably is. Hopefully I can sleep this off. Sophie stayed in the room for about an hour chatting away having a catch up. Mel and Jack came back after they had found Coles and Chemist Warehouse etc. They all left to go and have dinner. They were getting Pizza. You know I'm not well when I don't eat, that's all I can say!
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jeffreyclinard · 5 years
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18 Free and Cheap Things to Do in Singapore
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Updated: 2/27/2019 | February 27, 2019
Singapore is an expensive place to visit. There’s no way around it. The small city state is priced relative to the United States, which is a lot more expensive than its neighbors!
On a small stop-over trip, this isn’t a problem.
But on a big trip through the region, a trip into Singapore can elicit sticker shock, and it can turn people away if they’re trying to do the area on the cheap. If you still want to visit this country, though, there are still many ways to travel around Singapore on a budget.
Singapore has many free and cheap things to do when you vsiit that that will allow you to make the most of this big city!
Here’s a list of my favorite cheap and free things to do in Singapore!
1. Cool Off in the Underground Malls
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The best places to cool off in this very hot city are the underground malls where the A/C’s cranking. You’ll be able to move around most of the city and never expose yourself to the heat and humidity. Since it gets cool at night, it can save you from having to pay extra for A/C at your hotel or hostel. Plus, you can spend your afternoon wandering underground Singapore without spending any money.
2. Eat Cheap Food in Little India
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Singapore has some great food, but many of the restaurants are expensive. However, one of the best places to eat is the area of Little India, where great Indian meals cost as little as $5 SGD. Make sure you find the places where you can eat with your hands! They’re the most authentic and local places. You’ll probably be the only Westerner in there, though, so be prepared for people to stare. Eating at these places was still the most fun I had in Singapore.
3. Eat Cheap Food in Chinatown
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Another great place to eat cheap food is Chinatown. The dim sum here is great, most everything is in Chinese, the hawker food is also good, and there are a few cool temples here too. This is a wonderful place to not only eat but to also wander around. You’ll be able to cut down a lot of your food budget by sticking to the hawker stalls here and in Little India.
One of those food stalls is Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, the world’s most affordable Michelin-starred restaurant. You can order a world-class dish here for under $2 USD. Be sure to eat here! Get here early as the line gets extremely long!
4. Eat Out for Lunch
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If you’re looking for a nice place to sit down and eat, then the best time to eat at Singapore’s famed restaurants is during lunch when restaurants offer 20% off, making them a great deal. The set lunches will give you dinner food at a discount and allow you a bit more variety in what you’re eating. Make sure to check out the restaurants in the underground mall, where you’ll find even more lunch specials.
5. Walk Around the Gardens
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The Botanic Gardens are free and are a nice place to walk around—especially in the mornings and evenings when Singapore’s tropical weather cools down a little. Early in the morning, locals practice t’ai chi on the lawn, and there are often free concerts on weekends.
6. Combine the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari
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The Singapore Zoo is a must-see. It’s an open-air zoo, which is great because animals aren’t locked up in tiny cages. It’s actually one of the best zoos I’ve ever been to. They also offer a night tour in a different section of the park where you get to see the nocturnal animals. These activities aren’t very cheap, but if you combine them together, you’ll save a lot of money. It’s worth the price.
80 Mandai Lake Rd, +65 6269 3411, wrs.com.sg/en/singapore-zoo. Open daily from 8:30am-6pm. Admission to the zoo is 35 SGD for adults and 23 SGD for kids while the night safari is 47 SGD for adults and 31 SGD for kids. A combination ticket for the zoo and night safari is 68 SGD for adults and 48 SGD for kids.
7. Hit the Beach
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If you need an escape from the busy metropolis, head to Sentosa Island. There, you can kick back and relax on the beach. There are actually 3 beaches to choose from here, depending on what you’re looking for. Siloso beach is where you’ll want to go for activities, Tanjong beach is a great spot to chill and enjoy a drink, and Palawan beach is where you’ll go if you’re traveling with kids. While you won’t be getting the beach experience you’d find in Thailand (there are tons of cargo ships in the water here!) it’s still a great place to escape for a day and soak up some rays.
8. See the Supertrees
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Gardens by the Bay is a 250-acre nature park build on reclaimed land. It’s famous for its massive supertrees, 25-50m-tall vertical gardens that look like massive trees. The supertrees are home to all sorts of exotic plants and ferns and make for a stunning sight. While you have to pay to explore the conservatories, admission to the supertree garden is free.
9. Visit the National Museum of Singapore
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While admission to the museum isn’t free, they do offer daily free tours which really makes a visit here worthwhile. This is the oldest museum in the country, having opened in 1849. The museum covers the history of the country, making it a great place to learn more about the country and how it came to be.
93 Stamford Road, +65 6332-3659, nationalmuseum.sg. Open daily from 10am-5pm. Admission is 15 SGD for adults and 10 SGD for students and seniors. Free tours are available at 11am and 2pm on weekdays and 11am, 1pm, 2pm, and 4pm on weekends.
10. Hike the MacRitchie Treetop Walk
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The MacRitchie Trails cover over 11km of pathways around the largest reservoir in the country. It’s a place where the locals head for a run or a hike, and it’s a great place to get out and stretch your legs if you need to escape the city. Part of the trail includes a 250m aerial suspension bridge, which offers some nice views of the surrounding area. You can rent kayaks and canoes there, as well, and if you’re lucky you might spot one of the rare flying lemurs that call the park home!
MacRitchie Reservoir, +65 1800 471 7300, nparks.gov.sg. Open Tuesday-Friday from 9am-5pm and 8:30am-5pm on weekends. Admission is free.
11. See St Andrew’s Cathedral
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This is the largest cathedral in the country, dating back to the 1850s. The cathedral was built in the Neo-Gothic style, and it was the first Anglican evangelical outreach in the country. The cathedral’s choir is actually the oldest musical institution in the country too. During WWII, it was used as a makeshift hospital until the Japanese invaded.
11 St Andrew’s Road, +65 6337-6104, cathedral.org.sg. Open from Monday-Saturday from 9am-5pm. Tours are free though they must be booked in advance.
12. Snap a Photo with a Merlion
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The merlion is a mythical creature that has the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It’s the mascot of the country and often considered the personification of Singapore itself. There’s a statue of a merlion in Merlion Park (near the Central Business District) that you can check out and snap a photo with. (There are actually 5 official merlion statues around the city, though the 2 in Merlion Park are the most famous).
13. Go Stargazing
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Science Centre Singapore offers free stargazing every Friday (weather permitting) between January and November. This is a really cool activity and makes for a great educational experience for adults and children alike. Just keep in mind that there is limited space, so be sure to arrive by 7:30pm to claim a spot.
15 Science Centre Road, +65 6425-2500, science.edu.sg. Stargazing is every Friday from 7:45pm-10pm. Check their website for the most up-to-date details.
14. Take a day trip to Chek Jawa
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This wetland nature reserve is located on an island a short ferry ride away from the city. There’s a winding boardwalk you can explore as well as a large viewing tower you can climb to take in the panorama. Bicycles are available for rent outside the park as well, in case you don’t want to hike. The area was originally slated for redevelopment but the locals protested the decision and now it’s one of the last bastions of natural habitat in the area.
Pulau Ubin, +65 6542-4108, nparks.gov.sg. Open daily from 8:30am-6pm. Admission is free.
15. Explore the Singapore Art Museum
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The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of modern Southeast Asian art. Modern art isn’t my favorite style, but there were plenty of insightful and imaginative pieces here to keep you entertained. They also have regular guided tours in English, which definitely makes a visit worthwhile. If you want to save money, be sure to visit on Friday evening when admission is free!
8 Queen St, +65 6589-9580, singaporeartmuseum.sg. Open Saturday-Thursday from 10am-7pm and Fridays from 10am-9pm. Admission is 10 SGD per person, though there is free entry on Fridays from 6pm-9pm.
16. Visit Haw Par Villa
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Also known as Tiger Balm Gardens, this theme park contains over 1,000 statues from Chinese folklore and mythology. The most popular section of the park is a depiction of the Ten Courts of Hell, an exhibit that shows what hell is like in Chinese mythology. The park was recently updated and renovated and is worth taking a stroll through.
262 Pasir Panjang Rd, +65 6773 0103, hawparvilla.sg. Open daily from 9am-7pm. Admission is free.
17.Buddha Tooth Temple
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Located in Chinatown, this Buddhist temple is also a museum that is home to a tooth of the original Buddha. The four-story building was built in the early 2000s though it imitates architecture from the Tang Dynasty of China. The museum is home to one of almost a dozen “tooth relics” in the world, and while its legitimacy can be debated it’s still a cool temple to visit and explore.
288 South Bridge Rd, +65 6220-0220, btrts.org.sg. Open daily from 9am-6:30pm. Admission is free.
18. Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
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This wetland is an ASEAN Heritage Park and another great place to escape the urban sprawl of Singapore. It was the first wetlands in Singapore to be made into a reserve due to its importance for migratory birds in Asia. There are dozens of bird species that call the park home, and there is also a family of otters you can spot playing in the water if you’re lucky!
301 Neo Tiew Cres, +65 6794-1401, nparks.gov.sg/sbwr. Open daily from 7am-7pm. Admission is free.
*** Singapore may not be the cheapest city in the world, but there are still some ways to make it less of a burden on your wallet. By eating cheap, walking, and taking advantage of discounts, you can easily do Singapore without busting your wallet!
Do you have any tips on how to visit Singapore on a budget? Leave them in the comments!
Book Your Trip to Singapore: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. My favorite places to stay are:
Coral Hostel – This is a quiet hostel with fast WiFi and free coffee/tea as well as a free all day breakfast!
Dream Lodge – This is a cool hostel with comfy beds that offer lots of privacy. There are lockers and plenty of outlets, and each bed has a curtain, which I really appreciate as a light sleeper!
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!
Want More Information on Singapire? Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Singapore for even more planning tips!
Photo Credit 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 19, 20
The post 18 Free and Cheap Things to Do in Singapore appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.
from Traveling News https://www.nomadicmatt.com/travel-blogs/cheap-things-to-do-in-singapore/
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janetoryim · 7 years
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Part i.
In my last summer of undergrad, I spent a little over a month living a lifestyle encompassed by an intimate, inflamed love for my God and His heart that can’t compare to anything else I could ever desire in this life.
I had the privilege of being sent on an international mission trip to East Asia for five weeks! In short, my experience was challenging. [Disclaimer: I’ll talk more about these points in the following blog posts to come! I’ve dedicated the remainder of this post to my thought process in applying, what it was like leading up to EASM 17, as well as a broad overview of our schedule. TBH it’s kinda just details and non-personal stuff–wrote this mainly for my own memory. Feel free to read it though!]
Immersion in a country of such a foreign culture and language and way of life posed extremely huge frustrations and challenges for me. Yet I simultaneously saw how the  Gospel goes beyond cultural differences and how God loves all people. My month in EA affirmed Revelations 7:9–that all people need God and that he truly loves all nations, tribes, tongues, peoples.
I learned more about how God created me uniquely and has gifted me. I saw how He is the one who places specific people in front of me in His timing to be the fragrant aroma of Jesus Christ. I experienced how this was only possible through surrender.
And in a place like EA, where being a missionary is essentially illegal, I felt the freedom that comes through knowing Jesus as a stark contrast to the restrictions that the government placed on my abilities to communicate with others and talk about spiritual things openly. This caused my own personal times with God so much sweeter and intentional as I became dependent on prayer and the Bible.
Above all, I hit wall after wall, becoming frustrated with how unfruitful my work seemed. I was forced to and continue to be challenged to have greater faith that true “successful” evangelism is simply obeying in love and the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results up to God. 
I went with Epic Movement–the campus ministry that consumed my undergraduate experience with sweet sweet memories, training in evangelism, lifelong friendships, unbearable frustrations, leadership development, interpersonal conflict, a great awareness of my ethnic identity, and much, much more.
At the tail end of college, complaints and frustrations about this ministry filled most of my conversations, and serving as “president” left me feeling jaded from unmet expectations, exhausted from the weekly commitments and inefficient communication, excited to graduate and leave, and hopeful that the new generation of leaders could fulfill all of the hopes and dreams I had envisioned for our movement. In the midst of this negativity, I reflect on the immense growth I’ve experienced through my time serving and leading in Epic.
UT Epic Movement Core Team 2016-2017
As a wide-eyed freshmen who couldn’t articulate the Gospel (what I like to call the “foundations” of my faith), I joined Epic because of the evangelism-centered vision statement. I became so excited about the weekly evangelism trainings and opportunities to grow in this area, and it all came to fruition in the summer after my freshman year, when I got to spend my summer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa on Hawaii Summer Project 2014 (HSP14) with Epic Movement. My time during HSP14 continues to impact me today in really huge ways–I still share the Gospel the same way I did three years ago. I keep up with some of the same amazing, wonderful, and powerful friends I made that summer. My love for poke and acai bowls, beautiful beaches and furikake has only but increased, and much, much more.  But that year, I didn’t expect to go to Hawaii. Long story short, my parents didn’t let me apply for an overseas mission trip because of my young age and the fact that I would have to study abroad later on to graduate. Yet from my freshman year, I somehow knew that God wanted me to go to East Asia, but I never thought it would actually happen.
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// how it all came to be //
Last summer, I spent six weeks in beautiful Oaxaca, Mexico on a study abroad program about global health, which drastically changed the trajectory of my future (you can read my weekly summaries and this crazy life change further down on this blog). Checking this graduation requirement off of my list, I casually asked my parents if I could go to East Asia this summer for missions, not expecting anything. They said, “Yes!” without hesitation, and I became shocked as I compared to the reluctant response they had given me back in my freshman year. So from then on, I knew in the back of my mind that it would happen. Honestly, I didn’t pray about it very seriously, and I had no real compelling reasons as to why I desired to go to EA specifically, and especially with Epic, but I applied, had an in-person interview with my future discipler Christine in New York City while on a grad school visit, and became accepted early on this year.
[ P R E – D E P A R T U R E ]
My last semester of undergrad was hellish, to say the least. From my 12 hr/week internship at Susan G. Komen Austin to my new part time retail job at J. Crew Mercantile, discipling four incredible women to serving as the “president” of Epic, all while taking finishing up my graduation requirements and visiting graduate schools in the Northeast–my last semester could be described as anything but “chill”. By God’s grace, I survived, and I finally graduated! Yet through it all, I got to meet up weekly with my friends Nick and Alan from UT to pray together, motivate one another, and keep each other accountable in our ministry partner development. Even though I had this accountability, I really didn’t start asking people to partner with me on this journey until after graduation, about one month before I had to leave for EA.
Admittedly, this was bad stewardship of my time, but God is still so faithful wow.
18 days before leaving, I had raised 20% of the $5,100 I needed. Over the next two weeks, I sent about 170 letters, made lots of cool prayer update graphics, and spent way too much in my email inbox. By the time I arrived at briefing two weeks later, I was overfunded at 110%, having raised around $500 more than I needed. On top of that, I got to reconnect with old friends and gather some intense prayer requests from my ministry partners to pray over during my time in EA. All of this affirmed that God wanted me to go this summer!! This all sounds awesome, but to be honest, I felt as though I simply went through the motions–I faked excitement, and I had huge doubts that my time in EA would change my world. I had a sliver of hope that it would, but my attitude going in seemed hesitant.
[ B R I E F I N G ]
Thus that’s how I entered briefing. We arrived at Vanguard University next to Newport Beach in beautiful southern California on July 20th with the other two Epic Movement summer international teams, heading to Japan and Southeast Asia. I felt comfortable and happy to be with some of my friends from UT one last time, but overall I experienced immense relief to be fully funded, especially because I had only raised 50% last time.
During that time, we had trainings on cultural norms/conflict resolution/etc., speakers gave talks to encourage and challenge us, and we were reminded to remain intentional in prioritizing our own faith.
I met my whole team, and from the start, it felt as if we had known each other for our entire lives. We shared deeply with one another from the start, and I was super excited to have had the opportunity to room with Noel, another graduated senior who was going to East Asia! I saw some good friends from Hawaii three years ago & said goodbye to some of my friends for possibly the last time before moving to New Haven, including my roommate from college ]: twas quite bittersweet.
Students from Epic Movements UT Austin and Texas A&M at briefing before we head out!
Some truths that I meditated on during this time from the talks given:
Loving the Lord begins with knowing that the Lord loves you.
Forgiveness isn’t earned; it’s a grace thing.
The goal isn’t to be conflict-free; the goal is to handle it well when it occurs. 
There’s freedom that others’ salvation isn’t dependent upon you.
I can’t. God can. Let Him.
We were commissioned with prayer the last night of briefing, and the next day, we headed out to LAX! At this point, I felt nervous and ill-equipped, battling doubts that God wouldn’t use me powerfully the coming month.
At LAX right before boarding to EA!
[ A R R I V I N G ]
We hopped off of the plane after a 14.5 hour flight to EA and were warmly greeted by intense humidity and high temperatures (pun intended). We followed some dude who spoke no English, carried our luggage up some stairs, and got into a bus that took us two hours away to our university dormitory for foreign students. From that point onwards, everything moved so fast. We all got our own rooms and our own bathrooms! This sounds nice, but honestly compared to my dorms back at UT, I felt a bit apprehensive about sleeping on that bed (featured below). I had heard that our dorms were the nicest on campus, but walking into my room which smelled heavily of cigarette smoke, had strange writing and footprints on the wall, and was covered in dust, I was far from impressed. Being a clean freak, I became really stressed out, but told myself to make the most of the situation because I was privileged to have my own space, especially with my own A/C unit and wifi.
We settled in a bit, and were greeted by a few of the people who served as year-long missionaries (“STINTers”). Three of them I had spent the summer with in Hawaii back in my freshman year! We enjoyed a dinner of KFC, an expensive delicacy in EA.
[ S C H E D U L E ]
The remainder of that week, we had our school orientation, met up with the STINTers, who gave us campus tours, paid for our meals in the cafeteria, took us grocery shopping, etc….and we got our bikes. (I’ll talk about this later LOL) We also went on some prayer walks and started meeting students by playing volleyball and just sitting with people randomly during mealtimes.
The rest of our month there, we followed a rough basic schedule:
9AM // Meet with the rest of the team to bike to the staff apartments for Sunday church times, trainings, gender separated processing groups, prayer meetings, Sunday church times, Bible study on Nehemiah
11:30AM // Bike back to campus from apartments for lunch, typically on campus in the canteens
12PM-1:30PM // Lunch [meet w/students, discipleship with staff, intentional meals with other teammates]
1:30PM-5PM // Language classes on Tues, Wed, Thurs, or meet up with friends that we had met
5:30PM-7PM // Dinner [meet w/students, intentional meals w/other teammates]
7PM-10PM // Family business meetings and trainings, Date Night with Jesus (intentional time with the Lord), Family Time, Free Night, hang out with friends
Occasional free days and traveling to nearby cities on weekends
Friday afternoons, we had culture classes for the first two weeks, then we had English club the second half of our time there, in which we would invite the friends we had made so that they could practice English, and so that we could meet others and hopefully build upon those relationships.
  E A S M 1 7 [i] Part i. In my last summer of undergrad, I spent a little over a month living a lifestyle encompassed by an intimate, inflamed love for my God and His heart that can't compare to anything else I could ever desire in this life.
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misschey2u · 4 years
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Fall is here! If you’re anything like me, there’s a part of you that is bursting with love for everything Fall offers, Apple Cider, Pumpkin Pie, Crisp mornings that smell like leaves, warm hot chocolate while watching the leaves fall, crock-pot cooking and warm bowls of soup. Then there is the other half; that half of you that feels a sadness comes over you when you wake up to a rainy gloomy morning. Having to drag yourself out of bed in a cold house, stumbling through the dark not wanting to wake the family up, searching for the windows in hope to let in a little light.
 As excited as I had been for Fall; here in NJ we had two super grey super gloomy mornings, and I felt it “Hello Darkness my old friend.” The anxiety, the glimpse of my depression , it was as if it had waited to make its appearance, and I was filled with dread. As much as we try not to acknowledge the creeping sensation that anxiety tends to bring forward, it’s hard! Here comes Fall, and here comes SAD.Seasonal Affective Disorder is more than real. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that is triggered by the changing seasons of the year. According to FamilyDoctor.org “Between 4% and 6% of people in the United States suffer from SAD. Another 10% to 20% may experience it in a milder form. SAD is more common in women than in men. Some children and teenagers get SAD. But it usually doesn’t start in people younger than 20 years of age. The risk of SAD decreases for adults as they age. SAD is more common in northern regions of the United States. Winters are typically longer and harsher there. There is also less sunlight because they are farther away from the equator.” I would always joke about how I hated Winter, the cold was terrible, who needs four seasons? I lived in St. Croix USVI for most of my childhood where Summer and Cool Summer were out only seasons, the sun was always shining and I was surrounded by lush greenery, blue roaring oceans and so much life! I moved to NJ at 17 and though the first few Winters felt harsh it seemed to have doubled by the time I was a newlywed raising our first son at 21. Fall and winter came, and depression hit like a tornado, my anxiety was too much to bear and I found myself starting therapy every fall for a few years. Summer would come, and I’d feel alive, full of wonder, like a kid, postponing therapy sessions to spend time outdoors with my feet buried in the dirt of our garden. Then Fall would creep around ; the smells would excite me, a crisp fall morning with lots of sunshine was my favorite but after Halloween and we got into November, that childlike excitement would fade. For those who’ve dealt with SAD , you know the drill.
 I got tired of the merry-go-round of emotions, I was physically tired and emotionally drained, frustrated with my new reality the rebel in me decided, “I can beat this! I don’t have to feel like this!” And I established my Seasonal to-dos. Simple things that I do to keep me feeling centered and positive. 
Create a routine! Try to start your day off on the same foot each morning and end on the same note each evening. Choose something you truly enjoy to help keep you grounded. For me; it’s a cup of tea or Mushroom Cocoa in the morning. I make a cup of whatever hot beverage of my liking pour it in a to go cup and would walk my son to the school bus stop. On my walk back I’d take note of some of the beautiful things along my path, maybe pick up a leaf, or acorn or something cute and just enjoy my quiet time. If my second son is still asleep with his Dada I will do yoga followed by a tarot card reading and maybe a little writing, whether it be a blog or just a diary entry. These are all some of my most favorite things to do for myself so it’s a great way to start a morning because it puts me in a positive space mentally. When you focus on all the good coming your way it’s hard to succumb to the depression. The point is these things shouldn’t be hard to want to do, but pending they are…do them anyway! Once you get started, keep pushing through. You’ll be glad that you did! I then end my day with some quiet time either reading a book to my boys or reading a book while my boys play in their room until we’re all good and sleepy. Also important, try not to sleep in! Part of SAD is the fact that the season my affect your circadian rhythm, so create your own! Wake up at the same time every morning and go to sleep the same time each night, if you can help it.
Go outside! Yes; it’s gross out there, it may be chillier than you’d like but…go! A daily walk outside can bring you peace. Being able to appreciate the beauty in each season whether you like that season or not ; can truly go along way. It teaches you to enjoy the season no matter which it is. Take a little gratitude journal for the walk and note the things you’re grateful for seeing. Just be sure to bundle up!
Do a Seasonal activity! Apple picking? Pumpkin carving? Ice skating? Whatever floats your boat. Go for it! Enjoy all that the season has to offer! Keeping active and busy is a great way to scare the SAD away! Don’t let it catch you! Or if it does , be able to have a way to get out of it. Plan a day full of seasonal activities for yourself whether alone or with loved ones. Every year for the past three years we’ve done apple picking, we’ve had great warm sunny October trips and icky rainy, gloomy ones. But the result is the same a day full of fun with some of the people we love. I do not like snow, my coworker tells me I’m horrible because I do all I can to persuade my children that they don’t need to play in the snow. However, they get me out…every year and honestly I’m grateful. I do enjoy snowball fights on a cold morning for a whole seven minutes…sometimes ten!
Open those shades! Let some sunlight in…even if it’s very little. You can also use photo-therapy lights to brighten up the place. Not only do I open all shades in the house but I have several plants all around. The greenery makes me feel alive! Studies have also shown that photo-therapy can help reduce and even treat SAD.
Plan ahead! Prep Prep Prep! When you already feel that your whole world is thrown off it can feel like you won’t survive the day because you have so much to do, and nothing done. Whether it’s prepping your lunch for the week, packing your suitcase or bookbag the night before, planning your outfits for the week, or planning dinner for the next day. All these things can help to keep you on track and feel that you’re ahead of the game. So if you slip for a moment into yourself, it’s not the end of the world. Also, Crockpot! Once I see one leaf fall from a tree, I break out my crockpot. Crockpot meals makes it easy for me to still appear to be the Super Mom I want to believe I am. I know that if I’m having a bad day, at least I’ll be coming home to a warm meal and that I at least did the one duty of feeding my family. Meal times are precious to me so if my Sadness affects them it really hits me hard and can throw me off, especially if I’m trying to rush to feed my family while in a funk. I make sure to have a few crockpot recipes at my fingertips on the funky feeling days, so mealtime is a funk free zone! Take that SAD! 
  Happy Monday!
Kick SAD’s Sorry Butt!
With Love,
Queen C (@Buttatheholsisticdoula)
Falls here; SAD’s near- Dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder Fall is here! If you’re anything like me, there’s a part of you that is bursting with love for everything Fall offers, Apple Cider, Pumpkin Pie, Crisp mornings that smell like leaves, warm hot chocolate while watching the leaves fall, crock-pot cooking and warm bowls of soup.
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eatbcstx-blog · 5 years
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Eat BCS Dining Guide : Barbeque Restaurants near Bryan-College Station
Looking for the best brisket, sausage, ribs, sides, and sweet tea in town? Check out all your delicious carnivorous options in our Eat BCS Barbecue Guide.
Vote for your favorite BBQ Brisket Sausage Ribs in #BCSTX
1775 Texas Pit BBQ Catering 8203 Raymond Stotzer Parkway, College Station, Tx • 979-492-6141
Brisket, Pork Spare Ribs, Jalapeno and Traditional smoked sausage, Turkey breast, Pulled Pork, 1/2 cut chicken, also serving made from scratch sides, Potato Salad, Beans, and Slaw. 1775 Texas Pit BBQ Catering’s mission is to provide our customers the true traditional Texas Style Q. Cooking on Central Texas Oak to provide a smooth tasting meat. Meats are cooked on a traditional offset smoker for a pure Texas taste. They take pride in using only the best products available so customers get the best experience.
All The King’s Men N. Main St., Downtown Bryan
Barbeque, bourbon, and beer are the house specialties at the new All The King’s Men, now open in Downtown Bryan next door to the Proudest Monkey.
Always Cravin’ Pit BBQ Mobile / Pop Up • 979-204-6222
Always Cravin’ Pit BBQ doesn’t do chopped brisket. Sorry! We do chunks of sliced brisket arranged deliciously on a Hawaiian bun with a touch of their homemade sauce with pickles and onions if you’d like. Come and get you some. They can often be found at New Republic Brewing Company in College Station and Home Sweet Farm in Brenham.
Blue Moon BBQ 18746 Old San Antonio Rd., Hearne, TX • 979-549-4800
Brisket, sausage, and ribs at Blue Moon BBQ. Image by Matt Moon.
Blue Moon BBQ has been serving the Best BBQ on the OSR since 2007! Come visit Rick, Toni, and Matt Moon weekly Wednesday 11-3 Thur-Sat 11-7 and Sun 11-3 for your BBQ guilt trip! Blue Moon is a Texas Monthly Top 50 ‘cue joint worth the drive out to the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere is usually somewhere special when you’re in the beautiful Brazos Valley. Only thing that can make one feel more Texan than a drive down OSR on a crisp, sunny day is the smell of smoked meats wafting your way.
BBQ 13-0 at Northgate Church Street & College Main, Northgate (Lunch Only)
Meatloaf sandwich at BBQ 13-0. Recipe by famed local chef Peter Madden.
13-O BBQ at Northgate is not your typical Texas ‘cue joint. But different is by no means deficient. 13-0 doesn’t do your typical 3 meat plates with 2 sides. They focus on sandwiches. Huge, saucy, perfectly flavor-balanced, sandwiches. The sandwich menu was authored by Peter Madden of Mad Taco and Madden’s fame…and tastes like it! I had the Meatloaf Sandwich and my friend had the Chopped Beef. I ate all of mine because it was so good. My buddy enjoyed his, but had half the sandwich to take home. Big sandwiches!
C & J Barbeque 4304 Harvey Rd., College Station (Original Store) • 979-776-8969 105 Southwest Parkway, College Station, TX • 979-696-7900 1010 South Texas Ave., Bryan, TX • 979-822-6033
Brisket, ribs, sausage, chicken and BBQ beans by C&J BBQ. Image courtesy of C&J.
The story of how C & J Barbeque got started is interesting. In 1981, Chip and Jo Manning bought a convenience store down on Harvey Road near Highway 30. Chip sold gas, cigarettes, beer, and soda. He also put in a barbeque pit. At the start, Chip sold an average of 20 pounds of meat per day. People started coming by for gas and a sandwich. The food started to get more and more popular. Now they have three locations, a banquet facility, and a catering operation that can feed tens of thousands anywhere in Texas.
DBQ Barbecue & Catering 123 Walton Dr., College Station, TX • 512-925-6909
DBQ Owner Derke Barre sits atop his B/CS famous smoke-wagon, DBQ BBQ, usually parked across from campus at Eastgate. Photo by DBQ BBQ.
Love Love Love DBQ BBQ (formerly Lew’s BBQ…same owner) in the Smokin’ (literally smokin’…there’s a bqq pit on board) Red Trailer at Eastgate! Had the pulled pork taco, brisket and sausage and it was all divine! Love that the young entrepreneur who runs the place gives 10% of profits back to the community and builds awareness of the community organizations he’s supporting in the process. He’s open daily for lunch on weekdays at Eastgate across from A&M and his big red bbq trailer can be found at local events too.
Fargo’s BBQ 1701 S. Texas Avenue • 979-778-3662
Brisket, sausage, beans, potato salad, and slaw at Fargo’s BBQ in Bryan, Texas. Image eaten by David Flash.
Fargo’s Pit BBQ recently moved South on Texas Avenue in Bryan, again, to the former Barnhill’s Buffet location. Fargo’s is a well known local establishment that has also gained statewide recognition as one of Texas Monthly’s Top 50 BBQ joints in the state. Despite the new digs, Fargo’s brisket, sausage and sides lived up to their reputation on our recent visit. The brisket was perfectly cooked with a flavorful rub creating a nice outer shell that sealed in all the good juices, making it moist and tender. There was a “different” quality about the sauce I couldn’t put my finger on…maybe a touch more vinegar than typical…not sure…but it was goooooood!
The Firebox Grill 112 Eloise St., Caldwell, TX
Ribs, brisket, and indulgent sides are making good bull about The Firebox Grill spread like wildfire.
Good Bull BBQ 326 George Bush Dr., College Station, TX
Masterfully smoked meats in the shadow of Kyle Field! Now that’s Good Bull.
Former Yell Leader Roy May and crew started Good Bull BBQ because they love barbecue and we want to change the world! Now you can too! They provide a meal for the less fortunate for every meal they sell. Feed yourself, feed the world, now that’s GOOD BULL!
J. Cody’s Steaks & BBQ 3610 S. College Ave., Bryan, TX • 979-846-2639
J. Cody’s is well known locally for their steaks and barbeque.
J. Cody’s Steaks and Barbeque Restaurant in Bryan/College Station, Texas is a little different than most steak and BBQ eateries. Most great steak and barbeque places are well known for either serving great steaks or great barbeque but not both. J. Cody’s serves both tender juicy steaks and mouth watering smoked barbeque.
Kreuz Market – Bryan 768 North Earl Rudder Fwy., Bryan, TX • 979-704-6147
Brisket, sausage, and the famous German potato salad at Kreuz Market.
Originally based in Lockhart, TX, with a second location locally stationed in Bryan, TX, Kreuz Market has expanded its market to better serve the Brazos Valley and surrounding areas for Catering, Events, and a great everyday restaurant experience.
Lee’s Landing 313 West Cameron St., Rockdale, TX
If you’re wondering what the full parking lot morning, noon and night at Lee’s Landing on Cameron Avenue in Rockdale is all about, we can tell you… It’s about great food! The Milam County Times recently stopped in for dinner. The 3 meat barbecue plate with brisket, ribs, and sausage with sides of beans and potato salad were exemplary! They knocked it out of the park! The service and atmosphere were excellent as well. They have a really nice outdoor patio space and a tasteful Texas and Milam County decor theme throughout.
Lone Oak BBQ 1818 Smetana Rd., Bryan, TX • 979-820-0370
Lone Oak is open Thursday through Sunday until sold out. Call 979-820-0370 to place your order before heading there.
Martin’s Place 3403 S. College Ave., Bryan, TX
The chopped beef sandwiches at Martin’s Place are off the hook! They are the longest continuously operating restaurant in Bryan-College Station.
Martin’s Place has been serving Real Brick Pit BBQ Since 1925.
Matus Pit BBQ Buck and Hill St., Downtown Caldwell • 979-567-3666
Only open on weekends, Matus Pit BBQ is well worth the countryside drive to Caldwell for many Brazos Valley residents.
Mallett Brothers Barbeque 9339 State Hwy. 6, Navasota, TX • 979-825-9440 + 7247 Main St., Iola, TX
Mallett Brothers Barbeque is a Family Owned and Operated business serving Grimes, Brazos, Waller, Washington, Robertson and surrounding counties. Chad Mallett, Aggie Class of ’94, and brother Greg Mallett perfected their love of cooking at family gatherings and parties and after years of hard work (and a little fun too!) a long time dream came true and Mallett Brother’s Barbeque was opened. They now serve mouthwatering barbeque to hundreds of folks each week and have been told that they have the best barbeque anyone has ever eaten, especially the ribs!
Norm’s Smokewagon Pit BBQ Mobile BBQ Trailer in Bryan and College Station
Norm’s Smoke Wagon can be found at busy intersections and events in Bryan-College Station.
Norm’s Smokewagon Pit BBQ started up in Bryan a few months ago. They are a BBQ trailer with smoker-on-board and are already attracting a loyal local following.
Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q 504 Harvey Road, College Station, TX
Oak Smoked Brisket from Rudy’s. Get whole briskets for pick-up or shipped anywhere.
Rudy’s “Country Store” and Bar-B-Q is a popular Texas BBQ chain. Known for consistent quality, fast service, tasty sides, and a sauce that’s BOSS!
Smokin’ Oak Bar B Que 227 E. Avenue C, Milano, TX
The brisket is smoked in a pit out back and is perfectly moist. Melted in my mouth. The sauce is a little sweet, but it has a nice kick and I loved it. The sausage, made by local company in Caldwell, was perfectly flavorful and spicy. Perfectly prepared and fresh, not dried out because it was the end of the day. They seem like one of the busier places on Highway 79 and the menu is very simple, so the food is likely fresh daily. Tasted like it. If you’re on the road to Rockdale, make a “pit stop” in Milano, TX. Your belly will be glad you did.
Snow’s BBQ 516 N. Main St., Lexington, TX
Snow’s BBQ is only open on Saturdays. We arrived at 6:40 in the morning and were around 30th in line. By the time they opened at 8am, we couldn’t see the back of the line. We were told they sell around 1500 lbs of brisket alone every Saturday. We could taste why! The brisket and sausage alone are worth braving the line. There’s usually a free keg going in the line too, so the wait isn’t all bad.
Tin Shak BBQ 1500 Highway 21, Caldwell, TX • 979-567-0099
“Tin Shack BBQ brings the very best that Texas has to offer when it comes to world class barbecue.” C.W. Haynes, Pitmaster
Truth BBQ 2990 Hwy 290 West, Brenham, TX • 979-830-0392
Image courtesy Truth BBQ
Truth BBQ is a Texas Monthly Top 50 Barbecue joint worth the beautiful drive out to Brenham. They are open Thursday-Sunday from 11 A.M. – SOLD OUT
Eat BCS Pro Tip: Be sure to call ahead and order, especially to the smaller and Top 50 places, if you’re planning on arriving late in the day. Many ‘cue local joints close shop for the day when they sell out of meat.
#BCSTX BBQ Rankings: Best Brisket, Sausage, Ribs, Sandwich + Overall Top ‘Cue Joint Eat BCS Dining Guide : Barbeque Restaurants near Bryan-College Station Looking for the best brisket, sausage, ribs, sides, and sweet tea in town?
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